Literacy: Spanning the U.S.
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County Literacy Council gets state award
The Northwestern: 5.23.2016
by Terri S. Hansen
Wisconsin
Literacy recognized Winnebago County Literacy
Council as a co-winner of the Outstanding Achievement in
Health Literacy Award at its Statewide Celebration of Literacy Event in
Madison.
The Literacy Council received the award because of the
leadership and passion demonstrated by Dr. Janice Edelstein, the council's
education coordinator. Edelstein has an Ed. D. from the University of Arkansas.
She developed the health in plain language class in collaboration with Aurora
Health Care and Fox Valley Technical College. FVTC provides classroom space for
health in plain language classes.
Health literacy is one of the English language
learning classes offered by the Literacy Council. The class teaches learners
how to navigate the healthcare system in the United States. Learners increase
their basic knowledge of nutrition, wellness, chronic and acute illness and
access to the healthcare system. READ MORE @
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Fighting Adult
Illiteracy, One at a Time
A Silent Problem
San Antonio Current (blog):
6.01.2016 by Michael Marks
Odds are that today you encountered an adult who
struggles to read and write.
Not just today, but every day. About 14 percent of
U.S. adults are functionally illiterate, according to the National
Center for Education Studies. The figure is likely even
higher in San Antonio, which is among the least-literate populous cities, per a
Central Connecticut University study.
Although it's likely you came across someone who can't
read, you probably didn't know it. Illiteracy is a largely invisible
affliction. It skews toward the poor, but cuts across socioeconomic lines, sex
and ethnicity. And those who can't read spend their lives trying to hide it.
"Adults tend to conceal the fact that they're
struggling ... and there isn't a voice advocating for them," said Carolyn
Heath, executive director of Each One Teach One,
a local nonprofit that teaches adults to read and write through one-on-one
tutoring.
Headquartered in what was once Fire Station 28 off
Blanco Road, Each One Teach One volunteers instruct approximately 200 students
each year. But they could help even more with additional volunteers — there's
typically a waitlist between 10 and 20 would-be learners.
Students are scattered throughout the facility, now one
of several sites the group operates. Free books line shelves. In a conference
room, the words "Yesterday — Today — Tomorrow" are shakily scrawled
on three consecutive days on a calendar. Posters about the alphabet and each
letter's pronunciation are tacked onto walls.
READ MORE @
Wanted: Volunteers to teach a powerful skill
The Yreka branch of the Siskiyou County Library
offers a program through California Library Literacy Services that is a vital
resource for adults looking to learn.
Siskiyou Daily News: 6.03.2016 by Danielle Jester
The Yreka branch of the Siskiyou County Library offers a program
through California Library Literacy Services that
is a vital resource for adults looking to learn. The learning service can
assist people in a variety of educational areas, including learning to speak
English, learning to read or becoming more proficient in reading and writing.
The service is free and available to anyone age 17 and up who needs it.
Sherrill Moore, Siskiyou County coordinator for
the program, explains that the library learning service depends upon volunteers
who work one on one with students. The program, Moore said, caters to the
individual needs of each student, noting, “It’s not our program, it’s theirs.”
Moore said the learning service volunteer teachers understand that students
“have lives, jobs and kids,” and emphasized that volunteers work around the
students’ existing schedules.
The learning service tutelage begins with
assessing the student’s learning needs. Moore explained that it is up to the
student to decide what he or she wants to learn. Moore schedules a time to meet
with the student and a tutor that she chooses based on compatibility with the
student and his or her needs. Moore spends time with the student and tutor
until the two become comfortable working one on one. From there, the student
and tutor decide on their own meeting schedule.
Moore stressed that the learning environment is
free of judgement, and that the students are not graded on their work. The
students do receive a “Roles and Goals” sheet that helps track
their progress. Moore stated that a key tenet of the program is setting goals,
as it helps students to achieve continuously, keeping them engaged and
motivated.
Local Anna Perez turned to the library learning
service when she needed help obtaining her GED. Perez shared that she had
dropped out of school at 15 and years later, when she was in her 30s, decided
to pursue her GED as she desperately needed a job to help support her husband
and three children. READ MORE @
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1 in 3 adults across Michigan can read at only a fifth
grade level or below, Reading Works says
WXYZ: 6.02.2016
Adult literacy is a problem across Michigan and
specifically in metro Detroit. Leaders from the literacy organization Reading
Works joined us to talk about it and explain solutions.
We spoke with Reading Works
executive director Paula Brown and board member Doug Kuiper of Ilitch
Holdings, Inc. during the 2016 Mackinac Policy Conference.
=The organization's leaders say one out of every three
adults in Michigan can only read at or below a fifth grade reading level. VIDEO
Volunteers ‘desperately’ needed as Adult Literacy
Center celebrates its 40th year
Drake:
6.03.2016
More Greater Des Moines area adults are seeking
assistance in achieving basic literacy skills. But at Drake University's Adult Literacy Center,
which is celebrating its 40th year in operation, demand for services is outpacing
the supply of volunteers who are available to tutor participants in reading,
writing, and speaking.
“As word gets out, more and more people are learning
about our services,” said Anne Murr, coordinator of the Adult Literacy Center.
“We desperately need volunteers who are eager to positively impact the lives of
these students."
The Center has worked with more than 140 adults this
year, including 25 individuals who are on a waiting list. That represents a 21
percent increase in demand over last year. Meanwhile, there are currently about
70 tutors who are available to teach. READ MORE @
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