Literacy Rates Continue to Rise from One Generation to the Next :: UNESCO

Literacy Rates Continue to Rise from One Generation to the Next

UNESCO Fact Sheet No. 45:  September 2017 FS/2017/LIT/45

To celebrate International Literacy Day on 8 September, this fact sheet presents the latest available literacy data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and an overview of national, regional and global trends over the past five decades. 

The data show remarkable improvement among youth in terms of reading and writing skills and a steady reduction in gender gaps. 50 years ago, almost one quarter of youth lacked basic literacy skills compared to less than 10% in 2016. However, 750 million adults – two-thirds of whom are women – remain illiterate (see Box 1 on methodological changes). 

Renewed efforts are therefore needed to reach the new literacy target of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): “by 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy”. The data are available via the UNESCO eAtlas of Literacy, which features interactive maps and charts that can be shared and downloaded.

According to UIS data, the majority of countries missed the Education for All (EFA) goal of reducing adult illiteracy rates by 50% between 2000 and 2015. At the global level, the adult and youth literacy rates are estimated to have grown by only 4% each over this period.  READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Solano Co CA :: Athens/Clarke Co GA :: Wilmington NC :: Duncan OK

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.

Real stories tell real, varied successes of Solano County literacy program

Daily Republic: 9.15.2017 by Todd R. Hansen

Richard Diaz, Khatera Omari and Olivia Chavira Mercado were introduced to the Board of Supervisors this week under the singular umbrella of Solano County Library Literacy Services.

But their stories are their own, with individual goals that illustrate the varied benefits adult literacy can have on the lives of those enrolled in the program.

Omari used the program to become a U.S. citizen, while Mercado has earned a general education degree.

Diaz, who did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, used the program to overcome a lifetime of dyslexia. Now, the board was told, he “confidently reads and shares stories with his daughter, and started his own business.”

The board adopted a resolution recognizing September as Adult Literacy Awareness Month.

“Approximately 60,000 adults in Solano County are considered functionally illiterate, hindering their ability to read to a child, follow simple directions, complete a job application, or order a meal off of a menu,” the resolution states, in part.  READ MORE @

Athens Literacy

Athens-Clarke Literacy Council helps local adults earn GEDs

Red & Black: 9.15.2017 by Megan Wahn

According to Carol Rayburn Cofer, current president of the Athens-Clarke Literacy Council, about 9,000 people within the Athens-Clarke County area don’t have their GED.

“Those are people that are not able to be as actively engaged in our community,” Cofer said.

However, that bleak statistic is also the very thing that motivates Cofer and the Literacy Council she helps run.

The Athens-Clarke Literacy Council is an umbrella organization founded in 1993 with the goal to provide, promote and support learning opportunities for adults in Athens-Clarke County.

“There were different organizations that were primarily working through volunteers and trying to address literacy issues in Athens-Clarke County,” Cofer said. “We don’t deliver the literacy training ourselves; we kind of are connectors for other entities that are primarily working with volunteers to be their tutors.”

The Literacy Council primarily serves as a liaison between those providing the adult education and those seeking it, the end goal being for students to obtain their GED.  READ MORE @

@cfliteracy

Help keep Wilmington reading

Star News Online: 9.15.2017 by Editorial Board

It is a truth, universally acknowledged, and definitely not “fake news,” that people who can’t read don’t buy many newspapers.

Thus, it is altogether fitting and proper that the StarNews, which marks its 150th birthday on Sept. 23, will celebrate it by throwing a gala with the Cape Fear Literacy Council. Let’s face it -- readers are our lifeblood. They’ve made those 150 years possible. No offense, of course, to those who buy the StarNews just for the photos.

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For the past 33 years, the volunteer-run non-profit has been providing free, one-on-one tutoring in basic adult literacy. Over the years, it’s added other subjects: basic math, GED exam prep, and, yes, computer literacy. Reading, however, remains the core mission.

The sad fact is, 14 percent of North Carolinians lack basic literacy skills. There are many reasons, but one clear result: People who can’t read are especially handicapped in the digital economy. They are likely to be relegated to the lowest paying jobs, and wind up as clients of public services.  READ MORE @

Duncan Area

Literacy Council

DALC receives grant to help operation

Duncan Banner: 9.15.2017 by Linda Provost

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries awarded a $7,888 grant to the Duncan Area Literacy Council (DALC) to support local adult literacy efforts. A $2160 grant for technology improvements has also been awarded to the local organization.

Mary Brancich, director of DALC, said the United Way agency applies for the grant every year and was pleasantly surprised by the amount. 

@ODLtweet

“Not surprised so much at the grant itself — but more so by the amount of the grant, that's almost $2,000 more than we usually receive,” she said. “I am most pleased that it was funded at all ... I was concerned about the state's budget shortfall and happy that the legislators we have, support our mission. The technology grant was the surprise! That grant was unexpected and I really didn't think we'd get it.”  

Brancich said the tech grant let them buy four laptops and a laser printer/copier.

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According to the Oklahoma State Assessment of Adult Literacy, 12 percent of Oklahomans over the age of 16 read at “Below Basic Level,” with another 31 percent of adults having only the most basic reading skills. Individuals at these levels often face significant obstacles when trying to succeed in the workplace, community, and everyday life.  READ MORE @

Health Literacy Month :: We Are The 90%

We are the 90%

Communicate Health: 5.16.2012 by Stacy Robison, MPH, MCHES

According to the most recent data on literacy in the United States, only 10 percent of adults have the knowledge and skills needed to understand important information about their health. Our access to health services and informed health decision-making are dependent on this information. So what about the other 90 percent?

We all want – and deserve – plain language information about our health! More than 3 out of 4 adults have looked for health or medical information. And 8 in 10 Internet users have searched for health information online. Imagine if all of these searches resulted in clear, actionable information – information that could be used in everyday life.  READ MORE @

Libraries Make Health Literacy Accessible For All

Libraries Make Health Literacy Accessible For All

I Love Libraries: 9.15.2017 by jfalcon

More than 90 million U.S. adults have low health literacy. Health literacy, which measures someone’s ability to access necessary health services and understand health information, is crucial for maintaining a high quality of life.

Public, school, academic and special libraries can play a key role in making health literacy attainable for all—which is why the American Library Association (ALA) and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) are collaborating to raise awareness for Health Literacy Month this October.

Library advocates can join the ALA and NNLM in highlighting how libraries promote health literacy by signing up for their free health literacy toolkit, which provides graphics, messaging ideas and striking data about health literacy and libraries. The toolkit is part of ALA’s Libraries Transform public awareness campaign, a nationwide movement spreading the word about how libraries and library professionals transform lives.

Individuals with low health literacy skills often have higher health care costs and an increased risk of developing preventable disease. For those struggling to make sense of health information, the library is a key resource, providing free access to quality health information and databases that can improve one's quality of life.

“NNLM recognizes that people trust their libraries and want to equip library staff with the knowledge to help their users navigate locating reliable health information,” said Lydia Collins, Consumer Health Coordinator at NNLM. “This is critical so that health consumers can make educated decisions, in collaboration with their health care providers, for themselves and their loved ones.”   READ MORE @

5 Ways to Improve Adult Literacy via Thought Co

5 Ways to Improve Adult Literacy

5 Ways You Can Help an Adult Learn to Read

Thought Co: 2.04.2017 by Deb Peterson

National Literacy Directory

Adult literacy is a global problem. In September of 2015, the USESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) reported that 85% of the world's adults age 15 and older lack basic reading and writing skills. That's 757 million adults, and two-thirds of them are women.

For passionate readers, this is unimaginable. UNESCO had a goal to reduce illiteracy rates by 50% in 15 years compared to 2000 levels. The organization reports that only 39% of countries will reach that goal. In some countries, illiteracy has actually increased. The new literacy target? "By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy." You can find statistics on the organization's website: unesco.org

What can you do to help? Here are five ways you can help improve adult literacy in your own community:

1 Educate Yourself by Researching Literacy Websites

  > The Office of Vocational & Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education

  > The National Institute for Literacy

  > ProLiteracy

2 Volunteer at Your Local Literacy Council

3 Find Your Local Adult Education Classes for Someone Who Needs Them

4 Ask for Reading Primers at Your Local Library

5 Hire a Private Tutor

READ MORE @

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Albuquerque NM :: Plankinton WI :: Prince Edward Island

Literacy: Spanning North America

@ReadingWorksAbq 

Local group aims to improve quality of life through Adult Literacy program

KRQE: 9.14.2017 by Katy Diffendorfer

Adult Literacy gives individuals the power to lift themselves out of poverty and provide a better life for their families. The nationally-recognized group, ‘Reading Works’ is championing the movement locally.

Reading Works is a nonprofit that provides free tutoring in reading, writing, math, digital literacy and English as a Second Language.  WATCH VIDEO

@WisLiteracy 

Milwaukee's effort to combat adult illiteracy

Thousands still struggle to read and write

TMJ4: 9.14.2017 by Elise Preston

As kids head back to school teachers and families are focused on making sure students grasp their work; setting them up for a successful school year and life. But, there is also a push to make sure their parents, grandparents and other adults are being educated as well.

TODAY'S TMJ4 caught up with Sonny Daniels as he worked with his tutor Kate at Literacy Services of Wisconsin.  The two have been working on spelling, reading and sounding out words for the last couple years.

“If you don't how to read or count in this world,  they gonna’ take advantage of you,” said Daniels.

As a kid, Sonny didn't grasp reading in school and dropped out. In his 30's, he’s struggled to read things like menus, signs on buildings and job applications. He would often ask for help.

“Then I would feel ashamed afterward,” said Daniels.

@LiteracyWI 

Sonny is far from alone. Ginger Duiven, with Literacy Services of Wisconsin, says about 500 adults a year are tutored just at one location on Plankinton.

“Students walk in the first time; their eyes are down on the floor, shoulders are slumped, and in months they are smiling. holding their head high,” said Duiven.

An estimated 60,000 Milwaukee adults can't read at a third-grade level. Much more aren't reading past fifth, seventh, and ninth grades. In the state of Wisconsin, the number jumps to one million and a half adults.  WATCH VIDEO

Holloand Coll

Adult Education

'I feel really proud': Former dropout wins Literacy Award, credits kids for inspiring him

Shawn Stewart dropped out of school in Grade 10

CBC News: 9.13.2017

P.E.I.'s 2017 Council of the Federation Literacy Award recipient has a message for students that may be struggling in school and are considering dropping out: never give up.

Shawn Stewart dropped out in Grade 10, but said he regretted the decision as he got older.

The father of two said he was inspired by his children to go back to school and to stick with it this time around.

"I couldn't really quit this time because there's so much on the line," he said.

"Trying to set a good example for my children."

@workplacepei

'I feel really proud'

Stewart took about three years to graduate, starting at Holland College and then moving to Workplace Learning PEI.

"It was hard at first," he said.  READ MORE @

2017 Library of Congress Literacy Awards :: Children’s Literacy Initiative :: NCFL :: Pratham Books

Library Announces Winners of 2017 Literacy Awards

Library of Congress Literacy Awards: 9.01.2017

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced the winners of the 2017 Library of Congress Literacy Awards tonight at the Library of Congress National Book Festival gala.

Three organizations received awards from Hayden and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein: the Children’s Literacy Initiative; the National Center for Families and Learning; and Pratham Books.

Originated by Rubenstein in 2013, the Literacy Awards honor organizations working to promote literacy and reading in the United States and worldwide. The awards recognize groups doing exemplary, innovative and replicable work, and they spotlight the need for the global community to unite in striving for universal literacy.

“Literacy is the first line of defense against so many problems—unemployment, hunger, poor health—and gives people a foundation for a brighter future,” Hayden said. “Through the generosity of David M. Rubenstein, the Library of Congress is proud to honor these exemplary organizations for their continued efforts to raise reading levels. Their work is moving and truly life-changing, and it is our privilege to recognize them here tonight.”

Prizes and Recipients

David M. Rubenstein Prize ($150,000):

Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI), Philadelphia

works with pre-K through third-grade teachers to improve early literacy instruction so children become powerful readers, writers and thinkers

American Prize ($50,000):

National Center for Families Learning, Louisville, Kentucky

Established in 1989 by its current president, Sharon Darling, the NCFL works to eliminate poverty through educational solutions for families.

International Prize ($50,000):

Pratham Books, Bangalore, India

has helped millions of children have access to engaging, affordable, multilingual books. In order to scale the creation and distribution of multilingual content, Pratham Books launched StoryWeaver, India’s first open-source, digital repository of multilingual stories.

The Library of Congress Literacy Awards program is also honoring 15 organizations for their implementation of best practices in literacy promotion. These organizations are:

The Asia Foundation, San Francisco

Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Center for Teaching and Learning, Edgecomb, Maine

Centre for Knowledge Assistance and Community Development, Hanoi, Vietnam

CODE, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

CommonLit Inc., Washington, D.C.

Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities/PRIME TIME, New Orleans

Reading Partners, Oakland, California

Reading Works Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico

Sealaska Heritage Institute, Juneau, Alaska

Serve Minnesota, Minneapolis

State Library of Western Australia - Better Beginnings Family Literacy Program, Perth, Australia

Story Share Inc., Boston

Tales and Travel Memories, Elgin, Illinois

Yayasan Sulinama, Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia

READ MORE @