Read Charlotte: Choosing and Implementing Evidence-Based Strategies

In this Crucible of Practice Salon, Munro Richardson, Executive Director of Read Charlotte, the GLR community in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, discussed the ways their coalition thinks about selecting programs based on evidence. He walked participants through the details of understanding evidence-based interventions, using benchmarking strategies to make decisions about what programs and strategies to implement in their communities and the importance of fluency for reading success. He also talked about how to measure impact and addressed some of the results Read Charlotte has already seen in the short time they have been overseeing the HELPS Fluency Tutoring initiative.

Sonya Castellino, Deputy Director of Read Charlotte, talked in more detail about how Read Charlotte built and executed the HELPS Fluency Tutoring initiative. She talked specifically about steps they took to produce meaningful results for students in less than a year. Key to their success, she said, was having an implementation advisory group as well as carefully listening to other partners experienced with tutoring programs. They adapted the program in ways that supported the goal of fidelity while maximizing the abilities of tutors to be successful and stay involved over time.

Kim Perkins, addressed implementation of HELPS Tutoring from her perspective as Program Director with Helps Education Fund. She talked about the importance of school supports, volunteer supports and program fidelity, giving specific information for addressing all three components.

Jenny Ward, Senior Vice President of Bank of America, discussed Bank of America’s important role in the program and talked about how employees want to do meaningful work to help make change in their community. She specifically addressed recruiting and supporting volunteer tutors — including the use of focus groups to hear how employees are feeling about their volunteer work and to gather their suggestions for improvement.

Johanna Anderson, Executive Director of The Belk Foundation, talked about the foundation’s investment in Read Charlotte and how as a funder they think about investing in a program like HELPS Tutoring. She emphasized the importance of understanding what “evidence-based” means to determine whether an intervention will work in your community and talked about the critical role philanthropy can play not just as a funder but as a connector that can help bring the right people to the table for the success of an initiative.