Literacy – Spanning the US :: Honolulu HI :: Crestview FL :: Kent Ohio :: Hendersonville NC

Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US

@HawaiiLiteracy

Why 1 In 6 Hawaii Residents Struggle To Read
Civil Beat: 12.09.2020 by Anita Hofschneider

As a kid growing up in Hanapepe, Kanani Santos never felt like he fit in at school. His hyperactivity confounded his teachers, who put him in special education classes. Even though Santos is part Hawaiian, he was often teased for his haole looks.

By the time Santos went to high school, drugs and alcohol became his pathway into social acceptance. He estimates he graduated at a seventh-grade reading level.

It wasn’t until Santos was in his mid-30s, a businessman with children of his own, that he decided he wanted to be a better reader. He started one-on-one tutoring through Hawaii Literacy, a statewide nonprofit, and kept it up for more than a year.

Santos, 43, says improving his reading helped him better read the bills, contracts and invoices necessary to grow his landscaping business. But the bigger benefit was intangible.

“Doing something like that gave me more confidence in life,” he said. “A lot of people don’t really understand how difficult or how embarrassing it can be for a person to not be able to read.”

Nearly 200 years ago, literacy in the Hawaiian islands exceeded 90%, making the Hawaiian Kingdom one of the most literate nations in the world.

Today, one in six adults in Hawaii struggle with reading English, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.  That means that they may be able to read simple texts but have trouble understanding more complex material.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

 

@cvwlibrary

Crestview Library Free ESOL, GED And Adult Literacy Classes
WAAZ1047: 12.09.2020

It’s a sad fact that within North Okaloosa County, the people who most need to know about the information that follows will be unable to read it. That is why the Crestview Public Library has created a multi-faceted literacy program — the only one in Northwest Florida west of Panama City.

“Our program is three-fold,” explained adult services librarian Augusta Whittle, who developed the program. “We have literacy for learning to read or write, or to read and write better. Then we have the ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) component. And we have a GED (general equivalency diploma) study prep part.”

Ms. Whittle was an ESOL instructor for 20 years before coming to Crestview and is the program’s lead instructor.

“This is the only library literacy program in the Florida panhandle,” library Director Jean McCarthy said. “Other libraries, three in fact, have called on Augusta to benchmark her program. I’m really proud that we are able to offer this service to our community.”

Ms. Whittle said the literacy program, which started in August, has begun attracting more people as word gets out.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

 

@OhioLiteracyRC

Impact of Illiteracy Has Far Reaching Effect
The Daily Jeffersonian: 12.10.2020 by  Kristi R Garabrandt

Imagine being an unemployed father desperately trying to find a job to support his family while having to rely on public transportation to get to job interviews and not being able to read a bus schedule or tell time. Then picture this father's search for employment being hampered even more due to his inability to read a job application.

Now imagine being a mother, with a sick child, worried about giving her child the wrong dosage of medication because of an inability to read the directions.

This is what is known as functional illiteracy and it's an often unseen daily reality for many.

Functional illiteracy is defined according to Kent State University as having the ability to read between a fourth-grade and sixth-grade level.

The Ohio Literacy Resource Center estimates that there are 44 million people in the United States that are unable to fill out an application, read a food label, or read a simple story to a child.

@MidEastDistrict

According to Barb Funk, CARE coordinator/assistant director at Mid-East Career and Technology Centers, literacy ratings indicate that an estimated 22% of Guernsey County residents may be functionally illiterate or innumerate (ability to read numbers).

Ohio's overall average is 18% statewide, while the national average is about 22%.

Funk also noted that the average drop out or educational obtainment rate is probably about 12%.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 14

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 21-22 yrs. old

(college level)

 

Henderson County Women Find Career Success Through BRLC, BRCC Partnership
Blue Ridge Now: 12.10.2020

Two Henderson County women found jobs that advance their career goals, despite the pandemic, thanks to help from the Blue Ridge Literacy Council and Blue Ridge Community College, according to a news release from BRLC.

The two organizations have partnered providing literacy programs for more than 40 years.

Teresita Gamboa was a registered nurse in her native Costa Rica. When she came to the U.S. to join her fiancé, she spoke little English but was determined to learn quickly. She enrolled in Blue Ridge Community College English Language Acquisition classes.

Gamboa asked Literacy Council staff to find a tutor who could assist her in her goal of becoming a registered nurse in the United States. A Literacy Council tutor and retired registered nurse, Sheila Feaster, agreed to tutor Teresita in medical terminology, health literacy and English.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)