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Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US

@TheREADCenter

Adults Learning To Read Embrace Virtual Classes At The READ Center
Chesterfeld Observer: 3.24.2021 by Eileen Abbott

Deborah has been struggling to read since elementary school, where she says a teacher called her a “dummy” many years ago.

Now a grandmother in her 60s, she is determined to learn to read well enough that she can obtain her G.E.D. “It’s never too late to learn,” she says.

For two years, Deborah has been a student in an adult literacy class at the READ Center, a Richmond-based nonprofit that provides classroom instruction at no cost to the students and includes two Chesterfield learning locations.

During the past year, those classes have continued without pause despite the pandemic, thanks to the center’s ability to quickly shift gears from in-person to virtual classes to protect students and teachers from COVID-19.

“When the closure of public buildings came late last winter, there were no contingency plans for teaching sans a physical classroom,” recalls Donald Wilms, a retired English teacher with Chesterfield County Public Schools who now teaches with READ. “At the time only one of my students had easy access to both a laptop and the Internet. But everyone had a smartphone and several of the tutors who work with me were more than willing to teach over the phone one-to-one with a student so that learning could continue.”

For many of READ’s adult students already challenged by low literacy, the past year has meant persevering through the added challenge of acquiring the digital skills needed to learn remotely.  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

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)

 

@SFECSouthDakota

Woman Honored For Work Aiding Students, Educators In Pandemic
Rapid City Journal: 3.25.2021 by Tanya Manus

Morgan VonHaden leads a team at the South Dakota Statewide Family Engagement Center that created digital resources to help families, educators and students of all ages with learning during COVID-19. On Wednesday, VonHaden received a national award from the Coalition on Adult Basic Education.

COABE, an organization dedicated to advancing the field of adult literacy, honored VonHaden with its 2021 Local Excellence in Advocacy Award during its online national conference. The award recognizes an individual outstanding advocate.

“It’s such an honor to get this award,” said VonHaden, project director for the Rapid City-based South Dakota Statewide Family Engagement Center. “I have about 14 staff throughout the state that have developed these amazing resources we share with schools and adult learners. … My team has been knocking it out of the park since COVID-19 happened. It’s cool we’re getting recognized at a national level.”  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 11

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. old

(Tenth to Eleventh graders)

 

✱ Meet Our Tutors: Samuel V -National City Library Tutor

National City Literacy
Resource Site

Literacy Services Newsletter: March 2021

My name is Samuel, I have been tutoring at the National City Public Library for more than 2 years. First a work study tutor from my school and then as a volunteer, proud to say I have absolutely no regrets to have been around this library for this long. The amazing people I have met, both fellow workers and learners are just one of the many reasons why I would not trade this experience for anything.

I have tutored GED, ASVAB & other subjects like general education in high school, middle school, and even elementary school for the Children’s department. Each one of my learners has been special and has led me to not only discover more about them, but it has also led me to discover more about myself.

It is always amazing to see the determination of each learner to take the step forward to do something that could potentially help them improve their lives forever. Ranging from the youth who wish to excel in their classes to adults who know they still have not achieved their full potential and want more out of life.  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 12

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old

(Twelfth graders)

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COABE ▬ National Adult Education & Family Literacy Week ▬ Call for $1B in Federal Funding

COABE, 100+ Partners Mark National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week With Call for $1B in Federal Funding                                       Additional Funding Needed to Help Nation's Adult Education System Recover, Reskill Displaced Workers for Jobs

Twitter Storm

PR Newswire: 9.21.2020 by Coalition on Adult Basic Education

Joined by more than 100 state, national and corporate partners, including Amazon, Google and IBM, the National Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) is intensifying its effort during National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week to secure $1 billion in federal funding to help adult education programs and their learners recover from the pandemic.

National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week began Sunday and runs through Saturday, Sept. 26. During this week, COABE is spearheading a full schedule of activities designed to amplify the call on Congress to provide the additional funding and on state governors to allocate federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) stimulus funding to the adult education recovery.  

The call for additional funding comes at a time when the education and skills provided by the nation's system of adult education are needed to help reskill or upskill low-skill Americans into new jobs that provide family-sustaining wages. According to recent findings published by the American Institutes for Research, 43 million adults in the United States lack the skills needed for the bulk of the nation's family-sustaining careers.

"Adult education is an important part of our nation's economic recovery from COVID-19," said Sharon Bonney, CEO of COABE, which represents the field of 65,000 adult educators nationally. "It's low-skilled adults who are more likely to be negatively impacted by the current economic crisis and who are in need of upskilling. Adult education programs are struggling to get back on their feet and need help so they can safely and adequately educate displaced workers and give them the skills they need to get back to work, this time in better jobs."

The nation's system of adult education has been hard-hit by COVID-19. Programs have struggled with the transition from brick and mortar to a virtual setting; to train educators to deliver online instruction; to provide students with the technology needed for at-home learning; and to find – and afford – the physical space and personal protective equipment needed for safe social distancing for the return to in-person learning.

Of the more than 43 million adults who could benefit from services in the U.S., 1.5 million adults, with 74 percent of them being persons of color, received instruction under the Workforce Opportunity and Innovation Act (WIOA). COABE estimates the return on investment for adult education, which includes preparing adults to earn their High School Equivalency diploma, is $2.5 billion in tax revenue and reduced expenses for every 400,000 adults who earn a high school diploma – a savings of $6,250 per person. 

The week's activities include Virtual Hill Meetings with governors and members of Congress, led by state adult education associations; a Twitter "storm;" and daily awards ceremonies to honor elected officials, at the local, state and national levels, who have shown leadership in the area of adult education. View the full schedule of events and elected officials to be honored.

Among the partners joining the effort are Amazon, The Barbara Bush Foundation, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, Google, IBM, Markle, the National Association of State Directors of Adult Education, National Coalition for Literacy, National Governors Association, National Skills Coalition, SkillsUSA, Strada Network, Tyson, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and The United States Conference of Mayors.

View the list of corporate partners.

About COABE

The Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) is a non-profit organization that champions increased access and investment in adult education, leading to higher-quality instruction and greater student outcomes. We employ innovative and effective strategies to reach more adults who struggle with literacy, numeracy and problem-solving. COABE represents the field of nearly 65,000 adult educators and provides a variety of services, including professional development through annual, state-of-the-art national conferences, more than 50 webinars annually, and publication of the COABE Journal.

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)

Adult Education Can Be a Game-Changer for Families and Economy via NM Politics

Adult education can be a game-changer for families and economy

NM Politics: 6.07.2018 by Amy Lin

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@COABEHQ

#AdultEdu

Many things are a struggle in adult education — and not just from a student’s point of view. For state governments, the struggle is to fund adult education adequately and provide the necessary services, according to experts and advocates.

In New Mexico, the need is astronomical. An estimated 400,000 adults — roughly a third of the adult population — could benefit from adult education, according to the Higher Education Department (HED) and its Adult Education Division. People in this category don’t have a high school diploma, can’t speak English or have a fourth-grade skill level or below, the state says.

How many get the help they need? “We were only able to serve about 3 percent,” the HED says in its 2017 annual report.

The department’s roughly 27 adult education programs around the state served 12,755 adults between 16 and 64 years old, according to the 2017 report. It was the lowest number of people served in nearly a decade.

In 2009 and prior, before the Great Recession, nearly double that number — or more than 23,000 people — took basic education classes, studied civics or English as a second language, or studied for high school equivalency exams like the GED or the HiSet (High School Equivalency Test). Still, that was only about five percent of the people in need.

“We are dedicated to serving as many people as possible, but it is just as important that we serve them effectively,” Lida Alikhani, spokesperson for the Public Education Department, said in a written statement. The director of the Adult Education Division, Frances Bannowsky, declined to speak to Searchlight New Mexico, despite numerous requests for interviews.

State budget cuts are a continual obstacle, education experts say. And the lack of enthusiasm for adult educadtion, while particularly pronounced in New Mexico, is a problem around the country. Advocates like the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy, a nonprofit that supports community-based literacy programs statewide, have for years faced funding challenges.

Adult education just doesn’t make it on the public radar.

“We’re trying to get people to understand that investing in adult education isn’t just good for the individual — it’s good for the family, for the children, for the community and for the economy,” says Sharon Bonney, executive director of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education, a national advocacy group.  READ MORE >>

COABE Awards :: Adult Learner of the Year

COABE National Awards

There were many outstanding candidates for our national-level COABE Awards. Congratulations to this year's award, incentive grant, and scholarship winners, representing the best in our field!

Adult Learner of the Year

Margo Hudson, Seeds of Literacy, Ohio

Margo Hudson is passionate about learning. She received her GED in 2012 from Seeds of Literacy in Cleveland, Ohio, after 11 years of diligent preparation. Since graduating, Margo has tutored twice a week at Seeds, acting as a role model for students like herself. She continues to learn new skills in jewelry making, knitting, duct tape crafts, linedancing, candy making and music lessons for keyboard. She is an avid reader and works closely with an outreach ministry to young African-American men.

Margo is a very vocal champion for the power of adult learning. She works as a housekeeper at the United Club at Cleveland Hopkins Airport and has strong relationships with her customers, many of whom are high powered business people from around the country and the world. Through Margo, many of them have heard about how her life was changed through literacy. They have invited her to speak on their radio programs, written about her for publications, collected books and supplies for students at Seeds, and made donations in her honor.

Margo loves to travel the world with her husband, Dale Hernlund.

Press Releases

•       Margo Hudson Adult Learner of the Year 2016

•       Aurelia Garcia Adult Learner of the Year Runner Up 2016

•       Cung Hnin Adult Learner of the Year Runner Up 2016

•       Elida Tuchez Adult Learner of the Year Runner Up 2016

•       Pablo Carvallo Boschi Adult Learner of the Year Runner Up 2016

•       Patricia Harville Adult Learner of the Year Runner Up 2016

READ MORE @