Literacy: Spanning North America
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Lack of literacy progress
'appalling,' says adult tutoring group
After
40 years of tutoring adults, Moncton Regional Learning Council says there is
still a lot of work to do
CBC News:
11.20.2017 by Vanessa Blanch
Peter
Sawyer has been volunteering with the Moncton Regional Learning
Council for nearly 40 years, and in all that time, he says, he hasn't seen much improvement in
literacy levels in New Brunswick.
"The
need really hasn't changed," Sawyer told Information Morning Moncton.
"I would suggest that nothing has changed in that time.
"Appalled,"
he said when asked about the low scores in the province — something he calls
New Brunswick's "dirty little secret."
According
to a provincial government document on literacy strategy, up to 30 per cent of
young children are having difficulty with reading and writing, and 20 per cent
of New Brunswickers have literacy skills that are below average.
Valerie
Higgins, a tutor and president of the Moncton Regional Learning Council, said
it is "shocking" the statistics haven't changed much in 40 years.
"We're
such a dynamic society ... literacy is so much a part of everything that we
do," she said. "I am always shocked, appalled to use Peter's word,
that many people are not even aware of this."
Sawyer
said a lack of funding for the non-profit group is a constant challenge. READ MORE >>
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Family
Literacy Center tutors help Lapeer woman earn GED, make plans for future
County Press: 11.22.2017 by Nicholas Pugliese
The
Family Literacy Center (FLC) of Lapeer has
been providing educational services to those that need it most for nearly 40
years, and in that time, the volunteer tutors have coached reading, provided
GED prep and coordinated youth learning activities to anyone in need. In those
four decades, students from all backgrounds have sought services, and many find
themselves in need of FLC assistance because of past misfortune leaving them at
a disadvantage.
Every
student that walks through the door at the FLC is unique, each a culmination of
past triumphs and traumas, and often, once they step foot into the FLC’s modest
blue building on Calhoun Street, the hardest part is already over. Every
student represents a new challenge to the volunteer tutors, and when
25-year-old Felicia Davidson entered the FLC for the first time in March, her
tutor, Barb Koyl, was up for the challenge.
Davidson
never graduated high school, though it’s through no fault of her own. When she
was in third grade, Davidson’s parents withdrew her from Goodrich Schools with
the intent to homeschool. The homeschooling never happened, said Davidson, and
she hadn’t set foot in a classroom ever since. “My parents pulled me out of
school in third grade and sort of just stopped so I had to sort of teach
myself,” she said. READ MORE >>
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Sara
Warren helps people learn to read
SC Now:
11.24.2017 by Jessica Imbimbo
The
importance of a well-rounded education is not lost on Sara Carson Warren.
Warren
is a stay-at-home mother of two young sons and a dedicated volunteer at the Florence Area Literacy Council – two tasks
that require a great deal of compassion, patience and a talent for teaching.
Warren
has been volunteering with the Florence Area Literacy Council for close to four
years, assisting students ranging in age from 18 to 70 or older. Established in
1976, the Florence Area Literacy Council is a grassroots organization created
to help reduce the high illiteracy rates in the community.
Warren
and her fellow volunteer tutors at the council teach a variety of subjects,
including basic reading, spelling, language, mathematics and social studies
skills. Tutors also can help students aspiring to enroll in the military by providing
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test preparation.
Volunteers
also tutor students with diverse needs including those with special needs or
learning English as a second language. READ MORE >>
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