PRESS RELEASES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lenore Neier, CSS, 212-614-5425
Older Adult Volunteers Make a Big Difference in Lives of New York City
School Children
Experience Corps Children Excel in Reading and
Writing
New York, NY, May 27, 2005 – New York City’s
public schools received good news last week with the report that
the number of fourth graders who met state literacy standards
as measured on the English Language Arts exam in February increased.
The news for students in the Community Service Society’s Experience
Corps schools is even more promising. In a review of the 4th grade
reading test scores from 12 of CSS’s 13 Experience Corps schools
(one Harlem school does not have a fourth grade--only first and
second), 11 schools housing CCS’s program demonstrated increases
in the percentage of children who passed the reading test. In particular,
the Experience Corps schools, on average, show higher percentages
of children passing than do the other schools in the same districts.
The increase in CSS’s schools in Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant
is almost twice as much as in the other schools. In the Bronx, it
is more than 10 times as much (see results below).
CSS President David
R. Jones said, “There is no doubt this
success is a collaborative effort. We are fortunate to work
in schools with principals who are strong leaders and teachers
who are great educators. However, that such solid increases took place
in schools with Experience Corps programs provides additional
evidence for our conviction that Experience Corps can and does make
a significant difference in making disadvantaged young people better
readers.”
The improvement in reading and writing scores in New York City’s
public schools is also a testament to the Mayor Bloomberg’s
commitment to education and confirmation of what educational research
have said for years: early intervention strategies are critical
in low-income, urban schools. Children benefit from smaller classes,
higher teacher quality, and more individual attention in early grades,
all of which are crucial to future success in high school and beyond.
Experience Corps, part of a Civic Ventures initiative, is hosted
in New York City by the Community Service Society’s (CSS)
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), through which over
150 volunteers (age 55 and over) tutor one-on-one and assist in
classrooms for children at risk of developing reading difficulties.
The Experience Corps literacy initiative is especially meaningful
in that it draws on the resources of older adults, often from the
very same communities and backgrounds as the students they serve.
“This is an important example of a program that could be
replicated in every school around the city with public support.
These reading scores illustrate that we are on the right path for
success,” said Jones.
| District |
% increase of children passing |
| District 5 - Harlem |
EC Schools 14.2% |
| Other Schools in District 7.44% |
| District 7 - South Bronx |
EC Schools 12.38% |
| Other Schools in District 1.1% |
| District 16 - Bedford-Stuyvesant |
EC Schools 15.45% |
Other Schools in District 8.06% |
The Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is a
program of the Community Service Society of New York (CSS).
CSS is an independent, nonprofit organization, has tackled the complex
issues of poverty by applying our experience through three mutually
supportive approaches. We advocate for the poor and underserved; research
and shape public policy affecting them; and provide direct services
that improve their quality of life. [Back
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