Literacy – Spanning the US: Orlando FL :: Santa Fe NM :: Washington Co FL :: Seneca Co OH :: Manitowoc Co WI

@ALL4Literacy 

Central Florida adults learning how to read

Fox 35 Orlando: 5.05.2016

The story of Jeremy White is one that chronicles a young man who never learned how to read when he was young, and his illiteracy has plagued him ever since throughout adulthood.

At age 21 Jeremy had no job, no prospects, and the reading level of a 2nd grader. Jeremy is not alone. 1 out of 6 people in central Florida are not functionally literate.  VIDEO

Overcoming The Stigma Of Illiteracy

KUNM: 5.09.2016 by Anna Lande

Imagine when you walk out of your house the road signs are blank. Billboards, too. You try to order breakfast at that new brunch place, but you have to listen to other customers to figure out what’s on the menu. This is the reality for thousands of New Mexico adults who are struggling to read. 

Peter Aragón is a radio DJ. He did not know how to read well, and he says that created everyday puzzles.

“We do get lost. It’s like where are the bathrooms? How do you get to point A to point B?" said Aragón .  "And you gotta read the prescription, what medicine are you going to be taking? Are you going to overdose on aspirin or Xanax?”

People who study literacy rates estimated that 16 percent of adult New Mexicans needed literacy services. That was in 2003. Another analysis in the late 1990’s found that only a fraction of those people seek help.

“I was ashamed when I first started literacy," said Aragón. "I was like ‘nah, I can’t do this.'”

But Aragón found out he actually could do it. He went with a friend to get tutoring at Santa Fe Literacy Volunteers in the 1990's. He was reading at a third grade level and has been improving ever since. The first book he finished was Bless Me, Ultima.  READ MORE @

A difference to read about: Volunteers work to improve literacy

Holmes County Times Advertiser‎: 5.10.2016 by Diane M Robinson

Teaching older adults to read was the idea the Literacy Volunteers program had in mind when it started in 1986. The program itself was initiated through the Panhandle Literacy Act, funded by a grant from the Older Americans Act and the Department of Education.

Locally, it was founded and spearheaded in part by the late Dorothy Clarke, from the time of its inception to Clark's passing in 2016.

"Dorothy was the driving force behind the program's success," said Literacy Volunteer President Mary Ann Pelletier. "All the volunteers are thankful to Clarke for seeing the need in the community and doing something to help alleviate it."

Today, the organization is part of the international ProLiteracy program and has morphed into more than just teaching seniors to read. The program now offers assistance to children who struggle to read, so that illiteracy can begin to be knocked out for the future.  READ MORE @

Project READ adult literacy effort seeks more tutors

Tiffin Advertiser Tribune: 5.11.2016 by Nicole Walby

Since 1986, Project READ has provided free tutoring to adults to improve their literacy skills. That work has continued over the years, and the effort in Seneca County is in need of tutors and students to assist.

Heidi Clark, marketing coordinator for Project READ, said the No. 1 goal is to raise awareness about the program and help adults in need of literacy skills.

Project READ serves area residents of Sandusky, Seneca and Ottawa counties who are age 18 or older. Students complete a reading assessment, if eligible, then are paired with trained, volunteer tutors.

Clark said all materials are provided to the tutor and students for free. Funding is provided through the United Way of Sandusky County, a component of the Vanguard-Sentinel Adult Career and Technology Center's Adult Basic and Literacy Education program, local Library Literacy Coalitions and Tiffin Charitable Foundation.

"We just want to really get the word out," she said.

According to Clark, National Center for Education Statistics in 2003 indicated Seneca County was at a 10-percent illiteracy level.  READ MORE @

Manitowoc Library helping realize American Dream

Herald Times Reporter: 5.11.2016 by Marcus Nesemann

The goal of any library is to expand the horizons of all who enter.

Manitowoc Public Library is taking that goal to heart with its One-to-One Adult Literacy Program.

While the name may suggest a program that helps learners gain only literacy skills, the program reaches far beyond learning to read and write. For many, it's a path to becoming a United States citizen.

The program's humble beginnings started in 2012, "and in those few years, we had a handful, maybe up to as many as seven learners, get their citizenship," said Cherilyn Stewart, library director.

The 2015 program was a great success, with one learner completing a high school equivalency diploma while two others achieved their goal of becoming citizens. One even became a citizen in time to vote for the first time.

"That was just a wonderful experience," Stewart said. "That learner was so proud to cast a vote."

The program is open to everyone who wishes to improve their literacy skills. Helping learners become citizens is just icing on the cake. The outcome for each learner varies, depending on individual learner goals.  READ MORE @

Libraries & Learning :: Pew Research Center

Libraries and Learning

Majorities of Americans think local libraries serve the educational needs of their communities and families pretty well and library users often outpace others in learning activities. But many do not know about key education services libraries provide

Pew Research Center: 4.07.2016 by Lee Rainie

Most Americans believe libraries do a decent job of serving the education and learning needs of their communities and their own families. A new survey by Pew Research Center shows that 76% of adults say libraries serve the learning and educational needs of their communities either “very well” (37%) or “pretty well” (39%). Further, 71% say libraries serve their own personal needs and the needs of their families “very well” or “pretty well.”

As a rule, libraries’ performance in learning arenas gets better marks from women, blacks, Hispanics, those in lower-income households, and those ages 30 and older.

Library users think of themselves as lifelong learners

Additionally, these views arise in a context where strong majorities of adults consider themselves “lifelong learners” and libraries around the country are working to fit their programs and services into local educational ecosystems – both the formal parts of it (such as schools) and the informal parts of it (such as “do it yourself” learning opportunities). A recent Pew Research report found that 73% of adults say the label “lifelong learner” applies “very well” to them. 

Additionally, 74% of adults have participated in personal learning experiences of various kinds in the previous 12 months – we call them personal learners. And 63% of full- and part-time workers have taken courses or done training on the job to improve their skills in the past year – we called them professional learners.

Recent library users overwhelmingly embrace those ideas and activities. Fully 97% of those who used a library or bookmobile in the past 12 months say that the term “lifelong learner” applies “very well” or “pretty well” to them and a similar share of library website users (98%) also strongly identified with being lifelong learners.  READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning the US: Milford CT :: Stoughton MA :: Cleveland OH :: Cazenovia NY :: Tulare Co CA

@MilfordLiteracy

Ribbon cutting welcomes Literacy Volunteers of Southern CT

Stratford Star: 5.02.2016

The Stratford Chamber of Commerce, an affiliate of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, Mayor John Harkins and Stratford Library Director, Sheri Szymanski, announce a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, May 11, at 11 a.m., at the Stratford Library to welcome Literacy Volunteers of Southern Connecticut, Inc.

The Literacy Volunteers of Southern CT, is staffed in the Stratford Library every Wednesday from 10-11:30 a.m. by Melinda Karwon. Tutoring and training sessions are scheduled and posted at the library.

Literacy Volunteers of Southern Connecticut’s mission is to provide services at no cost to any individual who wishes to learn the English language or enhance their reading, writing, speaking and math skills necessary to lead productive lives in the community.  READ MORE @

Tutors, adult learners celebrate gift of English at Stoughton ceremony

Wicked Local: 5.01.2016 by Sandra L. Churchill

Spirits were high on a recent Saturday evening as more than 150 guests gathered to celebrate English language literacy success at the Stoughton Public Library.

Literacy Volunteers of Stoughton held its annual Recognition Night and Potluck Dinner, which recognized 97 tutors and 141 students hailing from 34 countries.

Program coordinator Smadar Gekow praised the hard work of the volunteer tutors and the success of the students, accompanied by the Miley Cyrus song, “The Climb.”

“Many of you became U.S. citizens, some of you enrolled in college and you obtained driver’s permits, driver’s licenses and library cards,” Gekow said. “You helped your kids with homework and watched movies in English.”

Co-coordinator Sandra Goverman praised the volunteer commitment of the tutors, saying “you completed 5,050 hours of tutoring.”  READ MORE @

@literacycoop 

More than half of Cleveland Residents Read Below a 7th Grade Level

ideastream: 5.02.2016

Earlier this year, a study ranked Cleveland as the “most distressed” big city in America. The Economic Innovation Group, a non-profit think-tank, found that 1 in 5 people in Cleveland don’t have a high school diploma.

One reason some students drop out of school is because they’re poor readers. ideastream's Darrielle Snipes takes a look at the adult low-literacy rate and what is being done to break the cycle.

Reading doesn't come easy for Dontez. With help from a tutor he struggles to sound out every word.

=Since the beginning of the year, the two have been working together on Wednesday mornings at Merrick House, a community center in the Tremont neighborhood.

“I can read simple words,” Dontez said. “I sound them out, like we were doing, I break them down But some words I just don't know.”

Dontez, who asked his last name not be used, is 27 years-old but his reading skills are that of a 5 year-old. He says he has a learning disability. As a child kids teased him.  He repeated the 9th grade before dropping out.

He spent 5 years in prison and says while there he tried to work on his reading.  Now, he works in a factory. He says an employment agency helped him with the application.

A 2009 study by Case Western Reserve University shows Dontez isn't alone. In the city of Cleveland 69% of adults read at or below the 7th grade level. In Cuyahoga County its 46%.  The report concludes people with low reading levels can have severe economic disadvantages and find it harder to get or keep even a minimum wage paying job.

Bob Paponetti, the executive director of The Literacy Cooperative says “theoretically they can't get into those very training programs that could give them the technical skills to get a job that could get them out of poverty or to the next level of income.”  READ MORE @

A Second Chance to Get an Education

Persistence and Friendship Help a Literacy Student to Stay the Course

Madison County Courier: 5.05.2016

Brandon Fowler has been meeting weekly at Cazenovia Public Library with his tutor Gary Johnson for more than a year. Before enrolling in the program, Brandon didn’t know how to prepare for the HSE exam (formerly known as the GED) and wasn’t sure he could balance work and weekly tutoring at the same time.

“When I first signed up, I was nervous about meeting a new tutor and having homework,” Fowler said. “But my tutor Gary made the HSE (high school equivalency) course fun and exciting.”

=Changing work schedules, car problems, family responsibilities: all of these have presented obstacles at one point, but Brandon is determined to stay the course and complete his high school education.

Learning widens his horizons and has brought new friends into his life, Fowler said.

“The program gives me a second chance to get an education,” he said. “Also, I have gained new friends willing to help me. I wish I knew more people like Gary and others at Literacy Outreach who have helped me along the way.”  READ MORE @

Its Library Literacy Day in Tulare Co!

Khuload, born in Yemen, earned her citizenship after studying at the Library.

County of Tulare: 4.19.2016

Today is Library Literacy Day in Tulare County! Supervisors honored volunteers, students and the staff of Tulare County Library this morning.

"At the end of the day it's about government's impact on the people and the positive ways we can affect their lives," stated Supervisor Worthley during the Library Literacy Day presentation.

Did you know that Tulare County Library has 15 locations serving local residents? Take advantage of their many programs today to encourage life long learning.  READ MORE @

2016 National Medal for Museum and Library Service Recipients

First Lady Will Recognize Libraries, Museums for Top Honor in White House Ceremony

Institute of Museum and Library Services: June 2016

On June 1 at the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama and Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew, will honor outstanding museums and libraries with the 2016 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Ten institutions from across the country will attend the White House ceremony to receive the highest award given to museums and libraries for service to the community. In addition to the museum and library directors, a member of the community of each recognized institution will participate in the ceremony and share how the institution has impacted his or her life.

2016 National Medal for Museum and Library Service recipients:

Brooklyn Public Library (Brooklyn, New York)

The Chicago History Museum (Chicago, Illinois)

Columbia Museum of Art (Columbia, South Carolina)

Lynn Meadows Discovery Center for Children (Gulfport, Mississippi)

Madison Public Library (Madison, Wisconsin)

Mid-America Science Museum (Hot Springs, Arkansas)

North Carolina State University Libraries (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Otis Library (Norwich, Connecticut)

Santa Ana Public Library (Santa Ana, California)

Tomaquag Museum (Exeter, Rhode Island)

Literacy – Spanning the US: Oakland MI :: Suffolk VA :: Chicago IL :: Baldwin, Whitehall Co PA :: Madison WI

Food fest and collector car show to benefit literacy group

Daily Tribune: 4.25.2016

Some 170,000 adults in Oakland County alone cannot read – which makes it harder to find gainful employment or build a legacy for generations to come.

Rectifying this epidemic has been a lifelong pursuit for Robert Gaylor, the 1984 founder of Oakland Literacy Council (OLC), the county’s only organization offering free, one-on-one literacy tutoring for adults age 18 and older.

═════════►

The Oakland Literacy Council helps nearly 600 people every year learn to read. Every adult who comes to the program, whether an American native or foreign-born, is paired with a volunteer tutor. They meet weekly, focused on a goal of achieving literacy ease.

Illiteracy prevents people from getting a job because they can’t fill out an application. They can’t read signs. One student came to OLC because she couldn’t figure out which bathroom to use in a restaurant and had to wait outside the doors to see whether a man or woman emerged.

An estimated 60 percent of prisoners in U.S. jails read below a 6th grade level. It is nearly impossible to change one’s life path without the tools most Americans take for granted – a basic mastery of communication skills is a crucial key to success.  READ MORE @

Teach someone to read

Suffolk News-Herald: 4.27.2016

Just about anyone who’s actually reading this newspaper would recognize the importance of the ability to read in modern society. But simply being able to keep up with current events through the newspaper is only a small part of what makes reading so important. From being able to follow a recipe to reading a map to understanding the instruction manual of one’s car, reading is a vital skill that makes life more livable.

It’s surprising, then, that one in six adults in Suffolk reads below a fifth-grade level. That statistic comes from Jessica Reitz, tutor coordinator for the Suffolk Literacy Council, an organization founded on a desire to stamp out illiteracy in the city.

The organization was honored recently, by extension, through an award given by the Pilot Club of Suffolk to Louise Ross, who has been tutoring reading students here for a couple of years since her retirement as a teacher and a nurse.  READ MORE @

@eriehouse

Erie House Program Bridges Language and Culture Divides

Erie House: April 25, 2016

Jubilar, the Spanish translation of retire, is derived from the Latin root jubilo. And seeing as jubilo denotes an “exclamation of joy”—think jubilation or jubilee

—the Spanish translation seems more appropriate for the occasion. It is, after all, an opportunity to explore new places, try new things and meet new people.

So when Barbara Reed retired from a career working in the nonprofit sector, she was eager to take advantage of the new season of life she had entered. “One of the things I wanted to do was learn Spanish a bit more,” she says. Reed explains that she liked the idea of learning the language, and she knew it would open a new world for her both at home and abroad.

That journey began at Erie Neighborhood House after she received a referral during a trip to the dentist. “My dental hygienist speaks Spanish, and I told her I was trying to improve my Spanish skills,” she recalls. Familiar with Erie House, the hygienist encouraged her to explore volunteer opportunities there.

Reed first connected with Susana Ortiz, community literacy program coordinator at Erie House, and soon thereafter began tutoring and leading conversation groups in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood.

Ortiz’s program is funded by the Illinois Secretary of State’s Adult Volunteer Literacy Grant and taps into a strong volunteer network to provide individualized instruction and support to adult learners.  READ MORE @

@Saving_Stories

Saving stories: Book project gives voice to refugees' history, culture

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 4.29.2016 by M. Thomas

Sometimes a project launched with one intent takes on a life of its own and becomes meaningful beyond expectation. That’s what happened with “Saving Stories,” which began as an aid teaching English as a Second Language in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District and now has the potential to become a national model.

The project collects stories, folk tales, songs and poems from refugees who have resettled into the district and prepares them for publication as bilingual books. Eight of the manuscripts are ready for print and four of those have been published. They premiered March 21 during an event that drew more than 100 to the Whitehall Public Library.

“It started as a way for my students to learn English easier and faster,” said Renee Christman of Whitehall, who teaches English as a Second Language at Paynter Elementary School. “It’s become a wonderful way to acknowledge the language and culture of our residents.”

Ms. Christman knew that people literate in their native language more easily learn a second one. Before resettling in the U.S., many refugees spend years in camps, which often lack educational opportunities, and she saw the book project serving the added purpose of renewing native literacy while familiarizing participants with English. READ MORE @

@LitNet

Literacy Network launches capital campaign

Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3: 5.03.2016 by David Dahmer

More than 55,000 adults who live and work in Dane County face major challenges with literacy. A high percentage live in poverty and those challenges with literacy hold them back from advancing in their jobs and in their lives and keeps them from increasing their contributions to their family and this community.

Literacy Network is a non-profit organization founded in 1974 in Madison. Staff, teachers, tutors, volunteers and donors work together to help adult learners improve their literacy in Dane County. They served more than 1,000 adults last year with the help of more than 800 volunteers who gave 30,000 hours of time. But Literacy Network Executive Director Jeff Burkhart knows they can do so much more.

On April 28 at their annual Reading Between the Wines fundraising event, he announced a new capital campaign that will bring Literacy Network into a newer, larger building and help them serve more people.

“Our campaign has raised about $1 million so far,” Burkhart tolds Madison365. “With this new push that started at Reading Between The Wines, we hope to raise another $2 million that will pay for the building’s renovation, technology installation and upgrades, and organizational capacity.  READ MORE @

National Literacy & Library Events :: June 2016

National Literacy & Library Events: June 2016

SCLLN

Literacy & Library Events & Conferences

- Local, California and National -

visit

the Southern California Library Literacy Network

for more information

National Audiobook Month

National GLBT Book Month

June 01+ Canadian Library Association Forum, Ottawa

June 02+ Adult Education Research Conference, North Carolina

June 03+ LearningCities 2040, Glasgow Scotland

June 09+ Children’s Literature Assoc Conference, Ohio State University

June 09   National Celebration of Reading, Library of Congress Washington DC

June 10+ 21st Century Children’s Nonfiction Conference, Iona College NY

June 11   National Medal for Museum and Library Service, White House 11a

June 11   TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS 10a

June 12+ National History Day Contest, University of Maryland

June 13+ Health Literacy Leadership Institute,Tufts Univ School of Medicine

June 14   X-MEN: APOCALYPSE 7p

June 16   Book Summit 2016, Toronto

June 23+ American Library Association, Orlando FL

June 25   FINDING DORY 10a

June 26   Global Education Day Denver CO http://www.iste.org/

June 27+ Conference on Volunteering and Service, Detroit MI

State Library Associations :: Conferences

African American Book Events

ILA :: Literacy Calendar Worldwide

US Book Festivals

Children’s Book Council Kid Lit Events

Storytelling Events