National Education and Family Literacy Week - Part 2

National Education and Family Literacy Week
September 23 - 29

Raises public awareness of adult education and family literacy, assists adult learners in need of literacy services, leverages local resources, and supports increased access to adult education and family literacy programs. Use opportunity to elevate adult education and family literacy nationwide with policymakers, the media, and the community.

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Some SCLLN Facts - watch for more !

Azusa City Library Literacy
Violence, Crime and Literacy: What’s the Connection?  Did you know that —

60% of America’s inmates read below a fourth-grade reading level
   (U.S. Department of Education)
70% is the recidivism rate for inmates who do not receive literacy help in prison — but if inmates do receive literacy help while incarcerated, their rate of returning to prison drops to 16%
   (Penal Institution Records)
85% of all juvenile offenders have reading problems
   (U.S. Department of Education)
2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare
    (One World Literacy Foundation)

Centro Latino for Literacy

congratulates 129 newly literate adults at their 7th Annual Manos Amigas/Helping Hands Celebration.

Corona Library

  Zickefoose was functionally illiterate, unable to read a prescription label, his children's report cards or a menu. He was diagnosed as a young boy with dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and didn't learn to read and write until he was 35.
  That's when everything changed. He became a poster boy for the Corona library's adult reading program, began to speak publicly about his own struggles and was named the library's literacy director. He founded a nonprofit youth organization.
  And on Dec. 7, Zickefoose, 52, was sworn in as a member of the Corona-Norco Unified School District Board of Education.

Corona Library :: John Zickefoose Learned To Read At 35, Now Shares His Literacy Struggle With Kids

From illiterate to role model
Once, John Zickefoose couldn't read to his children or order from a menu. Today, he's a school board member and Corona library advocate.
LA Times: January 5, 2011 by Carla Rivera

The metamorphosis is as quick as the turn of a page: John Zickefoose is a hyperactive goose, a laid-back bear, a monkey, a tiger. The children at the Corona Public Library squeal with laughter as the man whose name rhymes with Seuss becomes louder and more animated.

There was a time when reading the simple words of a picture book would have proved impossible for Zickefoose. He spent years in school overwhelmed with sadness that nothing came as easily to him as it did for others. He would become rowdy, preferring to be kicked out of class than to be called on by the teacher.

Zickefoose was functionally illiterate, unable to read a prescription label, his children's report cards or a menu. He was diagnosed as a young boy with dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and didn't learn to read and write until he was 35.

That's when everything changed. He became a poster boy for the Corona library's adult reading program, began to speak publicly about his own struggles and was named the library's literacy director. He founded a nonprofit youth organization.

And on Dec. 7, Zickefoose, 52, was sworn in as a member of the Corona-Norco Unified School District Board of Education.

For the boy who couldn't understand the words on his high school diploma, the journey to the school board was the culmination of a vow to do something meaningful in life and help prevent others from starting out as he did.

"I'll be able to bring, quite frankly, an unusual perspective of what it feels like to be in the classroom and be a failure," Zickefoose said. "I don't want any child to go through what I went through."

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An estimated 30 million American adults can't read a newspaper or fill out a job application. Many have learning disabilities. Others are dropouts, victims of failing school systems. Some are immigrants with deficient English language skills who may also be illiterate in their native tongues.

But Zickefoose is also an anomaly. Only about 5% of adults who need services receive them, mainly because there is still so much shame attached to the condition, said David C. Harvey, president and chief executive of ProLiteracy, an international advocacy group. Zickefoose serves on the board of directors.

"John is a national role model because one of the most effective ways to break down that stigma is to have people who have had this problem talk about it," Harvey said. "He's a shining example of what can happen when someone gets services and puts those new skills to work."

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Now outreach coordinator at the library, Zickefoose appears to be straight-arrow, business-minded, even professorial. But his tie, with an imprint of the Looney Tunes' Tasmanian Devil, hints at a whimsical nature.

He formed UNITY (United Neighbors Involving Today's Youth) in 1996, and it has evolved into a coalition of 80 public and private agencies that have secured more than $17 million for the Corona-Norco school district. A generation of students know him as Mr. Z from his appearances at school assemblies where he preaches perseverance, using his own life as an example.

As a school board member, Zickefoose wants to prepare students earlier for college and a career and to pursue more outside funds for such school programs as arts and music. READ MORE !

Demand for adult literacy rises as funding threatened - Corona Library - Hemet Library

Demand for adult literacy rises as funding threatened
Press Enterprise: 2.23.11 by Dayna Straehley

John Zickefoose's interest in education and literacy is personal.

After struggling with dyslexia and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder from elementary through high school, he finally turned for help to the library where he now works.

He was 35 years old and could no longer work in his home-repair business because he needed back surgery and a new career. His 7-year-old son read better than he could.

So 17 years ago he walked in the Corona Library and embarked on a journey of literacy.

Today, Zickefoose is on the board of an international literacy organization and the Corona-Norco Unified School District. He is outreach coordinator at the Corona Public Library.

"I owe my life to this library," he said. "It totally transformed me as a human being."

Such transformations could become more elusive as governments struggle to balance the budgets. Demand for adult literacy services in the Inland area is higher than ever, but funding cuts threaten the programs run from public libraries.

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Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed budget would eliminate the $4.5 million the state provides to adult literacy programs such as the one at Corona's library.

Inland coordinators don't know how they will keep their programs going without state money.

"For every $1 of state funds, $4 of private donations are leveraged," said David Harvey, president and CEO of ProLiteracy. The international organization supports programs at the local level. It offers advocacy assistance as well as reading materials for adult learners.

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SMALL BUDGET, BIG RESULTS

Lori Eastman, literacy coordinator for Hemet Public Library Adult Literacy Services, said Zickefoose's beginning on the road to literacy is typical, although he has gone further than most. Adults are most often in their 30s or 40s, forced to make a career change and embarrassed because they can't help their children, she said.

Four adult learners in Hemet echoed many of the same frustrations that brought them to seek help learning to read and write better, although they wouldn't give their full names because they too are embarrassed about their disabilities. They said they wanted to help their children with their schoolwork and set a better example. They told of lifelong learning difficulties.

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Eastman said the city of Hemet supplements the $30,000 that comes from the state. Supplies come from donations and fundraisers, she said.

Corona Library Director Julie Frederickson said she is hopeful that community donors and the city will keep the literacy program afloat if state funding is cut.

Harvey was less optimistic.

He said the state funds are seed money for all of the libraries' and literacy programs' fundraising efforts.

"The private sector is never going to be able to replace the publicly funded core," Harvey said. READ MORE !

Corona Library :: From illiterate to role model :: John Zickefoose

From illiterate to role model
Once, John Zickefoose couldn't read to his children or order from a menu. Today, he's a school board member and Corona library advocate.
LA Times: January 5, 2011 by Carla Rivera

The metamorphosis is as quick as the turn of a page: John Zickefoose is a hyperactive goose, a laid-back bear, a monkey, a tiger. The children at the Corona Public Library squeal with laughter as the man whose name rhymes with Seuss becomes louder and more animated.

There was a time when reading the simple words of a picture book would have proved impossible for Zickefoose. He spent years in school overwhelmed with sadness that nothing came as easily to him as it did for others. He would become rowdy, preferring to be kicked out of class than to be called on by the teacher.

Zickefoose was functionally illiterate, unable to read a prescription label, his children's report cards or a menu. He was diagnosed as a young boy with dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and didn't learn to read and write until he was 35.

That's when everything changed. He became a poster boy for the Corona library's adult reading program, began to speak publicly about his own struggles and was named the library's literacy director. He founded a nonprofit youth organization.

And on Dec. 7, Zickefoose, 52, was sworn in as a member of the Corona-Norco Unified School District Board of Education.

For the boy who couldn't understand the words on his high school diploma, the journey to the school board was the culmination of a vow to do something meaningful in life and help prevent others from starting out as he did.

"I'll be able to bring, quite frankly, an unusual perspective of what it feels like to be in the classroom and be a failure," Zickefoose said. "I don't want any child to go through what I went through."

6 6 6 6 6 6 6

An estimated 30 million American adults can't read a newspaper or fill out a job application. Many have learning disabilities. Others are dropouts, victims of failing school systems. Some are immigrants with deficient English language skills who may also be illiterate in their native tongues.

But Zickefoose is also an anomaly. Only about 5% of adults who need services receive them, mainly because there is still so much shame attached to the condition, said David C. Harvey, president and chief executive of ProLiteracy, an international advocacy group. Zickefoose serves on the board of directors.

"John is a national role model because one of the most effective ways to break down that stigma is to have people who have had this problem talk about it," Harvey said. "He's a shining example of what can happen when someone gets services and puts those new skills to work."

6 6 6 6 6 6 6

Now outreach coordinator at the library, Zickefoose appears to be straight-arrow, business-minded, even professorial. But his tie, with an imprint of the Looney Tunes' Tasmanian Devil, hints at a whimsical nature.

He formed UNITY (United Neighbors Involving Today's Youth) in 1996, and it has evolved into a coalition of 80 public and private agencies that have secured more than $17 million for the Corona-Norco school district. A generation of students know him as Mr. Z from his appearances at school assemblies where he preaches perseverance, using his own life as an example.

As a school board member, Zickefoose wants to prepare students earlier for college and a career and to pursue more outside funds for such school programs as arts and music. READ MORE !

Corona Library :: Corona literacy coordinator elected to school board :: John Zickefoose

Corona literacy coordinator elected to school boardPress Enterprise: November 3, 2010 by Dayna Straehley

Corona library literacy coordinator John Zickefoose won a seat on the Corona-Norco Unified School District board Tuesday.

Six candidates sought two open seats on the school board. Longtime board members Bill Hedrick and Sharon Martinez did not run for re-election.

Zickefoose, who has 27.88 percent, or 16,554, of the votes in the unofficial tally, said he was thrilled and humbled by the community's support.

Zickefoose said he learned to read as an adult and has made literacy his mission. He reads to students at every school in the district. He also co-founded United Neighbors Involving Today's Youth, a community coalition that includes school district representatives.

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All six said they want more career education, especially for students who don't plan to go to college.

Most agreed that not all students are college-bound, so programs such as computer technology, auto shop or wood shop will motivate them at school and close the achievement gap between middle class white and Asian students and black, Latino students and socio-economically disadvantaged students. READ MORE !

Adult Literacy Awareness Month :: Commerce Library :: Corona Library

Adult Literacy Awareness Month

September Spotlight

on SCLLN Literacy Programs

City of Commerce Library - Adult Literacy Program

Offers one-on-one tutoring for adults 16 years or older who want to better their reading and writing skills and for those adults who have learned English as a second language and would like to improve their English language skills. All materials are free and all tutors are trained to help adults raise their reading and writing skills.

Learning to read is a challenge, but there are resources that can help. We've selected some of the best online resources available to help you. Look below for information on pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and more:
Easy Reading
Advanced Reading
Grammar
Pronunciation
Quizzes & Games
Reading Comprehension
Tools
Vocabulary
Vocational Education

Corona Public Library – Literacy Program

English-speaking adults can improve their reading, writing and computing skills through the library’s Literacy Program or call (951) 279-3589 to find out more! Adults are matched one-to-one with trained volunteers and meet regularly at the library during open hours. Through the library’s Families For Literacy program, parents are encouraged to read aloud at home through special storytimes and book giveaways.

In Memoriam :: Steve Armstrong

Corona library employee, literacy booster dies
Press-Enterprise: 10.23.08 by Alicia Robinson

Corona lost a library worker, community volunteer and literacy booster Saturday when Steve Armstrong died of kidney cancer.

Mr. Armstrong, the library's support services division manager, was 50.

Originally from Pomona, Mr. Armstrong worked in Los Angeles County and Glendora libraries before moving to Corona in 2002.

He oversaw literacy and circulation services, worked to raise funds for the library foundation, and volunteered for the Relay for Life, library Director Julie Fredericksen said.

"He was just one of those people that everyone loved talking to," Fredericksen said. "He had a real curiosity about people."

Literacy as a tool: Library director finds niche in helping folks
Press Enterprise: July 1, 2005 by Jerry Soifer

Steve Armstrong, a former businessman-turned-librarian, knows about transformations. Armstrong has been a record-store assistant manager, a paint company accountant and a hospital accountant.

Then Armstrong took an interest in literacy, earning a bachelor's degree from the University of La Verne in 1990 and a master's degree two years later. Now, at 47, he's the director of special services for Corona Public Library. He oversees the literacy program, community liaison, outreach office, the heritage room and the library foundation.

He lives in Rancho Cucamonga with his two golden retrievers. "He's really found his niche," said John Zickefoose, Corona's community liaison at the library. "People think of libraries as books. We're far more than that. We're taking care of people. He's really good at that."

Corona Library :: Report claims literacy skills not improved

Report claims literacy skills not improved
Press Enterprise: Dec 15, 2005 by Linda Lou

By looking at the way John Zickefoose reads to children during story time at the Corona Public Library, you would think that he's at home with books -- as natural as a "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish" in water.

But Mr. Z, as he's known to children, didn't read well until he was 35. His 7-year-old son started correcting Zickefoose when he read, which prompted him to enroll in an adult literacy program at the Corona library. Zickefoose is now the library's community liaison.

Today, many adults are still not functionally literate. About 11 million people 16 and older are nonliterate in English; about 30 million people have below-basic literacy skills; and about 63 million people have basic skills, according to a U.S. Department of Education report released Thursday.

The report showed that on average, adult literacy rates have not improved much since 1992. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy report, which was conducted in 2003, found that blacks and Asians are more able to read documents and complete forms than in 1992. Hispanics, however, decreased in being able to do these tasks.

On average, the study also found that women are more literate than men.
And the report showed that people with college and graduate degrees in 2003 had lower literacy skills than their same groups in 1992.

These discoveries on literacy and race, gender and education levels are eye-opening, said Mark Schneider, commissioner of education statistics at the National Center for Education Statistics. NCES is part of the U.S. Department of Education.

These three areas are wakeup calls on what needs to be further examined, he said.

Implications

Schneider and other experts say the decline in literacy for Hispanics isn't revealing. They attribute it to demographic changes since 1992. Most Hispanic or Latino immigrants arrive in the United States in their teenage or adult years and don't speak English, Schneider said. The NAAL report shows increases in the numbers of Hispanics and Asians in the nation since 1992.

Census data show that recent generations of immigrants are less educated than previous ones, said Robert Wedgeworth, president and CEO of ProLiteracy Worldwide, based in Syracuse, N.Y. Wedgeworth said the relatively static overall results are alarming. "The suggestion that literacy levels are remaining the same in a world that is changing so rapidly means we are becoming less and less competitive," he said.

But Alayne Sullivan, an associate professor of literacy education at Cal State San Bernardino said that research shows the claims of a national literacy crisis are greatly exaggerated. "We are doing a better and better job, and literacy levels are slowly and steadily going up," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said increases that the report revealed in abilities to read forms and documents among blacks and Asians are positive. "We haven't typically seen those kinds of changes to positive extents for many decades prior to that," she said. "There are reasons to feel uplifted."

The emphasis on literacy has come to the forefront in education in this era of No Child Left Behind and standards-based education, said Diana Blackledge, a Riverside Unified School District assistant superintendent.

The best way to achieve widespread adult literacy is to ensure that every child leaves the K-12 system literate, she said.

Next Steps

Now that a snapshot of adult literacy is available, it shows what needs to be done, said Sharon Darling, founder and president of the National Center for Family Literacy, a worldwide literacy advocate group based in Kentucky.
Literacy efforts should be more focused in the Hispanic community on both parents and children, Darling said. Parents need to be literate to find better jobs and need to be literate to help their children with education, she said.
Sherry Yeh, a Corona parent who emigrated from Taiwan, said she decided to improve her English-language literacy skills about two years ago. She is getting instruction at the Corona Public Library.

Yeh's daughters, who are in elementary school, are getting older and Yeh wants to communicate with their teachers and be on top of their education.
Yeh also said she would like to find an accounting job in the future and needs to be literate. She has seen improvements in her day-to-day life.

"Right now, I can pick up the phone and make a (doctor's) appointment," Yeh said. "Before, I need to ask my husband ... The other day, I took my kids to the dentist. I can fill out the form, but I still need to use dictionary."

Literacy, a Priority

It's more important now than ever to be literate in the 21st century, some say.
Zickefoose, who sits on ProLiteracy Worldwide's board of directors, said 100 years ago, no one would bat an eye if you couldn't read. Just be able to scrawl a signature, he said.

Today, illiteracy is not only a social stigma but affects the quality of life, Zickefoose said. Even with the advance of technology and computers, people need to know how to read to see what's online, he said.

Between 1992 and 2003, many manufacturing jobs have been lost in the United States, while high-tech jobs have risen, Darling said. "It sounds kind of trite, but (literacy) does open the doors for everyone," Blackledge said. "When you're literate, you have access to whichever profession you're interested in."

Corona Library :: Literacy as a tool: Library director finds niche in helping folks

Literacy as a tool: Library director finds niche in helping folks
Press Enterprise: July 1, 2005 by Jerry Soifer

Steve Armstrong, a former businessman-turned-librarian, knows about transformations. Armstrong has been a record-store assistant manager, a paint company accountant and a hospital accountant.

Then Armstrong took an interest in literacy, earning a bachelor's degree from the University of La Verne in 1990 and a master's degree two years later. Now, at 47, he's the director of special services for Corona Public Library. He oversees the literacy program, community liaison, outreach office, the heritage room and the library foundation.

He lives in Rancho Cucamonga with his two golden retrievers. "He's really found his niche," said John Zickefoose, Corona's community liaison at the library. "People think of libraries as books. We're far more than that. We're taking care of people. He's really good at that."

On July 16, Armstrong will oversee the transformation of the library into a variety of settings from Agatha Christie's 1934 mystery novel, "Murder on the Orient Express," as part of a fundraising event.

The children's room will become Istanbul, Turkey, where food such as spicy shrimp skewers will be served. The teen area will become Milan, Italy, with appropriate food. The periodicals section will become the Serbian capital of Belgrade with shepherd's bread on the menu.

The community room will take on a Paris theme with mini-cream puffs covered with chocolate sauce being served. Children from the Christian Arts Theater are scheduled to sing and dance.

The event is the first major fundraiser for the library's foundation in its 20-year history, Armstrong said.

Inspired To Help

In 1987, Armstrong saw the made-for-television movie "Bluffing It" starring Dennis Weaver, who kept his inability to read or write a secret. The movie inspired Armstrong to volunteer as a tutor at the Los Angeles County Public Library in La Verne. There he met Irish immigrant William Heeney, a construction worker who never finished school in his native Dublin.

Heeney said in a phone interview that he would often get lost in Southern California because he could not read a map. Heeney, who lives in Alta Loma, also saw the movie, which inspired him to enroll in the Mount San Antonio College literacy program. There he was placed in a class with young people, where he felt out of place.

Heeney, now 43, sought help at the library in La Verne where he met Armstrong. They worked together for five years. "Steve is like a brother to me," said Heeney. "He's one of the best people I've ever met. He did so much for me. I will be forever grateful to the man."

Heeney eventually became a construction foreman. He said he lives in a different world than before. Armstrong said Heeney did a lot for him, inspiring him to go back to college and earn a degree.

Before meeting Heeney, Armstrong preferred work to study. "I liked being self-sufficient, making money, being independent," he said .

Heeney convinced Armstrong he belonged in a library. At the time, Armstrong wasn't happy with his work at a rehabilitation hospital in Pomona. "I was doing a lot of collection work," said Armstrong. "I wanted to help people, not collect money from them."

Armstrong attended Citrus College in Azusa off and on for 13 years before enrolling at the University of La Verne.
He went to work at the Glendora library in 1993 and rose to the position of development and educational services director. Heeney said of Armstrong, "He turned me around more than I turned his life around."