AARP Foundation Experience Corps Philadelphia

What is AARP Foundation Experience Corps?

AARP Foundation Experience Corps is a community-based volunteer program that engages highly trained adults 50+ as tutors to help students become better readers by the end of third grade. It is a proven “triple win,” helping students to succeed, older adults to thrive, and communities to grow stronger.

Experience Corps employs a structured, evidence-based model that improves the overall reading ability of students by building their fluency, accuracy and comprehension skills.

Structured, Focused Tutoring: Students are paired with a tutor (either one-to-one or in small groups) for the entire school year. The tutor facilitates two 30-minute tutoring sessions weekly.

What makes Experience Corps unique?

Training: Our tutors receive more than 20 hours of training annually, including 16 hours of pre-service training.
Experience: Experience Corps has a 78% tutor retention rate, with tutors typically serving an average of 4.5 years.
Our Volunteers: Experience Corps tutors are 50+ years old and better and as a result, they have decades of life and career experience. Many are former teachers, principals and firefighters and other professions within your school’s community.
Fidelity through Layered Quality Assurance: Ongoing support, monitoring and technical assistance are imbedded into our program. From the coaching sessions led by our site coordinators to the school liaison meetings facilitated by our community engagement specialists, Experience Corps designs program fidelity into its delivery model.

The Program Delivery Team	How the Team Supports Quality
Tutor	Provides direct service to students.
Site Coordinator	Serves in a single partner school; provides coaching to tutors.
Regional Site Coordinator	Oversees a cluster of partner schools; provides support and coaching to site coordinators.
Community Engagement Specialist	Serves as the school liaison and provides direct oversight, support and coaching to the site coordinators and tutors when needed.
Academic Tutoring and Mentoring Partner	Oversees program implementation and training across Philadelphia and ensures fidelity to the curriculum and pedagogy. Provides coaching for all tutors and direct oversight and support to the regional coordinators.

Experience Corps Philadelphia, PA produces proven results

AARP Foundation manages and supports Experience Corps, ensuring volunteer success through extensive training, peer networks and ongoing evaluation — all of which are designed and accomplished without added burden to schools and afterschool programs.

By the end of the school year:

According to a 2019 report:[1]

53% of students who were reading below grade level improved their reading and literacy performance by at least half a grade.
36% of students improved their reading and literacy performance by one full grade level or more, or were classified as on or above grade level.
71% of students improved in one or more social and emotional indicators by the end of the year.

According to a 2019 study:[2]

87% of teachers stated that Experience Corps tutors had a moderate or strong impact on performance.
83% of teachers said they would request a tutor the next school year.

[1] Abt Associates. (2019). Experience Corps Philadelphia, PA 2018-19 Performance Report. Philadelphia, PA., Abt.

[2] American Institutes for Research. (2019). Experience Corps Aggregate 2018–19 Performance Report. Philadelphia, PA., AIR.

Become a Tutor with Experience Corps Philadelphia

If you’re interested in tutoring with Experience Corps Philadelphia, please join us at one of our upcoming Recruitment Information Sessions. Please contact the Recruitment Specialist for a list of additional Recruitment Information Sessions not listed below.

Lavonne Nichols, Community Engagement, Recruitment Specialist
267-592-4459
lnichols@aarp.org

Scheduled Information Sessions:

October 20, 2021 | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Register

October 27, 2021 | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Register

November 3, 2021 | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Register

November 10, 2021 | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Register

November 17, 2021 | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. | Register

Become a School Partner with Experience Corps Philadelphia

If you represent a public or charter school in the Philadelphia area and you are interested in learning more about Experience Corps’ literacy tutoring program, please contact the Branch Director.

Loraine Carter, Branch Director

AARP Foundation Experience Corps Philadelphia

1500 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 1010

Philadelphia, PA 19002

Email: lcarter@aarp.org

Phone: 267.592.4455

Experience Corps Philadelphia is a proud AmeriCorps and Senior Corps site under a grant provided from the Corporation for National and Community Service to AARP Foundation.