NCJ Number
213095
Date Published
2005
Length
70 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodology and findings of an evaluation of the CORAL (Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning) project, whose goal has been to improve the academic achievement of children in the lowest performing schools in five California cities--Pasadena, Long Beach, Fresno, San Jose, and Sacramento.
Abstract
Evaluation findings show that although all five cities implemented literacy activities quickly, the quality of the activities varied. Providing sufficient time for independent reading was the most critical literacy strategy in the first year of implementation. Investing in large numbers of books keyed to various reading levels and training staff in the recommended CORAL strategy were significantly related to children's progress. Dedicated staff with cultural and linguistic competence helped strengthen program quality. The balanced literacy strategies used in the CORAL after-school program apparently were the most beneficial for the children who were the most behind in reading level. Having a literacy director with experience in literacy programming and training was important for program success, as was strong program monitoring and quality control functions. Enrichment activities and homework help in conjunction with implementing the literacy curriculum contributed to relatively high attendance rates. The evaluation began documenting the progress of the CORAL initiative in September 2004. The evaluation will continue through June 2006, so this is an interim report based on the first 9 months of data collection. Information was obtained from enrollment and attendance records, and activity data were retrieved from each city's management information system. There were observations of programs for 56 groups, and individual reading performance was assessed for 383 CORAL youth at 2 points in time. The evaluation conducted interviews with key informants, focus groups with parents, and staff surveys. 10 tables, 45 notes, 27 references, and appended data analysis and methodological details