WriterCoach Connection

This was a great program year for Community Alliance for Learning, dba WriterCoach Connection. We served 618 middle and high school students in Contra Costa and Alameda counties with coaching in critical thinking and writing in our programs in the schools, helping the students build confidence and find their voice in writing. 170 trained volunteer coaches worked in a 1:2 ratio with the students, providing individualized attention that educators know makes a huge difference in building skills. Our impact results this year showed that 80% of students who were low-performing in a pre-coaching assessment improved or dramatically improved their writing and critical thinking abilities. Our coaches provided 2,070 hours of coaching to these students, who are predominantly from communities that have had limited access to high quality educational experiences. We also launched a new pilot program this year, wherein a school in Washington State was able to replicate our program in their school, following our training and using materials licensed by us. They served 52 students this year and were so pleased with the results they plan to serve 150 students next year. We also entered into a partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Oakland to provide writing coaching for their young people on creative writing projects of their choice, using our proven coaching methodology, in an afterschool setting. This program is scheduled to launch in early October, 2023.