About ATC

• Value each person's contributions, concerns, and time
• Trust others, and be worthy of trust
• Fulfill commitments

• Seek the input of all relevant parties
• Encourage others to use their strengths and talents
• Collaborate internally and externally in service of the children of Alexandria
• Attend to barriers that may impede inclusive participation

• Filter all decisions and actions through the lens of how they will benefit the children of Alexandria
• Celebrate our mission together

• Regularly seek and respond to evaluation and feedback
• Regularly set goals, and evaluate progress
• Be open to change
• Strive for continual improvement
• Expect high-performance in all aspects of ATC work

History

In 1996, Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) launched the Primary Initiative with the goal that all students in ACPS would be able to read and do math at grade level by the end of second grade. When the Rev. Gary Charles, then pastor of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, heard about the Primary Initiative, he joined with Herbert Berg (then superintendent of ACPS) and Steve Rideout, (then Chief Judge of the Alexandria Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court), to start a program that united local faith communities and elementary school principals, teachers, and reading specialists to provide reading tutors to first and second grade students in the public schools. They named the organization Alexandria Tutoring Consortium (ATC). Today, in order to meet the need for volunteer tutors expressed by ACPS, we have expanded our recruiting base beyond our supportive member congregations to include any individual who wants to tutor, community groups and businesses, and, through Mayor Euille's Initiative, Alexandria City employees.

In 2006, ATC incorporated and received tax-exempt 501c3 status. As a result we are able to receive tax-deductible contributions from individuals, organizations, businesses, etc. to support our work.

The need for tutors is great. Some jurisdictions, including Virginia, use the literacy rate of third graders as one measure in determining how many prisons will be needed in the future! Research shows that children who do not attend preschool have a difficult time catching up with those who do. In fall 2009, 25 percent of Alexandria's children entered kindergarten not having attended preschool.

• Therefore, there will be many first graders in the Alexandria City Public Schools this fall who are "at-risk" of not being able to read at grade level by third grade.
• And, research shows that if students do not "learn to read" by the end of third grade, they will have difficulty "reading to learn" in fourth grade and beyond.
• However, first-graders who receive intensive, targeted intervention, even those who have the most difficulty reading, can reach grade-level reading by the end of second grade. With early intervention, more than 90% of children can read at grade level, or better!

• ATC tutors work one-on-one with ACPS first and second graders. Each student is tutored two 30 minute sessions a week.
• Volunteers may tutor once or twice a week. Once-a-week volunteers may find their own partner or ask to be paired with another tutor to ensure the weekly commitment to each child is met. Tutors may also sign up for two consecutive time slots and work with more than one student.
• All volunteers receive training from ACPS and have access to books and materials provided by the school. Tutors who work in schools with the Book Buddies program are provided with lesson plans and materials customized to each child's specific needs.
• Tutoring takes place at the school mostly during school hours. Tutoring begins in September or October and follows the school calendar until Memorial Day.
• Tutors will be provided with an orientation to the school.