In partnership with the William Penn Foundation, Research for Action (RFA) conducted a three-year, mixed-methods evaluation of four innovative early-literacy interventions in Philadelphia. The evaluation examined how community-based and school-embedded programs support young readers through structured, evidence-based instruction.
The Practice Guides
We produced three public resources that distill what frontline literacy programs in Philadelphia are learning right now:
- Sounding it Out: Building Blocks for Strong Literacy Programs highlights concrete, evidence-aligned “promising practices” that programs can use to boost student engagement and skill-building.
- Assessments for Literacy Programs practice guide offers a practical guide to selecting and using early-literacy measures (e.g., what each tool captures) to support day-to-day decision-making and longer-term evaluation.
- Instructor Training for Literacy Programs outlines scalable approaches to building tutor/teacher capacity so programs can deliver consistent, high-quality instruction.
Together, these reports translate research into actionable guidance for program leaders, school partners, and funders. They clarify how to train and support instructors, how to select assessments, and what promising practices look like for literacy support programs in real classrooms and OST settings.
