Students from an urban elementary school did not meet criteria on the standardized reading assessment for 3 consecutive years as mandated by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Students were at risk of failing future classes requiring proficiency in reading, and the school did not meet annual yearly progress. To address this problem, low-achieving students were provided after-school tutoring through supplemental education services (SES). The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in the SES tutoring program improved the reading scores of the elementary students as measured by a standardized test. The research question examined whether afterschool tutoring resulted in significant improvement in reading scores of tutored students compared to nontutored students. A quantitative quasi-experimental pretest-posttest 2-group design was used with an independent samples t test for data analysis. The findings showed that students who participated in afterschool tutoring scored significantly higher in reading than students who did not participate in tutoring. These findings supported Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) theory, which suggests that when children are provided with the appropriate assistance from an adult in the ZPD, new skills will be learned. Based on these results, it is recommended that schools offer afterschool tutoring for low performing students to improve reading skills. Implications for positive social change resulting from effective afterschool reading tutoring programs include increased overall academic achievement and heightened test taking ability, thus increasing the likelihood of graduating from high school and moving successfully into post-secondary school or employment. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]