D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

A report series:

REPORT 1: Alumni reflections on their service year (s)

REPORT 2: Influencing the academic and career pathways of

Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni

REPORT 3: Influencing the civic experiences of Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni

Leslie M. Anderson

Julie Meredith

Jeanine Hildreth

C O M M I S S I O N E D B Y :
R EA D IN G PA R TN E RS ALU M N I S TU D Y R E PO R T 1 T H E R EA D IN G PA RT N E RS E X P 

 

 

- - E R I E N C E 0

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

REPORT 1: Alumni reflections on their service year(s)

Leslie M. Anderson

Julie Meredith

Jeanine Hildreth

C O M M I S S I O N E D B Y :
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alumni Reflections on their Service Year(s)

Program & Study Overview

Reading Partners is a national literacy nonprofit that partners with under-resourced schools

and engages community volunteers as tutors. Trained volunteers work one-on-one with

students for 45 minutes twice a week, following a structured, research-based curriculum.

AmeriCorps and VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America) members are instrumental in

delivering the Reading Partners program and serve in five different roles in the organization:

 AmeriCorps Site Coordinators (SCs) & AmeriCorps Regional Site Coordinators

(RSCs) coordinate and lead all site-based activities of the program at reading centers.

 SCs manage all site-based operations, administer literacy assessments, and provide

individualized coaching to volunteer tutors.

 RSCs, unlike SCs, are not assigned to a particular school but instead rotate among

larger schools with the greatest need and provide additional direct service support.

 AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinators (VCs) recruit volunteers to provide

individualized instruction to students who are struggling with reading. VCs prepare

volunteers for tutoring by providing orientations, managing background checks, and

setting expectations.

 AmeriCorps Literacy Leads (LL) are placed at schools where it is more challenging to

recruit volunteers and deliver tutoring sessions in tandem with volunteers.

 AmeriCorps VISTA members build organizational capacity toward the ultimate goal of

ending poverty. VISTA members serve in various contexts at the national and regional

levels to build systems and strengthen Reading Partners' ability to serve students and

communities.

Reading Partners’ theory of change asserts that, as members serve in these roles, they develop

important professional and leadership skills. Moreover, Reading Partners believes that member

experiences in the communities where they serve will influence their educational and career

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pathways as well as their attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs related to civic engagement.

Reading Partners’ AmeriCorps program is designed to impact members during and after their

service terms. While in service, members cultivate in-depth relationships and witness the

impact they have on students, while also engaging in a year-long training schedule that

provides opportunity for civic reflection and exposure to other national service networks.

In spring 2018, Reading Partners contracted with Policy Studies Associates (PSA) to design and

conduct the Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni Study, intended to deepen the

organization’s understanding of the quality of the Reading Partners AmeriCorps service

experience and its effects on the civic engagement and educational and career pathways of

their AmeriCorps and VISTA alumni. The outcome areas of interest are summarized in the

figure below.

Specifically, the study sought to address the following research questions:

1. What outcomes do Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni attribute to their Reading

Partners experience? Do these alumni perceive that serving as a Reading Partners

AmeriCorps member helped them develop professional and interpersonal skills or

influenced or change their career and/or academic pathways?

a. In what ways, if any, do perceived member outcomes vary by member characteristics,

including age, race/ethnicity, educational background, years of service with Reading

Partners, role with Reading Partners, geographic region where they served, prior service

with another AmeriCorps program, cohort year, or early vs. late cohorts?

2. Controlling for other factors, do Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni demonstrate

stronger professional and interpersonal skills and/or greater levels of civic engagement

than similarly situated members of the national population?

The study analyzed patterns among respondents overall, as well as by key characteristics,

including race/ethnicity, educational attainment, age when RP AmeriCorps alumni began their

service, number of service years completed, or region of the country (i.e., east coast, west

coast, central U.S.). Where differences by subgroup were observed, they are highlighted

throughout.

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The study used a two-part mixed-methods design that included surveys and focus groups

conducted with Reading Partners AmeriCorps and VISTA alumni.1 We also conducted

comparative analyses using data from (1) a 2015 AmeriCorps alumni survey conducted for the

Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) (Cardazone et al., 2015), and (2) a

statistically matched comparison group of similarly situated members of the national

population. (See the text box on the following page and Appendix A for additional details

about the study methodology.)

Findings from the study are described in a series of three reports, plus a technical appendix.

This report, the first in the series, focuses on describing alumni experiences and reflections on

their service year. It begins by providing a profile of the common characteristics of Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni and then describes the extent to which alumni believed that their

Reading Partners experience affected their attitudes, beliefs, skills, and abilities. In particular,

this report uses the focus group interviews to provide illustrative examples of the influence

their service experiences had on their overall life perspective.

Where possible, responses from Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni are placed in context

with results from a 2015 Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) AmeriCorps

alumni study.

1 Throughout this report, the term “Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni” includes alumni who were members of VISTA.

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Methodology

Survey: 526 alumni responses/ 59 percent response rate 

The study surveyed 898 Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni who completed their service term 

between 2010 and 2018. The survey asked Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni about their service

experiences and whether they believed those experiences influenced their subsequent educational 

and career pathways as well as their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors toward community and civic

engagement.

Focus groups: 50 respondents

To collect illustrative examples of the experiences, attitudes, and behaviors of Reading Partners 

AmeriCorps alumni, the study team conducted 12 focus group interviews with a sample of 50 such

alumni (i.e., on average, each focus group included 4-5 participants) who represent the variation in

alumni characteristics and experiences. Interviewers asked Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni to

elaborate on their services experiences, as well as their educational, employment, and civic

experiences in the years following their completion of the program.

Comparison groups: To put the Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni findings into context, the

study compared the survey responses of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni with those of the

following similar groups:

CNCS alumni. The study compared the responses of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

with responses of AmeriCorps alumni who participated in the 2015 CNCS AmeriCorps Alumni 

Outcomes study. CNCS surveyed a nationally representative sample of AmeriCorps alumni 

whose service experience ended in 2012, 2009, or 2004.

National cohorts. To better understand what Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni’s 

experiences, attitudes, and behaviors would have been had they not participated in the

Reading Partners program, the study used publicly available, national data sets, including the

American National Election Study (ANES) and the General Social Survey (GSS) to create a

synthetic comparison group very similar to the Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

population in terms of age, race/ethnicity, income, marital status, educational background, and

other factors associated with their propensity to serve (e.g., volunteerism and religiosity). The

extent to which there are measurable differences in the attitudes, behaviors, and life

experiences of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni compared with those of a statistically

matched comparison group is one indicator of the program’s impact.

Limitations: Key limitations of the study design are (1) the data collected through the Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni survey and focus group interviews reflect only the perspectives of

individuals who served in the Reading Partners program and who were willing to participate in the

study, so the results may not represent the views of all Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni; (2) the

results of the quasi-experimental design comparing the career pathways and civic engagement of

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni with a “statistically matched” comparison group should be

interpreted with caution because the design does not include a baseline equivalency measure nor is 

it a true random assignment and thereby does not allow us to infer with certainty what would have

happened to Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni had they not participated in the Reading Partners 

program. Nevertheless, this analytic strategy provides a useful comparison with similar nonparticipants, puts their career pathways and civic engagement in useful comparative perspective,

and provides insight into the potential impact of the Reading Partners program.

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Key findings:

 Almost all (87 percent) Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were satisfied with their

Reading Partners service experience and were more likely to report their service as a

satisfying or very satisfying than were AmeriCorps alumni who participated in the 2015

CNCS study.

 A majority (>60 percent) of alumni agreed that their Reading Partners AmeriCorps

service experience caused them to re-examine their beliefs about themselves or about

other people (65 percent); about two-thirds reported that they did things during their

service year(s) that they never thought they could do.

 At least 90 percent of alumni agreed that their Reading Partners AmeriCorps service

experience helped them feel as though they made a contribution to the community

where they served, and that they made a difference in the life of at least one person (95

percent); Reading Partners alumni were more likely to agree with these statements than

were AmeriCorps alumni who participated in the 2015 CNCS study.

 At least 80 percent of alumni agreed that their service experience helped them gain an

understanding of the community where they served and exposed them to new ideas and

ways of seeing the world.

 Most (>50 percent) Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni said that their service

experience helped them figure out their next steps in terms of their career and

professional goals; slightly more than half said the same about their educational goals.

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Reading Partners Alumni Profile

Most of the 526 Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni who responded to the survey were

female; about half were persons of color; and the vast majority were between the ages of 22 

and 34. As of early 2019 when the survey was administered, almost all responding alumni 

reported having a bachelor’s degree or higher (95 percent). Nearly three-quarters (73 percent)

had never married; 36 percent reported annual income between $40,000 and $70,000; and 61 

percent reported having remained in the community in which they served after completing

their service (Exhibit 1).

Exhibit 1: Characteristics of Reading Partners AmeriCorps and VISTA alumni

Based on 526 of 898 completed or partially completed surveys administered to Reading Partners alumni (response rate: 59 percent).

Source: Reading Partners Alumni Survey (2019).

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Alumni who responded to the online

survey were well-distributed across

Reading Partners region and service

year (from 2010-11 to 2017-18), as

shown in Exhibits 2A and 2B. Further,

the distribution of survey respondents

by sites and service years was very

similar to that of the overall population

of Reading Partners alumni, as

described in detail in the Appendix.

Exhibit 2B. RP AmeriCorps Alumni, by

service year

Exhibit 2A. RP AmeriCorps Alumni, by region

Based on 526 of 898 completed or partially completed surveys administered to Reading Partners alumni (response rate: 59 percent).

Source: Reading Partners Alumni Survey (2019).

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The Reading Partners Service

Experience

Almost all (87percent) Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni

were satisfied with their Reading Partners service experience.

The vast majority of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni reported that they were satisfied or

very satisfied with their service experience. Moreover, Reading Partners alumni were more

likely to report their service as satisfying than were AmeriCorps alumni who participated in the

2015 CNCS alumni study (87percent versus 84percent), and this difference was statistically

significant.

Alumni agreed that their service experience caused them to

re-examine their beliefs and attitudes about themselves and

others. 

A majority of alumni agreed or agreed strongly that their service experience caused them to

re-examine their beliefs about themselves (75 percent) or about other people (65 percent). In

addition, around two-thirds (61 percent) said they did things during their service year(s) that

they never thought they could do, suggesting that their courage and sense of self-efficacy was 

enhanced through their service experience with Reading Partners (Exhibit 3).

Alumni felt that they made a difference through their service

experience. 

A majority of alumni agreed or agreed strongly that their Reading Partners AmeriCorps service

experience helped them feel as though they made a contribution to the community where

they served (96 percent), and that they made a difference in the life of at least one person (95 

percent). In addition, 82 percent of alumni reported that their service experience made them

feel as though they were part of a community (Exhibit 3). Moreover, survey results suggest

that the Reading Partners service experience may have been more rewarding then other

AmeriCorps service experiences. That is, compared to AmeriCorps alumni included in the 2015 

CNCS study, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were more likely to agree that they felt they

made a contribution to the community and that they made a difference in the life of at least

one person (Exhibit 3).

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Exhibit 3: Whether alumni experienced personal growth and felt they made a difference 

through service, by Reading Partners AmeriCorps vs. CNCS AmeriCorps alumni

*Difference is statistically significant, p ≤ 0.05.

Sources: 2019 Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni survey; CNCS 2015 alumni survey.

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni agreed that their service

experience had helped broaden their perspective on their

community and the world.

Most Reading Partners alumni agreed that their service experience helped them gain an

understanding of the community where they served (93 percent), and exposed them to new

ideas and ways of seeing the world (82 percent). In addition, about two-thirds of alumni (65 

percent) reported that their service experience helped them learn more about the “real” world

or “the rest” of the world. When compared with alumni in the 2015 CNCS study, Reading

Partners alumni were less likely to agree that they had learned more about the “real” world or

the rest of the world from their service experience (76 percent vs. 65 percent) and the

difference was statistically significant (Exhibit 4).

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Most alumni reported that their service experience helped

them figure out their next steps in terms of their career and

professional goals; slightly more than half said the same

about their educational goals.

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni generally agreed that their service experience had helped

them identify next steps in terms of their career or professional goals (71 percent). Slightly

more than half the alumni reported that their service experience had helped them determine

next steps in terms of their educational goals (Exhibit 4).

Exhibit 4: Alumni who believed service helped them broden their perspective and plot 

their future course, by Reading Partners AmeriCorps vs. CNCS AmeriCorps alumni 

*Difference is statistically significant, p ≤ 0.05.

Sources: 2019 Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni survey; CNCS 2015 alumni survey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In their Own Words

What alumni say about their service experience

In focus group interviews and open-ended survey responses, alumni described an overall satisfying

service experience that provided valuable training, as well as significant opportunities to develop

leadership and professional skills and chart a course for their future. The following quotes illustrate

some of the Reading Partners service experiences AmeriCorps alumni valued:

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Reading Partners made

me feel more

empowered to act; [to

know] what I could do

as an individual.

Reading Partners

showed me that I could

be a real part of the

action being taken.

 I liked the fact that once the school year started, we just

had to do it; there wasn't anyone holding our hand along

the way, which I appreciated. I definitely stumbled a lot at

first, but at the same time, the support was always there.

 I had an opportunity through Reading Partners to work

one-on-one with students, write behavior plans, work with

community members, and do progress monitoring to help

students improve. All these very specific things directly

translated to the counseling profession that I'm going into

now.

 I oversee a team of AmeriCorps members with a different

non-profit [now] and I had such a great experience with

Reading Partners; that helped me lead the team I'm

currently leading now.

 I learned that I really had to be proactive and intentional

about building relationships and establish goodwill. I think

those [skills] are really important in various job settings. If

I see something coming down the pipeline that could be a

problem, rather than just waiting for something to

happen—I [try] to get out ahead of it.

Summary

Most Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni reported that they were satisfied with their service

experience. In addition, most alumni agreed that their service experience caused them to reexamine their beliefs and attitudes about themselves and others; a majority felt that they made

a difference in the life of at least one person as well as contributed to the community where

they served. In addition, most alumni agreed that their service experience helped broaden

their perspective on their community and the world. Finally, most Reading Partners alumni 

reported that their Reading Partners service experience helped them decide on next steps for

their career and professional goals. In focus group interviews and open-ended survey

responses, alumni described an overall satisfying service experience that provided valuable

training, significant opportunities for leadership and professional skills development, and that

helped them chart a course for their future.

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C O M M I S S I O N E D B Y :

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

REPORT 2: Influencing the academic and career

pathways of Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni 

Leslie M. Anderson

Julie Meredith

Jeanine Hildreth
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Influencing the Academic and Career

Pathways of Reading Partners 

 AmeriCorps Alumni

Program & Study Overview

Reading Partners is a national literacy nonprofit that partners with under-resourced schools

and engages community volunteers as tutors. Trained volunteers work one-on-one with

students for 45 minutes twice a week, following a structured, research-based curriculum.

AmeriCorps and VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America) members are instrumental in

delivering the Reading Partners program and serve in five different roles in the organization:

 AmeriCorps Site Coordinators (SCs) & AmeriCorps Regional Site Coordinators

(RSCs) coordinate and lead all site-based activities of the program at reading centers.

 SCs manage all site-based operations, administer literacy assessments, and provide

individualized coaching to volunteer tutors.

 RSCs, unlike SCs, are not assigned to a particular school but instead rotate among

larger schools with the greatest need and provide additional direct service support.

 AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinators (VCs) recruit volunteers to provide

individualized instruction to students who are struggling with reading. VCs prepare

volunteers for tutoring by providing orientations, managing background checks, and

setting expectations.

 AmeriCorps Literacy Leads (LL) are placed at schools where it is more challenging to

recruit volunteers and deliver tutoring sessions in tandem with volunteers.

 AmeriCorps VISTA members build organizational capacity toward the ultimate goal of

ending poverty. VISTA members serve in various contexts at the national and regional

levels to build systems and strengthen Reading Partners' ability to serve students and

communities.

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Reading Partners’ theory of change asserts that, as members serve in these roles, they develop

important professional and leadership skills. Moreover, Reading Partners believes that member

experiences in the communities where they serve will influence their educational and career

pathways as well as their attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs related to civic engagement.

Reading Partners’ AmeriCorps program is designed to impact members during and after their

service terms. While in service, members cultivate in-depth relationships and witness the

impact they have on students, while also engaging in a year-long training schedule that

provides opportunity for civic reflection and exposure to other national service networks.

In spring 2018, Reading Partners contracted with Policy Studies Associates (PSA) to design and

conduct the Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni Study, intended to deepen the

organization’s understanding of the quality of the Reading Partners AmeriCorps service

experience and its effects on the civic engagement and educational and career pathways of

their AmeriCorps and VISTA alumni. The outcome areas of interest are summarized in the

figure below.

Specifically, the study sought to address the following research questions:

1. What outcomes do Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni attribute to their Reading

Partners experience? Do these alumni perceive that serving as a Reading Partners

AmeriCorps member helped them develop professional and interpersonal skills or

influenced or change their career and/or academic pathways?

a. In what ways, if any, do perceived member outcomes vary by member characteristics,

including age, race/ethnicity, educational background, years of service with Reading

Partners, role with Reading Partners, geographic region where they served, prior service

with another AmeriCorps program, cohort year, or early vs. late cohorts?

2. Controlling for other factors, do Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni demonstrate

stronger professional and interpersonal skills and/or greater levels of civic engagement

than similarly situated members of the national population?

The study analyzed patterns among respondents overall, as well as by key characteristics,

including race/ethnicity, educational attainment, age when RP AmeriCorps alumni began their

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service, number of service years completed, or region of the country (i.e., east coast, west

coast, central U.S.). Where differences by subgroup were observed, they are highlighted

throughout.

The study used a two-part mixed-methods design that included surveys and focus groups

conducted with Reading Partners AmeriCorps and VISTA alumni.1 We also conducted

comparative analyses using data from (1) a 2015 AmeriCorps alumni survey conducted for the

Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) (Cardazone et al., 2015), and (2) a

statistically matched comparison group of similarly situated members of the national 

population. (See the text box on the following page and Appendix A for additional details

about the study methodology.)

Findings from the study are described in a series of three reports, plus a technical appendix.

This report, the second in the series, focuses on describing Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni education and career pathways. It begins with a profile of the common characteristics

of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni and then describes the educational and career

pathways that alumni pursued upon completing their service year(s) at Reading Partners; and

alumni perceptions of their career preparedness.

Throughout the report, we summarize alumni perspectives about their educational and career

pathways, and career preparedness, along with their reflections about the extent to which their

service with Reading Partners influenced their outcomes in these areas.

Where possible, responses from Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni are placed in context

with results from a 2015 study of AmeriCorps alumni by the Corporation for National and

Community Service (CNCS). In addition, the report also measures Reading Partners’ impact on

members’ career paths by comparing the survey responses of Reading Partners AmeriCorps 

alumni with those of similarly situated members of the national population.2 The extent to

which there are measurable differences in the chosen career paths of Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni compared with those of a statistically matched comparison group reflects

the program’s potential impact on members themselves.

1 Throughout this report, the term “Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni” includes alumni who were members of VISTA.

2 National data sets include the American National Election Study (ANES) and the General Social Survey (GSS).

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Methodology

Survey: 526 alumni responses/59 percent response rate 

The study surveyed 898 Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni who completed their service term 

between 2010 and 2018. The survey asked Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni about their service

experiences and whether they believed those experiences influenced their subsequent educational 

and career pathways as well as their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors toward community and civic

engagement.

Focus groups: 50 respondents

To collect illustrative examples of the experiences, attitudes, and behaviors of Reading Partners 

AmeriCorps alumni, the study team conducted 12 focus group interviews with a sample of 50 such

alumni (i.e., on average, each focus group included 4-5 participants) who represent the variation in

alumni characteristics and experiences. Interviewers asked Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni to

elaborate on their services experiences, as well as their educational, employment, and civic

experiences in the years following their completion of the program.

Comparison groups: To put the Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni findings into context, the

study compared the survey responses of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni with those of the

following similar groups:

CNCS alumni. The study compared the responses of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

with responses of AmeriCorps alumni who participated in the 2015 CNCS AmeriCorps Alumni 

Outcomes study. CNCS surveyed a nationally representative sample of AmeriCorps alumni 

whose service experience ended in 2012, 2009, or 2004.

National cohorts. To better understand what Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni’s 

experiences, attitudes, and behaviors would have been had they not participated in the

Reading Partners program, the study used publicly available, national data sets, including the

American National Election Study (ANES) and the General Social Survey (GSS) to create a

synthetic comparison group very similar to the Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

population in terms of age, race/ethnicity, income, marital status, educational background,

and other factors associated with their propensity to serve (e.g., volunteerism and religiosity).

The extent to which there are measurable differences in the attitudes, behaviors, and life

experiences of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni compared with those of a statistically

matched comparison group is one indicator of the program’s impact.

Limitations: Key limitations of the study design are (1) the data collected through the Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni survey and focus group interviews reflect only the perspectives of

individuals who served in the Reading Partners program and who were willing to participate in the

study, so the results may not represent the views of all Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni; (2)

the results of the quasi-experimental design comparing the career pathways and civic engagement

of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni with a “statistically matched” comparison group should be

interpreted with caution because the design does not include a baseline equivalency measure nor

is it a true random assignment and thereby does not allow us to infer with certainty what would

have happened to Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni had they not participated in the Reading

Partners program. Nevertheless, this analytic strategy provides a useful comparison with similar

non-participants, puts their career pathways and civic engagement in useful comparative

perspective, and provides insight into the potential impact of the Reading Partners program.

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Key Findings

The study revealed the following key findings about the education and career pathways of

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni:

 Taken together, study results suggest that AmeriCorps service with Reading Partners

influenced the educational and career pathways of alumni and equipped them with

numerous professional and leadership skills that prepared them well for future jobs or

careers.

 About two-thirds of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni (66 percent) reported that

they plan to pursue more education in the future and, of those, 62 percent credited

their Reading Partners service experience as influencing those plans.

 Eighty-four percent of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni agreed that their service

confirmed or informed their professional goals and Reading Partners alumni were

more likely to describe their service as a defining professional experience than were

alumni in the 2015 CNCS study.

 Members who served multiple service terms were more likely to describe the

experience as defining than were members who served a single year; and

 White alumni were more likely to believe their service experience was a

defining professional experience than were their black/African American peers.

 Most Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni (77 percent) reported that their service

experience influenced their chosen career path somewhat or a great deal.

 Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were approximately 1.3 times more likely to

report currently working in the non-profit, public, or government sectors—the type of

sector in which they worked while serving—than were their matched peers from the

national cohort.

 Most Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni (85 percent) reported that their service

experience prepared them for their current job and/or service activity somewhat or a

great deal.

 Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were more likely than alumni in the 2015 CNCS

study to report that their service experience enhanced their skills in over ten areas of

leadership and professionalism.

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Reading Partners Alumni Profile

Most of the 526 Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni who responded to the survey were

female; about half were persons of color; and the vast majority were between the ages of 22 

and 34. As of early 2019 when the survey was administered, almost all responding alumni 

reported having a bachelor’s degree or higher (95 percent). Nearly three-quarters (73 percent)

had never married; 36 percent reported annual income between $40,000 and $70,000; and 61 

percent reported having remained in the community in which they served after completing

their service (Exhibit 1).

Exhibit 1: Characteristics of Reading Partners AmeriCorps and VISTA alumni

Based on 526 of 898 completed or partially completed surveys administered to Reading Partners alumni (response rate: 59 percent).

Source: Reading Partners Alumni Survey (2019).

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Alumni who responded to the online

survey were well-distributed across

Reading Partners region and service

year (from 2010-11 to 2017-18), as

shown in Exhibits 2A and 2B. Further,

the distribution of survey respondents

by sites and service years was very

similar to that of the overall population

of Reading Partners alumni, as

described in detail in the Appendix.

Exhibit 2B. Reading Partners

AmeriCorps Alumni, by service year

Exhibit 2A. Reading Partners AmeriCorps

Alumni, by region

Based on 526 of 898 completed or partially completed surveys administered to Reading Partners alumni (response rate: 59 percent).

Source: Reading Partners Alumni Survey (2019).

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Educational Pathways

A majority of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni reported

completing additional years of school after completing their

service.

Fifty-seven percent of Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni reported completing additional 

years of school after completing their Reading

Partners service year(s) (Exhibit 3). As a result, the

percentage of Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni who reported having completed some

graduate school grew from six percent when they

started their service with Reading Partners to 27 

percent by winter/spring 2019. Similarly, the

distribution of alumni who reported having a

master’s degree grew from 10 percent when they

started their service with Reading Partners to 28 

percent by winter/spring 2019 (Exhibit 4).

Exhibit 3. Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni’s educational attainment following

their service year

Source: Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019);

N=512.

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Education level when began Reading 

Partners service Education level as of early 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 4. Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni’s current education level vs. when they

began their Reading Partners service year

Source: Reading Partners Alumni Survey (2019).

Note: This analysis references the 290 alumni who reported both their current education level and their educational level when

they began their Reading Partners service year. Consequently, the distribution of alumni by education level is slightly different

from the distribution reported in Exhibit 1 of the Alumni Profile.

More specifically, of the Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni who had bachelor’s degrees

when they began their service with Reading Partners, about half (49 percent) reported

completing some graduate school and 41 percent reported completing a master’s degree after

completing their service. No discernable differences in Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

educational attainment were evident by race/ethnicity, education, or other explanatory

variables.

AmeriCorps service with Reading Partners influenced the

future educational plans of alumni. 

About two-thirds of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni (66 percent) reported that they did

have plans to pursue more education in the future and, of those, 62 percent credited their

Reading Partners service experience as influencing those plans (Exhibit 5).

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Exhibit 5. Reading Partners’ influence on alumni’s future educational plans

Source: Reading Partners Alumni Survey (2019); N=512 and 338.

In their Own Words

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni reported that their

service experiences influenced their educational plans and

aspirations.

In focus group interviews and open-ended survey responses, Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni said that their service experiences influenced their thinking about their educational 

goals and aspirations, helping them not only to decide to continue their education but also to

determine—or at least narrow—the educational pathway best suited for them. The following

quotes shed light on some of the ways in which the service with Reading Partners influenced

the educational pathways of alumni:

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 Reading Partners helped me to see where I wanted to go

professionally, and I needed to continue to pursue my

education to achieve my goal. I decided I wanted to

keep working with

people and in

communities, and I 

went back to school 

for the degree that

allowed me to get

more jobs doing that.

 The education award...helped me feel that additional schooling

was within my reach. My experience also gave me more food

for thought, which helped me narrow down what path to

pursue.

 I knew I wanted to do literacy research and think about how

literacy is influenced by the cultures we are part of. Reading

Partners and the curriculum made me want to know more

about how these decisions are made, who gets to make them,

why, and how we can make the curriculum more relevant to the

diverse population that we serve.

In open-ended responses and in focus group interviews, several Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni described wanting to pursue teaching, but that their service experience helped them

recognize that they needed to return to school to achieve that goal.

 Reading Partners has shown me that advanced training and

specialization in reading is highly recommended to equitably

serve in underserved communities. It helped me discover

that management is

not something I get

really excited about,

but that one-on-one

connection, which I

first got with RP.

 I observed a lack of diversity in positions of influence, so I

decided to work towards equipping myself with the degrees

needed to explore ways to address it on a policy level.

 I knew I wanted to continue working in education and to open up

more opportunities for myself, it was necessary to go to grad

school and get a master’s [degree].

 I discovered my passion for working in education and supporting

school staff with instructional decision making. This made me

decide that I needed to pursue a degree in school psychology.

Almost as important as determining what field of study to pursue was what field—or what

profession—to not pursue. As one Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumnus explained in an

open-ended survey response, Reading Partners helped him “rule things out.” In focus group

interviews, several alumni credited the Reading Partners service experience with helping them 

to decide what they did not want to pursue professionally:

 I'm a [high school biology] teacher now, but I hadn't anticipated becoming a teacher until I did my two

AmeriCorps service years. Prior to that I had planned on going to medical school, but I just loved working

with kids so much that I decided to pursue education instead. So, I got a master's in education as well.

 My previous plans were to pursue a career in the national security arena, but I now want to pursue my

MBA and possibly work for a non-profit in the future.

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Career Pathways

Reading Partners AmeriCorps service was a defining

professional experience for most alumni.

Eighty-four percent of Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni agreed

or strongly agreed that their service

with Reading Partners had confirmed

or informed their professional goals.

In addition, Reading Partners alumni 

were more likely than alumni who

participated in the 2015 CNCS study

to describe their service as a defining

professional experience. That is, 84 

percent of Reading Partners alumni 

agreed or strongly agreed that their

service experience confirmed or

helped them define their professional 

goals, compared with 77 percent of

CNCS alumni who agreed with this

statement (Exhibit 6).

Exhibit 6: Service was a defining professional

experience for Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni, by Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni

versus 2015 CNCS study participants

*Difference is statistically significant, p ≤ 0.05.

Sources: 2019 Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni survey;

CNCS 2015 alumni survey.

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The percentage of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni who considered their service

experience to be a defining professional experience varied by two alumni characteristics:

(1) Members who served multiple service terms were more likely to describe the

experience as defining than were members who served a single year (93 percent versus

79 percent); and

(2) White alumni were more likely to believe their service experience was a defining

professional experience than were their black/African American peers (88 percent

versus 74 percent).

Both of these differences were statistically significant.

The Reading Partners service experience influenced the

chosen career path of most alumni.

Most Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

(77 percent) reported that their service

experience influenced their chosen career

path somewhat or a great deal (Exhibit 7).

Moreover, the percentage of Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni reporting that

the Reading Partners program influenced

their chosen career path did not vary

in any discernable way by alumni 

demographic characteristics or by their

background and experience.

Exhibit 7. Reading Partners’ influence on

alumni’s chosen career paths

Source: Reading Partner AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); N=512. 

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In Their Own Words 

In open-ended survey

responses and in focus 

group interviews, Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni

reported that their service

experiences helped shape

their career paths.

 Because of my time with Reading Partners, I

discovered my passion for supporting language

and literacy skills for struggling students. As a

result, I pursued a career in speech-language

pathology and am very happy with my career

choice.

 After Reading Partners, I ended up adjusting

my career path and went into teaching. I am

now in my eighth year as an educator and

earned my master’s in education a few years

ago.

 I had an opportunity through Reading Partners

to work one-on-one with students, write

behavior plans, work with community members,

and do progress monitoring to help students

improve. All these very specific things directly

translated to the counseling profession that I'm

going into now.

The different tasks that we

had [in RP] really helped

me [decide] to stay in the

non-profit sector, which I

didn't know [I wanted to

do] coming out of college.

I was encouraged to use

student and program data

to find ways to improve

student and program 

outcomes; that was

something that I never

really thought of before,

but it just really interested

me. So, right after Reading

Partners, I went into

education research and

evaluation, which I don't

think I would have [done]

had I not had that

experience at Reading

Partners.

 Reading Partners showed me how to use

evidence-based practices to improve literacy in

vulnerable communities; this is a driving force

for my next career move to ensure that

education practices are effective.

 I pursued my master’s degree in education as

well as my teaching certification. I will be a

Teacher of Record this upcoming school year.

Joining Reading Partners was one of the best

decisions I have made! I would recommend the

program to anyone.

 It very much helped me to determine what I

wanted to do and also what [I] did not want to

do. Because I was able to experience both of

those things, I found how much I enjoyed being

in a school and engaging in direct service more

so than the office work associated with being a

volunteer coordinator.

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Finally, in focus group interviews, some Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni reporting using

their AmeriCorps educational award to pursue further education, whereas others reported

using their educational award to pay off their student loans. As one Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumnus explained: “I [used the award to pay off my student loans], which really

helped me because it meant that I had a little more financial security to take risks with jobs.”

Another alumnus reported using the educational award to take some certificate courses

related to a current job.

Comparative Analyses 

In an effort to understand what the career pathways of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

might have been had they not served with Reading Partners, we compared survey data

describing the employment sector in which Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni reported

working—i.e., whether they worked in the non-profit, public, or government sectors—to survey

data collected from a matched comparison group of similarly situated members of a national 

cohort.

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were approximately 1.3 times

more likely to report that they currently work in the non-profit, public, or

government sectors than do their matched peers from a national cohort.

That is, 71 percent of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni reported that they worked in the

public sector, compared with 53 percent in the national cohort, controlling for other

characteristics such as race, gender, and age (Exhibit 8).

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Exhibit 8. Career pathway, by Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni versus national cohort

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 ** Difference is statistically significant, p ≤ 0.01.

Sources: Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); GSS (2017).
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

across racial/ethnic groups were more

likely to report that they worked in the

non-profit, public, or government

sectors than did similarly situated

members of the national cohort. That is,

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

identifying as Asian, Black/African

American, and white were significantly

more likely to report that they worked in

the non-profit, public, or government

sectors than did their peers in the

national cohort. Although Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni who

identified as Hispanic/Latino or

other/multi-racial identity reported

working in these sectors at higher rates

than did their counterparts in the national 

cohort, these differences were not

significant (Exhibit 9).

.

Exhibit 9. Employment sector, Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni vs. national

cohort, by race/ethnicity

NOTE: Background shading indicates that differences are statistically

significant.

* Difference is statistically significant, p ≤ 0.05;

* Difference is statistically significant, p ≤ 0.01

Sources: Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); GSS (2017).

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Career Preparedness

The Reading Partners service experience prepared most

alumni for their current job or service activity.

Most Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni (85 Exhibit 10. The Reading Partners program

percent) reported that their service experience experience as preparation for alumni’s current

prepared them for their current job and/or job or service

service activity somewhat or a great deal (Exhibit

10). Moreover, the percentage of Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni reporting that their

service experience prepared them for their

current job and/or service activity did not vary

in any discernable way by alumni demographic

characteristics or by their background and

experience.

Source: Reading Partners Alumni Survey (2019); N=512.

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Helping others solve their

problems

Logical, analytical

thinking

Being a leader

Supervising others

91

81

77

72

0 20 40 60 80 100

 

 

 

 

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni rated their professional 

and leadership skills highly.

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were

asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 7 their

professional and leadership skills compared

to those of “other people.” For example,

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were

asked how they would compare their skill at

“helping others solve their problems,” to the

skills of other people, where 1 means that

their skills compared “not at all well” to 7,

which means their skills compare “extremely

well.”

Almost all Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni (91 percent) rated their skill at helping

others solve their problems highly (i.e., they

selected 5, 6, or 7 on the 1-7 scale). Most

alumni also rated themselves highly on their

ability to engage in “logical, analytical 

thinking” (81 percent), on “being a leader” (77

percent), or “supervising others” (72 percent)

(Exhibit 11).

Exhibit 11. Whether Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni perceive that their

leadership and professional skills compare

well to other people’s skills

Percent of respondents selecting 5, 6 or 7 on a 7 pt. 

scale where 1 means “not at all well” and 7 means

“extremely well”

Source: Reading Partners Alumni Survey (2019); N=512.

Compared with alumni who participated in the 2015 CNCS

study, Reading Partners’ AmeriCorps alumni were more likely

to credit their service experience as helping them increase

their professional and leadership skills.

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were more likely than alumni in the 2015 CNCS alumni 

study to report that their service experience helped them to increase their skills in over ten

areas of leadership and professionalism. For example, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

were more likely than alumni who participated in the 2015 CNCS study to report that their

AmeriCorps experience increased their ability to “respond to unexpected challenges” (95 

percent of Reading Partners alumni vs. 82 percent of CNCS study alumni); “adapt to new

situations” (94 percent vs. 86 percent); and “set priorities for multiple tasks” (92 percent vs. 76 

percent).

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The only skills in which Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni did not significantly exceed their

peers who participated in the 2015 CNCS study were with respect to “planning, coordinating

and managing events” (75 percent vs. 75 percent); “facilitating groups” (75 vs. 74 percent); and

“leading teams” (73 percent vs. 70 percent). However, where there were differences, they were

small and not statistically significant (Exhibit 12).

Exhibit 12. Extent to which the Reading Partners service experience increased alumni’s

professional and leadership skills, by Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni versus 2015

CNCS study participants

*Difference is statistically significant, p ≤ 0.05.

Sources: 2019 Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni survey; (N=512); CNCS 2015 alumni survey.

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In Their Own Words 

Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni described how their

service experience prepared

them well for their jobs and/or

careers.

In focus group interviews, Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni reported that the skills they

had developed during their service with Reading

Partners helped them in their subsequent jobs or

careers. Specifically, they reported that they had

developed or enhanced their leadership,

organizational, problem-solving, and

communication skills while serving in the Reading

Partners program.

A big part of my

experience was handling

challenging relational 

dynamics...how to build

goodwill over time as

well as [having] difficult,

more confrontational 

conversations that need

to happen. [I learned

how] to handle conflict

and work alongside

people who may not

always be 100 percent

excited that [I’m] there.

I think being a part of

Reading Partners, and the

transferrable skills, you do

learn a lot. You don't

realize that you're

learning them in the

moment, but when you

reflect back, you have a

lot of skills under your

belt.

Leadership/project management:

 I definitely honed my organizational and

scheduling skills by [having to communicate]

with all of our volunteers and teachers and

figuring out how to schedule students.

 I learned a lot about managing people. Not

only students, but also adults, which has helped

me in the different roles that I've had at [my

current job]. I learned a lot about myself and

how to advocate for myself... I can't just

assume that people will know what I need.

 How to ask for help was definitely something

big because I'm the kind of person that tries to

do everything by myself. In that kind of position,

you can't do that. You need all the support that

you can get from your program managers, from

the other site coordinators, from everyone

around you.

 I grew in my ability to problem solve and

coordinate because we had to schedule

sessions for tutors and students, and there

were sometimes unexpected changes and so [I

learned] how to solve problems in the moment

and be solution oriented.

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Communication skills:

 I think my communication skills definitely grew while at Reading Partners. We had so many people on

campus that we had to constantly communicate with, whether it be the teachers, or the principal, or after

school program directors.

 I can't even count the number of meetings I facilitated, so, just being able to speak more confidently

with professionals has helped me tremendously.... I definitely learned to hone and cater my vocabulary 

and adjust my presentation style to a more professional environment and audience. 

 Public speaking skills definitely were exercised a lot when I was at Reading Partners...s[because] I was

recruiting volunteers and would often have to go to club meetings, neighborhood association meetings,

other nonprofit meetings, to talk about Reading Partners, our impact, and how they could help us.

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Summary

That a majority of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni reported that their Reading Partners

AmeriCorps service experience influenced—and in some cases, altered—some of their most

significant life choices is noteworthy. In survey responses, a majority of Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni reported that their service experience influenced their future educational 

plans (66 percent) and their chosen career path (77 percent); moreover, serving with Reading

Partners was frequently described as a defining professional experience (84 percent). In

addition, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were more likely than alumni in a 2015 CNCS 

study to credit their AmeriCorps service experience as helping them increase their professional 

and leadership skills, including responding to unexpected challenges, adapting to new

situations, and setting priorities for multiple tasks.

In focus group interviews, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni said that their service

experience influenced their thinking about their educational goals and aspirations, helping

them decide not only to continue their education but also to determine and pursue the best

educational pathway for them. Similarly, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni stated that their

service had helped shape their career paths by giving them real-world experiences that helped

them discover their passion or at least know what type of career interested them. Perhaps 

most importantly, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni described their service as excellent

preparation for their future jobs and/or careers.

Finally, as further evidence that their service experience with Reading Partners impacted their

life choices, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were more likely to report that they currently

work in the non-profit, public, or government sectors—the type of sector in which they worked

while serving with Reading Partners—than their similarly situated peers from a national cohort.

These effects, taken together, suggest that Reading Partners influenced the educational and

career pathways of their corps members and equipped them with numerous professional and

leadership skills that prepared them well for their future jobs or careers.

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References

American National Election Studies, University of Michigan, & Stanford University. (2017) ANES 

2016 Time Series Study. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and

Social Research [distributor], 2017-09-19. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36824.v2 

Cardazone, G., Farrar, A., Frazier, R, Gabbard, S., Hernandez, T., Houston, S., LaTaillade, J.,

Lovegrove, P., Pratt, D., Vicinanza, N., and Willey, J. (2015). AmeriCorps Alumni 

Outcomes: Summary Report. Washington, DC: Corporation for National and

Community Service.

Smith, T.W., Davern, M., Freese, J., & Morgan, S. (2018). General Social Surveys, 1972-2018.

Chicago: NORC, 2018: National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago

[producer and distributor].

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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9

REPORT 3: Influencing the civic engagement

of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni

Leslie M. Anderson

Julie Meredith

Jeanine Hildreth

C O M M I S S I O N E D B Y :
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Influencing the Civic Engagement of

Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni 

Program & Study Overview

Reading Partners is a national literacy nonprofit that partners with under-resourced schools

and engages community volunteers as tutors. Trained volunteers work one-on-one with

students for 45 minutes twice a week, following a structured, research-based curriculum.

AmeriCorps and VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America) members are instrumental in

delivering the Reading Partners program and serve in five different roles in the organization:

 AmeriCorps Site Coordinators (SCs) & AmeriCorps Regional Site Coordinators

(RSCs) coordinate and lead all site-based activities of the program at reading centers.

 SCs manage all site-based operations, administer literacy assessments, and provide

individualized coaching to volunteer tutors.

 RSCs, unlike SCs, are not assigned to a particular school but instead rotate among

larger schools with the greatest need and provide additional direct service support.

 AmeriCorps Volunteer Coordinators (VCs) recruit volunteers to provide

individualized instruction to students who are struggling with reading. VCs prepare

volunteers for tutoring by providing orientations, managing background checks, and

setting expectations.

 AmeriCorps Literacy Leads (LL) are placed at schools where it is more challenging to

recruit volunteers and deliver tutoring sessions in tandem with volunteers.

 AmeriCorps VISTA members build organizational capacity toward the ultimate goal of

ending poverty. VISTA members serve in various contexts at the national and regional

levels to build systems and strengthen Reading Partners' ability to serve students and

communities.

Reading Partners’ theory of change asserts that, as members serve in these roles, they develop

important professional and leadership skills. Moreover, Reading Partners believes that member

experiences in the communities where they serve will influence their educational and career

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pathways as well as their attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs related to civic engagement.

Reading Partners’ AmeriCorps program is designed to impact members during and after their

service terms. While in service, members cultivate in-depth relationships and witness the

impact they have on students, while also engaging in a year-long training schedule that

provides opportunity for civic reflection and exposure to other national service networks.

In spring 2018, Reading Partners contracted with Policy Studies Associates (PSA) to design and

conduct the Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni Study, intended to deepen the

organization’s understanding of the quality of the Reading Partners AmeriCorps service

experience and its effects on the civic engagement and educational and career pathways of

their AmeriCorps and VISTA alumni. The outcome areas of interest are summarized in the

figure below.

Specifically, the study sought to address the following research questions:

1. What outcomes do Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni attribute to their Reading

Partners experience? Do these alumni perceive that serving as a Reading Partners

AmeriCorps member helped them develop professional and interpersonal skills or

influenced or change their career and/or academic pathways?

a. In what ways, if any, do perceived member outcomes vary by member characteristics,

including age, race/ethnicity, educational background, years of service with Reading

Partners, role with Reading Partners, geographic region where they served, prior service

with another AmeriCorps program, cohort year, or early vs. late cohorts?

2. Controlling for other factors, do Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni demonstrate

stronger professional and interpersonal skills and/or greater levels of civic engagement

than similarly situated members of the national population?

The study analyzed patterns among respondents overall, as well as by key characteristics,

including race/ethnicity, educational attainment, age when RP AmeriCorps alumni began their

service, number of service years completed, or region of the country (i.e., east coast, west

coast, central U.S.). Where differences by subgroup were observed, they are highlighted

throughout.

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The study used a two-part mixed-methods design that included surveys and focus groups

conducted with Reading Partners AmeriCorps and VISTA alumni.1 We also conducted

comparative analyses using data from (1) a 2015 AmeriCorps alumni survey conducted for the

Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) (Cardazone et al., 2015), and (2) a

statistically matched comparison group of similarly situated members of the national 

population. (See the text box on the following page and Appendix A for additional details

about the study methodology.)

Findings from the study are described in a series of three reports, plus a technical appendix.

This report, the third in the series, focuses on alumni civic engagement. It begins with a profile

of the common characteristics of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni and then describes the

extent to which alumni are politically engaged, are civically engaged, and have social trust and

a sense of egalitarianism.

The study analyzed patterns among respondents overall, as well as by key characteristics,

including race/ethnicity, educational attainment, age when Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni began their service, number of service years completed, or region of the country (i.e.,

East Coast, West Coast, and central U.S.). Where differences by subgroup were observed, they

are highlighted throughout.

Where possible, responses from Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni are placed in context

with results from a 2015 study of AmeriCorps alumni by the Corporation for National and

Community Service (CNCS). In addition, the report also measures the impact of Reading

Partners service on alumni’s civic engagement by comparing the survey responses of Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni with those of similarly situated members of the national 

population.2 The extent to which there are measurable differences in the civic behaviors of

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni compared with the statistically matched comparison

group is an indicator of the program’s impact.

1 Throughout this report, the term “Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni” includes alumni who were members of VISTA. 2 National data sets include the American National Election Study (ANES) and the General Social Survey (GSS).

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Methodology

Survey: 526 alumni responses/59 percent response rate 

The study surveyed 898 Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni who completed their service term 

between 2010 and 2018. The survey asked Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni about their service

experiences and whether they believed those experiences influenced their subsequent educational 

and career pathways as well as their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors toward community and civic

engagement.

Focus groups: 50 respondents

To collect illustrative examples of the experiences, attitudes, and behaviors of Reading Partners 

AmeriCorps alumni, the study team conducted 12 focus group interviews with a sample of 50 such

alumni (i.e., on average, each focus group included 4-5 participants) who represent the variation in

alumni characteristics and experiences. Interviewers asked Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni to

elaborate on their services experiences, as well as their educational, employment, and civic

experiences in the years following their completion of the program.

Comparison groups: To put the Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni findings into context, the

study compared the survey responses of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni with those of the

following similar groups:

CNCS alumni. The study compared the responses of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni

with responses of AmeriCorps alumni who participated in the 2015 CNCS AmeriCorps Alumni 

Outcomes study. CNCS surveyed a nationally representative sample of AmeriCorps alumni 

whose service experience ended in 2012, 2009, or 2004.

National cohorts. To better understand what Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni’s 

experiences, attitudes, and behaviors would have been had they not participated in the

Reading Partners program, the study used publicly available, national data sets, including the

American National Election Study (ANES) and the General Social Survey (GSS) to create a

synthetic comparison group very similar to the Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

population in terms of age, race/ethnicity, income, marital status, educational background, and

other factors associated with their propensity to serve (e.g., volunteerism and religiosity). To

the extent that there are measurable differences in the attitudes, behaviors, and life

experiences of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni compared with those of a statistically

matched comparison group is one indicator of the program’s impact.

Limitations: Key limitations of the study design are (1) the data collected through the Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni survey and focus group interviews reflect only the perspectives of

individuals who served in the Reading Partners program and who were willing to participate in the

study, so the results may not represent the views of all Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni; (2)

the results of the quasi-experimental design comparing the career pathways and civic engagement

of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni with a “statistically matched” comparison group should be

interpreted with caution because the design does not include a baseline equivalency measure nor

is it a true random assignment and thereby does not allow us to infer with certainty what would

have happened to Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni had they not participated in the Reading

Partners program. Nevertheless, this analytic strategy provides a useful comparison with similar

non-participants, puts their career pathways and civic engagement in useful comparative

perspective, and provides insight into the potential impact of the Reading Partners program.

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Key Findings

The study revealed the following key findings about the civic engagement outcomes of

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni:

 The vast majority of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni reported that they had

engaged in at least one act of political expression in the past 12 months and consider

themselves to have a good understanding of the political questions facing our country.

Very large majorities said they voted in the 2016 presidential and 2018 mid-term

elections and that they volunteer at least a few times a month or more for at least one

organization or issue that they care about.

 Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni took more actions to express themselves

politically than did similarly situated members of a national cohort, and this pattern

holds regardless of respondents’ race/ethnicity.

 The Reading Partners program generated increased levels of civic engagement in their

Corps members than would have been expected among similarly situated members of

the national population. Specifically, compared to a similarly situated national cohort,

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni are more likely to:

 Express themselves politically

 Understand the important political questions facing our country

 Volunteer in more activities for organizations or issue that they care about

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Reading Partners Alumni Profile 

Most of the 526 Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni who responded to the survey were 

female; about half were persons of color; and the vast majority were between the ages of 22 

and 34. As of early 2019 when the survey was administered, almost all responding alumni 

reported having a bachelor’s degree or higher (95 percent). Nearly three-quarters (73 

percent) had never married; 36 percent reported annual income between $40,000 and 

$70,000; and 61 percent reported having remained in the community in which they served 

after completing their service (Exhibit 1). 

Exhibit 1: Characteristics of Reading Partners AmeriCorps and VISTA alumni 

Based on 526 of 898 completed or partially completed surveys administered to Reading Partners alumni (response rate: 59 percent).

Source: Reading Partners Alumni Survey (2019).

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Alumni who responded to the online

survey were well-distributed across

Reading Partners region and service

year (from 2010-11 to 2017-18), as

shown in Exhibits 2A and 2B. Further,

the distribution of survey respondents

by sites and service years was very

similar to that of the overall population

of Reading Partners alumni, as

described in detail in the Appendix.

Exhibit 2B. Reading Partners

AmeriCorps Alumni, by service year

Exhibit 2A. Reading Partners AmeriCorps

Alumni, by region

Based on 526 of 898 completed or partially completed surveys administered to Reading Partners alumni (response rate: 59 percent).

Source: Reading Partners Alumni Survey (2019).

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Political Expression

Most Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni (84 percent) said

they engaged in at least one act of political expression in the

last 12 months.

As shown in Exhibit 3, the majority of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni have expressed

their political views in the last 12 months in a variety of ways: boycotting a product/service

because of the company’s values (59 percent); giving money to a non-religious organization

concerned with a social or political issue (58 percent); signing a petition (57 percent); or joining

in a protest, march, rally, or demonstration (38 percent). Few of the responding alumni said

they gave money to an individual political candidate running for public office (15 percent).

Exhibit 3. RP AmeriCorps alumni’s acts of political expression in the last 12 months

Source: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); N=507

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In Their Own Words 

In focus group interviews, Reading Partners AmeriCorps 

alumni described their involvement in protests, letter-writing,

and other types of political expression. Some attributed their

advocacy efforts to their Reading Partners experience.

 Each year I'm writing letters to make sure that

AmeriCorps funding stays in the budget. I guess that's

a direct action politically related to my year of service

with Reading Partners.

 I’ve been to protests or community events at least a

couple of times a month related to all the

border/immigration issues.

 There's a group of politicians that really like to criticize

SNAP and food stamps and serving as a part of

AmeriCorps has given me a perspective into that and

has made me really quite passionate about it...We can't

get rid of SNAP. This is not people begging for money.

These are necessary services that I have seen impact

people in really positive ways."

 I have dug deeper into issues of education, health,

transportation, housing, etc. From there, I was able to

connect with other individuals—not political campaigns

but organizing around writing to members of Congress

and getting involved in other ways.

Reading Partners

made me feel more

empowered to act;

[to know] what I

could do as an

individual. Reading

Partners showed me

that I could be a real 

part of the action

being taken.

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Comparative Analyses 

In an effort to understand what Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni’s level of political 

expression might have been had they not served with Reading Partners, we compared their

self-described levels of political expression to survey responses from a group of similarly

situated members of the national population using publicly available data from the American

National Election Study (ANES). We created a five-point scale from individuals’ responses to

five questions, assigning one point to each activity in which they reported having participated

in the last year. These activities included joining in a protest, march, rally, or demonstration;

signing a petition about a political or social issue; giving money to [an] organization concerned

with a social or political issue; contacting or trying to contact a member of the U.S. Senate or

U.S. House of Representatives; and giving money to an individual candidate running for

political office.

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni took significantly more actions to

express themselves politically than did similarly situated members of a 

national cohort.

In particular, our analyses show that

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

were significantly more likely to have

expressed themselves politically during

the previous 12 months than their

counterparts in the national survey.

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni,

on average, took nearly two of the five

actions listed above, compared with less

than one action for the national cohort

(1.8 actions versus 0.9 action) (Exhibit

4).

Exhibit 4. Political expression, Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni vs. national cohort

*** Difference is statistically significant, p<=0.001

Sources: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); ANES (2017). 

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These significant differences between Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni and the matched

comparison group hold across racial/ethnic

groups and levels of educational attainment.

Regardless of respondents’ race/ethnicity, RP 

AmeriCorps alumni, on average, reported

significantly more political likely than the

national cohort to have taken more acts of

political expression in the last year (Exhibit 5). For

example, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

who identify as other or multi-racial or

Black/non-Hispanic engaged in one more act of

political expression than did their matched peers 

in the national cohort.

Similarly, regardless of educational attainment,

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni, on

average, engaged in one more act of political 

expression than did their matched peers (Exhibit

6).

Exhibit 5. Political expression, Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni vs. national

cohort, by race/ethnicity

Exhibit 6. Political expression, Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni vs. national cohort, by

educational attainment

*** Difference is statistically significant, p<=0.001

Sources: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); ANES (2017).

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 *** Difference is statistically significant, p<=0.001

Sources: RP Alumni Survey (2019); ANES (2017). 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Political Knowledge

Most Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni (91 percent)

believe they have a good understanding of political issues.

When asked how well they understood the Exhibit 7. Extent to which Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni report understanding important political questions facing our

country, 41 percent of Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni responded “moderately

well,” 30 percent responded “very well,”

and 20 percent chose “extremely well”

(Exhibit 7). The remainder said they

understood political issues only slightly

well (7 percent) or not at all (2 percent).

Source: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); N=507

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In Their Own Words 

In focus groups, Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni described

how their service experiences 

raised their awareness of

important political and social 

issues.

 I think my awareness has definitely gone up in terms

of what is happening, what ideally would change,

and ways to be more involved. I also just have a

[broader] understanding of what's going on in public

education and how to be more of an advocate in

different ways.

 I think that doing the service with [RP]s...opened my

eyes to how much need there is in so many different

industries and in so many ways.

Comparative Analyses 

I’m starting to get a

better idea of policy

and how it impacts 

education, which is

something I really

didn’t think about at all 

[before] Reading

Partners.

To better understand the impact of Reading Partners service, we compared the political 

knowledge reported by RP AmeriCorps alumni with responses from a matched comparison

group of similarly situated members of a national cohort. In particular, we looked at the

percentages of respondents in each group who said they had moderate to high understanding

of the important political questions facing our country

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni were approximately 2.7 times more

likely than similarly situated members of a national cohort to report that they 

understood the important political questions facing our country.

Specifically, an average of 52 percent of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni reported

moderate to high political knowledge compared with an average of 19 percent of respondents

in the national cohort—a 33 percentage-point difference (Exhibit 8)

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Exhibit 8. Political knowledge, RP AmeriCorps alumni versus national cohort

*** Difference is statistically significant, p<=0.001

Sources: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); ANES (2017).

Differences by race/ethnicity. Across racial 

and ethnic groups, Reading Partners 

AmeriCorps alumni reported significantly

greater understanding of important political 

issues than did their matched peers in the

national cohort. The size of the differences

varied by racial/ethnic group, however. For

example, among respondents who identified

as “other or multi-racial” 65 percent of

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni reported

moderate to high understanding of important

political issues, versus 27 percent of the

matched cohort, a difference of 38

percentage points (Exhibit 9). For those who

identified as Asian, the difference between

the RP alumni and the matched group was 22 

percentage points (53 percent vs. 19 percent).

In both the Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni and national cohorts, respondents 

who identified as Asian reported significantly

lower political knowledge than did their

white, black/African American, other/multiracial, and Latino/Hispanic peers.

Exhibit 9. Political knowledge, Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni vs. national cohort, by

race/ethnicity

*** Difference is statistically significant, p<=0.001

Sources: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); ANES (2017).

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Differences by educational background.

Differences in political knowledge between

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni and

the national comparison group also hold

regardless of level of education (Exhibit 10).

Exhibit 10. Political knowledge, Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni vs. national cohort, by

education

*** Difference is statistically significant, p<=0.001 

Sources: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); ANES (2017).

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Voting

Almost all Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni (85 percent)

reported voting in the 2016 presidential election.

Perhaps more significantly, however, almost as many Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni (82 

percent) reported voting in the mid-term elections, which historically result in lower voter

turnout than presidential elections (Exhibit 11). Indeed, although overall voter turnout in the

2018 mid-term election was 11-percentage points higher than in the mid-term election of

2014 (53 percent vs. 42 percent),3 the percentage of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni who

reported voting in 2018 was still significantly higher than overall voter turnout in the national 

population (82 percent vs. 53 percent), as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau (Misra, 2019).

Exhibit 11. Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni who voted in the 2016 presidential and 

the 2018 mid-term elections

Source: Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019).

3 https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/04/behind-2018-united-states-midterm-election-turnout.html

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100

Predicted probabilities

(in percentages)

80

60

40

20

87 88

0

In Their Own Words 

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni expressed strong

commitment to voting.

In focus group interviews, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni usually acknowledged their

commitment to voting, but without elaboration. Several alumni emphasized that “voting is

definitely a must,” or said they were “active voters” who track elections and support political 

candidates financially. One Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumnus described how her political 

engagement has intensified: “I find myself reading more and more about presidential 

candidates and being involved in voter information sessions.”

Comparative Analyses 

To gauge the influence of Reading Partners on voting behavior on AmeriCorps alumni—what

their voting behavior might have been had they not served with Reading Partners—we

compared the voting rates of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni in the 2016 presidential 

election with those of a matched comparison group of similarly situated members of a

national cohort.

Exhibit 12. Voting, Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni versus national cohort Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni voted in the

2016 Presidential election at about the same rate

as similarly situated members of the national 

cohort.

The vast majority of respondents in both groups 

reported that they had voted in the 2016 

Presidential election—87 percent of RP

AmeriCorps alumni vs. 88 percent of the national 

cohort (Exhibit 12).

Given these high rates of voting, there were also

no significant differences among Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni and the national cohort by

educational attainment, race, gender, income, Reading Partners National (ANES)

religion, volunteerism, and length of time living in

their community.

Difference is not significant. 

Sources: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); ANES (2017).

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Volunteerism 

Almost all Reading Partners 

AmeriCorps alumni (96 

percent) reported

volunteering a few times a

month or more for at least

one organization or issue they

cared about.

Among the many activities to which Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni might volunteer

their time, 59 percent reported participating in

a community organization a few times a

month or more frequently; 45 percent

reported working with other people to deal 

with some issue facing their community; and

39 percent reported helping to keep the

community safe and clean (Exhibit 13). No

differences in these alumni’s reported

volunteerism were discernable based on

characteristics or background, including

race/ethnicity, age when they began their

Reading Partners service, number of service

years completed, or region of the country.

The percentages of Reading Partners 

AmeriCorps alumni engaging in volunteerism

were similar to those of alumni in the 2015 

CNCS study for certain activities, including

participating in community organizations a

few times a month or more frequently (59 

percent of Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni and 63 percent of CNCS alumni), and

volunteering for a cause (45 percent and 40 

percent). The apparent slight differences

between the two groups for these activities

Exhibit 13. Volunteerism, by Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni vs. CNCS alumni

*Difference is statistically significant, p ≤ 0.05.

N/A: Item not included in the CNCS alumni survey.

Sources: Reading Partners AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019) (N=510);

CNCS Alumni Survey (2015) (N=971)

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were not statistically significant. The two groups did differ, however, in that alumni who

participated in the 2015 CNCS study were more likely than Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni to report that they helped “to keep the community safe and clean.” This disparity may

be attributable to differences in the service experiences of the two groups. Reading Partners 

AmeriCorps alumni focus heavily on literacy, while the broader population of CNCS alumni 

includes some AmeriCorps members who focused on environmental clean-up during their

service year and therefore may be more inclined to engage in environmental volunteerism

after completing their service.

In Their Own Words 

In focus group interviews, Reading Partners AmeriCorps 

alumni said their Reading Partners program experience

inspired them to either start volunteering or to volunteer

more than they had before completing their Reading Partners

service.

 I never volunteered before but now I've

been volunteering nonstop since I left,

and I've also convinced many of my

colleagues to become Reading Partners

volunteers. I highlighted that they would I don't know if that fire was

there before, but I have a

willingness to give back and

it's selfish, but volunteering

makes me feel good.... If

that fire was already lit,

[Reading Partners] certainly

made it bigger within my

heart to give back.

have a one-on-one relationship with a

student and that the materials made

everything easy for them...and that they

would find it rewarding, and they do, so

it's great.

 Right after Reading Partners I started

working with Meals on Wheels... Also, I

volunteer here in my city with Keep

[CITY] Beautiful, for which we do cleanup

and beautification initiatives around the

city and I also serve on the Keep [CITY]

Beautiful commission, which tries to

increase civic engagement around the

city and people are starting to take more

of an active part in our different cleanup

events.

 It inspired me to try to volunteer more in

the community.... I do try to find ways to

stay engaged.

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Comparative Analyses 

We compared the level of volunteerism among Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni to that of

a matched comparison group of individuals in the national cohort. We created a three-point

volunteerism index by assigning one point for each volunteer activity that an individual 

reported participating in during the last year, out of three listed. These activities included

working with other people to deal with some issue facing their community; attending a

meeting about an issue facing their community or schools; and volunteering for a cause or

issue they cared about.

About the comparative analyses

on volunteerism:

The analyses we conducted on

volunteerism varied by comparison

group and therefore the results are

slightly different:

For Exhibit 13, we looked at both the

frequency and type of volunteerism

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

reported participating in during the last

year, comparing it to the frequency and

type of volunteerism reported by

AmeriCorps alumni who participated in

the 2015 CNCS survey. Because

individual-level survey data were not

available for CNCS AmeriCorps alumni,

this analysis could not control for alumni 

characteristics that might impact the

frequency and type of volunteerism (e.g.,

age, income).

For Exhibit 14, we calculated index scores 

of the average number of volunteerrelated activities (out of a total of three)

that Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni 

reported participating in during the last

year. We used a Poisson model to

compare alumni index scores to their

matched peers in the national cohort,

controlling for age, race, income, gender,

religiosity, work status, length of time

living in present community, and

volunteerism.

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni

participated in more volunteer

activities than did comparable 

individuals in a national cohort.

Controlling for individual characteristics, Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni, on average, reported

significantly more volunteer activities than their

matched peers in the national cohort (2.2 acts of

volunteerism vs. 1.7, respectively). Thus, on average,

Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni would be

expected to have engaged in 0.5 more volunteerrelated actions in the past year (Exhibit 14).

Exhibit 14. Volunteerism, Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni vs. national cohort

*** Difference is statistically significant, p<=0.001 Sources: 

RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); ANES (2017).

R E A D I N G P A R T N E RS A L U M N I S T U D Y— R E P O R T 3 — C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T 2 0
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These differences in volunteerism remained

when we disaggregated the data by

race/ethnicity and by levels of education

(Exhibits 15 and 16). That is, Reading Partners 

AmeriCorps alumni scored significantly higher

than their matched peers in the national 

cohort across racial/ethnic categories. For

example, Black/non-Hispanic and Asian RP 

AmeriCorps alumni scored 0.6 points higher

on the volunteerism index than did their

similarly situated Black/non-Hispanic and

Asian peers in the national cohort. Similarly,

White, non-Hispanic RP AmeriCorps alumni

scored 0.5 points higher on the volunteerism

index than did their white peers in the

national cohort (Exhibit 15).

Our analyses also revealed that Reading

Partners alumni scored significantly higher on

the volunteerism index than their matched

peers in the national cohort across

educational levels. For example, Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni who had

additional education beyond a bachelor’s

degree scored 0.6 points higher than did

members of the national cohort with similar

educational backgrounds (Exhibit 16).

Significant differences between the two groups

were also observed for those with some college

but no bachelor’s degree and those with only a

bachelor’s degree (0.5 point difference).

Finally, although there are slight differences

among Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni by

race/ethnicity and by education level, these

differences were not statistically significant.

Exhibit 15. Volunteerism, Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni vs. national cohort, by

race/ethnicity

*** Difference is statistically significant, p<=0.001

Sources: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); ANES (2017).

Exhibit 16. Volunteerism, Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni vs. national cohort, by education

*** Difference is statistically significant, p<=0.001 

Sources: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); ANES (2017).

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 Source: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); N 507.

100

80

60 51

40 28

19

20

2 1

0

Never Some of About Most of Always = the time half the the time

time

 

Social Trust/Egalitarianism 

About half of Reading Partners 

AmeriCorps alumni reported

generally trusting other people.

Specifically, 51 percent of Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni said they trusted other

people “most of the time” and 1 percent said

they “always” trust other people. Among the

remaining half, 28 percent reported trusting

people “about half the time,” and 19 percent

“some of the time.” Very few Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni reported that they “never”

trusted people (2 percent) (Exhibit 17).

Almost all Reading Partners 

AmeriCorps alumni expressed a

strong sense of egalitarianism.

Exhibit 17. Extent to which Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni trust other people

Source: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); N=507.

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2

3

It is not really that big of a

problem if some people

have more of a chance in

life than others.

We have gone too far in

pushing equal rights in this

country.

If people were treated

more equally in this

country we would have

many fewer problems.

Our society should do

whatever is necessary to

make sure that everyone

has an equal opportunity

to succeed.

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent of respondents

94

82

 

Exhibit 18. Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni’s sense of egalitarianism 

Source: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); N=507.

The vast majority of Reading Partners AmeriCorps 

alumni (94 percent) agreed with the statement

that society should “do whatever is necessary to

make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity

to succeed,” and 82 percent agreed that “if people

were treated more equally in this country we

would have many fewer problems.” By contrast,

very few agreed that society had “gone too far in

pushing equal rights in this country” (3 percent).

And only two percent of alumni agreed that it was

“not really that big of a problem if some people

have more of a chance in life than others” (Exhibit

18).

The sense of egalitarianism among alumni did not

vary in any discernable way by alumni 

demographic characteristics or by their

background and experience.

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In Their Own Words 

In focus group interviews, several 

Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni credited their service

experience with helping to deepen

their understanding of and interest

in social justice issues by giving

them first-hand exposure to social

inequities.

 There were things that I sort of knew but didn't really

understand until I was in [Reading Partners] and that's

[an issue] that I want to keep fighting for as a counselor

and beyond.

 What I think Reading Partners did—obviously I was

aware of the problems with inequities and injustices that

we had—but [unless] you actually see it on a day-to-day

basis and the people and especially students that it's

impacting, it's kind of hard to really grasp what it's like.

 I had students that came from very broken homes, and

it's one thing to read about it as a statistic and to do

research on it and write papers on it, but once you're

actually in the community and you're talking to these kids

about what their home life is like, it really hits you in a

different way because you really see the humanity behind

those numbers.

[Reading Partners]

definitely helped me

check a lot of my

privilege, and it was

humbling because some

of these kids that showed

up, they were the

happiest-go-lucky kids 

that I've ever met, but

their home life was not

the greatest, [and yet]

they still found a way to

come to school with [a

good] attitude... that

really put things into

perspective for me.

 Just seeing how inequality in so many forums affected the lives of the students we worked with, I think I

was kind of interested in taking the tools that I learned for nonprofit development and fundraising; you can

apply them to different issue areas. So, I worked in criminal justice and I'm [now] working for a legal aid

organization. So, I’ve stayed within the realm of serving people that are dealing with a lot of things in their

lives but trying to ameliorate that through [the criminal justice system].

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Comparative Analyses 

We compared the social trust expressed by Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni to that of a

matched comparison group of similarly situated members of a national cohort.

There were no statistically significant differences in levels of social trust between Reading

Partners AmeriCorps alumni and the national comparison group.

On average, 49 percent of Reading Partners Exhibit 19. Trust, Reading Partners AmeriCorps

alumni vs. national cohort AmeriCorps alumni would be expected to

report that, generally, they felt that they could

trust people “always” or “most of the time,”

compared with 44 percent of the national 

cohort, when demographic and background

characteristics are controlled for, including

race/ethnicity, work status, income, gender,

religion, and volunteering. The percentage

point difference between the two groups was

not statistically significant. There were no

significant differences by alumni demographic

or background characteristics.

Differences were not significant.

Sources: RP AmeriCorps Alumni Survey (2019); ANES (2017).

R E A D I N G P A R T N E RS A L U M N I S T U D Y— R E P O R T 3 — C I V I C E N G A G E M E N T 2 5
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary

The service experiences of Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni appear to have affected their

civic engagement. In survey responses, the vast majority of these alumni reported that they

had engaged in at least one act of political expression in the past 12 months, have a good

understanding of the political questions facing our country, voted in the 2016 presidential and

2018 mid-term elections. A large majority volunteer at least a few times a month or more for

at least one organization or issue that they care about strongly believe that society should do

whatever is necessary to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

In focus group interviews, Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni said that their service

experience affected their interest in and willingness to express themselves politically and

helped raise their awarenesss of important political and social issues. Many spoke of how their

service inspired them to start volunteering or to volunteer more then they had before they

joined Reading Partners.

Finally, compared to similarly situated members of the national population, Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni are more likely to express themselves politically; understand the important

political questions; and volunteer for organizations or issues they care about. In other respects,

the two groups were very similar. Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni and their matched

peers were equally likely to vote and showed similar levels of social trust.

Together, these effects suggest that the Reading Partners program generated increased levels

of civic engagement in AmeriCorps members than would otherwise have been expected of

similarly situated members of the national population.

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References

American National Election Studies, University of Michigan, & Stanford University. (2017) ANES 

2016 Time Series Study. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and

Social Research [distributor], 2017-09-19. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36824.v2 

Cardazone, G., Farrar, A., Frazier, R, Gabbard, S., Hernandez, T., Houston, S., LaTaillade, J.,

Lovegrove, P., Pratt, D., Vicinanza, N., and Willey, J. (2015). AmeriCorps Alumni 

Outcomes: Summary Report. Washington, DC: Corporation for National and

Community Service.

Smith, T.W., Davern, M., Freese, J., & Morgan, S. (2018). General Social Surveys, 1972-2018.

Chicago: NORC, 2018: National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago

[producer and distributor].

Misra, J. (2019). America counts: Stories behind the numbers. Washington, DC: U.S. Census

Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/04/behind-2018-united-statesmidterm-election-turnout.html

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Data Collection

Reading Partners Alumni Survey

Between January 2019 and March 2019, Policy Studies Associates (PSA) conducted a survey of 898

Reading Partners alumni who had completed their service between FY2010 and FY2018. This number

reflects all alumni who had fully completed their service term by the end of 2018, had not opted-out

of email communication, and for whom Reading Partners could find a working email address.

Based on response rates for previous surveys of AmeriCorps alumni conducted by PSA1 and by Abt

Associates2

, we anticipated a response rate of 30 percent; we received completed or partial surveys

from 526 individuals, for a response rate of 59 percent. After analyzing partially completed surveys,

we determined that 12 individuals had completed enough of the survey (approximately 50 percent)

to be included in the analyses—500 completed surveys and 12 partial surveys were included in the

final analyses.

Design. The survey asked respondents questions to understand the extent to which participation in

Reading Partners impacted alumni’s educational, career, and civic experiences following their

participation in Reading Partners. To construct the survey, we drew questions from existing studies

with strong validity and reliability, including the American National Election Study (ANES), the Panel 

Study of Income Dynamics, and the Alumni Outcomes Study of the Corporation for National and

Community Service. Including these questions in the survey also facilitated the comparative analyses

discussed below.

Pilot test. We conducted two rounds of survey review and revision in consultation with Reading

Partners staff prior to pilot testing the instrument with six members of the Reading Partners Alumni 

Advisory Group. Working with Reading Partners staff, we invited alumni to participate in the pilot test

of the online draft survey instrument, which involved taking the online survey and responding to

follow-up questions regarding the survey’s relevance, clarity, logic, and relative burden. Once pilot

testers submitted their online feedback, a PSA interviewer followed up (by phone or email) to discuss

their feedback and the overall strengths and weaknesses of the survey. The results of the pilot test

informed final revisions to the instrument.

Administration. For four months prior to the January launch of the online survey, Reading Partners

engaged in an alumni outreach campaign intended to raise awareness about the impending survey

and encourage robust participation. The campaign included announcements in the bi-monthly

READING PARTNERS alumni newsletter, as well as postings on the Reading Partners Facebook as well 

as regular references to the study on the blog hosted on the Reading Partners website.

In January 2019, PSA launched the online alumni survey, sending email invitations to the group of

potential respondents with a personal link to the online survey. The email explained the purpose of

1 Anderson, L.M., and Fabiano, L. “The City Year Experience: Putting Alumni on a Path to Lifelong Civic Engagement.” Washington,

DC: Policy Studies Associates, 2007. http://www.cityyear.org/about/pressroom/studies.cfm

2 Friedman, E., et al. (2016). New Methods for Assessing AmeriCorps Alumni Outcomes: Final Survey Technical Report. (Prepared for

the Corporation for National and Community Service, Office of Research and Evaluation). Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates, Inc.

R E A D I N G P A R T N E RS A L U M N I S T U D Y— A P P E N D I X A — M E T H O D O L O G Y 1
the survey and informed respondents that they would receive a $10 Amazon gift card as a thank you

for completing the survey. Over the next three months, PSA sent out periodic reminders to

encourage alumni to complete the survey. Reading Partners also continued their follow-up efforts 

through email and Facebook and blog posts.

Data collection ended in May 2019. A review of the distributions of respondents and nonrespondents on known characteristics (service year and the region in which they served) did not

suggest non-response weighting was necessary for the analysis (Exhibits A-1 and A-2). As an

additional check, we generated non-response weights and found little to no differences between the

results from the weighted and non-weighted data. Therefore, we opted to analyze the data without

weights.

Exhibit A-1. Survey respondents and survey population, by first year of service 

Reading Partners

Survey respondents alumni population

First year of service N Percent N Percent

2010-11 12 2.3 26 2.9

2011-12 29 5.7 51 5.6

2012-13 25 4.9 54 6.0

2013-14 69 13.5 117 12.9

2014-15 71 13.9 131 14.4

2015-16 93 18.1 155 17.1

2016-17 134 26.2 218 24.0

2017-18 79 15.4 156 17.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

R E A D I N G P A R T N E RS A L U M N I S T U D Y— A P P E N D I X A — M E T H O D O L O G Y 2
Exhibit A-2. Reading Partners Survey respondents and survey population, by region

in which alumni served

Reading Partners

Survey respondents alumni population

Region N Percent N Percent

Baltimore 39 8.0 73 8.0

Charlotte 8 1.6 13 1.4

Colorado 11 2.3 14 1.5

Los Angeles 34 7.0 55 6.1

New York 56 11.5 87 9.6

North Texas 54 11.1 97 10.7

Oakland 16 3.3 20 2.2

Sacramento 30 6.2 48 5.3

San Francisco Bay Area 76 15.6 150 16.5

Seattle 9 1.9 14 1.5

Silicon Valley 46 9.5 115 12.7

South Carolina 21 4.3 57 6.3

Tulsa 28 5.8 51 5.6

Twin Cities 11 2.3 19 2.1

Washington DC 47 9.7 95 10.5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focus Group Interviews 

To collect illustrative examples of the experiences, attitudes, and behaviors of Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni, PSA conducted focus group interviews with a sample of Reading Partners

AmeriCorps alumni. To identify the focus group sample, we used the database of survey

respondents to craft a sampling framework, stratifying the alumni focus group sample by age,

gender, race/ethnicity, Reading Partners site, and cohort year. The sample of 100 alumni was based,

in part, on the number of stratifying variables used to draw the sample as well as on the assumption

that approximately 50 percent of the alumni sample would agree to participate. While not intended

to be representative of the alumni population, the sample of 100 alumni generated good cross-site

variation.

Once the focus group sample was selected, PSA staff contacted alumni via email and invited their

participation in the virtual focus group discussions. In June and July 2019, PSA staff conducted 12 

focus group interviews (averaging approximately 4-5 Reading Partners AmeriCorps alumni per

group), with a total of 50 alumni. To the extent possible, we organized the interview groups by

alumni cohort, with groups of alumni from the earlier cohort years (2010-2015) and groups from the

later cohort years (2016-2018). Each focus group interview was conducted virtually using Zoom and

required approximately 60-75 minutes to complete. During the focus group discussions, respondents

were asked to elaborate on their experiences as participants in the Reading Partners program, as well

as their educational, employment, and civic experiences in the years following their completion of

the program.

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American National Election Studies survey (ANES)

ANES is a nationally representative survey administered by researchers at the University of Michigan

and Stanford University. The survey, conducted in presidential election years, consists of interviews of

individuals once prior to the election and again after the election. Questions collect individual-level

demographic information about respondents, which allowed us to match ANES respondents to

Reading Partners alumni to create the comparison group. The survey asks about voting behavior, the

election, and attitudes and opinions about public issues. We downloaded the March 2019 release of

the 2016 Time Series Study data file in April 2019 from the ANES website.

General Social Survey (GSS)

The GSS is a nationally representative survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago.

Conducted every two years, the survey covers topics core demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal 

questions. Data from the survey are individual-level, which allowed us to match GSS respondents to

Reading Partners alumni to create a comparison group. We used the March 2019 release of 2018 

data, which we downloaded from the GSS website in September 2019.

CNCS-AmeriCorps Alumni Outcomes Study Survey (CNCS)

Conducted in 2015, this survey asked AmeriCorps alumni whose service term ended in 2012, 2009, or

2004 questions about their service experience. Aggregate level numbers of respondents and point

estimates were available in the appendix of the October 2015 Summary Report. These data were

used to generate confidence intervals used in our comparative analyses.

Matching

We used a coarsened exact matching (CEM) strategy to construct the comparison groups for

Reading Partners alumni. CEM is a monotonic imbalance-reducing method that allows for

identification of a comparison group that controls for potentially confounding variables (e.g., race,

gender, age) by pruning observations, primarily from the pool of potential matches, to achieve an

acceptable level multivariate balance on the potentially confounding variables between the

treatment group (i.e., Reading Partners alumni) and the control group (i.e., ANES respondents or GSS

respondents). CEM, like other monotonic imbalance reducing or bounding methods, has advantages

over methods such as propensity score matching and Mahalanobis matching (Iacus, King, & Porro,

2011; 2012; Herman, Epstein, & Leon, 2016; Steedle & Grochowalski, 2017). These advantages

include allowing us to adjust the closeness of matches on one variable without impacting the

balance on other matching variables, reducing the amount of dependence on the matching model,

and reducing issues related to common empirical support. Reading Partners alumni are highly

educated relative to the national population; while over 90 percent of Reading Partners alumni have

earned a Bachelor’s degree or higher, 32 percent of the U.S. population over 18 have done so. This

discrepancy requires particular attention when matching to a nationally representative sample.

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ANES Reading Partners

White, non-Hispanic 52.6% 52.6%

Black, non-Hispanic 18.2 18.2

Asian, Native Hawai`ian, Pacific Islander 9.2 9.2

Hispanic or Latino 10.1 10.1

Other race/multi-racial 9.9 9.9

 

 ANES Reading Partners

Male 13.1% 13.1%

Female 86.9 86.9

 

ANES Reading Partners

Did not volunteer in the last 12 months 12.5% 12.5% 

Volunteered in the last 12 months 87.5 87.5

 

ANES Reading Partners

High school diploma 1.2% 0.21%

Some college, but less than a Bachelor’s degree 23.4 5.2

Bachelor’s degree 54.1 65.0

Additional degree beyond Bachelor’s degree 21.3 29.6

American National Election Studies (ANES)

We first dropped ANES respondents who had not completed high school, as all Reading Partners

alumni had received at least a high school diploma. In the matching model, we included individuals’ 

age, race, gender, volunteering in the last 12 months, and education which yielded matches for 497

of the 507 Reading Partners alumni who responded to the survey. We coarsened educational 

attainment and age in the CEM model, allowing for wider variance in the matches on those two

variables. Educational attainment was included as a binary variable (received a bachelor’s degree or

higher, had not received a bachelor’s degree), and we allowed for age matches within ten years (e.g.,

20 years old to 30 years old). The final ANES comparison group included 1,511 of the 3,419 ANES

respondents, with each individual in the comparison group assigned a weight to ensure multivariate

balance across the treatment and control groups. (Multivariate distance of the treatment and control

groups was 0.2; distributions for the matching variables are shown in Exhibits A-3 through A-7). The

matches were not perfectly balanced across the Reading Partners alumni and ANES comparison

groups, and, therefore, we include all of the variables used or tested in the matching analyses in our

logistic and Poisson regression models.

Exhibit A-3. Age, ANES and Reading Partners alumni comparison groups

ANES comparison group Reading Partners alumni

Average age 29.8 29.8

Exhibit A-4. Race, ANES and Reading Partners comparison groups

Exhibit A-5. Gender, ANES and Reading Partners alumni comparison groups

Exhibit A-6. Volunteering, ANES and Reading Partners alumni comparison groups

Exhibit A-7. Educational attainment, ANES and Reading Partners comparison groups

R E A D I N G P A R T N E RS A L U M N I S T U D Y— A P P E N D I X A — M E T H O D O L O G Y 5
 

General Social Survey (GSS)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GSS Reading Partners

Average age 30.1 31.1

 

GSS Reading Partners

White, non-Hispanic 65.3% 65.3%

Black, non-Hispanic 22.4 22.4

Asian, Native Hawai`ian, Pacific Islander 7.5 7.5

Hispanic or Latino 3.5 3.5

Other race/multi-racial 4.3 4.3

 

GSS Reading Partners

Male 12.5% 12.5%

Female 87.5% 87.5% 

 

GSS Reading Partners

Did not volunteer in the last 12 months 4.8% 4.8%

Volunteered in the last 12 months 95.2 95.2

 

GSS Reading Partners

High school diploma 2.5% 0.3%

Some college, but no degree 0.4 2.7

College degree 97.5 97.0

We took a similar approach and used the same matching variables to construct the comparison

group from the GSS data. Unfortunately, we were not able to find a large number of matches across

the two survey respondent groups. Our final groups retained 375 of the Reading Partners alumni and

382 of the 2,349 respondents to the GSS, with a multivariate distance of less than 0.0001

(distributions for the variables used in the matching routine are shown in Exhibits A-8 through A-12.

We include all of the matching variables in our regression models to account for the coarsening of

the variables.

Exhibit A-8. Age, GSS and Reading Partners comparison groups

Exhibit A-9. Race, GSS and Reading Partners comparison groups

Exhibit A-10. Gender, GSS and Reading Partners comparison groups

Exhibit A-11. Volunteering, GSS and Reading Partners comparison groups

Exhibit A-12. Educational attainment, GSS and Reading Partners comparison groups

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Comparative Analyses

We conducted two types of analyses to compare findings presented in the report.

For CNCS data, we used the data reported for AmeriCorps and VISTA respondents in the AmeriCorps

Alumni Outcomes survey to construct confidence intervals for the point estimates; we then

compared the point estimates and calculated confidence intervals to the point estimates and

confidence intervals for Reading Partners alumni.

To compare the responses of Reading Partners alumni to those from the two national surveys (ANES 

and GSS), we used weighted logistic and Poisson regression analyses. We analyzed individual 

variables using weighted logistic models appropriate for binary dependent variables, collapsing

multiple response options into two categories. For example, the original form of the question asking

respondents to judge their understanding of important political issues gave respondents five

response options ranging from “Not very well” to “Extremely well,” into two categories: “Not very,

slightly, or moderately well” and “Extremely or very well.” We then ran weighted logistic regressions,

including the original forms of the variables included in the matching routine (individuals’ age, race,

education, gender, and volunteering behavior over the last 12 months) as well as other variables that

may relate to individuals’ political and civic engagement (marital status, religiosity, length of time

living in their community, current employment status, and income).

For the analysis of each variable or index, we tested independent variables in the models 

independently, evaluating appropriate fit statistics with attention to multicollinearity issues, given

that many of our independent variables are, for instance, often strongly correlated with age (e.g.,

income, marital status). The constructs, comparison group, question text, independent variables

included in the final models used for reporting results, and the type of analysis we used are listed in

Exhibit A-13.

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Construct

Comparison

group Question(s) Independent variables

Type of 

analysis

Employment

sector

Political

knowledge

GSS

ANES

What are you doing now/for whom do 

you work? 

How well do you understand the 

important political questions facing our 

country? (1=Extremely or very well;

0=Moderately well, Slightly well, or Not

at all well)

Gender, race, age, marital

status, educational

attainment, current work 

status, income, religiosity.

Gender, race, age, marital

status, educational

attainment, current work 

status, income,

volunteerism, religiosity,

community tenure.

Weighted 

logistic 

regression

Weighted 

logistic 

regression

Political

expression

Voting

behavior

ANES

ANES

The following is a list of ways in which 

people have expressed their views.

For each, select whether or not you

have done this in the last 12 months

(Range 0-5, 1 point for every action 

taken in the last 12 months):

1. Joined a protest, march, rally, or

demonstration;

2. Signed a petition about a political

or social issue;

3. Given money to any organization

concerned with a social or political 

cause (other than religious);

4. Contacted or tried to contact a

member of Congress;

5. Given money to an individual

political candidate.

Did you vote in the 2016 Presidential 

election? (1=Voted; 0=Did not vote)

Gender, race, age, marital

status, educational

attainment, current work 

status, income,

volunteerism, religiosity,

community tenure.

Gender, race, age, marital

status, educational

attainment, current work 

status, income,

volunteerism, religiosity,

community tenure.

Weighted 

Poisson

regression

Weighted 

logistic 

regression

Volunteerism 

Social trust

ANES

ANES

In the last 12 months, did you (range 

0-3; 1 point for each “yes” response):

1. Work with other people to deal

with some issue facing your

community;

2. Attend a meeting about an issue

facing your community or schools;

3. Volunteer for a cause or issue that

you care about.

Generally speaking, how well can you

trust other people?

Gender, race, age, marital

status, educational

attainment, current work 

status, income, religiosity,

community tenure.

Gender, race, age, marital

status, educational

attainment, current work 

status, income,

volunteerism, religiosity,

community tenure.

Weighted 

Poisson

regression

Weighted 

logistic 

regression

Exhibit A-13. Analytic Models

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Experience and Perceived Outcomes

The following questions ask about your Reading Partners AmeriCorps service experiences and

the extent to which those experiences may have affected your attitudes and believes, as well as 

helped you to develop particular skills and abilities.

Q1. Thinking about your Reading Partners AmeriCorps experience, please indicate how 

much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements:

[Select one response in each row] 

[Strongly agree; Agree; Neither agree nor disagree; Disagree; Strongly disagree] 

Question

Question source

a I felt I made a contribution to the community CNCS 

b I re-examined my beliefs and attitudes about myself CNCS 

c I was exposed to new ideas and ways of seeing the world CNCS 

d I felt part of a community CNCS 

e I developed a social network

f I learned more about the “real” world or “the rest” of the world CNCS 

g I gained an understanding of the community(ies) where I served CNCS 

h I spent a lot of time doing meaningless “make work” tasks CNCS 

i The majority of my work did not make a difference in the community CNCS

j I felt I made a difference in the life of at least one person CNCS

k I did things I never thought I could do CNCS

l I did not get along well with my supervisor and/or my teammates CNCS 

m I figured out what my next steps are in terms of educational goals CNCS 

n I figured out what my next steps are in terms of career/professional CNCS

goals 

o I felt defeated by the scope of the problems I worked on CNCS

p I re-examined my beliefs and attitudes about other people CNCS

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Q2. All things considered, how do you feel about your overall Reading Partners

AmeriCorps service experience?

[Select one response] 

[Very satisfied; Satisfied; Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied; Dissatisfied; Very dissatisfied]

Source: CNCS

Q3. To what extent did your Reading Partners AmeriCorps experience help you increase 

each of the following skills?

[Select one response for each row] 

[A great deal; Somewhat; Very little; Not at all; Not sure] 

Question Question

source

a Conducting yourself in a professional manner CNCS

b Working independently CNCS

c Meeting deadlines CNCS

d Setting priorities for multiple tasks CNCS

e Communicating verbally with others CNCS 

f Communicating in writing with others CNCS 

g Adapting to new situations CNCS

h Responding to unexpected challenges CNCS 

i Working with people different from myself CNCS 

j Facilitating groups CNCS

k Leading teams CNCS 

l Recruiting and/or managing community volunteers CNCS 

m Assessing problems and finding solutions CNCS 

n Planning, coordinating, and managing events CNCS

o Exercising public responsibility and community service

p Understanding politics and government

q Working as part of a team

r Working to solve problems in your community

s Engaging in political activities after completing your AmeriCorps 

service

t Developing relationships with others

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Q4. How much do you agree or disagree that your Reading Partners AmeriCorps service 

was a defining professional experience?

A defining experience is one that confirmed your professional goals or one that resulted in a

change or shift in your professional goals.

[Select one response for each row] 

[Strongly agree; Agree; Neither agree nor disagree; Disagree; Strongly disagree] 

Source: CNCS

Q5. Please elaborate on your response. How, if at all, did your Reading Partners

AmeriCorps service affect your professional goals?

[Open-ended response] 

Q6. After your Reading Partners AmeriCorps service, did you stay in the community in

which you were serving?

Source: CNCS

 Yes, I was not originally from that community, but I stayed there after AmeriCorps for

less than a year and then moved away

 Yes, I was not originally from that community, but I stayed there after AmeriCorps for

a year or more and then moved away

 Yes, I was not originally from that community, but I still reside in the same

community

 Yes, I was originally from that community and I stayed there after AmeriCorps

 No, I was originally from that community but moved to a new community after

AmeriCorps

 No, I moved back to where I was living before AmeriCorps

 No, I moved to a new community

Q7. Did you serve with another AmeriCorps program (either before or after your

Reading Partners AmeriCorps experience)?

[Select one]

 Yes, I served with another AmeriCorps program before serving with Reading Partners

 Yes, I served with another AmeriCorps program after serving with Reading Partners

 No, I did not serve with another AmeriCorps program other than with Reading Partners

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Education

The next set of questions ask about your education and career pathways and future plans.

Q8. What was the highest level of school that you had completed or the highest degree 

that you had received at the time you began your service with Reading Partners?

[Select one]

 High school diploma

 Some college, but no degree earned

 Associate’s degree

 Bachelor’s degree

 Some graduate school (e.g., coursework toward earning a Master’s, Doctoral, or

Professional Degree)

 Master’s degree

 Doctorate (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D.)

 Professional degree (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., J.D., D.V.M.)

 Other [please specify]

 Don’t know or can’t remember

Q9. Did you complete additional years of schooling after you served with Reading

Partners?

[Yes; No] 

Display next 2 questions if respondent answered “Yes” to Q9:

Q10. Why did you decide to continue your education after your Reading Partners service

experience?

[Open ended]

Q11. As of today, what is the highest level of school you have completed or the highest 

degree you have received?

[Select one]

 High school diploma

 Some college, but no degree

 Associate’s degree

 Bachelor’s degree

 Master’s degree

 Doctorate (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D)

 Professional degree (e.g., M.D., D.D.S., J.D., D.V.M.)

 Other [please specify]

Q12. Do you plan to pursue more education in the future?

[Yes; No] 

Display next question if respondent answered “Yes” to Q12:

Q13. What additional education do you plan to pursue?

[Open ended]

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Q14. Did your Reading Partners experience influence your future educational plans?

[Yes; No] 

Display next question if respondent answered “Yes” to Q14:

Q15. In what ways has your Reading Partners experience influenced your future

educational plans?

[Open ended]

Career

Q15. We'd like to know if you are working now, temporarily laid off, or are you

unemployed, retired, permanently disabled, a homemaker, a student, or what?

[Select one]

[Source: ANES] 

 Working now

 In another service program (e.g., another AmeriCorps program; a VISTA project; Peace

Corps) or other volunteering

 Temporarily laid off

 Unemployed

 Retired

 Permanently disabled

 Homemaker

 Student (not working)

 Student (also working)

 Other [please specify]

Display next 2 questions if q15=”Working now” OR “Student (also working)”:

Q16. What are you doing now?

[Select all that apply]

[Source: CNCS] 

 Working in the non-profit sector

 Working in the private sector

 Working in government or in the public sector

 Serving in the military

 Self-employed

 Working as a supervisor or in a management capacity

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Q17. Which of the following best describes the field in which you currently work?

[Select all that apply].

Architecture and Engineering Arts (Visual or Performing)

Business and Financial Services Community, Social Services, or Non-Profit sector

Education (Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary) Education (Post-secondary)

Healthcare Law Enforcement or Security Services

Legal Services Library or Information Science

Office and Administrative Support Physical or Life Sciences

Public Sector or Politics Research and Evaluation

Restaurant or Food Service Sales or Retail

Technology Other [please specify]

Display next questions if q15=”Temporarily laid off” OR “Unemployed” OR “Retired” OR 

“Permanently disabled” OR “Homemaker” OR “Student (not working)”:

Q18. What are you doing now?

[Select all that apply]

[Source: CNCS] 

Looking for work

 Engaging in other volunteer service

 Making plans to attend school

 Attending undergraduate, graduate, or a professional school (e.g., law school)

 Enrolled in a certificate, technical, or vocational program

 None of the above

 Other [please specify]

Display next questions if q15=”In another service program”:

Q19. What are you doing now?

[Select all that apply]

[Source: CNCS] 

 Looking for work

 Making plans to attend school

 Attending undergraduate, graduate, or a professional school (e.g., law school)

 Enrolled in a certificate, technical, or vocational program

 Other [please specify]

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Q20. To what extent did your Reading Partners AmeriCorps experience prepare you for

your current job/service activity?

[Not at all; Very little; Somewhat; Very much] 

[Select one]

Q21. To what extent did your Reading Partners AmeriCorps experience influence your

chosen career path?

[Not at all; Very little; Somewhat; Very much] 

[Select one]

Q22. On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 means "not at all well" and 7 means "extremely well," 

please rate your skills in several areas.

Compared to other people, how good are you at:

 Supervising others

 Being a leader

 Logical, analytical thinking

 Helping others solve their problems

Civic Engagement

Q23. Prior to serving as a Reading Partners AmeriCorps member, how many years of 

experience did you have working or volunteering in social services, youth services, or

community organizations?

[Select one]

 None

 Less than a year

 1-2 years

 3-5 years

 6-10 years

 More than 10 years

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Q24. In the last 12 months, how often did you participate in the following activites?

[Select one response in each row]

[Basically every day; A few times a week; A few times a month; Once a month; Less than once a

month; Not at all] 

Question Source

a Participate in community organizations (school; religious; issue-based; CNCS

recreational)

b Keep informed about news and public issues CNCS

c Help to keep the community safe and clean CNCS

d Volunteer for a cause or issue that I care about CNCS, ANES

e Donate money or goods to a cause or issue that I care about CNCS 

f Work with other people to deal with some issue facing your community ANES 

g Attend a meeting about an issue facing your community or schools ANES

Q25. If you found out about a problem in your community that you wanted to do 

something about, how well do you think you would be able to do in each of the 

following?

[Select one response in each row] 

[I definitely could do this; I could probably do this; Not sure; I probably could not do this; I 

definitely could not do this]

Question Source

a Create a plan to address a problem CNCS

b Get other people to care about the problem CNCS

c Organize and run a meeting CNCS

d Express your views in front of a group of people CNCS

e Identify individuals or groups who could help you with the problem CNCS 

f Express your views on the internet or through social media CNCS

g Call someone on the phone you had never met before to get their CNCS

help with the problem

h Contact an elected official about the problem CNCS 

i Run for public office

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c

In talking to people about elections, we often find that a lot of people were not able to 

vote because they weren't registered, they were sick, or they didn't have time. Which of

the following statements best describes you?

Q26. Regarding the 2016 presidential election? [Select one] 

 I did not vote (in the presidential election in 2016)

 I thought about voting, but didn’t

 I usually vote, but didn’t vote in 2016

 I am sure I voted

 I can’t remember if I voted

 Other [please specify]

Q27. Regarding the most recent mid-term election in November 2018? [Select one] 

 I did not vote in the most recent election (in November 2016)

 I thought about voting, but didn’t

 I usually vote, but didn’t vote in 2018

 I am sure I voted

 I can’t remember if I voted

 Other [please specify]

Q28. Think about your activities in the last 12 months when answering the following 

questions.

[Select one response for each row] 

[Basically every day; A few times a week; A few times a month; Once a month; Less than once a

month; Not at all] 

Question Source

a How often did you discuss politics with friends or family? CNCS 

b How often did you use the Internet to express your opinions CNCS

about political or community issues (e.g., posted on Facebook 

or Twitter; Commented on a news story)

How often did you try to encourage others to participate in CNCS

the community?

d How often did you are your neighbors do favors for one CNCS

another?

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Q29. The following is a list of some other ways in which people have expressed their

views. For each one listed, select whether or not you have done this in the past 12 

months.

[No, I have never done this; Yes, I have done this but not in the last 12 months; Yes, I have done

this in the last 12 months; Prefer not to respond] 

Question Source

a Joined in a protest march, rally, or demonstration ANES

b Signed a petition about a political or social issue ANES 

c Given money to a religious organization ANES

d Given money to any other organization concerned with a social or ANES

political issue—other than a religious organization

e Boycotted a product or service because of the social or political CNCS

values of the company that provides it

f Contacted or tried to contact a member of the US Senate or US ANES

House of Representatives

g Contacted or tried to contact a local elected or non-elected official 

h Given money to an individual candidate running for public office ANES 

Q30. How well do you understand the important political questions facing our country?

[Extremely well; Very well; Moderately well; Slightly well; Not at all well] 

[Source: ANES] 

Q31. Generally speaking, how often can you trust other people?

[Always; Most of the time; About half the time; Some of the time; Never] 

[Source: ANES] 

Q32. The following statements are about equal rights. For each statement, indicate 

whether you agree strongly, agree somewhat, neither agree nor disagree, disagree

somewhat, or disagree strongly.

[Select one response for each row] 

[Disagree strongly; Disagree somewhat; Neither agree nor disagree; Disagree somewhat; Agree

strongly]

Question

a Our society should do whatever is necessary to make sure that everyone has an

equal opportunity to succeed

b We have gone too far in pushing equal rights in this country

It is not really that big of a problem if some people have more of a chance in life

than others

d If people were treated more equally in this country we would have many fewer

problems

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1 0
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q33. All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?

Would you say that you are?

[Extremely satisfied; Very satisfied; Moderately satisfied; Slightly satisfied; Not at all satisfied] 

[Source: ANES] 

Demographics and Background 

Q34. What is your gender?

[Select one]

[Male; Female; Other] 

Q35. Please choose one or more races that you consider yourself to be.

[Select all that apply]

 American Indian or Alaska Native

 Asian

 Black or African-American

 Latino or Hispanic

 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

 White

 Other

Q36. What is your marital status?

[Select one]

 Married

 Divorced

 Separated

 Widowed

 Never married

Q37. How long have you lived in your present community?

[Select one]

 Less than 6 months

 More than 6 months, but less than a year

 1 year

 2 years

 3 years

 4 years

 5 years

 6 years

 7 years

 8 years

 9 years

 10 years

 More than 10 years

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We are interested in how people are getting along financially these days. The next 

questions are about the total income of all members of your family living in your house

in 2018, before taxes. This figure should include income from all sources, including

salaries, wages, pensions, Social Security, dividends, interest, and all other income.

Q38. Is your household income less than $40,000, more than $40,000, about $40,000, or

don't you know?

[Select one]

 Less than $40,000

 More than $40,000

 About $40,000

 Don’t know

Display next question if Q38=”Less than $40,000” 

Q39. Which category best describes your total household income?

[Select one]

 $20,000 or more

 Less than $20,000

Display next question if Q38=”More than $40,000” 

Q40. Which category best describes your total household income?

[Select one]

 $70,000 or more

 Less than $70,000

Display next question if Q38=”More than $40,000” AND Q40=”$70,000 or more” 

Q41. Which category best describes your total household income?

[Select one]

 $100,000 or more

 Less than $100,000

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Q42. Is religion an important part of your life?

[Select one]

 Yes, religion is an important part of my life

 No, religion is not an important part of my life

Display next question if Q42=”Yes, religion is an important part of my life” 

Q43. Lots of things come up that keep people from attending religious services even if

they want to.

Thinking about your life these days, do you ever attend religious services, apart from 

occasional weddings or funerals?

[Select one]

[Yes; No] 

Q44. Do you go to religious services...

[Select one]

[Never; A few times a year; Once or twice a month; Almost every week; Every week]

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C L I C K T O A D D A T I T L E T O T H E F O O T E R 3