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)

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Ottawa ON :: Vancouver BC :: Oklahoma City OK

Literacy In The News :: Spanning North America

Canada's Premiers Announce 2020 Literacy Award Recipients

Newswire: 9.08.2020 by Canada's Premiers

On the occasion of International Literacy Day, Canada's Premiers today announced the recipients of the 16th annual Council of the Federation Literacy Award . Presented in each province and territory, the Award celebrates outstanding achievement, innovative practice and excellence in literacy.

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Premiers recognize the importance of literacy in enabling participation as a full and active citizen in all areas of society. Created in 2004, the Award celebrates adult learners who undertake literacy training, as well as the valuable contributions made by Canadians in the field of literacy, including family, Indigenous, health, workplace, and community literacy. The Award is presented to learners, educators, volunteers, community organizations, and businesses in each province and territory.

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2020 Council of the Federation Literacy Award Recipients

Portage College's Community Adult Learning Programs (CALPs) – Alberta

learner-centred foundational learning programs that allow adult Albertans to develop the necessary skills for further learning, employment and/or increased quality of life.

Story Studio – British Columbia

a non-profit, literacy-focused organization that inspires, educates and empowers youth to become great storytellers.

Awet Biagaber – Manitoba

is a determined and resilient learner with a passion for mentoring youth. Having overcome painful and challenging life experiences including traumatic injuries, Awet is determined to succeed in his education and commitment to helping others. Through volunteering with organizations such as the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM), he shares his life experiences to assist and motivate others.

Elaine Johnson-Chafe – Newfoundland and Labrador

In 2019, made the life-changing decision to obtain her high school diploma. After leaving school at an early age and working the same job for over twenty years, Elaine became unemployed and saw an opportunity to fulfill the dream of improving her education.

Peter Sawyer – New Brunswick

has worked in adult literacy since the late 1970's. As Chair of the Greater Moncton Literacy Council he aided in establishing Laubach Literacy Canada.

Élizabeth (Betty) Levasseur – New Brunswick

has been involved in literacy for more than thirty years. She first started in the Adult Learning Centre in Clair when learning centers were supported by municipalities and fundraising activities were the major source of funding.

Delores Vittrekwa – Northwest Territories

has been running literacy programs for toddlers, children, teens, young adults, adults and elders for the past 8 years.

Malak Alahmad – Nova Scotia

came to Canada with her family from a Jordanian refugee camp in 2017, after having fled the civil war in Syria. As a young mother of four who had no English language skills, Malak set out to adjust to her new life in Canada in stride.

Charmaine Okatsiak – Nunavut

passion for helping Rankin Inlet youth learn and speak Inuktitut comes from her mother, an Inuktitut teacher, and father, a youth program coordinator.

Fatuma Hassan – Ontario

in Somalia, Fatuma never had the opportunity to attend school and had never learned to read or write; started her English as a Second Language literacy class at Women's Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor.

Linda Fraser – Prince Edward Island

began teaching Adult Education in Abegweit First Nation in 2008 through a partnership with Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI, Abegweit First Nation, Holland College and the Province.

Absa Diop – Québec

is an adult literacy student at the Centre de formation L'Impulsion.

Renae Lech – Saskatchewan

is a literacy volunteer who began volunteering for the Great Plains College English as a Second Language program in Gravelbourg in 2015.

Liard First Nation Language Department – Yukon

worked for decades to promote, preserve, revitalize and maintain the Kaska language.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 16

Reading Level: very difficult to read.

Reader's Age: College graduate

September Is Literacy Month

Northern View: 9.03.2020 by K-J Millar

Literacy month has kicked off in September with International Literacy Day (ILD2020) being recognized on Sept. 8, by many community-based programs across the province.

This year, International Literacy Day will focus on literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, Decoda Literacy Solutions a province wide literacy organization said, in a statement on Sept. 3.

Prince Rupert Chief Librarian Joe Zelwietro said literacy is extremely important to him and he sees many patrons at the library with varying levels of literacy. Prior to COVID-19, he said there would be informal tutors at the library assisting students and those learning English as a second language to improve literacy.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 12

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old

(Twelfth graders)

Nonprofit Offers Technology Training For Adults Navigating Virtual School With Children

Oklahoman: 9.10.2020 by Carla Hinton

A local organization specializing in adult literacy and career education training will turn its focus toward helping parents whose children are attending virtual school.

Opportunities Industrialization Center of Oklahoma County, known as OIC, will offer a series of Chromebook training classes on Saturday at its headquarters, 3033 N Walnut Ave.

DesJean Jones, OIC's executive director, said the two-hour sessions are geared for parents of students in Oklahoma City Public Schools.

She said the organization aims to give parents the tools they need to help their children through the district's virtual classes, which began on Aug. 31. As part of the district's virtual school plan, students received Google Chromebooks or Apple iPads, depending on their grade level, to access online classes.

She said many OIC students began talking about their need to learn more about Chromebook so they could help their children navigate through their online classes.

Jones said the nonprofit had already started a technology loaner program so that OIC students could be connected to the organization from home during the pandemic.  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)

The Write Offs: Eight Adults Take A Crash Course In Literacy ▬ iNews

The Write Offs: What Happened When Eight Adults Who Struggled With Reading & Writing Took A Crash Course In Literacy

iNews: 9.18.2020 by Rachael Pells

One of the most embarrassing moments of Tommy Dawkins’ life happened as he arrived at US immigration in Florida ahead of a family holiday. “We were given the arrival forms to fill in on the plane and my wife was helping me,” he recalls. “But when I got to the desk at the airport they said, ‘You’ve done it wrong – go and stand over there and fill it in properly’.  

“I was with my kids and my grandchildren and I felt humiliated. It took me right back to my schooldays, having to stand in the corner like a naughty child.”

At 66, Dawkins is one of the estimated 8.5 million adults in the UK who struggle with basic reading and writing skills. This makes seemingly straightforward tasks such as writing down an address or reading instructions a huge and stressful ordeal.

The shame of adult illiteracy

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Since then, Dawkins has become heavily involved with public speaking on the subject of adult illiteracy, even earning an MBE in the process. He is also one of eight volunteers to appear in the Channel 4 documentary The Write Offs, which starts tomorrow.

Making The Write Offs

The two-part series, presented by Sandi Toksvig, follows a group of participants aged 22 to 66 as they are given a crash course in basic literacy skills and challenged to take part in some daunting everyday tasks, such as following directions in an unknown town, grocery shopping or following a recipe. In doing so, they highlight how impenetrable the world must feel to those who can’t interpret it.  READ MORE ➤➤

Episode 1  Tue 22 Sep, 9.30pm  Channel 4

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

 

 

Where To Find Literacy Worksheets For Adults ▬ ABC Life Literacy Canada

Where To Find Literacy Worksheets For Adults

✽ ABC Life Literacy Canada Blog: 8.31.2020

In order to keep adult learners engaged throughout their learning, they need to be offered a variety of innovative programming and course material, including worksheets. For a community learning organization, knowing where to find literacy worksheets for adults can sometimes be a challenge.  

The following list of free resources can help keep your adult learners motivated:

Workplace Literacy Worksheets

Having strong employability skills can help workers secure meaningful employment in a competitive job market. These skills help workers to be adaptable and motivated throughout their employment and as they move into new roles or careers. Workers equipped with adequate skills also contribute more productively to a workplace and experience less work-related stress.

UP Skills for Work is a program offering free resources on nine key employability skills that hiring managers look for, including motivation, attitude, accountability, presentation, teamwork, time management, adaptability, stress management and confidence.

Literacy practitioners can download activity sheets or full workbooks on each of the skills on the UP Skills for Work website.

Digital Literacy Worksheets

Estimates say that around 84 per cent of jobs in Canada currently require the use of a computer and basic technical skills. With even low-skilled jobs increasingly requiring a basic level of digital literacy, it’s important that all Canadians are equipped with the appropriate skills.

Youth Teaching Adults is a free introductory digital literacy program for adult learners, led by youth volunteer-tutors.

With several free lesson plans available for free download, learners can follow simple step-by-step instructions on how to use tools such as Facebook, Spotify and Google News.

Financial Literacy Worksheets

Financial literacy is important if you want to shop smart during your daily errands, understand banking transactions and investments and, most importantly, realize the full value of your dollar. Money Matters, a free introductory financial literacy program offered to adult learners, newcomers to Canada, Indigenous Peoples and people with diverse abilities, helps learners build confidence in financial-related matters.

With engaging workbooks and learning activities available for free online, learners can discover topics like borrowing, budgeting, saving and money safety.

Health Literacy Worksheets

ABC Health Matters is a free health literacy program delivered to adults via a three-hour workbook-based workshop or through independent study at home. Upon program completion, adults can manage health services and information more effectively.

Download health literacy worksheets from the program for tips on visiting the doctor, speaking with a pharmacist and patient rights.

Essential Skills Worksheets

There are nine Essential Skills identified by the Government of Canada that are the foundation for all other skills and enable people to evolve with their jobs and adapt to workplace change. These skills are used in every job to varying degrees and at different levels of complexity. They provide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to adapt to change in their lives and at work.

Improving essential skills is critical for the Canadian workforce. With these essential skills workbooks and activities from the Activate Learning program, learners can improve their skills and ultimately improve their employment opportunities.  READ MORE ➤➤

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Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 16

Reading Level: very difficult to read.

Reader's Age: College graduate

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Indian Trail NC :: Pittsburgh PA :: Chester PA :: Sacramento CA

Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US

Hurricane Devastates Man’s Homeland, Carolina Literacy Program Preps Him For College

WSOC TV: 9.11.2020

A 38-year-old Indian Trail resident moved with his wife and 16-year-old daughter to the area almost two years ago after hurricanes devastated his native islands.

Dion Rymer didn’t know how his family—both locally and those still in the British Virgin Islands—would react when they found out he enrolled in Common Heart’s adult literacy program to improve his reading and writing skills. He describes their reactions in two words: “Very proud.”

He was working full-time to support his family, but still had a dream to go to college and prepare for a career in information technology.

Now, almost a year later, he’s completed the program and is enrolled at Central Piedmont Community College, taking the first steps toward the career he wants.

Common Heart received a $5,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The grant is part of more than $8.6 million awarded to more than 950 schools, nonprofits and other organizations in communities where Dollar General Stores are found.

Rymer’s success story is a true highlight for the Literacy Volunteers program which allowed him to set and then achieve reachable goals.  WATCH 02:39

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)

Literacy Pittsburgh In Need Of Volunteers For Adult Education Programs

CBS Local: 9.02.2020  

The coronavirus pandemic has caused issues for adults looking to further their education.

Adult literacy programs are looking for help as hundreds of people are submitting applications for free tutoring services. But few are actually volunteering as tutors.

“Adult education is something a lot of folks don’t think about, but there really is a great need,” Maria Polinsky of Literacy Pittsburgh told KDKA.

The organization is swamped. Literacy Pittsburgh prepares adults in Allegheny and Beaver counties for the workforce by providing free tutoring to more than 5,000 people each year.

“In Allegheny County alone there’s about 54,000 adults who either don’t have a high school credential or don’t have the adequate English language skills,” said Polinsky.

With high unemployment rates this year because of the pandemic, more people are looking to up their education to pivot careers.

“People need skills to be ready for the workforce of today,” said Polinsky.  WATCH 02:01

 

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)

'News for You' Grant Helps Literacy Students Learn Online

Patch.com Radnor: 9.03.2020  

In March of 2020, the Delaware County Literacy Council (DCLC) was awarded a Mobile Learning Fund Grant from ProLiteracy. The grant provided a free subscription to News for You Online, a weekly newspaper with topical articles and literacy lessons that can be accessed online.

The timing of the grant turned out to be extra-helpful, given that DCLC interrupted all in-person learning on March 13, 2020, in accordance with Governor Wolf's stay-at-home orders to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Since March 13, DCLC Teachers have been holding their classes in basic literacy, English as a Second Language (ESL), and GED preparation online. DCLC's volunteer tutors have also been reaching out to their adult students via online video platforms, video chats, and by telephone. News for You Online has come in handy during this shift in instruction.

According to ESL Teacher James Stein, News for You Online is "easy to use during online classes since I can screen-share it and make use of the online features, such as the interactive article exercises. Sometimes I assign homework based on the Teacher's Guide or we use it as a basis for class discussion. I like that there have been several articles related to COVID-19, which is on everyone's minds.  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)

Writer to Writer Celebration Event

CLA Calendar: 9.8.2020

Join adult literacy learners and State Librarian Greg Lucas in honoring the winners of the annual Writer to Writer Challenge! Writer to Writer is an annual writing contest held in literacy programs in Southern California Library Literacy Network libraries and Monterey County Free Library.

Learners read a book, then write a letter to the author about the impact the book had on their life. 

Hear the learners read their letters and get inspired to create your own Writer to Writer letter.

Discovering Children's Books ▬ British Library

Discovering Children's Books

British Library: 2020

Explore centuries of stories, poems and illustrations with Discovering Children’s Books, a free online resource for children, teachers and book-lovers of all ages. The site explores the history and rich variety of children’s literature, drawing on inspiring material from medieval fables to contemporary picture books. 

Over 150 treasures are waiting to be found, from one-of-a-kind manuscripts to original illustrations. Collection highlights include original drafts, artworks, poems and notebooks by beloved authors and illustrators including Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Kenneth Grahame, Judith Kerr, John Agard, Quentin Blake, Axel Scheffler, Lauren Child, Zanib Mian and Liz Pichon.

The website also provides access to some of the earliest printed works created for a young readership and an array of movable, miniature, noisy and toy books, propaganda stories, comics, poems and fairy tales.

For the writers and artists of the future, there’s a gallery of activities to spark children’s creativity and inspire their own stories, poems, illustrations and more.

The site also includes films showing illustrators at work in their studios, including Axel Scheffler’s masterclass on how to draw a Gruffalo. Plus you'll find interviews with authors and illustrators such as Quentin Blake, Julia Donaldson, Michael Rosen, Lauren Child, Andy Stanton, Zanib Mian, Joseph Coelho, Jacqueline Wilson, Viviane Schwarz and SF Said, revealing their creative processes, memories of childhood reading and tips for budding writers and artists.

Themes

Creative activities

Articles

Collection items

Videos

READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 16

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: College graduate

D

What We’ve Learned From Conducting Remote Learning ▬ Seed Literacy Blog

What We’ve Learned From Conducting Remote Learning

✸ Seed Literacy Blog: 8.03.2020 

It has now been more than 17 weeks since Seeds of Literacy shut its classroom doors – without warning – due to COVID-19.

Like other districts in Ohio, Seeds continues to reflect on that time, assessing what needs to be improved to make remote learning sustainable long-term.  As K-12 districts struggle to balance the immediate safety of students with the long-term repercussions of waiting, we also face those concerns, along with the concerns of protecting our volunteers and staff. 

The choice seems simple: continue remote, online education indefinitely until safety can be guaranteed; but nothing is that simple.

Seeds has learned the hard way that the majority of students simply aren’t responsive to education presented entirely through a computer screen.  We know that we’re not alone — many schools report losing track of as many as 50% of their student population through virtual absenteeism.

Why Aren’t Students Participating in Remote Learning?

Lack of Access

Lack of Space

Caregiving

Essential Work

Lack of Incentive

What Seeds Has Done Right

Remote learning has been a challenge for everyone, not just Seeds. But there’s hope. We’ve done quite a few things right along the way, and we’re optimistic this will lead to more participation and an even stronger remote learning program in the future.

Quick Response

Flexible Times

Technology

Access to Information

Additions to Programs

Continuous Contact

READ MORE ➤➤

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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)