literacyspace: literacy & library cightings

The Value of Teachers

2012-01-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

The Value of Teachers
NY Times: 01.11.2012 by Nicholas D Kristof

Suppose your child is about to enter the fourth grade and has been assigned to an excellent teacher. Then the teacher decides to quit. What should you do?

The correct answer? Panic!

Well, not exactly. But a landmark new research paper underscores that the difference between a strong teacher and a weak teacher lasts a lifetime. Having a good fourth-grade teacher makes a student 1.25 percent more likely to go to college, the research suggests, and 1.25 percent less likely to get pregnant as a teenager. Each of the students will go on as an adult to earn, on average, $25,000 more over a lifetime — or about $700,000 in gains for an average size class — all attributable to that ace teacher back in the fourth grade. That’s right: A great teacher is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to each year’s students, just in the extra income they will earn.

The study, by economists at Harvard and Columbia universities, finds that if a great teacher is leaving, parents should hold bake sales or pass the hat around in hopes of collectively offering the teacher as much as a $100,000 bonus to stay for an extra year. Sure, that’s implausible — but their children would gain a benefit that far exceeds even that sum.

Conversely, a very poor teacher has the same effect as a pupil missing 40 percent of the school year. We don’t allow that kind of truancy, so it’s not clear why we should put up with such poor teaching. In fact, the study shows that parents should pay a bad teacher $100,000 to retire (assuming the replacement is of average quality) because a weak teacher holds children back so much. READ MORE !

Literacy Tribune Newsletter: January 2012

2012-01-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

Literacy Tribune: January 2012
The Adult Learner Network Newsletter

United Literacy, a non-profit organization, provides resources and support to adult literacy learners in the United States. Its aim is to make literacy education accessible and worthwhile for adult learners.

Main Story: Overcome Hurry Sickness in 2012
There is a sickness that you probably have not heard of, but you may have it. It is called Hurry Sickness.

A History Lesson: Benjamin Franklin, America’s First Postmaster General followed his own advice. He wrote things worth reading, and he did things worth writing about.

Organization Spotlight: South Coast Literacy Council
this California program which covers the southern portion of Orange County.

Member Spotlight: Jerome Nick
“Del Norte Reads staff and tutors are awesome,” says Jerome Nick, an adult learner who volunteers at the literacy program’s office, “They help me out a lot in the schooling part.”

Technology Watch: Google Chrome Extensions
Google Chrome is a free web browser. To use its extensions, you first need to have Google Chrome on your computer

The Literacy Tribune is looking for adult learner writers.
Are you an adult learner ?
Do you want to write ?
Do you want to publish your writing ?

You can write about:
Your road to literacy
Your literacy organization
Literacy resources you like
You can write book reviews, poetry, short stories
You can write articles about health, finance, or technology
You can write just about anything !

Information: Free to Access at Your Local Library

2012-01-03T15:00:00.001-08:00

10 Impressive People Who Educated Themselves
With Only a Library Card
onlinecollegecourses.com: 01.02.2012

While formal schooling from kindergarten all the way up to the college level has a lot to offer a knowledge-thirsty mind, the reality is that you don't necessarily have to go to school in order to learn and be well-educated. The vast majority of information (especially in today's world) is free to access at your local library at your own leisure, and many have done just that to keep learning even when they couldn't or didn't want to go to school.

Whether they read their way to education at a public library or in their own homes, there have been been some pretty well-known names who have used books to expand their minds. Many have gone on to be writers, political leaders, and businesspeople, and while you might not know every name on this list, their stories will certainly convince you that a library card in the hands of a determined learner is a very powerful thing indeed.

Abraham Lincoln
Jack London
Ray Bradbury
Abigail Adams
August Wilson
Edith Wharton
J.B. Fuqua
Malcolm X
J.A. Rogers
Walter Pitts

READ MORE !

Creating a Nation of Learners IMLS 2012-2016

2011-12-12T15:36:00.001-08:00

The Institute of Museum and Library Services Strategic Plan, 2012 – 2016

Creating a Nation of Learners

U.S. museums and libraries are at the forefront in the movement to create a nation of learners. As stewards of cultural heritage with rich, authentic content, they provide learning experiences for everyone. With built infrastructure in nearly every community in the nation and dedicated, knowledgeable staff, they connect people to one another and to the full spectrum of human experience. The nation’s museums and libraries provide opportunities for powerful learning experiences that inspire people throughout their lifetimes and contribute to the civic life of our nation.

Trusted in their communities, libraries and museums play important roles in creating an informed and educated citizenry and transmitting the values of our democracy. Our role at the Institute of Museum and Library Services is to provide libraries, museums, and policy makers with the resources they need to ensure that the American ideal of open access to information and ideas flourishes, through leadership, data, analysis, and funding.

Museums and libraries help to level the playing field. They provide access to technology, strengthen community relationships, and offer an entrée to services and information that some individuals might not otherwise have. Without libraries and museums it would be more difficult, potentially impossible, for some Americans to seek employment opportunities, enhance their education, and lead healthier lives. Libraries and museums are not luxuries; they are fundamental to supporting the civic life and well-being of our nation.

Economic changes are causing reductions in all sources of public (state and local) and private (corporation, foundation, and individual) funding for libraries and museums. At the same time, public demand for library and museum services is increasing. As stressed public agencies cut back on service, communities are more fully leveraging the assets of libraries and museums and calling on them to fill the gaps by providing workforce services, afterschool programming, teacher training, and broadband access.

Although many libraries and museums are fully embracing new service opportunities, they are also facing difficult decisions. Serious questions must be addressed about how libraries and museums will continue to meet public demand. Reductions in staff have direct impacts on public service, such as reduced hours, less programming for hard-to-reach populations, and less capacity to support important learning outcomes. Changing information delivery services, new platforms, and outdated information policies are creating new challenges to provide critical materials, both print and digital, that are the foundation for all other services.

In 2010, against a backdrop of societal change and economic uncertainty, Congress passed and the President signed the reauthorization of the Museum and Library Services Act (the Act), giving IMLS unique federal responsibilities for “the development and implementation of policy to ensure the availability of museum, library, and information services adequate to meet the essential information, education, research, economic, cultural, and civic needs of the people of the United States.”

Strategic Goal 1
IMLS places the learner at the center and supports engaging experiences in libraries and museums that prepare people to be full participants in their local communities and our global society.

Strategic Goal 2
IMLS promotes museums and libraries as strong community anchors that enhance civic engagement, cultural opportunities, and economic vitality.

Strategic Goal 3
IMLS supports exemplary stewardship of museum and library collections and promotes the use of technology to facilitate discovery of knowledge and cultural heritage.

Strategic Goal 4
IMLS advises the President and Congress on plans, policies, and activities that sustain and increase public access to information and ideas.

Strategic Goal 5
IMLS achieves excellence in public management and performs as a model organization through strategic alignment of IMLS resources and prioritization of programmatic activities, maximizing value for the American public.

READ MORE !

The Little Free Library

2011-11-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

The Art of the Little Free Library: Its Always The Season To Read

Here's Little Library #1

Little Free Libraries started in Hudson and Madison, Wisconsin.

The originators of this social enterprise are Todd Bol and Rick Brooks, both of whom have several decades of entrepreneurial and international experience. They first met in 2009 while exploring the benefits of green practices in small businesses, discovering that they shared a commitment to service and the quality of community life around the world.

The very first Little Library was built in the memory of June A. Bol. It sits in the front yard of a home above the St. Croix River in Hudson, Wisconsin. As you can see, it is meant to look like a one-room school house. It's full of books about gardening and community life. Not a drop of water has trickled inside...but books have come and gone since its first week by the river.

Get the idea? Take a book, leave a book. Leave a note!

Give the gift of knowledge through reading. READ MORE !

A Love Letter to the Central Library

2011-11-23T16:12:00.001-08:00

A Love Letter to the Central Library
Through Life’s Changes, the Downtown Landmark Remains
LA Downtown News: 11.23.2011 by Anne Marie Ruff

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - I love the Central Library. For almost two decades and through many life changes, the library has been a constant, like a good friend.

Obviously I’m not alone — this resplendent repository of art, literature and knowledge thrives on the multiplicity of people who pass through the doors and partake of what the library has to offer. I’m just one of many for whom the Downtown building has an inexorable hold.

I first met the Central Library when I was attending UCLA. Back in the days when the card catalog had just graduated to a computer, the Central Library offered books for my research papers not to be found in the URL (the decidedly un-cyber University Research Library). I found in the long block between Grand Avenue and Flower Street a safe place in an otherwise intimidating Downtown.

I know I am not alone in my passion for this place. Every day I see dozens of people, many marginalized or nearly discarded by the rest of the city, who eagerly await the opening of the library doors. In its rich rooms and elegant halls, they find refuge, rest, and who knows, maybe even help with their reading or computer skills.

More recently, I have been thrilled to know the library in yet another way. I provided two copies of my first novel — some of which was written within its walls — to the library’s fiction department. So now not only is the library part of me, but I am part of the library. READ MORE !

Anne Marie Ruff’s recently published first novel, Through These Veins, chronicles the development of a fictional cure for AIDS. All profits benefit Doctors Without Borders and the Ethiopian Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity.

Libraries Are Essential Public Goods

2011-11-16T16:15:00.001-08:00

Why It's Time To Speak Up For Our Libraries
Huffington Post: 11.15.2011 by Andrew Losowsky

Libraries are essential public goods.

Like our public parks and museums, public libraries are free, non-commercial gathering places for everyone, regardless of income. If information is power, then libraries are the essence of democracy and freedom. In these times of economic difficulty, more people are using them than ever, to do more than merely check out books.

Yet our nation's public libraries appear to be under threat by a litany of cuts, forced upon them by state and local committees, cuts that often began before the recent economic downturn. In a survey conducted by the Library Journal, 93% of large libraries reported having laid off staff, cut their opening hours, or both. In several states, including Indiana and Michigan, library branches have permanently closed their doors.

In a new Huffington Post series called Libraries In Crisis, we'll be looking at how today's libraries are about more than books. We'll show how they can be a community resource where reliable information and guidance is provided, free of bias and commercial influence.

This occasional series will look at the economic reasons for the current situation, and its consequences throughout the country. It will showcase models for library evolution, and hear from prominent voices about what makes a viable and vital library system. READ MORE !

Read the first piece in this series, "The Death Of The Public Library?"

November - Picture Book Month

2011-11-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Picture Book Month is an international initiative to designate November as Picture Book Month, encouraging everyone to celebrate literacy with picture books.

Every day in November, there will be a new post from a picture book champion explaining why he/she thinks picture books are important.
We are doing this because in this digital age where people are predicting the coming death of print books, picture books (the print kind) need love. And the world needs picture books. There’s nothing like the physical page turn of a beautifully crafted picture book.

Join the celebration and party with a picture book !

Celebrate National Family Literacy Day 2011

2011-11-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Today is National Family Literacy Day.

Since 1994, November 1 has been a day of celebrating the wonders of family literacy.

November is also National Family Literacy Month, so today kicks off a month-long effort to celebrate and remind people of the importance of families learning together.

Wonderopolis is taking part in the celebration with a very special Wonder of the Day: #394 What Can Children Teach Their Parents?

Family literacy is all about families learning together. Of course, that often means that it’s the parents who are teaching the children.

Most parents can tell you, though, that they’ve learned some important lessons from their children, too. It’s this interplay between parents and children that makes family literacy so powerful.

After you read the Wonder of the Day, make sure you chime in with what you’ve learned from the children in your life! Post a comment, or share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter.

And if you’re looking for a way to celebrate literacy throughout the entire year, download NCFL’s Celebrate Literacy Calendar. This calendar offers suggestions for fun activities to do with your children each month.

3rd Annual Literacy for Life - Nevada Appeal

2011-10-14T11:44:00.001-07:00

Literacy for Life kicks off
Nevada Appeal: 9.22.2011 by Teri Vance

The Nevada Appeal is kicking off its third annual Literacy for Life series, aimed at drawing attention to efforts in the community that promote reading.

As in years past, we will take a look at the members of our community who struggle with reading — both native and non-native speakers, children and adults — and the resources available to them.

We understand that a literate community is a well-informed and better functioning one.

This year we also will focus on the traditional reader. Whether you always have a book on your nightstand or read only the occasional novel recommended by a friend, we want you to participate.

Reading can broaden your understanding of the world and inspire you.

Don't take that for granted. READ MORE !

Singing literacy: September 23, 2011
Heather Light's sons are too young to read. But that doesn't mean the 2- and 3-year-old boys can't start learning the primary skills.

“As a teacher, I know that emergent reading begins at home,” she said. “Even if they can't read, they need to know how books work. If they're excited about it, they'll want to read once they get to school.”

That's why she takes Max, 3, and Luke, 2, to activities at the library, like the one offered Thursday at the Carson City Library.

In place of the traditional storytime, Kathryn Hill led toddlers and their parent

La alfabetización — language of literacy: September 30, 2011
Although she has lived in the United States for 15 years, Loyda Herrera hasn't needed to learn English.

“Before, I didn't worry about it,” she said in Spanish. “But things have gotten harder now. If you don't speak English, you can't find a job.”

So for the past two years, she's dedicated herself to learning the language, studying with the English as a Second Language In-Home Program of Northern Nevada.

The program, run by volunteer Florence Phillips, pairs students with volunteer tutors, often working one-on-one in the student's home.

For the love of Reading: October 7, 2011
For as long as Challen Wright can remember, he's loved books. As a child, he begged his parents to read him more than one bedtime story, sometimes negotiating up to five or seven a night.

“I really liked them reading to me,” he said. “But I really wanted to read myself.”

And as he's grown, the passion has grown with him.

Serving as a library aide at Carson Middle School last year, he learned the Dewey Decimal System. It became the perfect solution to the challenge he was having organizing his books at home.

“It's really good because now I know where each book should go,” he said.

Literacy for Life: Reading for a better life: October.14.2011
Leyco Rivas has a college degree in education management. She's worked as an elementary schoolteacher and, for 11 years, she trained and supervised other teachers with the department of education.

But all of that was in Nicaragua. When she moved to Carson City four years ago, she was turned down for a job as a dishwasher.

“I was so frustrated,” she said.

She knew literacy in her new language was the key to getting ahead.

“I believe that education is very important,” she said. “I knew I needed to learn English if I wanted to be educated here.”

Taking English classes at Western Nevada College along with weekly tutoring sessions from Carson City Literacy Volunteers, she is poised to take her GED, a requirement to enroll in college here, as well as the citizenship test. [ Series ]

Health Literacy Month - October

2011-10-06T18:08:00.001-07:00

Health Literacy Month
October

Health Literacy: Choose Your Poison
Play: Pills or Candy Game

California Poison Control System

Medications can easily be mistaken for candy.

Out of more than 4 million poisonings reported each year to poison control centers across the country, it is estimated that over 90% of them occur in the home. The majority of non-fatal poisonings occur in children under the age of 6.

The CPCS provides California residents with the most up-to-date information and 24-hour help in case of poison exposure. Pharmacists, nurses, physician-toxicologists and poison information providers are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year:

1 . 800 . 222 . 1222

Text Messaging (SMS)
TIPS to 69866
in Spanish - PUNTOS to 69866

Free “Ask An Expert” on Facebook

Follow CPCS on Twitter

Literacy Tribune Newsletter: September 2011

2011-09-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Literacy Tribune: September 2011
The Adult Learner Network Newsletter

United Literacy, a non-profit organization, provides resources and support to adult literacy learners in the United States. Its aim is to make literacy education accessible and worthwhile for adult learners.

Main Story: A Close Look at the United States Budget
A budget is a plan. It is a plan to manage money.

A Letter to Readers
By Daniel Pedroza, President of United Literacy, Inc.
Dear Readers,
This issue of The Literacy Tribune marks our fourth anniversary. I, along with the staff and board of United Literacy, want to thank you for your support.

Organization Spotlight: Project Learn of Summit County
Project Learn of Summit County (in Akron, Ohio) is a leader in technology use among adult education and literacy programs.

Member Spotlight: Nicholas Munguia
Is learning more now than he ever learned in school.

Technology Watch: Songbird Music Player
By Daniel Pedroza, Managing Editor
Most people will agree that iTunes is one the best free music players on Mac and PCs. But Songbird is a great alternative to iTunes

The Literacy Tribune is looking for adult learner writers.
Are you an adult learner ?
Do you want to write ?
Do you want to publish your writing ?

You can write about:
Your road to literacy
Your literacy organization
Literacy resources you like
You can write book reviews, poetry, short stories
You can write articles about health, finance, or technology
You can write just about anything !

Early Education for All

2011-09-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

Strategies for Children – Boston MA
Early Education for All

“We must invest in high-quality early education, one of the few educational strategies with a demonstrated positive effect on early literacy, as well as future academic achievement and social-emotional development. If we ensure that children in Massachusetts become proficient readers by the end of third grade, everything else on the education agenda will be easier to tackle, as will our ability to meet the needs of tomorrow’s economy.”

Margaret Blood, Strategies for Children, Boston, September 8, 2011
Eye on Early Education Blog

Early Learning Matters - Video

NCL Literacy Leadership Awards

2011-09-13T13:02:00.001-07:00

National Coalition for Literacy to Honor Adult Literacy Leaders
PR Web: 9.12.2011

In celebration of Adult Education and Family Literacy Week 2011, the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) will present its 2011 NCL Literacy Leadership Awards on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 5:30 PM at a ceremony in the Senate Dirksen Building (SD-G50) in Washington, DC.

The awards recognize individuals and/or organizations that have made extraordinary national contributions to improving adult literacy and English language learning in the United States. The event is free and open to the public and press. Pre-registration is required.

NCL will recognize the following outstanding individuals and organizations:

Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO), Congressional Adult Education and Family Literacy Week champion and dedicated advocate for high-quality professional development for teachers and instructors.

Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, administrator of the national Literacy*AmeriCorps project since 2006, which serves more than 15,000 adult literacy students through more than 75 adult education programs in eight cities, including Austin, Dayton, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Washington DC.

U.S. A. Learns, the online interactive English language learning site, created by Jere Johnston and John Fleischman. The site is free to learners who wish to improve their literacy skills and English language proficiency through independent study. It receives more than 11,000 visitors each day.

John Corcoran, former adult literacy student, literacy champion, and founder of the John Corcoran Foundation, which supports creating a society in which each individual has the basic skills necessary to become a success in all aspects of life including education, work and community service.

Past Literacy Leadership Awards. READ MORE !

Michael S. Hart

2011-09-09T08:46:00.001-07:00

Michael S. Hart

1947 - 2011

The invention of eBooks was not simply a technological innovation or precursor to the modern information environment.

A more correct understanding is that eBooks are an efficient and effective way of unlimited free distribution of literature.

Access to eBooks can thus provide opportunity for increased literacy.
Literacy, and the ideas contained in literature, creates opportunity.

Project Gutenberg

Photo: Brewster Kahle's Blog

September 8: Why Literacy Means Peace

2011-09-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

International Literacy Day 2011:
Why Literacy Means Peace

September 8 is International Literacy Day.

Literacy isn't just a problem of reading or writing. It's the very foundation of peace. Discover how UNESCO's Literacy Prize Winners are laying those foundations. Literacy provides the language & reasoning skills to improve one's employability, empower women & socially disadvantaged groups, and understand values of tolerance, cohesion, and conflict resolution.

International Literacy Day: September 8

2011-09-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

Understanding Literacy
DegreeScout.com

Executive Function and how can you help your kids develop it?

2011-08-31T12:02:00.001-07:00

Ready for School? Executive Function = Success
Huffington Post: 8.30.2011 by Susan Kaiser Greenland

The term "Executive Function" may sound more relevant to business school than elementary school, yet it's crucial to your child's social and emotional development. Executive Function is a family of attention-related processes involved in planning and carrying out goal directed behavior. It predicts school readiness better than IQ scores and is a reliable forecaster of math and reading aptitudes. Because the regions of the brain associated with Executive Function are involved in the regulation of emotions and behavior, it's no surprise that there's good science that links Executive Function to empathy, pro-social behavior, emotional regulation, delayed gratification, and peer relationships. There's even a recent research finding that links preschool-aged children's capacities to delay gratification with higher SAT scores in high-school.

So what is Executive Function and how can you help your kids develop it? In brief, core skills associated with Executive Function are skills that children use all the time at play, at home, and in school. They require monitoring and shifting their attention, remembering information, and self-regulating. A good example of three of these skills is found in "Simon Says," a classic children's game that is fun to play and develops Executive Function. In "Simon Says," children remember the rules of the game (follow a command only when they hear the phrase 'Simon Says'); self-regulate by not automatically responding to the command (analyze it before responding); shift attention (between the command and the rules of the game to figure out how to respond); and self-regulate again (by responding only if the command included the phrase 'Simon Says').

"Simon Says" isn't the only common childhood game that develops Executive Function. Early research shows that a number of activities that most children already participate in develop Executive Function including: aerobic exercise; martial arts; dramatic play; social and emotional learning curricula; and mindfulness practice. READ MORE !

The secret of play: how to raise smart, healthy, caring kids from birth to age 12
Ann Pleshette Murphy
FAO Schwarz, 2008

Talking & Listening The Key To Literacy

2011-08-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

Talking and listening the key to literacy
SMH: 8.19.2011 by Andrew Stevenson

WANT to learn to read and write? Perhaps you need to meet literacy's ugly sisters, talking and listening.

Too little attention is paid to the oral language skills of students, says John Munro, an associate professor at the University of Melbourne's graduate school of education. He says improving the ability of teachers to recognise kindergarten students with poor oral language skills and targeted intervention to improve them can produce stunning improvements in literacy and learning.

''Millions of dollars have gone into improving literacy but without putting in place the oral base, then it's almost wasted,'' Professor Munro said. ''For some reason speaking and listening has been seen as the ugly sister of reading and writing. But it's actually the foundation.'' READ MORE !

Listen to an interview with Dr Munro on ABC-Australia

2011 KIDS COUNT

2011-08-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book
Annie E. Casey Foundation

The 22nd annual KIDS COUNT Data Book profiles the status of children on a national and state-by-state basis and ranks states on 10 measures of well-being.

Over the last decade there has been a significant decline in economic well-being for low income children and families. The official child poverty rate, which is a conservative measure of economic hardship, increased 18 percent between 2000 and 2009, essentially returning to the same level as the early 1990s. This increase means that 2.4 million more children are living below the federal poverty line. Data also reveals the impact of the job and foreclosure crisis on children. In 2010, 11 percent of children had at least one unemployed parent and 4 percent have been affected by foreclosure since 2007.

“In 2009, 42 percent of our nation’s children, or 31 million, lived in families with incomes below twice the federal poverty line or $43,512/year for a family of four, a minimum needed for most families to make ends meet,” said Laura Speer, associate director for Policy Reform and Data at the Casey Foundation. “The recent recession has wiped out many of the economic gains for children that occurred in the late 1990s.

Nearly 8 million children lived with at least one parent who was actively seeking employment but was unemployed in 2010. This is double the number in 2007, just three years earlier. The news about the number of children who were affected by foreclosure in the United States is also very troubling because these economic challenges greatly hinder the well-being of families and the nation.” READ MORE !

Poverty Troubles Even the Best Readers

2011-08-15T12:52:00.001-07:00

Double Jeopardy:
How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation
Annie E. Casey Foundation: April 2011

Students who don’t read proficiently by 3rd grade are 4 times more likely to leave high school without a diploma than proficient readers, according to a study over time of nearly 4,000 students nationally.

Poverty compounds the problem: Students who have lived in poverty are 3 times more likely to drop out or fail to graduate on time than their more affluent peers; if they read poorly, too, the rate is 6 times greater than that for all proficient readers, the study found. For black and Latino students, the combined effect of poverty and poor 3rd grade reading skills makes the rate 8 times greater.

Poverty troubles even the best readers: Proficient 3rd graders who have lived in poverty graduate at about the same rate as subpar readers who have never been poor.

The findings include:
- 1 in 6 children who are not reading proficiently in 3rd grade do not graduate from high school on time, a rate 4 times greater than that for proficient readers.
- The rates are highest for the low, below-basic readers: 23% of these children drop out or fail to finish high school on time, compared to 9% of children with basic reading skills and 4% of proficient readers.
- Overall, 22% of children who have lived in poverty do not graduate from high school, compared to 6% of those who have never been poor. This rises to 32% for students spending more than half of their childhood in poverty.
- For children who were poor for at least a year and were not reading proficiently in
3rd grade, the proportion that don’t finish school rose to 26%. That’s more than 6 times the rate for all proficient readers.
- The rate was highest for poor Black and Hispanic students, at 31 and 33% respectively—or about 8 times the rate for all proficient readers.
- Even among poor children who were proficient readers in 3rd grade, 11% still didn’t finish high school. That compares to 9% of subpar 3rd grade readers who have never been poor.
- Among children who never lived in poverty, all but 2% of the best 3rd grade readers graduated from high school on time.
- Graduation rates for Black and Hispanic students who were not proficient readers in 3rd grade lagged far behind those for White students with the same reading skills.

Kids Count
A national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the United States

Classroom is Obsolete

2011-08-12T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Classroom Is Obsolete: It's Time for Something New
EdWeek: 7.29.2011 by Prakash Nair

The overwhelming majority of the nearly 76 million students in America’s schools and colleges spend most of the academic day in classrooms. That’s a problem because the classroom has been obsolete for several decades. That’s not just my opinion. It’s established science.

The debate over education reform has been going on for longer than anyone can remember. Relegated previously to arguments between policy wonks, questions about how we should reform our nation’s schools have now entered the public consciousness in a very real way. The global financial crisis and our economic woes have collided with increased mainstream coverage of our failing educational system. The Obama administration has joined the chorus of critics and rolled out numerous reform measures.

Lost in all this hand-wringing is the most visible symbol of a failed system: the classroom. Almost without exception, the reform efforts under way will preserve the classroom as our children’s primary place of learning deep into the 21st century. This is profoundly disturbing because staying with classroom-based schools could permanently sink our chances of rebuilding our economy and restoring our shrinking middle class to its glory days.

The classroom is a relic, left over from the Industrial Revolution, which required a large workforce with very basic skills. Classroom-based education lags far behind when measured against its ability to deliver the creative and agile workforce that the 21st century demands. This is already evidenced by our nation’s shortage of high-tech and other skilled workers—a trend that is projected to grow in coming years.

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Those who are intrigued or skeptical about the notion of education beyond classrooms may want to start their own research with some of the thought leaders in this arena. The School of Environmental Science in Apple Valley, Minn.; the Minnesota New Country School in Henderson, Minn.; the High School for Recording Arts in St. Paul, Minn.; Forest Park Elementary School in Middletown, R.I.; Duke School in Durham, N.C.; Learning Gate Community School in Lutz, Fla.; Hellerup School in Copenhagen, Denmark; Wooranna Park Primary School in Victoria, Australia; Australian Science and Mathematics School in Adelaide, Australia; and Discovery 1 School in Christchurch, New Zealand, are just a few great non-classroom-based examples of schools. (In the interests of full disclosure, I need to note that my firm—and I personally—worked on several of these school-design projects.) READ MORE !

. . . in related news

Sir Ken Robinson

Internationally recognized leader in the development of education, creativity and innovation. He is also one of the world’s leading speakers with a profound impact on audiences everywhere. Keynote Speaker - California Library Association Conference: Nov 12

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms: April 13, 2011

Schools Kill Creativity: TED 2006

Bring on the Revolution: TED 2010

A Secret He Tried To Hide: Can't Read

2011-08-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Vero Beach man, 52, learns to read after being illiterate throughout life
After working at Parent Construction for three decades, his boss tutors him after discovering his secret
TCPalm: 8.09.2011 by Janet Begley

Sam Bristol has a good life — a high school diploma, good career in construction and nice family with a wife, children and grandchildren.

But like one in five Indian River County residents, Bristol, 52, had a secret he desperately tried to hide throughout most of his life: Bristol can't read.

Hard to imagine? Think about the disadvantages of a life without literacy. Writing down directions, reading a medicine bottle and filing income taxes are impossible without being able to read. But for Bristol, whose own mother was a substitute teacher in Georgia, the embarrassment he felt was something he carried throughout his adult life.

"When I was at Vero Beach High School, they put me in special education classes," said Bristol. "I was making A's and B's in special education, but that's only about the third grade. I could read little stuff but I couldn't break down big words into syllables, so I really never learned to read."

But sports proved to be Bristol's saving grace, even though he left home at age 16.

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After Bristol graduated, he was hired by local general contractor, Parent Construction, where he's worked for 33 years, doing mostly carpentry and general construction work.

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Merry Parent, who co-owns Parent Construction with her husband Paul, is Bristol's boss, and a formidable woman who doesn't take no for an answer. When Parent discovered Bristol's reading problem, she was determined to help him. For the past year, the pair has been reading together twice a week, using materials from Literacy Services of Indian River County.

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The National Adult Literacy Survey shows Bristol is not alone when it comes to lacking basic reading skills. About 30 million adults, or 14 percent of Americans, can only perform simplistic activities such as signing a form. An additional 63 million, or 29 percent, have only basic literacy skills, which would be necessary to read a television guide to find a specific program. READ MORE !

State of Learning Disabilities 2011

2011-08-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

The State of Learning Disabilities 2011
Facts, Trends and Indicators
A biennial publication of the National Center for Learning Disabilities NCLD

2.5 million public school students—or about 5% of all students in public schools—were identified as having learning disabilities in 2009 and were eligible to receive educational assistance under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

■ The number of school-age children with learning disabilities who receive these Federally-authorized special education services escalated rapidly during the late 1980s and 1990s. However, during the last decade (2000-2009) the number of children identified as LD in public schools has declined by 14%.

■ Males comprise almost 2/3s of school age students with LD who receive special education services.

■ The cost of educating a student with LD is 1.6 times the expenditure for a general education student. This is dramatically less than the average cost for all students with disabilities, which runs 1.9 times the cost for a general education student.

■ In 2008, 62% of students with LD spent 80% or more of their in-school time in general education classrooms. In 2000, that figure was just 40%.

■ Students with LD are retained in grade much more often than those without disabilities. In addition, they are involved in school disciplinary actions at a muchhigher rate than their nondisabled peers.

■ Only a small percentage—estimated at between 25% and 35%—of students with LD are being provided with assistive technology to support their instruction and learning.

■ The high school dropout rate among students with LD was 22% in 2008, down from 40% in 1999.

■ More students with LD are graduating with a regular high school diploma—64% in 2008—up from 52% a decade earlier.

■ Students with LD go on to postsecondary education at a much lower rate than their nondisabled peers, and of those who do, few seek supports in college and few earn undergraduate or advanced degrees.

■ In 2005, 55% of adults with LD (ages 18-64) were employed compared to 76% of those without LD, 6% were unemployed vs. 3%, and 39% were not in the labor force vs. 21%.

■ Few adults with LD access workplace accommodations or understand their rights under disability anti-discrimination laws.

Council of the Federation Literacy Award

2011-07-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Bus driver shares inspiring literacy story
CBC News: 7.28.2011 by

Michael Moore kept the seriousness of his reading problem hidden for years but now the Winnipeg Transit driver is getting national attention for starting a new chapter of his life.

Moore is one of 14 recipients this year of the prestigious Council of the Federation Literacy Award.

The 52-year-old man describes himself as someone who slipped through the cracks of the school system with low marks in English. He scraped by with grades not much more than 50 per cent and never read a book from cover to cover.

He developed day-to-day strategies to cope, often saying, 'you do it, I've forgotten my glasses.'

To become a bus driver at age 25, he orally memorized all 75 rules and regulations. He also kept his shortfall a secret at work by not applying for promotions.

But with children, and faking his way through reading to them, Moore finally decided he needed to get help and get the monkey off his back. READ MORE !

. . . . in related news:
Toronto: Library cuts will happen ‘in a heartbeat,’ Doug Ford says

Who's in the Queue? Public Access Computers

2011-07-14T10:16:00.001-07:00

Who’s in the Queue? A Demographic Analysis of Public Access Computer Users and Uses in U.S. Public Libraries Institute of Museum and Library Services
Research Brief No. 4, June 2011

The demographic analysis in this brief dispels some myths about the beneficiaries of public access computer services in U.S. public libraries. Public access computer users largely resemble the general public in terms of age, education, and even in the overall level of home computer and Internet access.

• The fact that many different people report that they are able to fulfill a wide variety of information needs is a clear indication that public libraries are providing much more than basic technology access

• Substantive uses of public access computers mirror the needs people have at different stages of the life course. Young people identify education activities as their main use, people between the ages of 25 and 54 identifying employment activities as their top use, and people 55 and older reporting health and wellness research as the main public access computer use.

Charts included:
Age Comparison
Education Attainment
Public Access Users by Home Access Type
Rank of Public Library Internet Use by Subject Area
Rank of Public Library Internet Use by Subject Area and Home Access Type
Top Substantive Uses of Public Access Computers by Age Category

Plain English

2011-07-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

New Law Calls for Writing in Plain English
The Times in Plain English Version: 6.1.2011

President Obama signed the Plain Writing Act into law in 2010. A federal agency published rules on how to implement the law in April 2011.

The federal instructions are six pages long. It states: As defined in the Act, “plain writing is writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and consistent with other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience. Such writing avoids jargon, redundancy, ambiguity, and obscurity.”

Most professionals in the government said it would take years to make the law work. They said writing rules requires precise language. Courts look at the meaning of words. Simplifying the writing may make it difficult to understand exact meaning.

Others say that bureaucrats write for other bureaucrats, not for the public. Critics say that language written for the public to understand must be clear. Full Story: The Washington Post READ MORE !

Literacy Tribune Newsletter: July 2011

2011-07-08T08:40:00.001-07:00

Literacy Tribune: July 2011
The Adult Learner Network Newsletter

United Literacy, a non-profit organization, provides resources and support to adult literacy learners in the United States. Its aim is to make literacy education accessible and worthwhile for adult learners.

Main Story: Labels, Learning Disabilities, and Reading
- Do people say you have a “Music Disability” because you can’t sing very well . . .

A History Lesson: Songs of Patriotism
- It’s July, and the start of some of our nation’s most beloved customs – picnics, barbeques, parades, fireworks, and outdoor concerts.

Member Spotlight: Gloria Murray, Guest Writer & Learner
- My speech is called “Ideas on ALLI.”

Organization Spotlight: Literacy Volunteers of Tucson (LVT)
- The year was 1961. Betty Frey, an educator in Tucson, Arizona, went to talk with her assistant pastor about what she could do to help the community.

Technology Watch: What to Do After Buying a Brand New PC Laptop
By Daniel Pedroza, Writer and Learner
- Just bought a new laptop? Wondering what you have to do before you can use it?

The Literacy Tribune is looking for adult learner writers.
Are you an adult learner ?
Do you want to write ?
Do you want to publish your writing ?

You can write about:
Your road to literacy
Your literacy organization
Literacy resources you like
You can write book reviews, poetry, short stories
You can write articles about health, finance, or technology
You can write just about anything !

Budget Cuts - Libraries Under Siege

2011-06-22T09:21:00.001-07:00

Budget cuts force libraries to re-examine roles
Google News: 6.21.2011 by Kristen Wyatt, Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — A century after the nation's library building boom, public libraries are under siege: plunging tax revenues are forcing closures and staff cutbacks, while e-readers and the Internet can make a library seem quaint as a place to find a book or do research.

Yet amid severe cutbacks, libraries are finding novel ways to generate money and are rebranding themselves as crucial employment resources for people without computers and as community gathering places that cannot be easily replaced.

"If there's any silver lining in the downturn for libraries, it's that it has really forced us to look at new ways of doing business," said Audra Caplan, president of the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association. "We can't depend solely on tax dollars anymore."

Library directors are responding to the dwindling support from local governments by charging for premium services, selling passport photos and joining with DVD retailers to offer commercial movie-rental boxes in exchange for a cut of the sales. In the most extreme examples, some communities have decided to privatize library operations.

On Thursday, the American Library Association meets in New Orleans to begin its annual conference and will address the funding crisis and ways to maintain services.
There's no question libraries face an uncertain future. A 2010 survey by Library Journal showed that 72 percent of surveyed libraries said they faced budget cuts in the previous year, while 43 percent said they had made cuts to staffing. Nearly one in five respondents expressed pessimism about the future of libraries.

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"Libraries are everything — opportunities to come read, better yourself, find out what's going on. But these days, it seems no one really cares about all that," said Charles Holt of Denver, a 50-year-old out-of-work cook who walks daily to a library to pass the time and search for a new job.

These days, Holt is walking farther because his closest library branch is now open just four days a week. Budget cuts in Denver threaten to shut his branch and up to half the city's library branches permanently.

He said even in his relatively low-skill field of commercial cooking, he needs the Internet to find work.

"Not everybody has a computer," said Holt, who said even some unemployment benefits require online applications. READ MORE !

American Commons Photographing Public Libraries

2011-06-21T15:40:00.001-07:00

An American Commons
Photographing Public Libraries
Across the Nation
6/24 – 8/15/11

Follow Robert Dawson and his son Walker across the United States as they photograph public libraries in some 22 states: New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Washington D.C., Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and New England.

This project is a photographic survey of public libraries throughout the United States. There are over 17,000 public libraries in this country. Since I began the project in 1994 I have photographed hundreds of libraries in nineteen states. From Alaska to Florida and from New England to California the photographs show a vibrant, essential yet threatened system.

The modern library in the computer age is in the midst of reinventing itself. What belongs in a library? In what form do we want to preserve information and culture? More books are being published than ever before yet library budgets are shrinking. More is also being demanded of our libraries as they move beyond being centers for books to becoming centers for community. People without homes often find libraries to be one of the few safe places as homeless shelters are cut back. Access to the Internet is increasingly necessary to function in our society and many people have only the library to connect to the web. READ MORE !

Examples of earlier work 1994 – 2011

Founder and co-director of the Water in the West Project
Instructor of Photography at San Jose State University
Instructor of Photography at Stanford University

Teach Reading Without Using Labels

2011-06-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

Teach reading without using labels
Sign On San Diego: 6.10.11 by John Corcoran

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” As children, we were taught those words. But as adults, we know that words and labels can and do hurt. One such label is “learning disability.”

Like the thorn in the lion’s paw, which others cannot see but the lion feels sharply, the pain caused by being labeled “learning disabled” cannot be discounted. Others may say the label is harmless, or that it is meant to be helpful in the allocation of educational resources. But that label, often given in childhood, can cause pain and shame into adulthood.

Coined in 1963 by Samuel Kirk, who was then a professor of special education at the University of Illinois, the term was first suggested to concerned parents as a means of describing “their children who had disorders in development of language, speech, reading and associated communication skills.”

Before the 1960s, terms that had been used by the medical and education community to describe these children included “brain damaged,” “minimal brain dysfunction,” “mentally retarded” and “emotionally disturbed.” Many parents embraced “learning disabled,” swallowing the psychological placebo in hopes it would make everything all better. But it has not.

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So what term should we use? How about “Susie” or “Jimmy”? Call each learner, child or adult by his or her name. Then identify their individual challenges with reading through diagnostic testing. Based on the results, prescribe the evidence-based treatment.

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It’s time to stop looking at learners with difficulties as disabled. They are “learning able.” I know because of my personal experience. If I had been in elementary school in the early 1960s, I would have been branded with that new label of “learning disabled.” Instead, when I was a little boy growing up in the 1940s, I was put in the “dumb row” because I was among the many children who had difficulties learning how to read and write.

The term “dumb” stuck with me until I learned to read at the age of 48. Finally, as an adult, I found a teacher who knew how to teach me. She gave me a battery of tests that diagnosed my difficulties (a severe auditory discrimination problem was the main one) and recommended proper treatment and instruction based on the findings. Never was I considered learning disabled by that teacher. She believed I was able to read with proper instruction.

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The way forward is clear. We have the research and the science to teach all learners. This is the level playing field that produces equal opportunity for all. Let’s do away with the labels and see each other for who we truly are: learning able. READ MORE !

Corcoran is a literacy advocate and author of “Bridge to Literacy: No Child – or Adult – Left Behind” and his autobiography, “The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read.” He has served on the National Institute for Literacy.

The Next Literacy - Mickey McManus, MAYA Design

2011-06-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

TEDTalk - Innovate: Education -- The Next Literacy
Huffington Post: 6.7.11 by Mickey McManus, CEO-MAYA Design

What if there were a basic literacy beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic that we missed, or that wasn't necessary until this moment in our history?

What if that new literacy were the organizing principle between STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and SEL (social, emotional learning)?

What if it could help the least among us leapfrog over the mainstream? What if it could help build collaborative, resilient, creative, & critical thinkers in an age of exponential change? READ MORE !

For more information check out LUMA Institute.

Literacy: About More Than Reading & Jobs

2011-05-27T09:38:00.001-07:00

Literacy is about a lot more than reading and jobs
San Francisco Chronicle: May 26, 2011 by Caille Millner

Recently I was invited to speak at a fundraiser for Jumpstart, a national nonprofit organization that focuses on developing literacy in low-income preschool children. Literacy is an important topic to me for many reasons. Americans are obsessed with educational budget cuts and government austerity right now, but the potential victims of all this big talk - a generation of under-educated children - could suffer in even larger ways than just their job prospects.

I was an unusual child in that I never got any instruction in literacy myself. That was because I taught myself to read at the age of 3. It was my only moment of genius, believe me.

But as it happens, I knew someone who spent his entire life without being literate. That person was my grandfather, who's now passed. There were so many things that my grandfather couldn't do, of course. Newspapers, novels, children's stories, letters. All things that I love.

He developed some pretty admirable ways to cope with these limitations - instead of spending the mornings with a newspaper, for instance, he'd spend the evenings with the radio. He asked other people to write down his letters - my mother did this for him a lot when she was a child.

But one of the important things about literacy is that it gives you a sense of life's possibilities beyond just survival.

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To get back to the idea of understanding life's possibilities through literacy - when you can read, you can read other people's stories. You can step into other people's lives, other people's existences. And when that happens, your own world expands. My grandfather, for example, never knew anything about the world outside of his own state, his own county, his own porch.

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So helping children become literate is our patriotic duty. They'll be better citizens, of course, because they can think critically and vote accordingly. They'll have richer and fuller personal lives because they can understand other people. And they'll be able to participate in the life of this country in a way that's constructive, positive and informed. READ MORE !

The Future of the Library

2011-05-20T08:06:00.001-07:00

The future of the library
What is a public library for?
Seth’s Blog: 5.17.11

First, how we got here:

Before Gutenberg, a book cost about as much as a small house. As a result, only kings and bishops could afford to own a book of their own.

This naturally led to the creation of shared books, of libraries where scholars (everyone else was too busy not starving) could come to read books that they didn't have to own. The library as warehouse for books worth sharing.

Only after that did we invent the librarian.

The librarian isn't a clerk who happens to work at a library. A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a sherpa and a teacher. The librarian is the interface between reams of data and the untrained but motivated user.

After Gutenberg, books got a lot cheaper. More individuals built their own collections. At the same time, though, the number of titles exploded, and the demand for libraries did as well. We definitely needed a warehouse to store all this bounty, and more than ever we needed a librarian to help us find what we needed. The library is a house for the librarian.

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The next library is a place, still. A place where people come together to do co-working and coordinate and invent projects worth working on together. Aided by a librarian who understands the Mesh, a librarian who can bring domain knowledge and people knowledge and access to information to bear.

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We need librarians more than we ever did. What we don't need are mere clerks who guard dead paper. Librarians are too important to be a dwindling voice in our culture. For the right librarian, this is the chance of a lifetime. READ MORE !

SETH GODIN has written thirteen books that have been translated into more than thirty languages. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything.

The Times in Plain English

2011-05-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

The Times in Plain English

A new newspaper for adult learners that has important news from America’s best sources of information. The writing is in clear, readable English.

The stories with links to the full articles come from these newspapers:

Arizona Republic
Los Angeles Times
Miami Herald
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
Washington Post

Topics Include:

Education
Health
Immigration
In Brief
Law
Money & Work
New York
News
Of Interest

The editor of The Times in Plain English is Arthur Schiff, the publisher of City Family magazine published in New York in the 1990′s.

Learning To Read: How Young is Too Young ?

2011-05-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

Learning to Read: How Young is Too Young?
Huffington Post: 5.12.11 by Lisa Guernsey

Should reading be taught in first grade or in kindergarten?
Maybe preschool?
How about even younger?

Most literacy researchers agree that there's a limit to how young you can go and that in infancy and toddlerhood it makes no sense to try to start formal reading instruction. Don't tell that to Janet Doman, director of a small organization called the Institutes for Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia. Doman is trying to spread the idea that the process of learning to read can start in babyhood.

She suggests that parents train their babies by holding up cards with words written in large letters while speaking the words. Her father, Glenn Doman, is the Institutes' founder and co-author of a decades-old, self-published book, How to Teach Your Baby to Read.

To serious researchers, the Domans' ideas are disturbingly devoid of any basis in mainstream science and appear to rely entirely on anecdotal evidence. Yet among many parents and some childcare providers, the notion of very early reading is taking hold nevertheless.

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Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Golinkoff, two nationally recognized developmental psychologists who co-wrote, with Diane Eyer, the acclaimed book Einstein Never Used Flashcards, have been urging parents to recognize the simple power of conversational moments with young children instead of drilling them on vocabulary words. READ MORE !

Journey Into Dyslexia: Alan and Susan Raymond

2011-05-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

JOURNEY INTO DYSLEXIA
Alan and Susan Raymond
HBO Documentary (see schedule)

Academy-Award winning filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond examine the complexities of this differently structured brain and debunk the myths and misperceptions about dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a specific leaning disability that is neurobiological in origin and typically manifests through difficulty in reading, writing, spelling and math. It has nothing to do with intelligence, birth defects, or a mental illness of any kind, the home environment, level of education or economic status.

Dyslexia persists throughout one's lifetime and is prevalent in every culture in the world. In the U.S. it affects as much as 10% of the population.

Surprisingly, however, Journey into Dyslexia reveals that many adult professionals who once struggled to learn in school consider their dyslexia a unique gift and the defining reason behind their success.

Because of its hidden characteristics, dyslexia is often misunderstood and misidentified. To qualify for accommodations in school or the workplace, a person must be identified through psychological testing.

Alan and Susan Raymond visited schools throughout the U.S. that have programs specifically designed for different ways of learning. These schools focus on programs where students are effectively taught to read and learn compensatory skills to manage their deficits. They talk with students from elementary age to college, teachers, researchers and successful adults about the way dyslexia informs who they are, how they learn and the ways in which they develop a different set of skills with which to navigate a world where standardization is the norm. READ MORE @ Video Verite - featuring (with links):

Adult Dyslexics
Erin Brockovich
Benjamin Foss: Inventor of the Intel Reader
Tracy Johnson
Jonathan Mooney
Willard Wigan

Entrepreneurs
Carl Schramm
Steven J. Walker

Science
Dr. Guinevere Eden, Director
Center for the Study of Learning, Georgetown University Medical Center
Dr. Maryann Wolf – Proust & The Squid

Educational Resources
Dr. David J. Connor
The Kildonan School
Delaware Valley Friends School
Bridges Academy
Parents Education Network
SAFE Voices
Evergreen State College

Literacy Tribune Newsletter: May 2011

2011-05-09T08:58:00.001-07:00

Literacy Tribune: May 2011
The Adult Learner Network Newsletter

United Literacy, a non-profit organization, provides resources and support to adult literacy learners in the United States. Its aim is to make literacy education accessible and worthwhile for adult learners.

Main Story: Rising Gas Prices – Where Will They Stop?

History Lesson: Memorial Day
was first celebrated on May 30, 1868

Financial Literacy: Got a Budget?
Been thinking about money?

Member Spotlight: Jefferson Vidal
Age 43, just got his driver’s license. He found the Literacy Volunteers of Monmouth County in Long Branch NJ

Technology Watch: Mozilla Firefox 4: a web browser.
By Daniel Pedroza, Writer and Learner

The Literacy Tribune is looking for adult learner writers.
Are you an adult learner ?
Do you want to write ?
Do you want to publish your writing ?

You can write about:
Your road to literacy
Your literacy organization
Literacy resources you like

You can write book reviews, poetry, short stories
You can write articles about health, finance, or technology
You can write just about anything !

May: Get Caught Reading Month

2011-05-05T08:36:00.001-07:00

May is Get Caught Reading Month

Create an original video promoting audiobooks in 3 minutes or less. Get Caught Listening and Win up to $5,000.
All entries must be received by May 15, 2011.

Judges will select 10 finalists and the Top 3 Fan Favorites will win:
1st Prize: $5,000
2nd Prize: $2,500
3rd Prize: $1,000

Official Rules and Entry Form @

Get Caught Reading also launched LIBRARIES MATTER, a series of videos by top authors.

All Hail the PUBLIC Library

2011-05-02T13:04:00.001-07:00

All Hail the PUBLIC Library: The public library is a uniquely American creation. Now we have to fight to keep it public.
On The Commons: 5.02.11 by David Morris

Is "public" now a dirty word? Fort Worth has stripped the word from its local library.
"The word 'public' has been removed from the name of the Fort Worth Library. Why? Simply put, to keep up with the times."
From the Media release on the rebranding of the Fort Worth Library

Fort Worth, you leave me speechless. You’re certainly correct about one thing. The public library is indeed an institution that has not kept up with the times. But given what has happened to our times, why do you see that as unhealthy? In an age of greed and selfishness, the public library stands as an enduring monument to the values of cooperation and sharing. In an age where global corporations stride the earth, the public library remains firmly rooted in the local community. In an age of widespread cynicism and distrust of government, the 100 percent tax supported public library has virtually unanimous and enthusiastic support.

This is not the time to take the word “public” out of the public library. It is time to put it in capitals.

The public library is a singularly American invention. Europeans had subscription libraries for 100 years before the United States was born. But on a chilly day in April 1833 the good citizens of Peterborough, New Hampshire created a radical new concept—a truly PUBLIC library. All town residents, regardless of income, had the right to freely share the community’s stored knowledge. Their only obligation was to return the information on time and in good condition, allowing others to exercise that same right.

By the 1870s 11 states boasted 188 public libraries. By 1910 all states had them. Today 9,000 central buildings plus about 7500 branches have made public libraries one of the most ubiquitous of all American institutions, exceeding Starbucks and McDonalds.

Almost two thirds of us carry library cards. At least once a year, about half of us visit a public library, many more than once. Library use varies by class and race and by age and educational level. But the majority of blacks and Latinos as well as whites, old as well as young, poor as well as rich, high school dropouts as well as university graduates, use the public library.

What Makes The Public Library Special?

When we think of libraries, we think of books and rightly so, for public libraries are by far our largest bookstores and a majority of the 2.5 billion items checked out are still books. Indeed, for every two books sold in America, one book is borrowed from the public library.

But libraries are much more than bookstores. About 30 percent of the people who visit libraries do not borrow books or DVDs. For a greater number of people than we might care to believe, the library serves as a warm and dry sanctuary, a place they can sit without fear of being bothered. For others, it is a refuge from loneliness, a place full of hustle and bustle, where they can attend a concert, or hear a lecture or read a magazine free of charge.

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The Best Deal In Town

Despite the enormous popularity and widespread use of public libraries have rarely been well funded. Robert Reagan, then Public Information Director of the City of Los Angeles Public Library offers one reason, “Everybody loves libraries, but mostly they are mute about it.” “(L)ibraries are plagued by the image that we are nice, but not essential” one librarian complained to the Washington Post. People will defend their libraries, but only when the lights are about to go out.

And the lights are beginning to go out. U.S. mayors report that library budgets are one of the first items on the chopping block now. Some 19 states cut funding for public libraries last year. More than half of the reductions were greater than 10 percent. Those cuts compound an often overlooked fact of life for public libraries. Operating costs are going up—electricity, maintenance, materials. The result is that even when operating budgets remain constant something has to give—fewer books or computers or fewer hours.

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This is truly a case of penny wise and pound foolish. By any cost-benefit calculus, dollars spent on public libraries are a wise investment. The public library offers concrete empirical evidence that sharing is the least expensive and most satisfying way we can improve our quality of life.

Today the per capita cost of the library has increased to $36 a year although the rate of increase has been much lower than inflation. Meanwhile, the information and resources available have soared dramatically. Over 80 percent of all public libraries now have publicly available computers. They have supplemented their print media with free on-line access either on-site or from their patron’s homes to thousands of newspapers and journals and reference materials. And today most librarians will answer questions not only in person and by phone but also via email. Last year they collectively answered about 300 million questions.

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Only recently have public libraries used economics to justify their existence. The results are consistently eye opening. A study of Wisconsin’s libraries estimated a $4 benefit for each $1 of taxpayer money. A Vermont study found more than a $5 benefit for each $1 of taxpayer money; Indiana found a benefit of a $2.38; Florida found a benefit of $6.54 for each dollar of taxpayer money. Or to look at the benefit-cost equation from the other side, for every $1 states or cities cut from their library budgets, their households and businesses spend $2.38 to $6.54 out of their own pockets.

Consider the case of Philadelphia. In 2010 the city spent $33 million on its public libraries and received another $12 million from other sources. That same year the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania undertook a detailed analysis of the economic impact of the public library. Among other things, it found that within 1/4 mile of a one of Philadelphia’s 54 branches the value of a home rose by $9,630. Overall, Philadelphia’s public libraries added $698 million to home values that in turn generated an additional $18.5 million in property taxes to the City and School District each year.

That benefit alone recouped more than half of the city’s investment.

Trying To Take The Public Out Of Public Libraries

All things public are under attack. The Fort Worth rebranding is an indication of how effective this attack has been. The city explained that it was dropping the word “public” because of its “potentially negative connotation”. The Founding Fathers would be disconsolate. John Adams wrote in 1776, “There must be a positive passion for the public good, the public interest…established in the minds of the people, or there can be no republican government, nor any real liberty: and this public passion must be superior to all private passions.” Thomas Jefferson agreed, “I profess… that to be false pride which postpones the public good to any private or personal considerations.”

Would it be improper for me to mention the Forth Worth rebranding initiative was mostly paid for by a large oil drilling company?

An increasing number of library systems have gone beyond name changing to actual privatization of ever-larger parts of their library operations. The biggest player in the library privatization game is Library Systems & Services (LSSI), founded in 1981 to take advantage of President Reagan’s initiative to privatize government services. LSSI now privately manages more than 60 public libraries nationwide and now trails only Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City as an operator of library branches.

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In Philadelphia grassroots organizations such as Coalition to Save the Libraries sprang up in 2008 after the city, without a formal vote of the City Council, announced it was going to close 11 library branches. Residents of 9 of the affected neighborhoods plus several city councilors filed suit, citing a 1988 ordinance that no city-owned facility may close, be abandoned, or go into disuse without City Council approval. After two days of hearings packed with library supporters and just hours before the mandated closure, Judge Idee Fox granted an injunction against the closures.

In her ruling Judge Fox made clear the city’s decision was about more than money, “The decision to close these eleven library branches is more than a response to a financial crisis; it changes the very foundation of our City."

Fort Worth got it wrong. We need to put the PUBLIC back into public library. READ MORE !

Is Cursive Really a 21st Century Skill ?

2011-04-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

The Case for Cursive
NY Times: 4.27.11 by Katie Zezima

The sinuous letters of the cursive alphabet, swirled on countless love letters, credit card slips and banners above elementary school chalk boards are going the way of the quill and inkwell. With computer keyboards and smartphones increasingly occupying young fingers, the gradual death of the fancier ABC’s is revealing some unforeseen challenges.

Might people who write only by printing — in block letters, or perhaps with a sloppy, squiggly signature — be more at risk for forgery? Is the development of a fine motor skill thwarted by an aversion to cursive handwriting? And what happens when young people who are not familiar with cursive have to read historical documents like the Constitution?

Jimmy Bryant, director of Archives and Special Collections at the University of Central Arkansas, says that a connection to archival material is lost when students turn away from cursive. While teaching last year, Mr. Bryant, on a whim, asked students to raise their hands if they wrote in cursive as a way to communicate. None did.

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Students nationwide are still taught cursive, but many school districts are spending far less time teaching it and handwriting in general than they were years ago, said Steve Graham, a professor of education at Vanderbilt University. Most schools start teaching cursive in third grade, Professor Graham said. In the past, most would continue the study until the fifth or sixth grades — and some to the eighth grade — but many districts now teach cursive only in third grade, with fewer lessons.

“Schools today, we say we’re preparing our kids for the 21st century,” said Jacqueline DeChiaro, the principal of Van Schaick Elementary School in Cohoes, N.Y., who is debating whether to cut cursive. “Is cursive really a 21st-century skill?” READ MORE !

Mourning the Death of Handwriting
Time: August 2009

Tossing the Script: The End of the Line for Cursive?
ABC News: January 2011

Google Blogger: Broken Unusable

2011-04-13T10:37:00.001-07:00

Google’s “Simple-to-use interface” on Blogger hasn’t worked since about March 28, 2011. Every New Post is automatically formatted as a paragraph –and there’s usually a space of 2-3 lines between more than 1 paragraph. The result: Blogger looks ugly Blogger is quite useless Blogger is currently a disservice to readers, followers and those of us who blog. I haven’t posted a single post about literacy or libraries since March 28. Google has not explained or addressed this problem When is Google Blogger going to FIX THIS ? IS Google Blogger going to FIX THIS ? Suggestions that using Chrome, Firefox, etc. is a solution -NOT ! Suggestions that the ‘ Updated Editor ‘ is a solution – NOT ! -the Updated Editor has been and continues to be AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL . Explorer worked fine as of March 28th. The “ Old Editor “ worked fine as of March 28th. It is April 13 and still nothing works.

Education - Budget Crossfire

2011-03-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

Education Aid Caught in Budget Debate Crossfire
Education Week: 3.25.11 by Alyson Klein

As Congress faces an April 8 deadline to come up with a spending bill for the rest of the federal fiscal year, education advocates, states, and school districts remain anxious about what—and how much—may end up being cut from K-12 aid in any final deal.

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The vulnerability of education funding was clearly demonstrated in the stopgap measure signed into law March 2 . . . . . eliminated money for the:
$250 million Striving Readers program
$67 million Even Start Family Literacy program
$88 million Smaller Learning Communities program.
("Budget Cuts Raise Questions About Federal Commitment to Literacy," March, 16, 2011.)

The most recent extension of government funding, approved March 17, did not restore the support for those programs, and it made one new education-related cut: a $125 million career-pathways program in the U.S. Department of Labor.

Still, the House GOP’s longer-range intention appears clear: The budget bill passed by the House in February and later defeated in the Democratic-controlled Senate would have cut more than $5 billion from the Education Department, as well as $1 billion from Head Start, the federal preschool program for low-income children, operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Still, a number of smaller education programs are on shaky footing, including the $100 million Educational Technology State Grants. That initiative was slated for consolidation in the administration’s 2011 and 2012 budget requests—both of which sought to combine 38 smaller programs into 11 broader funding streams. It was also slated for elimination under a defeated Senate Democratic fiscal 2011 spending plan. ("Obama Seeks to Shelter Education in 2012 Budget," February 14, 2011.)

Other programs slated for consolidation under the president’s budget are also likely to face increased scrutiny from lawmakers looking for cuts, including the $19 million Literacy Through School Libraries program and the $119 million Teaching American History program. READ MORE !

e-books and the "reading divide"

2011-03-17T10:05:00.001-07:00

Technological changes may lead to "reading divide"
Reuters: 3.10.11 by Elaine Lies

TOKYO (Reuters) - The rapid rise of e-books could lead to a "reading divide" as those unable to afford the new technology are left behind, even as U.S. reading and writing skills decline still further.

At particular threat are African-American communities where many students are already falling behind their majority peers in terms of literacy, said award-winning writer Marita Golden -- and this despite the growing ranks of noted African-American writers, such as Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison.

"My biggest concern is that the technology will continue to widen the gap," she told Reuters. "It won't just be the digital divide but also a reading divide if reading becomes an activity that's now dependent on technology.

"If reading becomes dependent on technology that must be purchased, then I think we may see the literacy divide persist and even widen."

Years of discussion on the future of books amid the sweeping technological changes, along with a desire to make sure black writers were included in that discussion, prompted Golden to pull together her recent book, "The Word," in which African-American writers talk about how reading shaped their lives for the better. READ MORE !

Literacy -A Bridge to Nowhere ?

2011-03-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

Congress Decides Literacy is a Bridge to Nowhere
Huffington Post: 3.15.11 by Joseph Kahne

I'm told George Burns once said, "I've been reading so much about the dangers of smoking cigars, that I've finally decided... to give up reading."

Apparently, many in Congress find Burns' perspective compelling. House Republicans recently pushed through mid-year budget cuts that eliminate support for major literacy programs. One of the programs is called Reading is Fundamental (RIF). RIF costs taxpayers $24.5 million (that's 25 cents a year from every U.S. taxpayer) and it provides 4.4 million mostly low-income children with free books and programs to support their learning to read at over 17,000 locations across the country. Studies show the approach works.

Another of the programs whose budget would be zeroed out mid-year is the National Writing Project (NWP). It costs $25.6 million and it reaches 130,000 teachers and more than 1.4 million students in over 3,000 districts. Similarly, studies find that NWP promotes meaningful gains in writing performance. It does this by delivering professional development and by working with teacher leaders to develop high quality curriculum tailored to local communities' priorities and needs.

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Last year, Republicans used the power of the filibuster to ensure extension of tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. Now they are demanding cuts that wipe out children's literacy programs in the name of fiscal responsibility. If the legislation isn't changed, Reading is Fundamental, the National Writing Project, and several other important literacy initiatives (like the Even Start Family Literacy Program) will close altogether or be crippled by massive cutbacks.

The real cost, of course, will be borne by our children.

This false bravado and careless policy must be stopped. Both Democrats and Republicans have supported these programs for more than 20 years. Many have already written letters, but much more action is needed to reverse this legislation. Contacting One's congressional representative is a good place to start.

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Will legislators act to save these programs? Perhaps it will help if we, their constituents, confront them with what their recent actions imply -- that reading isn't fundamental and that learning to write is a bridge to nowhere. READ MORE !

Jeff Carter: Illiteracy in the U.S.

2011-03-14T11:28:00.001-07:00

An Interview with Jeff Carter: Illiteracy in the U.S.
Education News: 3.12.11 by Michael F. Shaughnessy,
Eastern New Mexico University

Michael F. Shaughnessy - I think as a society we place a high value on individual freedom, achievement, and competition. Unfortunately, this sometimes blinds us to issues of inequality and injustice.

Jeff Carter is ProLiteracy’s director of policy and government affairs.In this interview, he responds to questions about the issues surrounding illiteracy in the United States.

1) Jeff as you know, Obama has just delivered his state of the Union address and economically things are bad. What kind of governmental support can you expect for your literacy efforts?

The need for more adult literacy resources is great, (we estimate that federal and state funding combined provides adult literacy services to just 3% of those people who need it), and the impact that an investment in adult literacy would have on the economy is clear, but we still have a long way to go to help policymakers connect the dots between this issue and economic development.

But I think we are slowly turning a corner. Take, for example, President Obama’s goal that by 2020, all adult Americans will have committed to at least one year of higher education or career training, and the U.S. will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.

The President may not have intended it this way, but really, that is a call for increasing investment in adult education and literacy. Even if every state reached the same levels of high school graduation and college enrollment for high school graduates as the highest performing states do now, we will not come close to reaching his goal without a substantial effort to bring more adults who are out of school into postsecondary education. And to do that, we will need to invest in adult literacy.

3) What can the local public library do- or should they even be expected to play a role in remediation?

Our libraries many times are the first place that adults who need reading help could turn to for help. I think local libraries are a critical and under-appreciated resource. I live in Washington, D.C., and our neighborhood libraries are beacons for literacy — the most prominent physical reminder of the value we place on literacy that we have in many communities. And in practice, libraries are often used by volunteers to meet with students they are tutoring. I can envision public libraries taking on an even greater and more defined role as gateways for adult learners. Every public library in the country should have staff that are trained to counsel adult learners and help them identify literacy programs and other resources available to them either through the library or elsewhere in their vicinity.

4) I know there are costs to illiteracy- emotional, fiscal, business and industry. Could you review what you see as the main costs, and how they impact society?

This is an area where I think we still need to do more research, but some numbers are there for us already. For example, I’ve seen estimates that low health literacy costs between $106 billion and $238 billion each year in the U.S. Some contend that the effects of low literacy costs the U.S. $225 billion or more each year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime, and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment.

But the biggest cost is on our efforts to improve children’s academic achievement. Children raised in families with low educational achievement are much less likely to be successful in school. It’s a concern to us that we don’t focus more on adult education as a tool to strengthen families, and that we don’t talk about this issue in education policy as much as we talk about school reform. It’s possible that the investments we are making in school reform and pre-K education are going to be largely wasted as long as we ignore adult literacy. READ MORE !

Better World Books' LEAP Grant

2011-03-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

Better World Books' LEAP
Literacy and Education in Action Program

Better World Books is inviting libraries to apply for between $5,000 and $25,000 to fund projects that address the literacy needs of underserved populations in your communities. A total of $75,000 is available.

The grant process is modeled after the California State Library's Pitch an Idea program and applications, in the form of a project overview, are due March 25. Projects must be implemented between May 16 and December 31, 2011.

Simplified Process

Interested libraries need only submit a short two page project overview and those with the best proposals will be selected for a 30 minute conversation where they will pitch their idea. After reviewing all of the pitches, Better World Books will select the winners whose projects are most viable and ready to go. Selected libraries will then be asked to complete a more detailed project plan in coordination with Better World Books. After project plans are complete, the grants will be awarded.

Selection Criteria
As you develop your Game Changing ideas, keep the following in mind:

~ Projects should address the literacy needs of under served populations in their community; literacy needs are defined broadly: identifying, understanding, interpreting, creating, communicating, and computing information to live a more fulfilling and productive life

~ Projects must be implemented between 5/16/11 – 12/31/11

~ Libraries may pitch multiple projects or a single project totaling no more than $25,000 and no less that $5,000

~ Libraries can present up to two Game Changing ideas, but only one idea per library will be chosen

~Each Game Changing idea must be fully supported by the Director and/or Library Administration

~ Projects that involve partnerships with local government agencies are highly encouraged

~Projects that will have a measurable and long term impact on an under served population, and will continue to operate after grant funds have been utilized, will be looked upon favorably

World Read Aloud Day: March 9

2011-03-09T08:56:00.001-08:00

World Read Aloud Day: March 9, 2011

Celebrate the Power of Words and Stories

and Take Action for Global Literacy

Nearly 1 billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their name. What would you miss most if you could not read or write? Imagine your world without words.

World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology. By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world.

Across the globe nearly 171 million children could be lifted out of poverty if they left school with basic reading and writing skills. Quality literacy education is the difference between life and death, prosperity and despair. This is literacy for survival.

Read On @ Your Local Library: CalCat or WorldCat

Bedtime Stories/Read-Alouds - Library Book Lists
DaddyRead: the guide to great read-aloud books
E.B. White Read Aloud Awards
Jim Trelease “Read Aloud Handbook”
Read Aloud America – Building Families of Lifetime Readers
Share a Story – Shape a Future – Read Aloud Resources

Literacy Tribune: March 2011

2011-03-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

Literacy Tribune: March 2011
The Adult Learner Network Newsletter

United Literacy, a non-profit organization, provides resources and support to adult literacy learners in the United States. Its aim is to make literacy education accessible and worthwhile for adult learners.

Main Story: Are you at risk for cardiovascular disease?
By Ruth Pereira, MPH, CHES, Health Program Coordinator

A History Lesson: César Chávez
By Cathay Reta, Senior Writer
“Sí, Se Puede,” is the slogan made famous by labor union activist César Chávez

Finance Literacy: Earned Income Tax Credit – Check It Out
By Cathay Reta, Senior Writer
It’s tax time again! The April 15 deadline is almost here

Organization Spotlight: Alaska Literacy Program
By Cathay Reta, Senior Writer

Technology Watch: Nook Color Tablet
By Daniel Pedroza, Writer and Learner
Thinking of purchasing an electronic book (e-Book) to read on your smart phone?

The Literacy Tribune is looking for adult learner writers.
Are you an adult learner ?
Do you want to write ?
Do you want to publish your writing ?

You can write about:
Your road to literacy
Your literacy organization
Literacy resources you like

You can write book reviews, poetry, short stories
You can write articles about health, finance, or technology
You can write just about anything !

A Race to the Bottom

2011-03-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

Obama Signs Short-Term Budget Bill That Slashes Education
Education Week: 3.02.11 by Alyson Klein

Federal funding for literacy eliminated:
House: 335 – 91
Senate: 91 – 9
Signed by the President

$250 million Striving Readers program
$66 million Even Start family-literacy program
$25 million Reading Is Fundamental program
$26 million National Writing Project
$64 million Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnerships (LEAP) program

The overall package is intended to keep the government running for two more weeks while lawmakers and the White House continue to negotiate a budget plan. The cuts will affect funding for the current fiscal year, which began last October. (Yes, it's fair to say Congress is a little behind schedule.) READ MORE !

Support American Libraries

2011-03-01T12:42:00.001-08:00

The Library is America's last truly socialized institution and you're about to lose it
DailyKos.com: 2.28.11 by Democrats Ramshield
(Written by an American expat living in the European Union)

Did you know that the library is America's last truly socialized institution and that everyday you come a bit closer to losing it! As a male who is a business librarian, (that is to say someone who holds graduate degrees in library science and an MBA degree in marketing), I understand very well that fee for service in America's library systems are creating a class of information have-nots. For some of you this means that your children aren't going to be able to read as well. It also means that as voters in a democracy, you will no longer be as well informed without full library services. As the series, the American dream vs the European dream which I was able to generously publish with the support of the Daily Kos community, we have seen that we cannot depend on the plutocrat owned radio and television media. Sometimes we have to go to print sources, even international print sources of the variety and scope that you can't possibly afford as an individual to subscribe to them all. Additionally libraries make online databases available to their patrons that allow you with the touch of a button to read international media sources from around the globe. You're in the process of losing this all and a lot more.

Now let's ask why should you be interested in defending America's last truly socialized institution? Well, let's get down to it shall we? So you don't think the library is a completely socialized institution. Well, let's talk about the theory of a library for just one minute, which is everyone who walks in the door and holds a library card has access completely to the same services. It doesn't matter if they're the mayor or a homeless person. Everyone in the library is supposed to be treated the same. It is the one place in America where equality doesn't just get lip service. The American Library Association has produced a wonderful statement called the Freedom to Read Statement wherein it is believed that your freedom to read comes directly from the first amendment of the constitution of the United States. You're about to lose that and that's pretty darn important.

You can think of the library as a repository of everyone who has ever thought and everyone who has ever written! That's a lot to lose access to.

Now we know that by in large, we are not really in tight budget times at all but rather we know that a lot states have ran up artificial deficits just like in Wisconsin wherein they give tax breaks to wealthy individuals and corporations and then try to balance the budget on the backs of working class Americans and their unions. So it is that library systems all over America are running out of money and this is in danger of tearing the guts out of the last truly socialized institution in America, where everyone is supposed to be equal and it is in danger of creating a division in the population of the information haves and have-nots.

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Literacy among adults and children in the information age is the lynch pin to education, retraining and full employment. No institution in America does more to support literacy than your friendly neighborhood library. I'm not just talking about story hour and reading programs for children but serious efforts in supporting young adults and working adults literacy and continued education efforts. Let's understand that there is a strong correlation between literacy rates and crime. That is say that most people in America and there are over 2 million of them who are in jails and prisons traditionally suffer from low literacy rates. Why is it that America can find plenty of money for prisons but has problems in finding money for libraries? All of this is to say nothing of the staggering lost of human potential of the American prison population. In fact we have about as many people in prison as we do have in the military. Oh yes and did you know that most American military manuals are written at the 9th grade reading level? Did you also know that there are millions of Americans today who cannot read this diary because they are functionally illiterate? Now we start to understand what it is that America is losing, when it is losing the last truly socialized institution in America.

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This diary encourages you to support your local library by writing a letter to the editor today and telling them why it is that you support libraries, that you support literacy and that you support intellectual freedom for both authors and readers. Also please consider joining your friends of the libraries group. We need everyone's help to defend the last fully socialized institution in America which is your local library.

Thank you for your support of American libraries.

(Finally it should be noted that the famous philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who in the minds of many was a noted socialist set up libraries all over America.) READ MORE !

IMLS, LSTA Funding in Jeopardy

2011-02-15T15:05:00.000-08:00

All IMLS, LSTA Funding in Jeopardy
American Libraries: 2.15.11 by Beverly Goldberg

A bill that is coming up for a vote this week in the House of Representatives calls for the elimination of all Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) funding, including Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding, for the remainder of FY2011.

Reaction to the introduction of Amendment 35 to the Continuing Resolution was swift. “To eliminate this vital federal agency would be a disservice to those families who have come to depend on their libraries,” declared Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Association’s Washington Office. “LSTA funding provides needed support to establish statewide and regional services to help local libraries save money and meet the changing demands and needs of their communities.”

The ALA Washington Office has posted a link to its Capwiz email interface to facilitate library advocates contacting their congressional representatives to urge them to oppose Amendment 35 to the Continuing Resolution because:

Libraries are essential to every community, and federal funding is critical for ensuring that library resources and services remain available to their constituents. LSTA supports all kinds of libraries including school, academic, and public libraries. Public libraries are the primary source of no-fee access to the internet and are active in assisting the public with online job searches, e-government services, and lifelong learning.

Sheketoff emphasized that loss of the funding would prevent libraries from continuing to “play an essential role in today’s communities, providing access to technology and the information people need to search for work and find jobs, apply for e-government services, and get homework help,” concluding that “the American public is poorly served if federal funding and library support are eliminated.”

Amendment 35 was submitted for House consideration by Rep. Scott Garrett (R–N.J.).

Camden Loses Soul for Good: Closes Main Library

2011-02-11T12:41:00.001-08:00

Camden loses its soul for good -- closes main library
Trentonian: February 10, 2011

CAMDEN (AP) — The latest blow to this downtrodden city came Thursday as the downtown branch of the public library was closing for good.

The main branch of the Camden Free Public Library, in a high-ceilinged former bank building, was a victim of the same budget crisis that resulted in layoffs last month of nearly 400 city government employees, including nearly half the police department and one-third of the firefighters.

Now, many residents of this city that ranks among the nation’s poorest and most crime-ridden will need to search elsewhere for access to computers or books. The men who play a trash-talking brand of chess in front of the big windows say they’ll take their boards to the one remaining branch, a bus ride away.

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The library made news around the world in August when its directors announced plans to close all three branches. No U.S. city this large, with about 80,000 residents, had lost all its libraries before.

The problem was money. The cash-strapped city government, which found its costs mounting, its tax revenues shrinking and its aid from the state reduced, was cutting its contribution to the library system from more than $900,000 last year to less than $300,000.

News of the total shutdown brought a partial rescue. One tiny branch in the remote Fairview neighborhood was closed in October. But the city bumped its support to $389,000, enough to keep the remaining two branches open until February. The Camden County library system agreed to take over what remained.

But the main branch would have to shut down. READ MORE !

Free Library of Philadelphia: Economic Impact

2011-02-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

Fels study shows Free Library’s economic impact
Penn Current: February 3, 2011 by Tanya Barrientos

It’s not easy to put a price on the acquisition of knowledge, professional development and community pride.

But that is precisely what officials at the Free Library of Philadelphia asked Penn’s Fels Institute of Government to do by creating an economic impact report quantifying the value of the city’s vast library system in dollars and cents.

“We wanted to be able to make a statement about the important role we play in the economic development of the city,” says Siobhan Reardon, president and director of the Free Library. “People know a library is nice to have. But we wanted to show how important the resources are that we have, to show that the library is a place where people can go and get help moving forward, to find help getting back to work, to think about their lives, and all for free.”

The study—prepared by Fels Senior Consultant Deborah Diamond, Penn Institute for Urban Research (IUR) Fellow Kevin C. Gillen and Fels graduate student Marissa Litman—is one of the first to quantify the economic impact of a library system the size of Philadelphia’s, with 54 branches and an operating budget of about $87 million.

The findings, Reardon says, were illuminating. According to the report, in addition to contributing to the literacy and cultural welfare of city residents, the library system last year generated more than $30 million of economic value in business development and it also increased property value.

According to the report, an estimated 8,600 businesses benefitted from the library system’s resources, providing entrepreneurs with information that helped them start or grow their enterprises. The Free Library also helped nearly 1,000 Philadelphians find jobs directly through institutional resources. Those jobs, the report notes, will translate into $30 million in earned income in one year and will generate $1.2 million in tax revenue for the city.

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Diamond says the study examined four categories of economic impact: Literacy, Workforce Development, Business Development and Neighborhood Impact. Literacy, she explains, is one of the most fundamental and vital skills provided by public libraries. Being able to read is critical in the modern, knowledge-based economy. In 2010, the report shows, the Free Library loaned to visitors $18.4 million worth of literacy-related material, provided $2.6 million in literacy-related programming and $818,000 in literacy-centered activities.

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“As we work toward our own economic recovery,” Reardon says, it’s important to know “our impact is real.” READ MORE !

Family Literacy Day: January 27

2011-01-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

Family Literacy Day: January 27

To raise your child to be a reader, start early
Times Colonist: January 27, 2001 by Dave Obee

Once upon a time, it was possible to find success with only rudimentary reading skills. But those days are gone.

Strong reading skills are critical for a successful, full life. Literacy needs to start at an early age and real progress must be supported by parents, grandparents and other responsible adults.

That might seem obvious to you, but you can read.

Too many adults don't have that ability, and that puts their own children at a disadvantage. If children don't see their parents reading, and if parents are not reading to them, they are less likely to develop the essential skills.

The Raise-a-Reader program, sponsored by the Times Colonist and other PostMedia newspapers, notes that more than 40 per cent of Canadian adults have literacy skills below the level needed to succeed. A lot of children are at risk.

That's why we are celebrating Family Literacy Day today. Yes, hundreds of special days are declared every year by all levels of government -- but this one really matters. The benefits of literacy pay off for decades.

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The theme this year is "play for literacy," and it's meant to reinforce the idea that literacy can be developed in many different ways. It's not just about reading books to children -- although that certainly helps. The seed of literacy can grow through singing to children, playing games with them and even helping them to colour.

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Don't miss it. And don't miss a chance to read to your children, your grandchildren or even the neighbour's kid. They need it. READ MORE !

America's Most Literate Cities: 2010

2011-01-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

America’s Most Literate Cities, 2010

Drawing from a variety of available data resources, the America’s Most Literate Cities study ranks the largest cities (population 250,000 and above) in the United States. This study focuses on six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources.

Top 10 Cities
1 Washington, DC
2 Seattle, WA
3 Minneapolis, MN
4 Atlanta, GA
5 Pittsburgh, PA
6 San Francisco, CA
7 St. Paul, MN
8 Denver, CO
9 Portland, OR
10 St. Louis, MO

Bottom 10
66 Glendale, AZ
67 Santa Ana, CA
68 Long Beach, CA
69.5 Corpus Christi, TX
69.5 El Paso, TX
71 Arlington, TX
72 Anaheim, CA
73 Bakersfield, CA
74 Aurora, CO
75 Stockton, CA

Worrisome Trends

Looking back over eight years of the America’s Most Literate Cities rankings and focusing on the data that drive the rankings, President Miller sees worrisome concerns.
~ the decline of newspaper readership
~ continuing erosion of book purchasing
~ bookstores are also disappearing.

Public Libraries a True Bright Spot

Of the data he has tracked over the life of the rankings, Miller finds that the one bulwark sustaining American literacy is the public library. “In terms of accessibility and usability, libraries remain vibrant. Even in these economically embattled times, many cities appear to be providing their citizens with rich resources for developing and maintaining literate behaviors,” Miller notes.

The across-the-board-average for library branches per person remains virtually unchanged. Circulation has actually increased from 6.8 to 7.17 per person during that time. Some cities, most notably St. Paul, Boston, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, increased in both number of branches and circulation, posting numbers three to five times higher than such other cities as Detroit, San Antonio, and Santa Ana. READ MORE !

Dr. John W. Miller, president of Central Connecticut State University, is the author of this study. Research for this edition of AMLC was conducted in collaboration with the Center for Public Policy and Social Research at CCSU.

The original study was published online in 2003 at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

How Libraries Can Help Adult Learners Improve Literacy

2011-01-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

Get Literate: How Libraries Can Help Adult Learners Improve Literacy
Reading, Writing, & Education: 2011

Education – even free public education – is an investment. With a family, mental or physical issues, or a job already underway, many adult learners simply may not have had time or the resources to invest in improving their literacy. Fortunately, there are ways for adult learners to work on their literacy levels while still working, taking care of a family, or dealing with a learning difference. The ability to read literature, communicate clearly, and think critically can open the doors of opportunity for those adults who have struggled to break even.

One of the best ways to improve your literacy is to make visits to the public library a habit. The American public library system is a wonderful democratic institution, as it allows all community members access to books, music, film, records, computers, and the Internet – all for free. Often there are community events held in the library as well, such as book reading groups or book-a-thons. Sign up for a group, or get a reading partner to help you stay accountable. Set goals to read a few books a month, even if they are children’s or young adult books. The goal is to read literature that challenges you to think, but don’t overwhelm yourself so much that you get discouraged. Plan a visit to the library each week, and spend a couple hours browsing as well as reading. Try not to grab a stack of books and then head for the door; linger a while. The presence of other readers is encouraging.

If libraries are not your thing, you can use various Internet programs and websites to help you improve your literacy. You can search online for word games, such as Scrabble or Scattergories. There are also literacy support groups and ESL classes that you can sign up for. And once you have seen improvement in your literacy level, perhaps you could mentor someone else who is struggling with literacy.

Literacy Tribune: January 2011

2011-01-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

Literacy Tribune: January 2011
The Adult Learner Network Newsletter

Main Story:
Which Came First: Reading or Writing? by Bud Pues
What does the word “read” really mean?

A History Lesson:
Franklin D. Roosevelt by Alison Werner
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often known simply as FDR, was born in Hyde Park, New York, on January 30, 1882, to a wealthy family.

Member Spotlight:

Taking That First Step: Milton Whitley
Admitting you need help with anything is hard. Asking for help can be even harder. But making the decision to ask for help can change one’s life, as many adult learners have discovered.

Technology Watch:

Dropbox by Daniel Pedroza
Ever wonder what would happen if your computer was stolen or damaged? How would you recover your files? Dropbox is a great option for protecting your computer files.

The Literacy Tribune is looking for adult learner writers.
Are you an adult learner ?
Do you want to write ?
Do you want to publish your writing ?

You can write about:
Your road to literacy
Your literacy organization
Literacy resources you like
You can write book reviews, poetry, short stories
You can write articles about health, finance, or technology

You can write just about anything !

Library Fees - Impact People Who Actually Use Libraries

2010-12-27T08:36:00.000-08:00

LA libraries seek new funding sources
Municipal Risk: December 23, 2010

Los Angeles county has a $130 million library budget. Looking out at the horizon, officials see a $22 million per year deficit – for at least the next 10 years.

With recent ballot initiatives passing in favor of capital funding for the system facilities, the LA library system is very heavily supported by its community, said Peter Persic, PR Director.

Yet, like all other municipal officials around the country, officials are still reticent to embrace the idea of charging a minor book rental fee to library users. “It’s an issue libraries around the country are grappling with, especially in light of the mission to be a free public library,” said Persic.

Here at MunicipalRisk, we see an enormous opportunity to supplement and possibly transform library budgets with revenue driven by usage.

A new book at Barnes & Noble costs $30. A movie rental costs $5 at Blockbuster or $10/month at Netflix. Average monthly cable bills are $100+. But, for some reason local officials are stuck on a centuries old idea that libraries should be completely free. Imagine just a 25 cent rental fee per item loaned by the library. In LA County, where 18 million items were checked out in 2009, that would’ve meant $4.5 million in revenue for the system.

Conceivably, user fees could easily be capped for library members, or even unlimited usage pricing options could be offered for frequent users.

The ultimate question is why should legislators increases taxes to everyone when user fees would just impact the people who actually use the library services?

State-by-State Financial Capability Study

2010-12-22T08:59:00.001-08:00

FINRA Foundation Releases Nation's First State-by-State Financial Capability Survey
New Jersey, New York and New Hampshire Most Financially Capable, Kentucky and Montana Place Last
December 8, 2010

The FINRA Investor Education Foundation (FINRA Foundation) today launched a dynamic interactive Web resource to display the results of America's first State-by-State Financial Capability Survey.

It displays a clickable map of the United States and allows the public, policymakers and researchers to delve into and compare the financial capabilities of Americans in every state and across geographic regions. The State-by-State Financial Capability Survey, which surveyed more than 28,000 respondents, was developed in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy.

The state-by-state survey found a significant disparity in financial capability across state lines and demographic groups: Young Americans nationally were more likely to be less financially capable than older Americans, and they were significantly more likely to engage in non-bank borrowing.

“This study highlights how important improving financial education is for Americans, especially during times of financial insecurity,” said FINRA Foundation Chairman Rick Ketchum. “While the current economic conditions can exacerbate the consequences of poor financial decisions, some states are still well ahead of others.”

The state-by-state survey echoed several of the findings of a smaller-scale national survey released in 2009, finding:

~ Over half of all Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck.

~ 55% of Americans report spending more than or about equal to their household income.

~ A significant majority of Americans (60%) do not have a “rainy day” fund to cover 3 months of unanticipated financial emergencies.

~ More than one in five Americans (24%) have engaged in some form of higher cost non-bank borrowing during the last five years, including taking out a payday loan or getting an advance on a tax refund.

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The FINRA Investor Education Foundation supports innovative research and educational projects that give underserved Americans the knowledge, skills and tools necessary for financial success throughout life. For details about grant programs and other FINRA Foundation initiatives, visit www.finrafoundation.org. READ MORE !

Gauge your financial knowledge—take the quiz below and compare your score with the averages in specific states, regions or the nation overall.

1. Suppose you have $100 in a savings account earning 2 percent interest a year. After five years, would you have more than $102, exactly $102 or less than $102?

2. Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account is 1 percent a year and inflation is 2 percent a year. After one year, would the money in the account buy more than it does today, exactly the same or less than today?

3. If interest rates rise, what will typically happen to bond prices? Rise, fall, stay the same, or is there no relationship?

4. True or false: A 15-year mortgage typically requires higher monthly payments than a 30-year mortgage but the total interest over the life of the loan will be less.

5. True or false: Buying a single company's stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.

Learning: Is There an App for That ?

2010-12-14T14:28:00.001-08:00

Learning: Is there an app for that?
by Cynthia Chiong & Carly Shuler
November 2010

A mobile media revolution that is changing the lives of adults, and now children of all ages, is under way across the globe. This report focuses on how new forms of digital media are influencing very young children and their families in the United States and how we can deploy smart mobile devices and applications-apps, for short-in particular, to help advance their education. It does so in three parts:

Part One discusses new trends in smart mobile devices, specifically the pass-back effect, which is when an adult passes his or her own device to a child.

Part Two presents the results of three new studies that were undertaken to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of using apps to promote learning among preschool- and early-elementary-aged children. Though designed to complement one another, each study approached mobile learning from a different angle.

Part Three discusses the implications these findings have for industry, education, and research.

Commissioned by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and PBS KIDS Raising Readers, through an initiative funded by a Ready to Learn grant and the United States Department of Education in cooperation with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Key Findings

Together, the three studies provide insight into how children are using and learning from smart mobile devices and apps. Here we present the findings according to our focal research questions:

• How much access do young children have to smart mobile devices?
The pass-back effect appears to be a real interactive phenomenon. Young children have access to smart mobile devices, but their access is often limited.

• What do young children do with smart mobile devices?
Kids say that they mainly play games with smart mobile devices, while parents report that their kids use these devices for a variety of activities.

• To what extent do young children like smartmobile devices?
They like smart mobile devices, particularly the iPhone/iPod touch.

• How adept are young children at using smart mobile devices?
Most children were able to use the device on their own without any trouble. Other children needed a little help, but only at the beginning. They quickly became adept users.

• To what extent do young children learn from apps?
There is evidence that kids can learn from apps. The Martha Speaks application used in the Learning Study shows promise for vocabulary learning, especially for older children. The Super Why app may be an effective way to promote literacy skills, especially for younger children.

• How can apps successfully sustain young children’s interest and learning?
Interest in the apps can be fleeting, but factors such as developmentally appropriate and fresh content, shortened wait times, humorous activities, incentives, goals, and parental involvement can help to sustain interest.

• What is the role of parents in the mobile media revolution?
All three studies suggest that parents play important roles in shaping the quality of their children’s experiences with mobile devices. When it comes to smart mobile devices, many parents do not yet view them as potential learning tools — especially when compared to other technologies like computers and the Internet — and thus restrict how their children use them.

Implications for industry
Design principle No. 1:
Create apps that are developmentally appropriate.
• Focus content narrowly within a developmental age range.
• Design content to be relevant to what children are already learning.
• Consider children’s evolving motor skills.
• Engage children (and adults!) by making them laugh… but not too much. Balance engagement and learning.

Design principle No. 2:
Create apps that sustain children’s interest and learning.
• Design for shorter playtimes.
• Provide goals and incentives: Keep them coming back.
• Give kids the option to personalize.
• Involve parents.
READ MORE !

TAKE ACTION: Support Museum & Library Services Act

2010-12-08T12:43:00.001-08:00

URGENT

Support the Museum and Library Services Act S.3984 !

Call your Representative
Tell them to
Support the Museum & Library Services Act !

Take Action !

CALL the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be transferred to your representative’s office. Tell their staffs that passing S. 3984, the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA), is imperative to ensuring libraries can continue providing critical resources to their constituents, particularly in this tough economy.

Specifically highlighting programs or resources your library provides to the member’s constituents will make your message stronger.

The U.S. Senate passed MLSA Reauthorization under unanimous consent late Tuesday night, bringing the bill one step closer to reauthorization before the end of the 111th Congress.

MLSA will ensure that the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds are secured and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is equipped to lead America’s libraries. This bill received bipartisan support from both Senate Republicans and Democrats, especially Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), who is a longtime supporter of libraries in this country. Other Senate sponsors of this bill include Sens. Richard Burr (R-NC), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Susan Collins (R-ME), Michael Enzi (R-WY), and Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Jon Tester (D-MT).

Access the full text of the bill S. 3984 here.

MLSA has moved to the U.S. House of Representatives where it must receive a vote before the end of the calendar year. Please call your representative and urge him or her to press House leadership for a vote on the Senate-passed version of MLSA and to support the bill.

Your calls are urgently needed TODAY. If the House does not pass this legislation in the next two weeks, the whole reauthorization process will have to start over after the first of the year.

Compose a Message Here and send by email.

Find Your Elected Officials @
~ including the president, members of Congress, governors, state legislators, and more.

Books in the Home Increase the Level of Education

2010-12-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

Books in Home as Important as Parents' Education in Determining Children's Education Level
ScienceDaily: May 21, 2010

Whether rich or poor, residents of the United States or China, illiterate or college graduates, parents who have books in the home increase the level of education their children will attain, according to a 20-year study led by Mariah Evans, University of Nevada, Reno associate professor of sociology and resource economics.

For years, educators have thought the strongest predictor of attaining high levels of education was having parents who were highly educated. But, strikingly, this massive study showed that the difference between being raised in a bookless home compared to being raised in a home with a 500-book library has as great an effect on the level of education a child will attain as having parents who are barely literate (3 years of education) compared to having parents who have a university education (15 or 16 years of education). Both factors, having a 500-book library or having university-educated parents, propel a child 3.2 years further in education, on average.

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"What kinds of investments should we be making to help these kids get ahead?" she asked. "The results of this study indicate that getting some books into their homes is an inexpensive way that we can help these children succeed."

Evans said, "Even a little bit goes a long way," in terms of the number of books in a home. Having as few as 20 books in the home still has a significant impact on propelling a child to a higher level of education, and the more books you add, the greater the benefit.

"You get a lot of 'bang for your book'," she said. "It's quite a good return-on-investment in a time of scarce resources."

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The *study by Evans and her colleagues at Nevada, UCLA and Australian National University is one of the largest and most comprehensive studies ever conducted on what influences the level of education a child will attain.

The researchers were struck by the strong effect having books in the home had on children's educational attainment even above and beyond such factors as education level of the parents, the country's GDP, the father's occupation or the political system of the country. READ MORE !

*Family scholarly culture and educational success: Books and schooling in 27 nations

Libraries: Have the Power to Change the World

2010-11-12T08:20:00.001-08:00

Commentary: Technological and economic shifts have only made libraries more valuable
Washington Post: November 8, 2010 by Roberta Stevens

Today's challenging economy demands strategic investments. While the job market continues to recover, one of the best uses of public and private funds is to help ensure that people are digitally literate and are improving their employment skills.

Increasingly, the local public library serves as the community technology hub for training, digital literacy and, yes, even books.

While some believed the Internet might retire the library, the reverse has occurred. Over the past decade, libraries have embraced technology resources, and library visits and circulation have grown by 20 percent. The recession has only increased the demands on the public library.

Yet providing the full range of services to the public is possible only when libraries remain open. Locally, fiscal 2011 funding cuts have led to reduced staff and services and fewer operational hours in libraries in Arlington, Fairfax and Montgomery counties and the District.

As businesses in the D.C. area know, increasingly employment and government information is online -- and sometimes online only. Libraries open doors for millions of Americans who may lack Internet access or the skills to survive and thrive online. Sixty-seven percent of libraries, in fact, report helping library patrons apply for jobs online last year.

The 2010 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study conducted by the American Library Association and the Center for Library & Information Innovation at the University of Maryland found that in two-thirds of U.S. communities, public libraries offer the only free public access to computers and the Internet. Maryland and Virginia libraries report similar percentages statewide.

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Here's a message to elected leaders as they balance budgets: Today's libraries are an essential service and provide resources to ensure a competitive workforce.

All of us -- parents, families, seniors and businesses large or small -- must speak up to keep libraries open and available. The time to act is now: Phone or e-mail local officials supporting libraries and become a "friend of" your library.

The resources in your local library have the power to change the world; but the doors must be kept open. READ MORE !

Roberta Stevens is president of the American Library Association.

Libraries Around the World

2010-11-04T16:34:00.000-07:00

Libraries Around the World
PRI’s The World: November 4, 2010

In the Geo Quiz we’re looking for one of the world’s oldest libraries that’s open to the public. 1368 is good year to start your search. This was the age of knights and crusaders, and the Ming Dynasty. And it’s when one King Charles V established a royal library. It packs in over 14 million books. Can you name it? …and tell us about great libraries you’ve had a chance to visit around the world.

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Now we want to tell you about one of the world’s newest libraries in Bhutan. Bhutan is a tiny kingdom sandwiched between two giants — India and China. It’s also perched high in the Himalayas — isolated for much of its history.
By Lisa Napoli

The village of Ura looks like it came out of a fairy tale a cluster of farmhouses in the midst of a valley of green. Most everyone here in this tiny community works the land. The children here represent the new, modern Bhutan: They’re learning to read, and in English.

So when a non-profit group announced it wanted to help the village start a library, the reaction was lukewarm. The library is only the second free lending library in the entire country. The other one is ten hours away in the capital Thimphu.

Kesang Choden came from there to help the villagers get the library up and running. She’s with the Bhutan office of the nonprofit group, Read Global. Choden says books aren’t the only thing in short supply in Ura.

“There’s just two stores, and those are grocery stores. You just get necessities. Like salt and oil. It’s very difficult for them to even get a pencil. Very difficult.”

Choden says some parents were worried by the idea that their kids would borrow books to take home. They were afraid the children might destroy them, and they’d have to pay. The sad part is that the parents here maybe because they’re illiterate don’t see the importance of a book. They don’t encourage their children to read. That’s the sad thing, right?

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Mostly, though, it’s kids who pack this place every day.

When we read more, we learn more, no? The children of Ura are so excited about the library that the staff is putting in extra hours. Kesang Choden doesn’t seem to mind.

Read Global hopes to open several libraries in other villages across the country by the end of the year. READ MORE !

6 Million Free Books Inside Boxes of Cheerios

2010-11-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

Cheerios Serves Up 6 Million Children's Books Inside Boxes this Fall

Nov 3: Starting today, Cheerios, through its Spoonfuls of Stories program, is again bringing books to the breakfast table, by providing 6 million children's books, written in both English and Spanish, FREE inside Cheerios boxes.

Since Spoonfuls of Stories' inception in 2001, Cheerios has distributed almost 50 million children's books inside boxes. Families can see which book is inside through a special cut-out window on the front of the box, so they can select the specific book they want, or collect all 5.

Or: Check Out The Books @ Your Local Library

CalCat or WorldCat

All the World - Elizabeth Garton Scanlon
Beach Lane Books, 2009

Chaucer's First Winter - Stephen Krensky
Simon & Schuster, 2008

Jump ! - Scott M Fischer
Simon & Schuster, 2010

No T. Rex in the Library - Toni Buzzeo
McElderry Books, 2010

The Purple Kangaroo - Michael Ian Black
Simon & Schuster, 2010

Fix Our Schools Manifesto . . . Got It All Wrong

2010-10-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

How to fix our schools: A manifesto
by Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee and other education leaders
Washington Post: October 10, 2010

As educators, superintendents, chief executives and chancellors responsible for educating nearly 2 1/2 million students in America, we know that the task of reforming the country's public schools begins with us. It is our obligation to improve the personal growth and academic achievement of our students, and we must be accountable for how our schools perform.

All of us have taken steps to move our students forward, and the Obama administration's Race to the Top program has been the catalyst for more reforms than we have seen in decades. But those reforms are still outpaced and outsized by the crisis in public education.

Fortunately, the public, and our leaders in government, are finally paying attention. The "Waiting for 'Superman' " documentary, the defeat of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's $100 million gift to Newark's public schools, and a tidal wave of media attention have helped spark a national debate and presented us with an extraordinary opportunity.

But the transformative changes needed to truly prepare our kids for the 21st-century global economy simply will not happen unless we first shed some of the entrenched practices that have held back our education system, practices that have long favored adults, not children. These practices are wrong, and they have to end now.

It's time for all of the adults -- the superintendents, educators, elected officials, labor unions and parents -- to start acting like we are responsible for the future of children. Because right now, across the country, kids are stuck in failing schools, just waiting for us to do something.

So, where do we start? With the basics. As President Obama has emphasized, the single most important factor determining whether students succeed in school is not the color of their skin or their ZIP code or even their parents' income -- it is the quality of their teacher. READ MORE !

The Manifesto got it all wrong - Stephen Krashen
Sent to the Washington Post, October 8, 2010

" The Manifesto ignores the real problem: Poverty. The best teaching cannot overcome the enormous negative influence of malnutrition and hunger, lack of health care, environmental toxins, and lack of access to books. Clear evidence that poverty is the problem is the finding that American students from well-funded schools who come from high-income families outscore nearly all other countries on international tests. Our overall scores are unspectacular because the US has a very high percentage of children in poverty (over 20%, compared to Denmark's 3%).

The first step in "reform" is to protect children from the effects of poverty: Improved health care, good food, and improved libraries and library services for children in high-poverty areas. When all American children have the advantages that middle-class children have, our international test scores will be at the top of the world. "

Map from: National Center for Children in Poverty

Health Literacy Month: October

2010-10-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

Health Literacy Month: October

Struggling to Understand Health Information (A Podcast)
Engaging the Patient: October 4, 2010 by Geri-Lynn Baumblatt

By her own admission, Helen Osborne “had no idea what she was getting into” when she decided to found Health Literacy Month in 1999. Now, more than a decade later, the event is an annual institution. In this short interview, Helen Osborne sits down with Engaging the Patient’s own Geri Baumblatt to discuss Health Literacy, Health Literacy Month and the future of both.

Follow ‘Health Literacy Month’ on:
Blogger
Facebook
Twitter

NIFL Closes

2010-10-01T08:50:00.001-07:00

National Institute for Literacy [NIFL] closed on September 30.
On October 1, the Literacy Information and Communication System [LINCS] moves to the Office of Vocation and Adult Education [OVAE].

A new website, LINCS, will continue to provide popular NIFL resources: publications, news items, discussion lists, archives of webcasts, and the America’s Literacy Directory.

LINCS will provide access to literacy research and resources with Regional Resource Centers, Resource Collections, Discussion Lists, and newsletter.

Created in 1991, NIFL strove to provide leadership on literacy issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for children, youth, and adults. We would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to the Institute for the numerous services provided and contributions to the field in its nearly twenty years of existence.

Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Summary — May 7, 2009

National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) $6.5 Budget

Despite nearly 2 decades of operations, NIFL has demonstrated little success in its mission of providing national leadership on literacy issues, coordinating Federal literacy programs and policies, and serving as a national resource for adult education and literacy programs. Federal literacy activities remain diffuse and duplicative, and the Administration believes that the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) is better positioned to provide effective national literacy leadership and coordination. Folding NIFL's functions into OVAE also would allow all of its resources to be used for national activities rather than for staffing and overhead, which currently absorb almost half of NIFL's appropriation.

It's a Book

2010-09-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

It’s a Book by Lane Smith
- video from YouTube

Roaring Brook Press, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-1596436060

Read On @ Your Local Library: CalCat or WorldCat

National Punctuation Day: September 24

2010-09-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

National Punctuation Day: September 24

Last year there was a baking contest—and what a delicious exercise that was !

This year NPD is trying something a bit more literary—the first National Punctuation Day® Haiku Contest, with the winners receiving a plethora of punctuation goodies.

Send your best 5-7-5 (syllables, that is) poetry to Jeff and let the literary games begin! Haikus must be received by September 30 to be considered for prizes.

To get you started, here is a haiku written by Jeff's friend Craig Harrison, one of the best sales and customer-service trainers—and prolific writers—I know.

Which colon to use?
Colon or semi-colon?
I’ll use a comma.

Reading Aloud

2010-09-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

This part of Huxley's brave new world has come to pass
Daily Breeze: September 17, 2010 by Adell Shay

My husband, Jay, has been reading to me again. He's been doing that since his inaugural visit, me on the couch with the Hong Kong flu, him reading Edgar Allan Poe as I blew my nose in approval.

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Lately, he has been reading Aldous Huxley's essays.

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That's how he came to read me "Censorship and Spoken Literature," from "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and other essays."

In the piece, Huxley discusses how economic censorship is enforced - however unintentionally and blindly - in democratic countries by the steady rise in the cost of producing books, plays and films, and the unwillingness of publishers, studios, etc. to sponsor projects unless they promise commercial success. The essay, written in 1954, described a theme that has, like most of Huxley's premises, become more glaringly true over time.

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He notes:

"Listen to the reading aloud ...; you will find yourself getting more out of it than you got when you read it to yourself - particularly if you were compelled to read it under the threat of not getting a credit. Printed, the Hundred Great Books are apt to remain unopened on the library shelves. Recorded they can be listened to painlessly - at meals, while washing up in bed on Sunday morning."

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Huxley ends the essay with the following recommendations:
1. "Make the best of mankind's literature of wisdom available on cheap, slow-playing records."
2. "Do the same, in each of the principal languages, for the best poetry written in that language. Also, perhaps, for a few of the best novels, plays, biographies and memoirs."
3. "Encourage manufacturers to turn out phonographs equipped to play these recordings and at the same time arrange for (low-cost) distribution.

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Aldous Huxley's fondest desire has been realized. READ MORE !

Listen On @ Your Local Library: CalCat or WorldCat

Brave new world - Read by Michael York
Aldous Huxley
Audio Partners, 2003

Right to Literacy Declaration: September 22

2010-09-20T08:29:00.000-07:00

Declaration for the Right to Literacy
September 22 – 3:15pm

The Scroll will be presented to the co-chairs of the newly-formed House Adult Literacy Caucus, Congressman Dan Maffei and Congressman Phil Roe on the steps of the Capitol. This bipartisan caucus aims to bring attention to the critical need for literacy services for the estimated 32 million adults in the country who have below-basic reading skills.

. . . from Margaret Doughty, Literacy Powerline

invite your representatives to this historic event on September 22nd. See the sample invitation below:

Dear __________,

On behalf of more than 30,000 signatories, we invite you to join a delegation of adult literacy advocates and adult learners. On the steps of the Capitol, we will present the Declaration for the Right to Literacy scroll to the co-chairs of the newly-formed House Literacy Caucus, Congressman Dan Maffei and Congressman Phil Roe, on Wednesday, September 22nd, at 3:15pm.

This scroll began its journey across the United States 13 months ago, following the Right to Literacy Convention in Buffalo, New York. It highlights literacy as a means to individual self- sufficiency and community economic prosperity and calls upon our government to support initiatives that promote basic literacy skills for all Americans.

This coming Wednesday, we will call upon Congress and the Obama Administration to establish a National Task Force on Literacy, Numeracy, and Lifelong Learning. The National Task Force will create a comprehensive National Literacy Plan to raise literacy levels for adults and children.

We hope you will join us for this exciting and historic event. If you will be able to join us, please contact [put your contact information here].

Sincerely,
(Your Name)

Not Sure Who to Contact = Click Here !
Find elected officials, including the president, members of Congress, governors, state legislators, and more.

. . . related links of interest:
Declaration for the Right to Literacy
Literacy Powerline: June 17, 2009

Right to Literacy Convention delegates from across the country determined and voted on the first United States Declaration for the Right to Literacy. The Right to Literacy Convention was part of the National Community Literacy Conference in Buffalo, New York on June 13, 2009.

Literacy leaders, using the model of the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, convened from across the nation. The need was clear; tens of millions of adults and children do not have the skills needed to succeed in life. Literacy is the number one tool to change that plight. The right to literacy must be a national priority.

The resolutions support 5 pillars of literacy:
1. Building the Community
2. Strengthening the Family
3. Ensuring People’s Self-Determination
4. Improving the Workforce
5. Transforming the Literacy System

Eward Fry: April 4, 1925 - Sept. 2, 2010

2010-09-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

Educator, 85, created Fry Readability Graph
Coastline Pilot: September 9, 2010 by Barbara Diamond

Educator, author and environmentalist Edward Fry died in his Laguna Beach home Sept. 2, surrounded by his family. He was 85.

"He lost his battle with leukemia, but we all know how he loved life," his wife, Cathy, wrote friends. "He especially loved teaching, whether in a Rutgers classroom or up in the hills hiking with a grandson. It was a learning experience and he made sure he learned something new every day."

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"I always thought of Ed as a gentle, thoughtful and wise person," said City Councilwoman Verna Rollinger, a member of many of the same organizations. "He was a person always involved in good works."

Near the end of his life, a doctor asked him if there was anything he would like to do, if he could.

There was one more book he wanted to write, Fry replied.

He wrote more than 31 books and more than 100 articles, including "How to Teach Reading," developed for the Peace Corps; "The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists," with Jacqueline Kress; and a video series for series for Time Life, narrated by Dick Cavett and Bill Cosby.

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In 1950, Fry married Carol Addison. Fry became an expert in teaching. He invented the Fry Readability Graph, which is a widely used tool for assessing the readability level of almost any type of reading material. He was on the faculty of Loyola University in Los Angeles and Rutgers University in New Jersey where he became a full professor.

During 22 years at Rutgers, he was president of the National Reading Conference, the International Reading Assn., and the New Jersey Reading Assn. He is a member of the Reading Teacher Hall of Fame. READ MORE !

Literacy Tribune Newsletter: September 2010

2010-09-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Literacy Tribune: September 2010
The Adult Learner Network Newsletter

Main Story: Back to School
September marks the beginning of a new school year.

A History Lesson: The Great Depression
The Great Depression began on October 24, 1929—“Black Thursday.

Member Spotlight: September 8: International Literacy Day
Every day, around the world, adults like you are learning to read. And every day, around the world, adults are struggling with illiteracy as you once did. Illiteracy is not only an American problem. It is an international problem.

Organization Spotlight: A Letter to Readers
This issue of The Literacy Tribune marks our third anniversary. I, along with the staff and board of United Literacy, want to thank you for your continued support

Technology Watch: Ninite Website
by Daniel Pedroza, Writer and Learner

Ninite is a service that lets users install popular Windows applications automatically.

The Literacy Tribune is looking for adult learner writers.
Are you an adult learner ?
Do you want to write ?
Do you want to publish your writing ?

You can write about:
Your road to literacy
Your literacy organization
Literacy resources you like
You can write book reviews, poetry, short stories
You can write articles about health, finance, or technology

You can write just about anything !

International Literacy Day

2010-09-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

International Literacy Day
September 8
Make A Difference !

Room To Read - Tweet For Literacy

Literacy Day 2010
Literacy has the power to lift families out of poverty in one generation and change the fate of entire communities, particularly in the developing world. Let's make this International Literacy Day really mean something and help more people learn to read. Check out the information below on what else you can do to make a difference!

Tweet a scrambled message to your followers so they know what it's like to be illiterate. They can click on the link to decipher it:

Wehn yuo cnnaot raed, noe hruendd ftory ccrhaetars maen noinhtg.

Hlep ptoorme goalbl latceriy.

International Literacy Day: 7 Easy Ways To Spread The Word
Huffingtonpost.com: September 7, 2010
You love books every day of the year, but there's only one that highlights the 774 million adults worldwide that UNESCO estimates are illiterate.Luckily, there's an easy way for even the busiest bibliophiles to share their love for reading with others who need a little help.

Here are just a few (see Slide Show).

Ten Tips for Parents to Help Children Learn to Read Outside the Classroom
On International Literacy Day, Save the Children Shares Simple Steps All Parents Can Take to Boost Children's Reading Skills
Save The Children: September 8, 2010To mark International Literacy Day and promote reading among children globally, Save the Children today shares 10 steps all parents can take to boost early reading skills among their children. The ten tips are part of a community strategies flipbook for parents and children that Save the Children developed for its global "Literacy Boost" program.

"Learning how to read should not be confined to the classroom," said Amy Jo Dowd, Ph.D., education research advisor for Save the Children. "There are many fun ways that parents, community members and even children can support other children in developing language and literacy skills as part of their daily life.

"Save the Children research from 2007 to 2008 found that children in developing countries were struggling to learn to read, even in classrooms that were child-friendly and in which the teachers used an active teaching and learning method. For example, 36 percent of the third graders tested in Ethiopia could not read one word correctly in a minute. In Nepal, that percentage was nearly 50 percent of the school-age children tested.

THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTER
Things to do on the World Literacy Day:
~ Use your newsletter to spread the word about the importance of literacy.
~ Sponsor a book fair, using the proceeds to enhance your program’s outreach to learners.
~ Give a book as a gift. Include a note about the importance of literacy in adult life.
~ Establish a book discussion group with adult learners.
~ Form a reading promotion partnership with a public library or another basic skills/literacy program.
~ Take a field trip to a local literary landmark.
~ Make a collection of student writings. Get your local newspaper to review it.
~ Bring teachers, volunteers, and learners together to talk about favorite books.
~ Read books aloud with adult learners. READ MORE !

Canada Celebrates International Literacy Day
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada HRSDC

Canada joins countries around the world today to celebrate International Literacy Day. Established in 1965 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Literacy Day is celebrated on September 8 with the goal of raising awareness about the importance of literacy and adult learning around the world.

Literacy and essential skills are important for all Canadians. They help us participate fully in the workplace, in families and in the community. The nine essential skills are: reading text, document use, numeracy, writing, oral communication, working with others, thinking skills, computer use and continuous learning. It is important to note that these skills complement and build on each other.

While overall, Canada has a highly-educated and highly-skilled population, there are still too many Canadians who lack the literacy and essential skills needed for full participation and success in the work force and in their daily lives.

Last year, Human Resources and Social Development Canada announced the creation of the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills to support the development of skills Canadians need for life, work and learning. Working with a network of partners and stakeholders, the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills helps Canadians build their literacy and essential skills.

We can all do our share in promoting literacy and essential skills within the family, workplaces and the community.

For a list of activities being held to mark International Literacy Day, visit NALD.

The Humble Library, A Valuable Resource

2010-09-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

The humble library, a valuable resource
With the information available at your public library, there's no such thing as a "cold call."
Star Tribune: September 5, 2010 by HARVEY MACKAY

When Ben Franklin founded the first public lending library in America in 1731, he probably had no idea what he would inspire. There is no better bargain than a library card, and what better time to sign up for one than September, library card sign-up month.

Studies show that children who use the library tend to perform better in school. They are also more likely to continue learning and exploring throughout their lives.

If you don't use the library for business, now is a good time to start. We can obtain a high percentage of the information we need via search engines using our home or work computers. But there are a lot of hidden business jewels available at your local library, and many of them can be accessed online.

The average small business or job-seeker is penalized by having limited research capabilities. Big companies with big budgets pay for expensive databases. With a mouse click, they can instantly gain access to company data, sort through research reports, and locate newspaper and trade journal articles. Small companies and individuals who can't afford premium access are left out. Unless they have a local library card.

Most libraries pay for premium subscription databases that you can use for free. Want to use Dun & Bradstreet, ReferenceUSA or Hoovers to research companies, competitors and build lead lists? There's a good chance your library subscribes to a company search database. Want to see if the company where you're making your next sales call or job interview has been featured in an article? How about if the person you're meeting with has been cited as an expert in an industry trade journal? The library most likely has the information.

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And as you know, a library card is still great for checking out books! Haven't read any good books lately? There's no time like the present to start. I love the convenience of my Kindle, but the feel of a real book in my hands is unmatched. You can even check out an audio book for your commute.

Book-club guidance, computer classes, periodicals, story time for the kids -- all through the doors of your library. And one of the most amazing features I like best: live technical help when I need it. Your library card is your ticket to the past and to the future.

Mackay's Moral: The library is a truly amazing resource -- check it out. READ MORE !

Harvey Mackay is a Minneapolis businessman and author.