Literacy: Spanning the U.S.
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Rowan
County Literacy Council honors volunteer tutors
Salisbury Post: 5.17.2018 by Post Education
What
do work horses, yearlings, quarter horses and mavericks have to do with
literacy?
Last
week, Rowan County Literacy Council volunteers
found out during the annual Tutor Appreciation program at Rowan Public Library.
After refreshments, tutors heard opening remarks from board President Melody
Moxley followed by a recognition ceremony led by Moxley and program coordinator
Laurel Harry.
“As
I looked at the 2017 data for our volunteers, I was struck by the different
categories of volunteers,” Harry said. “We have eight tutors who have
volunteered for over 10 years, and I thought: These tutors are our true
workhorses.
“We
also have 16 new ‘yearling’ tutors who have come on board since the beginning
of 2017. We have mavericks who are willing to try new things and quarter horses
who are consistent strong performers.
“Our
tutors are so dedicated and bring such enthusiasm and stamina to our program,”
Harry said. “We appreciate all of their contributions whether they are brand
new or have 20-plus years in the saddle.”
READ MORE >>
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Nonprofit
helping East Texans overcome adult illiteracy
CBS19:
5.18.2018 by Jennifer Moynihan
The
inability to read or write can make finding a good job hard and providing for a
family nearly impossible. Especially in Texas, where nearly four million adults
do not have a high school diploma. The East
Texas Literacy Council is working to change those statistics.
After
studying three times a week for the last two years, Marvetta Jones' hard work
is paying off.
"When
I got the email saying congratulations you have your GED, it was amazing! I
just started screaming," Jones said.
Jones
is a working mother who was unable to finish school. She's always dreamed of
attending college, so she could better provide for her family. Jones said it
would not have been possible without the East Texas Literacy Council.
"When
you come in, you'll always feel like you're at home...the atmosphere is so nice
and sweet," Jones said.
Just
last year, the organization was able to help more than 500 adults like Jones. WATCH VIDEO
Providing
Education For People During And After Incarceration
Philadelphia Neighborhoods: 5.16.2018 by Christie Julie and
Roberts Jennifer
While
Abdul Lateef was incarcerated, he spent most of his time reading.
At
first, spy novels were his favorite. Then, he moved on to heavier material,
like biographies of civil rights leaders and accounts of historical
revolutions.
“If
I didn’t have access to literature, then the culture that permeates the prison
environment could have easily been what formed my character,” Lateef who is now
a fellow at The Reentry Think Tank, said. “But because I had access…to
literature, to reading, to education, that wasn’t my fate and I was able to
transcend beyond what is the norm.”
For
Lateef, education has been central to his life, both during his incarceration
of about 30 years, and now as a criminal justice reform advocate.
He
said education is essential for people to obtain jobs and housing, and
ultimately, to succeed in re-entry.
In
correctional facilities nationwide, more than half of incarcerated people have
not finished high school. And in local jails, 69 percent of the population does
not have a high school diploma, according to a report from the Alliance for
Excellent Education.
Several
nonprofit and governmental organizations in Philadelphia are currently working
to help re-entering citizens find this success by providing educational
offerings — both to those who are incarcerated and to those in re-entry.
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For
those seeking educational opportunities while they are incarcerated, The
Petey Greene Program works to supplement existing educational programs.
The
nonprofit brings volunteers, often from local colleges and universities, into
correctional facilities to tutor students in subjects like math, reading and
writing
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Once
people leave prison, they may need to finish working toward their GED or learn
practical life skills.
For
Ulicia Lawrence-Oladeinde, director of the Pan-African Studies Community
Education Program at Temple University, both academic and skills-based
education are essential.
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Mary
Baxter, 36, of North Philadelphia was released from prison in July of 2008
after serving an eight-month sentence. Baxter has spent the past several months
as a fellow at The Reentry Think Tank alongside about eight
other fellows, working to use her voice to call for criminal justice reform and
to highlight the importance of higher education for formerly incarcerated
people who have already obtained their diploma or GED.
“Without
education, what are your chances of being successful?” Baxter said. “You need
some form of higher education to be successful.” READ MORE >>
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Project
Read-Menlo Park seeks community support to expand literacy programs
InMenlo:
5.22.2018
Project Read-Menlo Park is appealing to the local community
to augment a range of programs and a vision to provide additional services to
the Belle Haven neighborhood of Menlo Park.
Community
members may easily make a secure donation to Project Read through its nonprofit
fundraising partner, Literacy Partners, at a newly-improved website.
For
more than 30 years, Project Read-Menlo Park has provided one-to-one tutoring in
English for non-native speakers as well as U.S. natives who never learned to
read and write to their satisfaction. Typically, says Program Manager Jason T.
Sugimura, learners meet once or twice weekly with a volunteer tutor to improve
their language skills. Many, he says, go on to continue their education,
achieving GEDs, college degrees and promotions or new jobs. Most improve their
ability to talk with customers or bosses or their kids’ teachers.
For
nearly four years, Project Read has offered a weekly Conversation Club
(pictured, top), an informal weekly drop-in activity at the Menlo Park Library
offering flexibility for learners and tutors alike. Participants gather in
small groups to engage in informal discussions, often centered around a topic
such as “shopping for food,” to improve verbal language skills. READ MORE >>
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