ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY LITERACY COUNCIL INC
Each one, teach one.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Low-income adults in Anne Arundel (AA) County, MD are struggling to support their families financially and benefit from increased literacy/math skills to improve their job prospects. According to "The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Maryland 2016" an AA County household would have to make $75,000/year to cover basic needs - food, housing, childcare, healthcare, and other services - to support 1 adult, 1 preschooler, and a child in grade school in Anne Arundel (AA) County. In 2001, the figure was $40,000. To illustrate the financial struggles facing many AA families, median household income for Annapolis in 2013 was $38,980 for blacks and $45,342 for Asians. Maryland GED Testing Service also reports that 600 Anne Arundel County youth permanently drop out of school each year, placing these individuals at high risk for future unemployment and poverty. AACLC addresses this need by offering free, convenient, and individualized literacy, math, and GED instruction for adults.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
AACLC provides free reading, writing, math, GED, and ESL instruction for interested low-income adult residents of Anne Arundel County, MD. AACLC served more than 200 students in 2020.
Where we work
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of adults who received literacy services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Adults and out-of-school youth age 17 and older. This metric does not include the people we help at two detention centers in our county. We do not track those students individually.
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Because of the pandemic and a partial shutdown of services in the spring of 2020, our total number of volunteer hours dropped a little in 2020, but it began to rise again in 2021.
Number of teachers trained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Volunteer tutors receive an initial 8 hours of instruction and a 2-hour follow-up session, and ongoing quarterly workshops and mentoring opportunities. We're still recovering from the pandemic.
Number of adult learners enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Social and economic status
Related Program
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
203 does not include the adults we help at local detention centers. We don't track them individually, but it is fair to say we helped at least 15 inmates in 2023.
Number of adults who advance a full literacy level
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups, Adults, Economically disadvantaged people, Immigrants and migrants, Incarcerated people
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This metric includes 24 students who advanced a level in our curriculum, plus 6 who graduated our program because they earned a high school diploma.
Number of students who demonstrate improved overall literacy
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of students who got a job or a better job.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our goal is to transform lives through the doorway of literacy. We do this by providing free, convenient and individualized literacy, math and English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL) instruction for interested low-income adults and out-of-school youth in Anne Arundel County desiring to improve their literacy skills. There is no charge for the books, tutoring, or assessments received, and students/tutors can meet in any public location in Anne Arundel County for instruction.
Trained volunteer tutors meet weekly with their students at local libraries and community agencies, at convenient times for both the student and tutor. Lessons are tailored to incorporate the students reading level, personal goals, and interests, and there is no cost to the student for the assessment, books, or tutoring. It is estimated that 14% of Anne Arundel County adults do not have the basic literacy skills needed to obtain a GED, so the need is great for this free, convenient literacy program.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We believe that a strong infrastructure of tutor training, continuing educational opportunities, and ongoing tutor support is required to fully equip our volunteer tutors to achieve maximum effectiveness in improving adult literacy skills in our community. To accomplish this we have established key support positions and filled them with well-trained and dedicated individuals. These positions include tutor, student, tutor training, and assessor coordinators.
We also have a database management team who collects, enters, manages, and analyzes data on program measures and outcomes. This data is captured in our database, allowing us to celebrate student progress and achievements, while also identifying areas where program improvements are needed. This also allows us to document program effectiveness for donors and the community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Literacy, math, and English as a Second Language volunteer tutors are recruited throughout Anne Arundel County. Volunteer literacy tutor training is 12 hours long and includes literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. Upon completion of the tutor training, volunteers are eligible to take additional assessor training.
Mentoring opportunities and quarterly tutor workshops led by educational experts are available to interested tutors throughout the year. Math tutor training and workshop opportunities are scheduled throughout the year to instruct and support math tutors.
There is a strong tutor/student support team consisting of the following: tutor, student, and assessor coordinators, a tutor training coordinator and 8 math/literacy/ and ESL trainers, a database manager with 6 support members, a volunteer manager, and a director. Our Executive Board Program Chair is an educator with 22 years of teaching and administrative/testing experience.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Literacy Council's annual tutor/student matches have grown from 27 in 2011 to 137 in 2020, and ESL and math tutoring is now offered in addition to literacy tutoring. Substantial improvements in tutor training and ongoing tutor support have occurred during this time, as well as completion of the design, implementation, and improvement of the organization's database.
Highly skilled GED math coordinators oversee more than 60 trained math tutors, and tutor and student coordinators provide skilled support for our students and tutors. Ongoing math, literacy, and ESL workshops are provided for continuing tutor support and education.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY LITERACY COUNCIL INC
Board of directorsas of 03/21/2024
Dr. Carol Tacket
Dr. Michael Keller
Carol Tacket
Michael Keller
Megan Jackson
Michael Green
John Wetzel
Mike Ahearn
Mary Austin
Beverly Sumpter
Catie Comer
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/17/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.