Literacy – Spanning North America :: Oklahoma :: Williams Lake BC :: St Charles IL

Literacy: Spanning North America      

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LITERACY PROJECT: Oklahoma Struggles With Literacy

Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: 1.23.2019 by Nathan Thompson

On the surface, literacy seems to be a small issue for many in Nowata, Osage and Washington counties. But an investigation by the Examiner-Enterprise shows that literacy is a fundamentally important issue when looking at facts and the related problems that arise when people lack necessary reading and writing skills.

According to the Literacy Resource Office of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, there is no single measure to determine the rate and impact of illiteracy in Oklahoma. To allow for a broad-based analysis, the Literacy Resource Office looks at a number of factors.

“We look at census data, reports on dropouts, poverty, employment and health,” Leslee Gulders, administrator of state literacy programs said. “We then compare that data with national statistics and reports.”

Literacy no longer simply means the ability to read and write, material from the Department of Libraries show. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy, a study from 2013, defined literacy as “Using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.”

The study found that 30 million adults in the United States, or 14 percent of the adult population, functioned at “below basic” level due to poor reading, writing, comprehension and math skills. An additional 63 million, or 29 percent of adults, had only “basic” literacy skills.

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In Oklahoma, 20 percent of the adult population has less than a 12th grade education, the 2010 census report shows. Six percent of adult Oklahomans have less than a ninth-grade education.

Nowata County’s numbers are even more troubling. The U.S. Census Bureau reports 24 percent of adults in Nowata County do not have a high school education and 7 percent have less than a ninth-grade education.

Osage County has better results, but not by much. The census data shows 21 percent of adults lave less than a 12th-grade education and 6 percent have less than a ninth-grade education.

Washington County has better results than the statewide average. The U.S. Census Bureau reports 16 percent of adults do not have a high school education and 4 percent have less than a ninth grade education.  READ MORE >>

CCPL

English Conversation Circles Offered at Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy

Williams Lake Tribune: 1.23.2019 by Angie Mindus

Maryna Muzyka understands very well what immigrants may be feeling when they access Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy in Williams Lake.

Muzyka is the settlement services worker and operations assistant/office manager for CCPL in Williams Lake but she also recently became a Canadian citizen after moving to Williams Lake eight years ago from Ukraine to be with her husband.

“I still take a deep breath of fresh air every time I walk outside,” Muzyka said of one of things she loves about Canada.

Muzyka moved from a Ukrainian “village” of about 700,000 people and noted it is known as the third dirtiest city in Europe due to its many industrial plants, including coal, nuclear and smelting plants. She said people in the country are also in political turmoil due to current tensions with Russia.

“I was really impressed with fresh air and nature when I moved here and the variety of landscapes and people and jobs. It’s a beautiful country, period.”  READ MORE >>

Literacy Volunteers

Fox Valley

Fox Valley literacy Group Looking For Volunteers

Beacon News: 1.25.2019 by Cathy Janek

In spite of frosty temperatures outside, new volunteers gathered in the community room of the St. Charles Library recently to learn about volunteering to help others learn how to speak and read English through Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley.

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Interested in trying something new, Batavia's Jean Keskitalo and St. Charles resident Debbie Scardina came to the training because they also were interested in helping others, especially on a one-on-one basis.

Others came because their own travel experiences brought them to places where they didn't know the language. This gave them motivation to tutor others new to the English language, they said.

Grace Zepeda, a fourth-grade teacher in Plainfield who came with her husband, David Zepeda, a physician, encounters parents of students in her school who are not comfortable speaking English.

Her husband David found through his Uber trips that sometimes the drivers could not read English well enough to understand repairs needed to their vehicles.

Both wanted to do something to help others.

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Formed in 1986, the group started with five students and five tutors. In 2018, Literacy Volunteers Fox Valley had more than 200 tutors.  READ MORE >>