Literacy – Spanning the US :: Tulsa OK :: Lee MA :: Fayetteville NC

Top 5 Myths about Adult Literacy Learners

TulsaLibrary: 6.30.2017

Danielle Merrill, ELL specialist with the Tulsa City-County Library's adult literacy program, encourages everyone to volunteer to tutor adult learners in need of improved literacy.  Merrill discusses the fact that increased adult literacy means improved quality of life, improved health, and improved childhood literacy rates which helps benefit out [sic] community.  WATCH

@litnetsb

Literacy program gets a little help from its friends

Berkshire Eagle: 6.30.2017 by Jenn Smith

The Literacy Network of South Berkshire started with 11 students and a handful of volunteers in 1991. Nowadays, the nonprofit serves as many as 159 students a month, each one striving to better their literacy skills, and ultimately their futures.

To help residents achieve these goals, LitNet this month launched what it's calling the "American Dream Campaign" to raise funds for services and program materials. The Marblehead-based Gilson Family Foundation has promised to match donations up to a total of $30,000 until LitNet's annual gala, slated for Oct. 14.

The organization relies on volunteer tutors and community spaces to offer free, one-on-one tutoring. It also depends on private funding for materials, tutor training programs and staff and office space in Lee.

"Our funding has been level but our services have been increasing," said Jennifer Hermanski, LitNet's executive director since January 2016.

That fall, the organization marked its 25th anniversary. The current operating budget for LitNet is $204,400. This month's roster includes 132 students meeting with tutors; 13 students on break, and nine students waiting to be matched with a tutor.  READ MORE @

Fayetteville Urban Ministry

Senior tutor making a difference at 67

Fayetteville Observer: 7.01.2017 by Michael Futch

Puerto Rican by birth, Wilma Hernandez was 12 years old before she started to speak English.

Now 67 and retired, she’s teaching English as a second language to a crop of Spanish-speaking students in the Fayetteville Urban Ministry Adult Literacy program. Hernandez has been volunteering her time there as a senior tutor for the last four years.

In part, Hernandez said, she does it as “sort of an homage” to her father, who decided to come to New York from Puerto Rico at the age of 35 without knowing a lick of English. Leaving the rest of his family behind, he landed work in an electrical wiring factory and improved his lot by learning how to speak, read and write English.

“The first thing he said to me when I first came to New York — my Dad had not seen me in three or four years — he said, ‘You’re going to school to learn English because you’re not working in a factory,’” she recalled from her teaching cubicle inside the Urban Ministry building off Whitfield Street. “He said, ‘I work in a factory, and I’m getting out of the factory.’ And he did. He said, ‘You’re going to live a lot better. I want you to be a professional and sit at a desk. That’s the kind of job that I want you to do.’ Everybody had to have a high school diploma. We all had to graduate from high school.”

Hernandez is instilling that same necessity to learn the English language in nine students who originate from El Salvador, Santo Domingo, Korea and Myanmar. She is expected to soon pick up a few more students. In their native countries, she noted, they are all professionals from different vocations.

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“I’m actually teaching them to read, write and speak it. I’m doing all that at the same time,” she said. “They come at a certain level, and I start them (with) all the basics and -I move on. I teach them all phonetics because most of the time they do understand it when I’m speaking English to them, but they have hard time pronouncing it. So that’s why I teach them phonics first.”  READ MORE @

Why Send Books to Prisoners ?

Why Send Books to Prisoners?

Prison Book Program

Why send books to prisoners?   The reasons range from the practical (education reduces recidivism) to the human (minds can rot in prison, books help them grow).  The people who get our books say it better than we can.  It’s letters like these that inspire us to do what we do.

Because a dictionary helped him get a degree – “Nearly 10 years ago I enrolled in a GED class and needed a dictionary to assist me in the class. Another prisoner gave me your organization’s information and told me to write to you about getting one. Well I did, and now, all these years later I have obtained my associates degree in paralegal studies, and I’d like to think you’re sending me that dictionary so many years ago was a contribution to me getting this far in my educational endeavors. Thank you.” – Eugene from Wisconsin

Because it helps prisoners to know someone cares – “Your job is literally putting smiles on peoples faces.  I’m smiling now knowing someone cares.” – Luke from Kentucky

Because knowing someone cares can change a life – “I never wanted to come to prison and ended up here under a bad set of circumstances. I have recovered from the primary shock (it took over three years) and I am trying to go in a new direction. What you did for me is part of that. I am doing the same thing in here that I did on the outside (help people). ” – Joseph from Arizona

Because some prisoners use their time to improve themselves  – “I am trying to use my time here to improve myself. I hope to rejoin society soon with a better appreciation of freedom and personal responsibility.” – Robert from Pennsylvania

Because people can discover reading and learning in prison – “There was a young inmate here who just got his GED and had never read a book from cover to cover. Sharing The Lightning Thief with him has created a literary monster. He is now a nonstop reader and is reading his sixth book.”  – Earl from Florida

Because many prisons don’t even have a library – “The library in my facility has been closed for nearly three years; unfortunately it remains closed but now we finally have some fresh reading material thanks to your organization.” – Gus from Connecticut

Other Books to Prisoners Programs

Many other groups do the same thing we do – send books to prisoners.

Although we are not affiliated with any of these, we wholeheartedly support their work.  If you have books to donate and live near one, they would appreciate your support.  If you would like to send books to a prisoner in one of the states we don’t support (California, Texas, Illinois, Nevada, Michigan and Maryland), one of these may be able to.  READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Delaware Co Pa :: Wichita Falls TX :: Wilmington NC

Delaware Co

Literacy

Delco GED graduates celebrate at commencement ceremony

Delco Times: 6.26.2017

Mussa Kromah of Sharon Hill earned his GED in December and just six months later was addressing other GED graduates at a combined graduation ceremony for those earning their high school equivalency diplomas during the 2016-2017 school year.

The ceremony, was held at Delaware County Community College on June 22, honored nine adult students who passed their GED through the Delaware County Literacy Council, along with ten graduates from DCCC’s GED program, and 19 graduates from PathWays PA’s GED program.

“In Africa we have a saying,” Mussa told the crowd. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Mussa also told the audience that he took the English portion of the GED test five times before passing it. “That taught me a good lesson — keep working. Keep working, and one day you will succeed”.  READ MORE @

@WALCWF

Literacy tutors address different skill needs

Times News Record: 6.28.2017 by Eldon Sund

Hi, my name is Eldon Sund, and I would like to share with you some of my experiences working with the Wichita Adult Literacy Council, Inc. as a tutor over the past 10 years. I have thoroughly enjoyed volunteering for WALC with many different students. I worked for years as a MSU professor so these students at WALC are a new experience.

Most of the students I work with come from a background that I never knew existed. For the most part, they come from an income level that was foreign to me. I now have a much better understanding of what the term poverty means. Often one uses examples in teaching so that the student will have a better understanding of what is being discussed.

Many of the examples I found I was using had no meaning to them because they had not had the same experiences that I had. I have learned it is usually pointless to ask if his father ever taught teach him that because many of them didn’t have a father in the home. Most of my students are products of a Special Education Program where they may have graduated but are unable to read or write so they end up in the WALC program.

I have found that the majority of students are very bright; and if they had the same opportunities as most of us, I believe that all of my students would have been college graduates and perhaps even honor graduates. It takes a great deal of courage to come to WALC and ask, “Can you help me to read?”  READ MORE @

@cfliteracy

Citizenship 101

Wilmington Biz: 6.30.2017 by Yasmin Tomkinson, Ex Dir-Cape Fear Literacy Council

The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

Uh, good question!

Who was president during World War I?

You know, I should know this one, but….

The above exchange resembles a game of Trivial Pursuit. However, these questions aren’t part of a game and the ability to answer correctly is not a trivial matter. The examples above come from the list of 100 civics questions that are part of the process for applying for naturalization.

To apply for citizenship, a person must have been living in the United States on a green card for five years, unless he or she is married to a U.S. citizen. In that case, the application may be submitted after three years. The cost of an application is $725. However, an applicant may be able to apply for a fee waiver or a fee reduction. Other requirements for citizenship may be found at www.uscis.gov.

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At the Cape Fear Literacy Council, we assist people who wish to apply for citizenship in a variety of ways.  READ MORE @

Public Libraries & Adult Education via NCAL

Public Libraries & Adult Education

Point of View NCAL: 7.12.2017 by Gail Spangenberg
President, National Council for Adult Learning

“Soon after the skill of writing was developed, more than 5,000 years ago, the need to save what had been written led to the phenomenon of the library.  To understand the library’s history and role in society, no resource is more important than Marshall McLuhan’s and Robert K. Logan’s 1997 seminal text, The Future of the Library.”

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An up-to-date national survey should be done to fully understand the current role and nature of public library involvement.  NCAL or some other group could do this with only modest funding. But, in the meantime, we hope this blog will help re-energize thinking about the matter.  We invited author Robert Logan and librarians Leslie Gelders of Oklahoma and Greg Lucas of California to share their thoughts about the subject. We appreciate and thank them for the prose they contribute below, especially their call for stronger funding. As always, readers are welcome to offer their own thoughts and experiences.

Leslie Gelders

Director, Oklahoma Literacy Resource Office,

Oklahoma Department of Libraries

Public library literacy programs are in a state of transformation in Oklahoma. Where one-to-one tutoring was once the norm—and it still remains important—literacy programs here  are developing new services and partnerships to address the changing needs of our communities and those seeking literacy services. For example, our public libraries have two new areas of focus: Health Literacy and Citizenship.  READ MORE @

Greg Lucas

State Librarian

California State Library

The most cost-effective use of a taxpayer dollar is to help someone become a stronger reader. No other investment of public funds comes close in terms of the dividends paid and the yield in human capital.

Teach someone to read and they probably won’t go to prison. In California, that saves over $70,000 a year right there, the current annual cost of incarcerating an inmate. Teach someone to read and they can take a written test, which means they’ll get a better paying job.  It will cost the government less to take care of their family and that individual in the better paying job will pay more in taxes so that more investments can be made to create stronger readers.  READ MORE @

The future of the library:

From electric media to digital media

Robert K. Logan

Prof. Emeritus – Physics – U. of Toronto

Fellow University of St. Michael’s College

Chief Scientist – sLab at OCAD

Author (with Marshall McLuhan) of The Future of Libraries:

From Electric to Digital Media, published 2016

Libraries are the custodians of our historic heritage. They deserve the proper care and support of the government because an informed public is the bedrock of democracy.

Too often administrators of the public purse become obsessed with balancing their budgets and take actions that do not preserve our heritage, which is the most important thing our society possesses.  READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Greenville SC :: Winnipeg MB :: Northville MI

@GLiteracy

Top Ten Things That Make Greenville Literacy Association Unique

Upstate Clutch: 6.23.2017 by Staff

GLA has some amazing things they do to promote literacy in our community. And so here’s a little shout-out to them and what they do, with ranking our top ten favorites about their organization. Keep up the good work, GLA! And mark your calendars for the AMAZING book sale they have coming up. We score great finds every single time.

Greenville Literacy Association has served Greenville County for 52 years and is the largest community-based adult literacy program in South Carolina. GLA touched over 1,400 adult students last fiscal year through its three learning centers, and its mission is to enrich our community by increasing the literacy and employability of our citizens. GLA aims to put these students on a better pathway through their programs for basic literacy, Pre-GED, GED, English as a Second Language (ESL), and career readiness.

Each fall, GLA hosts one of the largest used book sales in the southeast. The 2017 Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap book sale will be held August 12-13 at McAlister Square with a Preview Party on August 11. This is GLA’s largest fundraiser and features books across multiple categories. Prices generally range between two for $1 to $5. Last year’s Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale raised over $143,000 and a total of 138,045 books were sold.

Greenville Literacy Association creates a welcoming, encouraging environment for its adult students that come to them with limited English or typically with less than an 8th grade education.

With all of the growth and opportunity in Greenville, there are still over 40,000 adults in Greenville County without a high school credential. So far during this fiscal year, 32 students passed their GED through the help of GLA staff and volunteers. GLA recently hosted a successful GED boot camp led by one of its faithful volunteers.  READ MORE @

Edge Skills Centre

Giving adult learners an Edge

St. Vital program builds up language, job skills

Winnipeg Free Press: 6.24.2017 by Kevin Rollason

Three people and three lives, changed for the better:

Jason Hussey was reading at a Grade 3 to 4 level;

Elena Cvetkovska, who is originally from Macedonia, found her lack of Canadian work experience was preventing her from finding a job as an administrative assistant;

Abdoul Toure could speak some English, but needed to learn more.

Today, Hussey is reading books and getting ready to apply for a new job, Cvetkovska is an administrative assistant at Teenstop Jeunesse and Toure can keep up in conversations in English, thanks to the Edge Skills Centre.

The Edge Skills Centre is a not-for-profit, charitable organization in St. Vital that is helping adults with employment, literacy and language skills.

The organization began 28 years ago at Victor Mager School to address the low-income and high-transiency rates faced by the parents of local children. Back then, the name was the Victor Mager Adult Education programs. The organization became Edge in 2012.  READ MORE @

@IMSEOG

Wyoming prisons use unique education program to improve inmate literacy

Star Tribune: 6.25.2017 by Seth Klamann

Over the past year, more than a dozen Wyoming Department of Corrections officials were trained by the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education of Orton-Gillingham, a Michigan-based organization that advocates a phonics-based teaching style. The idea is to break down language and understand the composition of words, rather than memorizing spellings and meanings, said Jean Rishel, the lead trainer for IMSE who trained the corrections officials.

“Sixty to 70 percent of English is based on Latin and Greek,” she explained. “We trained the instructors in how to teach basically suffixes and prefixes and how to start. So they can help their adult population, not just with single words, but with multi-syllabic” words.

For example, she said she has a lesson for the word hydrophobic. It’s a long, technical-sounding word, but it becomes more approachable, especially to less advanced readers, when it’s broken down into its prefix (hydro, or water) and its suffix (phobic, or having fear of). Another example is unpredictable. It’s easy enough to break down: un (not)—pre (before)—dict (say)—able (capable of).

-She says part of the reason for educating the inmates is so they simply have base literacy abilities. But it could also help them integrate into the work force once they’re released.

“We come to these young adults that are in these prison systems, and they may not have finished high school,” she said. “Those that did probably did not get great grades. They come into the job place, don’t have these marketable skills. ... To be competitive today you have to be literate. Really try and help them to gain the literacy skills so they have the chance to go out and get better job.”  READ MORE @

4 Reasons Why You Should Support Your Local Library via WiseBread

4 Reasons Why You Should Support Your Local Library

WiseBread: 6.23.2017 by Chris Birk

With municipalities struggling to stay afloat financially, public libraries are among the first institutions to feel the pinch.

At least 19 states have cut funding to community libraries in the last year according to the American Library Association. More than half reported reductions greater than 10%, and in many places, state-level cuts are compounded by similar cuts at the local level.

Increasingly, it's falling to local library boosters to cobble together funding and devote time and energy to keeping facilities open.

Perhaps the ease and ubiquity of technology has tempered your reliance on these long-cherished institutions. But local libraries continue to provide an array of key services to community members. (See also: Duh...Libraries)

Here are four reasons why you should consider supporting libraries. READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Ontario :: Rochester MN :: Plymouth MA

Adult literacy gets $185 million funding boost from province

The Star: 6.16.2017 by Kristin Rushowy

Some 80,000 more adult learners will be able to hit the books — upgrading their literacy, math and computer skills — with a $185 million boost from the Ontario government.

“This is huge,” said Deputy Premier Deb Matthews, also the province’s minister of advanced education and skills development, in a telephone interview.

“We are doubling the funding over the next four years for adult literacy and basic skills.”

She made the announcement Friday in London, saying afterwards that “I’ve just come from the event, and hearing the stories of people who didn’t get the education that they could have got or should have got, and making the decision to go back and learn to read, and learn numeracy skills.”

The funding is part of the government’s push to improve literacy levels. Premier Kathleen Wynne’s own “Highly Skilled Workforce Expert Panel” urged literacy training as necessary for today’s economy and to help with labour productivity.

“It’s about access,” added Matthews, who said the free help often leads students to further their education.

“It’s just beautiful,” she said of one woman she met who took adult literacy courses, went to college and is now heading to university. “Those are the stories. About 15 per cent of the population does not have the literacy and numeracy skills required to compete in this economy, so we’ve got to focus on (them).”  READ MORE @

@rochesterce 

How a Rochester program is helping nontraditional students overcome obstacles to health-care jobs

Minn Post: 6.06.2017 by Erin Hinrichs

Suzana Deng is heading into her third — and final — year at Hawthorne, where she’s preparing to enroll in a nursing program at Rochester Community and Technical College.

When Suzana Deng, 34, came to Rochester, Minnesota, in the winter of 2003 as a Sudanese refugee, she wound up at an education hub familiar among English Language Learners in town: the Hawthorne Education Center, the Rochester Public Schools’ adult basic education program. =But she didn’t stick with her classes long.

Feeling more immediate financial pressure to help support her family members, Deng found board and employment at a meatpacking plant in Worthington and spent the next two years commuting home on the weekends. Eventually, she decided it was time to give Hawthorne another try. So she enrolled in the center’s literacy program and eventually settled on nursing as her career interest.

Now a mother of three little girls, Deng is heading into her third — and final — year at Hawthorne, where she’s preparing to enroll in a nursing program at Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC). It’s a stepping stone that’ll help her go from working part time at a nursing home to finding employment as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at Mayo Clinic, she hopes.  READ MORE @

Greater Plymouth

Adult Literacy

A high school diploma and a prom at age 65

Randolph Wicked Local: 6.20.2017 by Sue Scheible, The Patriot Ledger

June Giffin was 16 and a sophomore at Quincy High School when she fell in love with Don Parsons, who was 17 and a senior at Dorchester High. They got married soon after he graduated; she dropped out of school and by age 18, they had two small children. Both always intended for her to go back and earn her high school diploma.

Monday evening that dream finally came true. At age 65, June Parsons received her high school equivalency certificate from the Greater Plymouth Adult Literacy program; she also was selected to give the graduation speech at Plimoth Plantation.

“Don’t be afraid to jump out of your comfort zone,” she told her fellow graduates. “Look at me ... the grandmother of the class ... your success is waiting for you to grab it.”

Her daughter Cheryl, the Randolph school nurse, was there, watching with pride, but sadly, Don Parsons was not. A few months after he sold his business and retired, he was diagnosed with cancer and died in May 2015. He was 64.

“We had so much left to do!” June said last week. “It was the hardest thing I ever had to endure.” After a year of letting things settle, she decided to take his advice and enrolled in the Adult Literacy Program at Plymouth public library, in its 28th year.

After just four months of study, she passed all five exams in the high school equivalency test, HiSET, formerly the GED. “I almost resented it being over so fast because I loved studying so much,” she said.  READ MORE @