Austin Partners in Education (APIE) and Americorps for Community Engagement and Education (ACEE) are joining forces to help improve literacy for the Austin School District's elementary school students. Through the Literacy Champions program, volunteers will provide additional support in reading skill development for Allison Elementary students in grades three through five.

"This groundbreaking program draws together non-profit educational services and AISD to provide a new model for volunteer work," APIE Executive Director Kathrin Brewer said. "The third component we need to be successful rests with the Austin community."

"We appreciate the valuable partnerships with APIE and ACEE to train and recruit volunteers to work with our students," Austin School Superintendent Pat Forgione said. "Our schools rely on dedicated volunteers to enrich students' academic experiences."

APIE and ACEE are seeking additional volunteers to participate in the Literacy Champions program at Allison. The time commitment is one hour every Tuesday, between 8 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Volunteers are provided structured training, support ,and enrichment. Training sessions are held on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Allison Elementary School, 515 Vargas Road. The program will be expanded to other days as more volunteers become available.

"The Literacy Champions of Allison Elementary is a powerful new framework of business program partnerships that through expansion will improve the academic performance of students across the district," ACEE Executive Director Dr. Mary Ellen Isaacs said.

The program at Allison represents the first in a series of targeted outreach efforts. For more information about the Literacy Champions program, contact Audrey Glaser at 637-0974 or aglaser@austinpartners.org.

APIE is a newly formed non-profit organization funded by AISD and the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Addressing the desire and needs of the students and the school, APIE acts as a one-stop-shop for educational services to the district. Through APIE, volunteers choose from a menu of options that fit the highest needs of students as well as the expertise, varied time commitments, and interests of the volunteer community. APIE identifies successful programs through best-practices research and evaluation of results, then facilitates the support and expansion of these activities across AISD.