What Sets ACE Apart?

Intensity

ACE AmeriCorps tutors provide approximately 100,000 hours of public service each year.

Research Base

ACE’s intervention is aligned with nationally recognized best practices, as well as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and district curricular guidelines.

Expertise

ACE program staff are early childhood education experts.

"I am in my fourth week of teaching 5th grade and I want you to know that there is no way I would be here if it wasn't for my experience with ACE. I am so grateful for all of your support and advice, and I hope you know that you don't just change children's lives, you change teachers' lives too! My current and future students all thank you."

—Kati Hinkson,
ACE tutor

Training and Support

ACE staff provide intensive preservice training (one to two weeks) and weekly onsite support, training, and supervision to all AmeriCorps tutors.

Diversity of its Tutors

ACE tutors come from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities and include recent college graduates as well as parents.

Effectiveness

ACE monitors children's progress weekly using AIMSweb, a nationally recognized reading assessment program, and we administer comprehensive benchmark assessments three times a year for each child we serve.

Cost Effectiveness

ACE provides low-income schools with intensive early literacy support at a cost of approximately $500 a child.

Parental Involvement

ACE provides parent literacy workshops to more than 50 parents each year and engages parents as AmeriCorps tutors.

Location at UT Austin

ACE leverages the resources (research, infrastructure, college students, etc.) of a major university to help meet critical educational needs of the schools.