Measurement of Literacy Growth in Save the Children's Rural Literacy Programs

At the request of Save the Children, U.S. Programs, POLICY STUDIES ASSOCIATES, INC. is evaluating the participation and literacy achievement of targeted children in the organization's literacy programs, which Save the Children implements in rural communities across the country. POLICY STUDIES ASSOCIATES, INC. has collected and reported on participation and outcome data in each of the first eight years of program operation.

The evaluation found that the literacy programs served a population of children whose average reading skills were significantly below grade level and that those served received Save the Children literacy services on a frequent, consistent basis. It also found that participants improved their literacy skills significantly over the course of the program period, moving closer to grade-level performance and to a greater extent than did similar students in the same schools who did not participate in the program.

The report of the evaluation of programs in the 2010-11 school year is now available here.