Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Dayton OH :: Green Bay WI :: Modesto CA


Literacy: Spanning the US

Homemade Masks Needed For Adults Learning English
Dayton Daily News: 7.14.2020 by Meredith Moss

Program also seeks volunteers to teach and help students in other ways

Were you aware that dozens of adults from across the globe, determined to improve their English, regularly meet in downtown Dayton?

We’ve written about the excellent St. John’s ESOL program, located at St. John’s United Church of Christ, that has been offering ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes for nearly 30 years. Over that time, thousands of immigrants and refugees have improved their English fluency and have moved on to employment, college and citizenship, becoming contributing members of our community.

Due to the coronavirus, classes have had to adjust to the the new policies given by the state. “Even with all of the chaos and unknowns in the world, students still want to learn English,” says program coordinator Leah Brown. “Currently, some classes are offered online while other classes are offered in-person on a limited-seating basis.”

“This past year, over 350 students from 68 different countries, speaking 66 different languages have come through the doors to learn English and American culture,” says Brown. “Current students come from places like Democratic Republic of the Congo, Turkey, Guatemala, China, Eritrea and Iraq.  READ MORE ➤➤

Based on 7 readability formulas:
Grade Level: 11
Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.
Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. old
(Tenth to Eleventh graders)

Literacy Green Bay Teaches Valuable Language, Reading Skills Through Pandemic
NBC 26: 7.20.2020 by Matt Jarchow

Shortly after Alondra Valle came from Mexico to Green Bay, she found a place that would help provide valuable skills in her transition.

Literacy Green Bay gave me many opportunities to function effectively in the community,” she said.

At Literacy Green Bay, Valle learned language and reading skills. They are skills some of us may take for granted, but leaders at the nonprofit said the coronavirus pandemic has emphasized the importance of having them.

“Literacy affects a lot more than that one individual," executive director Robyn Hallet said. “Language barriers, low literacy levels, makes it much more difficult for some of our students who want to stay safe, want to keep their families safe, want to keep their communities safe, but they have an extra layer of challenges that they’re working with.”

Hallet said Literacy Green Bay has continued to address those challenges through the pandemic. Many of the services offered have gone online. To help adult learners connect, Literacy Green Bay used a grant to purchase WiFi hotspots.  WATCH 01:55

Based on 7 readability formulas:
Grade Level: 11
Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.
Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. old
(Tenth to Eleventh graders)

Book Drive Helps Halt `Summer Slide’ For Stanislaus Students
Modesto Bee: 7.21.2020 by Rochele Roura-Foster & Anne Britton

Parents, volunteers, librarians, and the whole community need to partner to fight “summer slide,” when students lose up to three months of learning before the school year starts. They must work hand-in-hand to stop this negative impact on reading for children in Stanislaus County.

Growing up in a rural area of Mexico, Marlen Valencia had minimal opportunities to receive education. Due to her family’s financial constraints she was only able to reach 11th grade. After some time, Valencia immigrated to the United States with her husband where they started their family.

Although many years had passed, Valencia was still determined to get her diploma and pass down that hunger for education to her children. “[I want to] become a good example for my children and to show them that it’s never too late to learn,” she said.

One of the biggest obstacles is that time between the school year when the dreaded “summer slide” occurs. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the impact of the summer slide by having children leave school almost two months earlier than planned, making parents immediately become their child’s at-home teachers.

Valencia, a student at LearningQuest-Stanislaus Literacy Centers, is on the path to earning her High School Equivalency diploma and uses the skills she’s learned to help her children stay on track with reading. She said, “It makes me feel good because I now have the capability to help my child with things I was not able to before.”  READ MORE ➤➤

Based on 7 readability formulas:
Grade Level: 11
Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.
Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. old
(Tenth to Eleventh graders)


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