Literacy:
Spanning the U.S.
Literacy council helps
ESL learners achieve goals
DelMarva Now: 12.02.2015 by Malissa
Watterson
Inside Metompkin
Elementary School last Monday night, close to 20 adults began the journey of
becoming more proficient in a language that will help improve their lives.
It was the first
English as a Second Language class at the school in Parksley, which is one of
the newest Eastern
Shore Literacy Council learning sites.
Through its ESL
program, the literacy council offers free tutoring to adults who have
immigrated to the United States and want to improve their ability to speak,
read and write English.
“What we are noticing
now is that there is a huge demand for our English as a Second Language
services,” said Literacy Council Executive Director Jenny O’Neill. “We’re getting people signing up, either
Hispanic or Haitian, in large numbers, and we have to adjust to that because
we’ve been based primarily on a one-on-one for years, but now we’re flexing.”
In 2016, the
not-for-profit group will celebrate 30 years of addressing low literacy levels
on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. READ MORE @
Over 3600 adults served
in 29 years
News Eagle: 11.30.2015
The Wayne
Pike Adult Literacy Program (WPALP), a non-profit volunteer
educational program, is in need of public financial support, said David Sutton,
Executive Director.
The WPALP has been
providing free tutoring services and study materials for 29 years; to over 3600
adults in Pike and Wayne counties during that time.
WPALP has received
neither federal nor state funding since 2012. While the county governments have
provided some assistance, it is limited as county governments throughout the
region have had to bear ever increasing costs as a result of federal and state
cutbacks.
Service organizations
such as the Hawley Rotary Club, the Lions Club of Honesdale and the Knights of
Columbus have been regular supporters. Recently, the Pike County and Wayne
County Bar Associations as well as the Villaume Foundation and the United Way
of Lackawanna Wayne counties have assisted. Nevertheless, the contributions
have not been able to rise as fast as the demand for services and concomitant
expenses, Sutton explained.
••• What they have done
In the first nine
months, the volunteer tutors of the WPALP has provided over 2,000 instructional
hours and driven in excess of 11,866 miles for free, in order to provide
services to 79 adult students. They have distributed $5,400 in textbooks and
calculators for free. WPALP serves adults who need to obtain a GED Diploma, to
improve their literacy for work or personal reasons, while teaching English to
new arrivals and assisting them in the citizenship process.
The WPALP is also
active in the two county correctional facilities in order to reduce recidivism.
During this time period six adults have earned their GED and 20 more are in the
program; many of them having passed one or more parts of the GED exam. WPALP
has assisted nine adults to gain employment and helped one to become a citizen.
Sutton added that 65 percent of their other students have progressed one or
more educational levels in the curriculum. READ MORE @
Area
demand for English classes sees a huge increase
Contra Costa Times: 12.01.2015 by Beth Jensen
Every
day in the Tri-Valley, hundreds of educated, competent adults struggle to talk on
the phone, speak to their doctors and fill out a job application -- stymied by
the gargantuan task of becoming fluent in a second language.
Such
is the world of many immigrants in the Tri-Valley, who struggle to learn
English while simultaneously working and, often, raising families. Many enroll
in courses at Las Positas College and at local adult schools, but hundreds more
flock to local libraries, where scores of committed volunteers teach speaking,
reading and writing skills to determined students of all ages from around the
world.
"We're
seeing all different kinds of folks with very different backgrounds," said
Carey Gross, coordinator of Livermore Library's literacy services.
"We have people who have had up to a sixth-grade level of learning in
their native country and who are working several jobs to earn a living while
trying to get better access to language, up to seniors with Ph.D.'s from their
country ... every person is here because they want to be here; they're looking
to improve themselves, not because they are mandated to do so."
English
learners in Livermore and Pleasanton can participate in one-on-one tutoring,
for which there are often long waiting lists, as well as group discussion
classes in which they practice speaking English in a patient and friendly
environment. Dublin Library, part of the Alameda County Library system,
operates a book club discussion group for English learners as part of the county's
"Write
to Read" literacy program. One-on-one tutoring is limited in
Dublin, however, with beginning non-native speakers referred to other area
programs.
The
need for English instruction for non-native speakers is growing in all cities,
according to program coordinators. Alameda County libraries provided more than
13,500 hours of instruction to 397 students in 2014-2015, thanks to 63
volunteers. Pleasanton has seen a huge increase in need. READ MORE @
PV
literacy program teaches essential skills
Program
always looking for volunteers to tutor
Prescott Valley Tribune: 12.02.2015 by Briana Lonas
For people who can't read or speak English, a free program
exists that could help.
The Prescott Valley Adult Literacy Group is an all-volunteer
organization that teaches reading, writing, and English to adults in western
Yavapai County. The program is free to adults 18 and older.
The PVALG volunteers service the Quad-Cities areas including
Dewey-Humboldt.
Parents who can't read, often have children who also can't read
- or at least very well, explained Kathy Lewis who helps oversee the program.
Lewis said that currently, the Quad-Cities area has 60 tutors
available and they are always looking for more.
The PVALG program began in the 80s, from a library volunteer,
and it operates separately from the library.
According to the PVALG:
Arizona has one of the highest high school dropout rates in the
country.
Nearly one in five adults in Arizona is functionally illiterate
At least half of all adults who are functionally illiterate live
in poverty
Children whose parents can read are five to six times more
likely to succeed in school
93 million adults in the U.S. (43 percent of adult population)
function below high school level
80 percent of the fastest growing jobs in the U.S. require some
post-secondary education READ MORE @
 |
WSW: Finding the Best
Ways to Combat Adult Illiteracy
WMUK: 12.03.2015 by Gordon Evans
Kalamazoo Literacy
Council Executive Director Michael Evans says adult literacy touches issues
such as workforce development, education and health.
A symposium is being
held at Western Michigan University on Friday to examine best practices in
adult literacy. The Kalamazoo
Literacy Council is one of the event’s sponsors. Research
shows about 13% of the adult population are struggling to read. The Literacy
Council is helping about 400 readers. But Evans says “to make a statistical
difference we really feel we need to be helping about 2,500 people and more.”
Evans says that means finding more partners to work with to expand services.
Evans describes the
symposium at Western Michigan University as a “one day opportunity to get into
a deep discussion about adult literacy.” Evans says he hopes that will lead to
conversation about the solutions to adult literacy. READ MORE @
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