Literacy: Spanning the US
Adult Education Isn’t A Priority
in the FY21 Budget — But It Should Be
The new budget for the City of
Philadelphia makes one thing clear: adult education is not a priority.
To participate in society and
have opportunities for the future, education is crucial. However, in the FY21
budget, the Office of Adult Education
(OAE) was completely slashed. For the past 37 years, staff from this
office connected learners with the diverse programs around the city, ranging
from English as a Second Language (ESL) and citizenship, to high school
equivalency and workforce development.
They offered professional
development for educators and training for volunteers. OAE celebrated and
prioritized adult learners and shouted the message that education, no matter
your age, is a right.
This cut leaves adult education
programs around the city disconnected just as we begin to imagine the
post-pandemic rebuilding of our communities and workforce. It is abundantly
clear that the reverberations of this pandemic will be felt most by those with
the fewest resources, including our adult learners. Losing OAE is salt in the
wound during an already profoundly painful time.
Education as a whole is
underfunded and undervalued, and adult learners feel the brunt of that.
However, even though adults are often forgotten in the rhetoric of education
programming and funding in Philadelphia, these learning communities are robust
and growing. READ MORE ➤➤
Based on (7) readability
formulas:
Grade Level: 12
Reading Level: difficult to
read.
Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old
(Twelfth graders)
Literacy Council Says Quarantine
Doesn’t Have To Close Book On Learning
Michelle Jaruwannakorn had never
heard of dyslexia when her son was diagnosed with it back in Ohio.
Dyslexia is a general term for
disorders involving difficulty learning to read or interpret letters and other
symbols, and does not affect general intelligence.
Aaden’s Seaside Elementary
School teacher told his mother the literacy council could help with his
problem, and that’s exactly what happened.
“At first, Aaden would only
read with me, but now he reads to his younger brother and sister and he’ll read
with his Dad too,” Jaruwannakorn says.
When the Palmetto Literacy
Council closed on March 17 because of COVID-19, there were 20 students between
the ages of 5 and 55 matched with tutors. Eight were about to be matched, and
there were about 30 people on a waiting list.
Since the closure, about three
or four of the current students were willing to be tutored online.
Only one of those is an adult.
Executive director Dodi Hodges
says the other adults don’t have access to the internet. READ MORE ➤➤
Based on (7) readability
formulas:
Grade Level: 9
Reading Level: standard /
average.
Reader's Age: 13-15 yrs. old
(Eighth and Ninth graders)
Lee County Literacy Coalition
Receives $10,000 Grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to Support
Adult Literacy
The Dollar General
Literacy Foundation recently awarded Lee County Literacy organization
a $10,000 grant to support adult literacy. This local grant is part of more
than $8.6 million in grants awarded to more than 950 schools, nonprofits and
organizations across the communities Dollar General serves.
“Imagine for a moment, what it
would be like not being able to read. For some this is a reality. On any given
day, we are always improving. LCLC is grateful for the support of the Dollar
General Foundation”. – Patricia Butts, executive director.
By increasing adult literacy
rates, Lee County Literacy Coalition (LCLC) positively affects poverty, K-12
test scores, economic prosperity, emotional and physical health. Programs
include one-to-one tutoring for reading, writing, math, computer, and GED
preparation to adults in Lee County and neighboring counties as well as
financial, health and computer literacy workshops. While learner gain is the
primary goal for all LCLC programming, getting, keeping, and advancing in a job
are a close second. LCLC's Leveraging Technology for Literacy Project will
introduce adult learners to applications to improve overall literacy. READ MORE ➤➤
Based on (7) readability
formulas:
Grade Level: 11
Reading Level: difficult to
read.
Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. old
(Tenth to Eleventh graders)
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