• 4 out of 10 U.S. 4th graders can't read at their grade level.
• In a recent survey* of international mathematics performance, U.S. 8th graders scored lower than 20 out of 41 nations.

Want to do something about that? Become a reading or math tutor through The University of Texas at Austin AmericaReads/AmericaCounts program!

AmericaReads is an educational initiative begun by President Bill Clinton in 1997, with the goal of "building a nation of readers" by recruiting university students to tutor young schoolchildren in the classroom. The program serves children from infancy through elementary school or their parents or caregivers.

AmericaCounts was created in 1999 in response to the growing awareness of the importance of mathematics literacy in schoolchildren. AmericaCounts tutors help to develop these skills by working with children in kindergarten through 9th grade.

The University of Texas at Austin launched its AmericaReads/AmericaCounts tutoring program in Spring 2001, with approximately 60 reading and math tutors through A.I.S.D.'s GEAR UP program. Currently, more than 150 Work-Study students earn their Work-Study awards as AmericaReads/AmericaCounts tutors.

If you have questions about the AmericaReads or the AmericaCounts tutoring programs, we hope that you will find the answers here. If you do not find the information you need, please contact Student Employment at the Office of Student Financial Services or call (512)475-6247.

*Source: 2007 TIMSS (Trends in International Math and Science Study), which measured Mathematics and Science Achievement of U.S. Fourth- and Eighth-Grade Students in an International Context.