What Is the Sustained Impact of Future Forward on Reading Achievement, Attendance, and Special Education Placement 5 Years After Participation?

Abstract

Future Forward leverages both tutoring and parent engagement to support the literacy development of early primary students. In 2010, Future Forward was awarded an Investing in Innovations grant to develop and test its impact in seven Milwaukee Public Schools, primarily serving Black and Latinx students. A randomized control trial evaluation found 2 years of participation had positive impacts on foundational literacy, reading achievement, and school attendance (Jones & Christian, 2021). We followed participants 5 years past the end of the i3 study to determine whether benefits were sustained. Students receiving Future Forward continued to demonstrate improved reading achievement, school attendance, and were less likely to be placed into special education. Even considering this, Future Forward participants fell behind in their reading development over time.