Literacy – Spanning the US :: Waterbury VT :: Kyle TX :: Findlay OH :: Huntington WV

Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US

@VTAdultLearning

Success Stories: VT Adult Learning
Rutland Herald: 3.19.2021 by Elizabeth Espinosa

Vermont Adult Learning (VAL) has served tens of thousands of adult learners, ages 16 years and older, since our founding in 1980. Our programs include basic education and literacy, high school completion, GED tutoring and testing, courses for English Language Learners, workforce readiness and development, and transition to post-secondary education. Our services are free.

Elizabeth Espinosa, an English Language Learning (ELL) student at VAL was born in Archidona, Ecuador. Trained as an economist in her homeland, her professional background includes international work as a policy analyst, research director, and consultant. She applies quantitative analysis to complex economic and social policies.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. old

(college level entry)

 

Kyle Correctional Center Kicks Off Special Literacy Project With A Deeper Meaning

Kyle Correctional Center

KXAN: 3.19.2021 by Todd Bailey

A Central Texas correctional facility has a literacy program underway — reaching out to three different groups in the community to promote reading and writing, as well as lessons for life.

Senior warden Bernadette Rodriguez and staff at the Kyle Correctional Center are recognizing and celebrating the 40th anniversary of their facility’s Management and Training Corporation, or MTC.

For the milestone, they’re focusing efforts to change lives in key areas. For their first quarter, the center of attention is literacy.  WATCH 00:46

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 18

Reading Level: very difficult to read.

Reader's Age: College graduate

 

@fhcpl

Read for Life Supports Gift Of Literacy
Courier: 3.19.2021 by Sarah Clevidence, Director: Findlay-Hancock County Public Library

Recently, I’ve been considering how our patrons use the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library. With half of Hancock County residents as card holders, we’re fortunate to serve a wide range of community members. Many of you reading this today are library users. You might come in to browse our shelves or download digital titles. You could be one of the avid genealogists using our online databases, a home chef checking out a new cookbook, or an investor looking for stock information.

There’s another group of our community members for whom these activities are more challenging. According to estimates from the National Center for Education Statistics, 14% of Hancock County residents ages 16-74 are at risk for difficulties using or understanding print material. While adults at the upper end of this range are able to read well enough to complete simple tasks, such as filling out forms, those at the lower end may be considered functionally illiterate.

I simply cannot imagine how difficult these limited skills must make everyday life. I read The Courier daily to follow community activity. My daughter’s school sends emails with important information. I followed a new brownie recipe this weekend that included suggested substitutions. A letter from my insurance company explained coverage for a prescription and how to get the best price. Reading and understanding the information I’ve read is critical to my everyday life.

For those adults in our community seeking to build their literacy skills, the library offers Read for Life.  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)

 

@CabellCoLibrary

Local Library Is Getting National Attention As Finalist For Prestigious Award
WOW KTV: 3.19.2021 by Natalie Wadas

The Cabell County Public Library is one of only 30 finalists, and one of only 15 libraries, announced for the 2021 National Medal for Museum and Library Services.

“It’s quite an honor! We were chosen as a finalist for the national medal, which is the highest honor bestowed upon libraries and museums in the United States,” says Judy Rule, the director for the Cabell County Public Library.

@TriStateLit

This year, the Cabell County Public Library was the only library in West Virginia to receive the distinction of ‘finalist’ from the Institute Of Museum and Library Services—which is the federal agency that oversees museums and libraries. “The award is given to museums and libraries that make a change in their community and have a good influence on their community,” Rule says.  WATCH 01:15

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. old

(college level entry)

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Houston TX :: Marshall TX :: Waterbury VT :: Morristown NJ

Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US

Re-writing The Story On Adult Literacy
KHOU: 9.14.2020 w/ Deborah Duncan

@NeuhausEdCtr @adultliteracyh1

Neuhaus Education Center and the Mayor's Office for Adult Literacy talk to Deborah Duncan on how they are helping Houstonians overcome challenges with literacy.  LISTEN 09:43

Marshall-Harrison 

Literacy Council

Rotary Club Learns The ABC's Of Literacy; Prepares For Spelling Bee
Marshall News Messenger: 9.19.2020 by Wyndi Veigel

The Marshall Rotary Club recently learned how valuable the Marshall-Harrison County Literacy Council is to citizens in the community.

During the Thursday, Sept. 10 meeting, Marshall-Harrison County Literacy Council Executive Director Karen Bickerdike, spoke to the club about what the council had been up to during the pandemic and how their new location benefited the organization.

“We were the best kept secret in Harrison County and we wanted to change that,” Bickerdike said. The new location, located at 114 E. Grand Avenue, allows a more visible storefront and for people to simply stop by.

Prior to the pandemic, the council had 12 to 14 parents enrolled in their English as a Second Language class and were doing better than they had in years, Bickerdike said.

“We hit the wall in March,” she said, regarding the shutdown due to the pandemic. The council was shutdown for almost 100 days and then had to determine the best way to reopen distance learning style using WiFi in their parking lot, laptops and Zoom.

“They simply were not engaging with distance learning,” she said. This is for a variety of reasons including a language barrier and having more people than normal at home.  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)

@VTAdultLearning

You’re Never Too Old To Learn
Mountain Times: 9.16.2020 by Hal Cohen, Executive Dir - Vermont Adult Learning

Dear Editor,

Lisa earned her high school diploma at age 59 this past June. Born in Vermont, her education was interrupted due to an unplanned pregnancy. Lisa spent 20 years working as a nurse’s aide and raising her two children before being sidelined by a career-ending back injury.

“I was sitting at home. I knew I needed to do something,” Lisa said. “I decided to check out Vermont Adult Learning. It was hard at first. I was the oldest student in the classes. Today, I can read things in my mail. I can understand a bill, something my kids used to help me with.”

Sept. 19-26 is National Adult Education and Family Literacy week. Lisa’s story reminds us there are many talented and capable individuals among us who, for myriad reasons, lack a high school credential.

An estimated 42,000 Vermonters do not have a high school diploma or GED. These folks face more limited job opportunities and access to training programs or the ability to continue one’s studies at the college level; they are also the most likely to lose employment during an economic downturn. The Covid-19 pandemic reinforces the enhanced health vulnerabilities of folks of limited education and income.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

Literacy Volunteers 

Morris Co

Morristown's Literacy Volunteers Use Personalization To Help

Patch-Morristown: 9.17.2020 by Carl Stoffers

Volunteers at a Morristown nonprofit dedicated to helping adults learn to read and write have not let the pandemic stop them.

Literacy Volunteers of Morris County in Morristown provides free tutoring services to adults in the area to learn to read and write English, as well as GED prep. The program also teaches other skills, such applying for driver's license or writing a resume.

"These are real-world skills," Leon said, "maybe they're struggling at work because their emails aren't polished. Maybe they can't make a doctor's appointment. We teach them all of that."

Prior to the pandemic, students and tutors were matched up geographically and would meet in a public place. Leon said that many of Literacy Volunteers' students had limited access to technology or high speed internet service when the quarantine began. But she soon found a solution: Personalization.

"It really threw our students for a loop," Leon said, "but we decided to contact each one and personalize their program based on their level of technology. If you could do Zoom, great. If you only had a phone, fine. We worked it out together."  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

 

 

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Waterbury Center VT :: Bloomington IL :: Edinburg TX

Literacy: Spanning the US

@cliforg

Literacy Foundation Brings Books Behind Bars, Connects Inmates To Their Children

WCAX: 1.06.2020 by Christina Guessferd

When a parent is incarcerated at a prison, the connection between them and their child can be broken. The Children's Literacy Foundation says it's trying to reestablish those connections through storytelling.

"I think the CLiF program is awesome. It definitely keeps us together with our kids. It's like something we can kind of still be there for in a way," said an inmate, who asked that we not give their name.

Over the last 16 years, CLiF has worked with thousands of children of prison inmates at 17 facilities across Vermont and New Hampshire.

═════════►

McDougall says 70 percent of U.S. inmates have low literacy skills and their children are at risk of growing up with the same. He says CLiF's programs, like Children of Prison Inmates, increase the chance those kids will become strong readers and writers.  WATCH 02:31

Automatic Readability Checker

Grade Level: 7

Reading Level: fairly easy to read.

Reader's Age: 11-13 yrs. old

(Sixth and Seventh graders)

@STAR_LiteracyBN

Literacy Program Helps English Learners In Central Illinois

WGLT: 1.07.2020 by Edith Brady-Lunny

On a day off from his 70-hour work week, David Cruz met with a tutor who helps him with language skills he hopes will bring him closer to his dream of a better job and U.S. citizenship.

Cruz came to the U.S. almost 20 years ago seeking the same economic opportunity that drives most immigrants across the border. He took jobs in hotels and restaurants where employers didn’t care much about English proficiency.

Cruz learned enough to get by with co-workers and others. But he said the ability to read and write the new language has taken more effort.

“With time, I noticed that English is very important," Cruz told WGLT. "It’s important for me to have good communication with my co-workers, my employer, and also it helps me better understand the U.S. culture."

For the past year, Cruz has met volunteer tutor Scott Bolbock Saturday mornings at the Bloomington Public Library. Their work is part of the Sharing The Ability To Read (STAR) Adult Literacy Program in Bloomington, which has about 100 students who meet with 80 volunteers for one-on-one tutoring.  READ MORE >>

Automatic Readability Checker

Grade Level: 7

Reading Level: fairly easy to read.

Reader's Age: 11-13 yrs. old

(Sixth and Seventh graders)

South Texas Literacy Coalition Celebrates Ribbon Cutting Event

Valley Town Crier: 1.07.2020 by Illiana Luna

The South Texas Literacy Coalition celebrated the opening of its new office in Edinburg.

It is a 501C-3 non-profit organization founded in 2007 by former congressman, Ruben Hinojosa who saw the Rio Grande Valley needing assistance in economic development, social and health needs.

Research in the Rio Grande Valley by the Texas Center for Adult Literacy showed that only 50% of the population is literate. The remaining 50% is at a high risk of not graduating high school and becoming incomprehensive in English and Spanish.

The South Texas Literacy Coalition promotes literacy to the community by taking a different learning approach than the ones learned in the classrooms.

“We work with public libraries, school libraries, community literacy agencies and host family festivals,” said Ida Acuna-Garza, CEO of South Texas Literacy Coalition.

The organization carries out activities and programs throughout the year from family-inclusive to elementary class readings. Activities like ‘Make-A-Book’ and inviting local authors are just some of the many learning approaches they take.  READ MORE >>

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 14

Reading Level: very difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 21-22 yrs. old

(college level)