Literacy: Spanning the U.S.
Fostering literacy: Jail
libraries provide books, education to inmates
Naples News:
8.03.2017 by Ashley Collins
Through
the front doors of the Naples Jail Center and up the second floor past the
sleeping quarters, a couple of inmates spend most days organizing
thousands of books in a library-like room.
The
inmate librarians — part of a workforce program with the Collier County
Sheriff's Office — order the books on shelves based on the Dewey
Decimal System and then administer them to other inmates, or library
patrons, throughout the day.
The
genres range from self-help, romance and mystery to
best-sellers written by James Patterson and Stephen King.
"The
library is one more aspect that helps educate inmates, but also gives them
some normalcy from the outside world," said Tanya Williams, Collier County Public Library director.
Since
the 1980s, the Collier County Public Library has partnered with the Sheriff's
Office to provide a library at both the Naples and Immokalee jail
centers. READ MORE @
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The Graduating Father-Son Duo
ProLiteracy Blog: 8.03.2017 by Jennifer Paulding Student Stories
From
playing catch and reeling in the biggest fish, to working on cars and cheering
on sports teams together, there is a very special bond between a father and
son. The bond between one father-son pair who inspired each other and worked
together to achieve their dreams, however, is one for the books. Edmundo Fuentes and his son Levi Fuentes, took to the stage
together to receive their GED diplomas Tuesday, May 16, in Tyler, Texas.
Edmundo
went for a drive one day when he passed a billboard that displayed a message
about the high dropout rate of high school students. The message inspired him to research
different ways he could get his GED, leading him to register for classes at Literacy
Council of Tyler (LCOT). LCOT provides English Language
Learning instruction, GED test preparation, higher education and vocational
training, and more.
Edmundo
convinced his son Levi, who dropped out of high school in his senior year, to
enroll and take classes with him. While both worked full-time jobs during the
day, they spent the last year taking night classes to prepare for the GED®
test. READ MORE @
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Literacy
Council Moves out of the Classroom and into the Workplace
Loudoun Now:
8.03.2017 by Danielle Nadler
Fabbioli
Cellars was busy with employees hard at work on a recent afternoon. One
man broke a sweat building a deck off the barrel cellar, while another
chopped and neatly stacked wood, and a woman tidied up the tasting room in preparation
for a weekend of thirsty visitors.
And
at the far north end of the property, a language lesson unfolded beneath the
shade of an Asian pear tree.
“What
do you do with the pears?” Sarah Ali asked her students, 20-year-old Lupe and
25-year-old Arturo.
“Make…I
don’t know how to say in English,” Arturo said.
“Brandy?”
“Yes,”
Lupe confirmed.
“Excellent,”
Ali said with a nod.
Similar
scenes are playing out more and more throughout the county as part of Loudoun Literacy Council’s new teaching
strategy to deliver language lessons to the workplace. The nonprofit
organization started in 1980 to tutor recently arrived adult immigrants, and
shortly after, it offered free or low-cost English courses in an effort to arm
them with basic literacy skills. But it’s typically provided lessons to 10 to
20 students at a time in a classroom setting. Now, they’re finding there is a
better way.
“It’s
one thing to teach vocab in a room. It’s another thing to walk with them in
their job—in their day-to-day environment,” said Ali, the organization’s new
executive director.
Loudoun
Literacy pairs a volunteer tutor with one or two students. They coordinate
schedules and meet at the job site weekly. The tutors ask the students to walk
them through their typical work day and explain each of their tasks in English. READ MORE @
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