The Kids & Family Reading Report: Rise of Read-Aloud :: Scholastic

Kids & Family Reading Report

Rise of Read-Aloud

Rise of Read-Aloud

Scholastic: 2019

The Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™ is a biennial, national survey of children ages 6–17 and their parents as well as parents of kids ages 0–5, in the U.S. exploring attitudes and behaviors around reading books for fun. Released as three installments, findings from the 7th Edition cover the topics of read aloud, summer reading, book access, the latest trends in children’s reading habits as well as what both kids and parents want in books.

Key findings from The Rise of Read-Aloud, released in January 2019, reveal that more parents are reading to their young children, the family read-aloud experience is overwhelmingly positive, reading aloud is a partnership between kids and parents, and read-aloud frequency is on the rise, although read-aloud continues to decline after age five.

Additional data from the 7th Edition will be released throughout the spring of 2019.

Around the globe, the Kids & Family Reading Report has also been released in Australia, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom.

Scholastic’s New ‘Kids & Family Reading’ Report: Reading Aloud Is Up

Publishing Perspectives: 1.28.2019 by Porter Anderson

Scholastic’s biennial family-reading study finds American families are reading aloud to their children more often, but falling fast as children start reading for themselves.

The seventh edition of the biennial Kids & Family Reading Report from Scholastic was released at the end of last week and compiles the result of a survey on reading habits of American families.

With a focus two years ago on diversity issues, as Publishing Perspectives reported, this edition reports good news about the effects of reading aloud to children.

Kids & Family Reading Report™

The quick version:

➤Reading aloud is important, and it’s on the rise since the study started looking for it in 2014.

➤But reading aloud peaks at age 5 and falls off precipitously after ages 6 to 8. Parents say they stop or decrease reading aloud because children can read on their own.

The quick version with numbers:

➤The percentage of parents reading aloud during a child’s first three months is up nearly 50 percent since 2014, and the number of 6 to 8 year olds being read to 5 to 7 days a week up 7 percent since 2016

➤While a majority of families (55 percent) said they read aloud 5 to 7 days a week before a child turns 6, this percentage then begins to decline dramatically, even as research shows read-aloud frequency can help shape a young child into a frequent reader

The quickest version:

Read aloud more to children’s, and keep doing it, even after they can read for themselves.  READ MORE >>

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Buffalo NY :: Winchester VA :: Provo UT

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

@NorthlandWTC

For Some Job Seekers, Reading And Math Classes Must Come First

Buffalo News: 1.12.2019 by Maki Becker

Keith Jones was like a lot of those trying to enroll in the Northland Workforce Training Center. The 30-year-old fast-food worker wanted a career in advanced manufacturing. But when he took the center's test for reading and math, he scored below the level of a high school sophomore.

About 70 percent of the 600 people who tried to enroll in Northland last year couldn't pass the test, which measures whether people can read and write at the industry standard.

The applicants know the letters of the alphabet and how to sound out words. They can do basic addition and subtraction. That’s not the problem.

But they struggle to comprehend technical instructions and blueprints, to use formulas to solve problems and to fill out complex forms.

“It was a little bit discouraging,” Jones said of his test result.

Across the Buffalo Niagara region, but especially in Buffalo and Niagara Falls with their high rates of poverty, thousands of people would love to have jobs in manufacturing and health care – good paying jobs with benefits and a career path. Many look to Northland as a way to a better life.

“I can’t support my kids working in a kitchen,” he said.

At the same time, some 3,000 jobs in advanced manufacturing and energy need to be filled, according to the Buffalo Niagara Manufacturing Alliance. State labor officials estimate more than 3,500 jobs will be available over the next five years in health care support occupations alone.

But many don’t qualify for the jobs because they don’t have the reading and math skills or a diploma.  READ MORE >>

@LVWA_VA

Literacy Volunteers Offers More Than Help With Reading

Winchester Star: 1.12.2019 by Onofrio Castiglia

When Diana Katterine Roiz Soto walked into the Literacy Volunteers Winchester Area (LVWA) office at 301 N. Cameron St. two years ago, was looking for help improving her English.

But officials with the nonprofit group needed her help as well when they learned she was trained as a lawyer in her native Colombia.

Soto’s legal expertise and Spanish-speaking skills have come in handy. Not only does Literacy Volunteers provide one-on-one tutoring for adults who lack fundamental reading, writing, math and computer skills. It also offers classes on how to become a U.S. citizen.

According to LVWA Executive Director Mark Sieffert, demand for citizenship services is on track to more than double. Last year, 10 people took classes at LVWA on how to become U.S. citizens. This year, he expects at least 20 students.

“Immigration is driving the demand around here lately,” Sieffert said this week.

The number of immigrant clients seeking services of all kinds through LVWA is higher than it has ever been, he said.

Dozens of immigrants come to the center each month looking for help with legal services, and hundreds come seeking help with language and literacy skills. The nonprofit group now has clients from more than 50 countries.  READ MORE >>

@ProjectReadUtah

Utah Valley's Everyday Heroes: Volunteers Teach Utah County Adults Literacy Skills

Daily Herald: 1.14.2019 by Braley Dodson

Many people go about doing good deeds in their families, neighborhoods, organizations and church congregations. “Utah Valley’s Everyday Heroes” celebrates these unsung community members and brings to light their quiet contributions.

A single mother taught Shauna Brown that literacy is about more than enjoying novels.

“The day she brought in medication for her girls and asked me how to dose it is probably the day that changed my life and made me think, oh my gosh, this is like life or death for some people,” Brown said.

The mother was the first student Brown tutored. Now, Brown is the executive director of Project Read, a Utah County nonprofit that pairs volunteer tutors with adults to improve literacy skills.

@ProvoLibrary

The program offers literacy labs and one-on-one tutoring. Students commit to attending three hours of one-on-one tutoring and three hours of a lab each week for at least six months. Students and tutors can meet when they want at any public place.

The program was formed by a Brigham Young Univesrity [sic] student in the 1980s to help students reach the reading levels required to enter adult high schools. Run as a partnership between the Provo City Library and the Provo City School District, it later gained separate nonprofit status. The program is headquartered out of the Provo City Library.  READ MORE >>

Make a Medical History Card via ABC Life Literacy Canada

Make a Medical History Card

ABC Life Literacy Canada

Take some time to write down your medical history. That means information like what medication you’re taking, and your allergies—both now and in the past. Having this information with you will help better manage your health when you’re meeting with health professionals. It also helpful in case of an emergency when you may not be able to talk.

ABC Health Matters empowers Canadians to manage their health more effectively by increasing their confidence when talking about and making decisions regarding health issues with family, friends and health professionals. Through the program, adults develop a deeper understanding of how to advocate for their and their family’s health and better understand how to access health care.

ABC Health Matters is delivered in communities across Southern Ontario. The program is structured around a three-hour workbook-based workshop. The workbooks can also be used by individuals at home.

Resources for Patients & Caregivers:

Make a Medical History Card
Health Passport
Caring for a loved one
Tips for your next Doctor Visit
You and Your Pharmacist
Your Rights as a Patient
Glossary of Health Words
Your Health Centres
Doing Health Math

Night of Ideas :: Facing Our Time: The City of The Future :: San Francisco Public Library

Night of Ideas

#NightofIdeas

#NightOfIdeasSF

Facing Our Time: The City of The Future

San Francisco Public Library: 2.02.2019

A free and festive night to exchange ideas in the heart of the city

Join us on February 2, 2019 when the San Francisco Public Library, SFMOMA, and the French Consulate in San Francisco unite to present a seven-hour marathon of debate, performance, readings and music featuring top thinkers from San Francisco and beyond as we envision the city of the future.

Inspired by our flagship programs, Public Knowledge and After Tomorrow, and supported by Friends of the Public Library, 836M and the City and County of San Francisco, Night of Ideas offers a free forum for debate, discussion and fun for all!

This year, Night of Ideas will take place in five U.S. cities culminating in San Francisco at the San Francisco Public Library - Feb 2.

​With keynotes, panels and presentations by diverse voices including artist JR, Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn, Tristan Harris, Co-founder of The Center for Humane Technology, Mayor London Breed, John Law, Co-Founder of Burning Man, architect Nicola Delon, designer of the French pavilion at the Venice Biennale, Dominique Alba, director of the Paris Urbanism Agency, Michael Krasny, host of KQED's Forum program,  and Alison Arieff of SPUR, the San Francisco edition of Night of Ideas expects thousands to participate in the evening’s exchange of ideas and creative dialogue.

Can our cities be community focused and globally connected while also smart, resilient, and infused with poetry and empathy? Through dialogue, how can we empower people of all ages, classes, and backgrounds? Is an innovative and inclusive city possible?

Let's share ideas for our city, discuss solutions and celebrate our collective imagination!

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Bartlesville OK :: West Nyack NY :: St Lawrence Co NY :: San Bernardino Co CA

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

@bvillelibrary

Literacy Courses Offered at Bartlesville Public Library

Bartlesville Radio: 1.10.2019 by Garrett Giles

The Oklahoma Literacy Coalition and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries work hand in hand to offer literacy services to Oklahoma communities. Joni Elmore with the Literacy Coalition says the Bartlesville Public Library houses the Oklahoma Literacy Coalition under the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.

@oklitcoalition

She also says the BPL offers four tiers of literacy services to the local community, which includes remedial reading. They teach remedial reading to adults who may have suffered unfortunate situations like generational poverty in their childhood household. That may have caused them to drop out of school. Elmore adds that adults that participate in remedial reading courses may have had to work on a generational family farm as well which may have required most of their time to the farm than school. Those were a few reasons Elmore listed.

Elmore says remedial statistics are pretty high considering 46-percent of adults in the United States read poorly. The number in Oklahoma is around 43-percent. As Elmore kept listing the statistics, she said 32-percent of Oklahoma’s adults read at a basic level while 12-percent of Oklahoma’s adults read below a basic level. Elmore says that means remedial courses in a supportive environment is important.  LISTEN 00:18

@rocklandboces

An Adult Literacy Class In The Trump Era: 'This Is A Safe Space'

Lohud: 1.14.2019 by Kimberly Redmond

One morning in January 2018, Jacqui Lunchick walked into a classroom at Rockland BOCES and found several students in tears.

The day’s headlines revolved about President Trump’s description of of Haiti, El Salvador and some parts of Africa as "s---hole countries" during a White House meeting on U.S. immigration policies. Trump suggested limiting the number of people coming to the U.S. from those places.

The distraught students were part of an adult literacy program. Many were immigrants. Some undocumented.

“They were crying – but they were here," said Lunchick, Rockland BOCES' literacy coordinator. "Because they know they need the service and they know we will welcome them here no matter what.”

Rockland BOCES has been offering an adult literacy program for over 60 years, serving generations of immigrants. All 37 regional BOCES across New York state have adult literacy programs, among the many such programs long offered by community colleges, libraries and other institutions.  WATCH 01:33

Massena Library

New Adult Literacy Zones Opening In Ogdensburg, Massena To Provide Job Training Classes

MP Courier: 1.11.2019 by Susan Mende

Helping St. Lawrence County residents who lack a high school diploma prepare to take their general equivalency exam is just one goal of two new adult literacy zones that soon will open in Ogdensburg and Massena.

Adults enrolled at the literacy zones will be able to take job-related training classes at the same time they’re taking adult basic education classes offered by St. Lawrence-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

That will put them on a faster track to enter the workforce, according to BOCES officials. In the past, adults had to first obtain a general equivalency diploma (GED) before they could advance to BOCES’ workforce-related classes.

“The vast majority of people who come to us see more value in something connected to a job than they do in obtaining their high school diploma,” said Jane S. Akins, BOCES’ director of career & technical education and adult education. “By combining it, the target is being hit for both things in one way.”

The Massena literacy zone is housed in rented space in the lower level of the Massena Public Library.  READ MORE >>

Reading To Their Children Helps Incarcerated Parents Maintain a Powerful Connection

Cafwd: 1.11.2019 by Nadine Ono

Two San Bernardino County departments are joining forces to help incarcerated parents better connect with their children through the simple but valuable act of reading books to them.

Last month, volunteers from the San Bernardino County Public Defender’s Office volunteered time and donated items to the Parent and Child Connection (PACC), a program run by the Inmate Services Unit of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The PACC program gives incarcerated parents the opportunity to record themselves reading books to their children and include personal messages. The goal is to create a connection between the parent and child while reinforcing the importance of reading. Studies show that children who are not read to are at risk for poor language development and are less prepared for classroom learning.

“It’s obviously difficult for parents to be away from their kids and being incarcerated brings its own complications,” said San Bernardino County Deputy Public Defender Yarrow Neubert. “The parents were very happy to be able to connect with their kids thru the PACC program.”  READ MORE >>

Health IQ Releases “Health Literacy in the 50 States” Report via Business Wire

Health IQ Releases “Health Literacy in the 50 States” Report

Business Wire: 1.31.2019

Health IQ, the nation’s fastest growing life insurance company, today released a report entitled, “Health Literacy in the 50 States.” The report uses Health IQ’s research and data compiled from more than 10 million “Health IQ” quizzes to highlight the connection between health literacy, chronic diseases and health care costs.

“In the last three centuries we dramatically improved reading literacy in the U.S. and around the world and transformed society. In this century, improving health literacy can have the same effect. The first step is to assess where we are as a country. Our calibrated Health IQ test is the first large-scale attempt to do this,” said Munjal Shah, CEO of Health IQ.

The report found that the average health literacy score for any state is 143.4 out of 200. At Health IQ, we define the health literacy threshold as a score of 184. Only 17 percent of quiz takers reached that score, which means health literacy today is where global reading literacy was in the 1850s.

“Our report shows that even small improvements can make a difference in health outcomes. States with 10 to 20 percent higher health literacy scores had 4 to 14 percent lower rates of diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Our report also showed a strong correlation between health literacy and health care costs, which are a serious challenge for individuals, families and society as a whole. We hope this report provides consumers, providers and policymakers valuable insights as they strive to improve the health of individuals and communities,” Shah added.

Key findings:

Five Highest Health IQ States:

Vermont, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Minnesota

Five Lowest Health IQ States:

Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, West Virginia, South Carolina

Health IQ and Diabetes: The report shows a relationship between high Health IQ and lower rates of diabetes, a disease that is on track to cost more than $622 billion a year by 2030 if nothing is done.

Health IQ and Obesity: The report shows a relationship between high Health IQ and lower rates of obesity, a condition estimated to cost more than $342.2 billion annually.

Health IQ and High Blood Pressure: The report shows a relationship between high Health IQ and lower rates of high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease.

Health IQ and Income: The report shows that while average zip code income and median Health IQ scores tend to be related, there are notable exceptions:

Health IQ launched its Health Literacy Quiz and daily health quiz app in 2014.

Health IQ is an insurance company.  READ MORE >>

Literacy Reports & Statistics

Health

Quick Guide to Health Literacy and Older Adults, US Dept of Health & Human Services

2019: Health Literacy in the 50 States, Health IQ (an Insurance Co.)

2018: How Health Literacy Got Started, Helen Osborne

2017: Hidden Cost of Healthcare System Complexity, Accenture

2015: Health Literacy & Patient Engagement, 12th Annual Report, US HHS Sep 2015

2011: Health Literacy Interventions Outcomes: Updated Systematic Rvw, AHRQ

2010: Health Literacy, NNLM

2010: Health Literacy: Accurate Accessible Actionable Health Info. for All, CDC

2009: Reaching America’s Health Potential Among Adults, RWJ Foundation

2009: Low Health Literacy, NAAL 2003

2004: Literacy and Health in America, ETS

Trends In Learning: STEM, STEAM, STREAM. . . A Battle Of Acronyms via Capstan

Trends In Learning: STEM, STEAM, STREAM. . .

A Battle Of Acronyms

Capstan: 7.30.2018 by Pisana Ferrari

Academic institutions worldwide are embracing “STEM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education and related curricula, supported in many cases by government funding. The term STEM was officially coined in 2001 by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) ⁽¹⁾, and the STEM movement developed in response to growing worries about students not being sufficiently prepared for 21st century’s high-tech jobs. Findings of international studies such as TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), and PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), reinforced concerns about scientific competency and knowledge of students and sparked international comparisons ⁽²⁾.

In the past few years “voices started calling out for “A” as in “Arts” to be added to turn STEM into STEAM” ⁽³⁾. Then “R” for “Reading” was added to STEAM to have “STREAM”… Wikipedia lists other variations of the STEM acronym, such as STEMLE (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Law and Economics), METALS (STEAM + Logic) and STREM (Science, Technology, Robotics, Engineering, and Multimedia), to cite but a few.

The reference to a “battle of acronyms” in the title of this article refers to a blog entry by Dr. Meagan Pollock, Executive Director of a nonprofit organization that empowers young women to be successful in STEM, provocatively called: “STEM, STEAM, STREAM… SCREAM?!” ⁽⁴⁾. We can see Dr. Pollock’s point about the confusion the proliferation of acronyms may create. Ultimately it will be difficult to see which of these education systems is better. We expect that some will survive and thrive, whereas others may only be passing fads. Much depends on what the key objectives are. Is STEM just about jobs?

The current focus of STEM education appears to be precisely that, ie the (unmet) needs of the job market.  READ MORE >>