11ES123503

Through the Paraprofessionals Advancing Reading Achievement (PARA) program, Milwaukee Teacher Education Center (MTEC) seeks to enlist 100 AmeriCorps members in leading small group and/or individual reading instruction for a total of five at-risk students either during the school day and/or after school in Milwaukee schools. The PARA program recognizes the untapped potential of developing paraprofessionals and general education aides capacity to drive improvement in reading achievement outcomes, given their presence in the classrooms, existing relationships with teachers and familiarity with school curricula. The MTEC PARA AmeriCorps program will provide participating members with an extensive set of trainings and coaching support that improves their literacy instructional skills and builds their interest in becoming classroom teachers. Targeted outcomes will include student participation in programming, growth in reading achievement, retention of members within their school districts and other key program measures.