Literacy @ CLA Conference 2018

CLA Conference

#CLA2018

November 9-11, 2018

Santa Clara Convention Center

Literacy @ CLA Conference 2018

California Libraries are Graduating Adults: Caps, Gowns and Bright Futures

learn how your library can offer Career Online High School in partnership with the State Library and hear from other participating libraries

Nov 10 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM

Books Through Bars

innovative programs across the state are putting books into the hands of some of our most marginalized citizens

Nov 10 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM

Beyond Barriers: Adult Literacy @the Library

adult learners from diverse backgrounds who are active in Partners in Reading (San José Public Library) or Read Santa Clara (Santa Clara City Library) will share how participating in a library-based adult literacy program has enabled them to overcome barriers they have faced

Nov 10 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

Essential for Some, Beneficial for All: Evidence-Based Methods to Strengthen Literacy

dyslexia affects up to one in five people. Forty-five million Americans are unable to read above a fifth grade level. In California, 51% of our students are not reading at grade level. This underserved population of adults and youth with low-level literacy skills needs specific, structured interventions to develop their reading skills and see progress

Nov 10 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM

Come Write In with National Novel Writing Month at Your Library

learn about the non-profit organization National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and their Come Write In program which provides free resources to libraries, community centers, and local bookstores to build writing havens in your neighborhood

Nov 10 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM

Removing Barriers: Launching Prison Programs

what it is like launching programming in a state prison

Nov 11 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM

Collaboration and Conversations: Reaching Rural, English-as-a-Second Language Populations

meeting the needs of a rural residents many of whom speak English as a second language

Nov 11 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM

Empowering Library Patrons Beyond Walls: A Perspective From a Literacy Program

literacy programs in libraries not only help learners improve their reading and writing, but also empower them beyond library walls, and even beyond borders

Nov 11 1:25 PM - 1:30 PM

Prison Literacy :: Incarceration | Dyslexia | Inmates | Education | Reading | Library

Tweet – Tweeter – Tweetest

Superlatives from SCLLN

“Inmates enrolled in ed programs while incarcerated

were far less likely to return to prison.”

http://bit.ly/29R1BXm 

#projectliteracylab

@unreasonable Jul 16

New podcast!

We talk w/ founder of @asocialignition,

an org that helps people re-enter society after incarceration

http://ow.ly/aU1S3023s4O

@ALA_PLA Jul 8

Prison program lets inmate moms send their voices

http://buff.ly/1TQwVG3 

#literacy

#makingadifference

@readingtub Jun 2

Prison libraries and prison library programs

can build bridges to literacy, love of reading.

raamatuid May 19

Pop Culture Classroom is kicking off a new literacy program

at a CO prison using comics

http://pnsne.ws/1On60zd

@PNS_News May 13

Literacy can help fix America’s mass incarceration problem.

Here's how:

#ProjectLiteracy

@GOOD

@rewritinglives May 4

Pre-K To Prison Pipeline: A Case For Orton Gillingham!

#literacy #money #school2prison pipeline

#edchat #maedu #dyslexia #reading

#mapoli #maleg #massmillennials #educate

@1in5awareness Feb 29

Orange Co Library - Making a WINning Difference to Orange County Inmates

Making a WINning Difference to Orange County Inmates 
READ WRITES Newsletter: June/July 2009

Tutor Spotlight: Sandi Kangas

Most of our tutors meet with their learners at the local library, but not Sandi Kangas. Since she started working with READ/OC in 2005, Sandi has dedicated her time to helping inmates in the Orange County jails improve their reading and writing skills through the WIN (Working for Inmate Literacy Now) program.

Sandi “got the helping bug” as she got older, and decided that since she loved to teach, volunteering with READ/OC would be a great way for her to give back to the community. She liked the idea of working one-on-one with the inmates and giving them a chance to improve their situation. In four years, Sandi has had nearly half a dozen learners in the jails. She has discovered that WIN is a good fit for her because the inmates have to really want to learn in order to qualify for the program. That just makes her want to give them everything she’s got as a tutor.

Although it can sometimes be challenging to work within the security restrictions of the jail tutoring venue, Sandi has found some creative ways to engage her learners. The inmates aren’t allowed to keep books in their cells, so Sandi likes to ask her learners to write a few paragraphs about an imaginative story, then use that narrative as their study guide. She also likes to give them photocopied pages of the GED study manual. Sandi even had one learner who liked to read the dictionary, because that was the only reading material he could have!

Sandi is very enthusiastic about the time she has spent tutoring in the jails, and she would encourage more tutors to contribute their time to the WIN program. Her advice to new tutors would be: don’t be afraid of working in the jails. She has found her inmate learners to be just like learners on the outside, and she has always felt safe and secure working with WIN.

So if you want to help a motivated and eager individual turn their life around through reading, don’t hesitate! There are plenty of inmates waiting for the chance to work with a READ/OC tutor just like Sandi! Contact the READ/OC office for more information about how to be a WIN Tutor.

Orange Co Library - Locals donate time as literacy tutors

Locals donate time as literacy tutorsThe Orange County Register: August 14, 2003 by Jeffrey Chang

Brean Glenn Rolbiecki spends a few hours every Monday at the James A. Musick Correctional Facility in Irvine, helping inmates learn how to read.

Rolbiecki, 71, is a volunteer tutor for READ/Orange County, an adult literacy service operated through the Orange County Public Library.

Shereen Shoulders, READ/OC volunteer coordinator, said one in four adults -- about 400,000 people in Orange County -- either can't read or reads at a low skill level.

The goal of the program is to educate willing learners and improve their reading, writing and speaking skills, allowing them to prepare for the competitive job market, Shoulders said.

``The focus of our program is to prepare adults for the future,'' she added.

Rolbiecki, a retired truck driver, wanted to give back to the community in his spare time. He learned about READ/OC through his local library. Most tutoring sessions are held at library branches throughout the county.

Volunteer coordinator Bob West said many tutors are motivated by their love of reading.

``Generally, we find that these people enjoy reading, and when they find out how many people can't read they're blown away,'' he said.

La Habra resident and volunteer Viktoria Henry, 58, said, ``I love to read and I really wanted to teach someone so they can love to read.''

Volunteers must go through three hours of orientation with READ/OC staff to determine whether they are suitable to become tutors. Teaching expe rience isn't required but volunteers must understand basic grammar and spelling concepts and be willing to invest the time to teach someone to read. After orientation, volunteers must complete 17 hours of classroom training to learn effective teaching methods, such as using visual aids.

They are then assigned a learner, and after four of five weeks of tutoring, tutors are assessed by READ/OC staff and must complete one last three-hour course before they are certified.

``The training is intense,'' Henry said, but it ``helps you tailor the way you structure the lesson to fit the student's need.''

The core curriculum consists of tutoring sessions, either one-on-one or in small groups, structured around what the learner wants.

Sessions utilize ``all authentic materials used in real life,'' said Shoulders, such as newspapers, books and magazines.

Rolbiecki, who has been a tutor since March, chose to participate in the Working for Inmate Literacy Now program, or WIN. He said this particular component of READ/OC allows him to work one-on-one with inmates, helping them to become more productive members of society. He recently started working with his third learner.

``I'm really enjoying it,'' he said, ``and the inmates really appreciate it.''

WIN provides basic literacy service to pre-screened inmates in the Orange County jail system. WIN tutors don't have additional training but must receive clearance to work in the jails.

Henry works in the Families for Literacy, or FFL, component of READ/OC. FFL involves parents and children in an effort to break the cycle of illiteracy in families. While the tutors do work with the children, the focus is always on adults, said Shoulders.

Henry has been a volunteer literacy tutor for two years and has helped 15 learners.

Another part of the program, English Level Civics, provides English assistance for adult non-native speakers. Tutors provide not only reading skills but teach learners how to gain access to family health care, nutrition and employment skills. ``The program is very focused on literacy because literacy is so essential to be able to move on in society and improve yourself,'' Henry said.

READ/Orange County is a free service offered to adults ages 16 and older who are not in a high-school environment. Residents throughout Orange County are served.

Volunteer literacy tutors must commit to an additional 50 hours of service after being certified. They must also attend two in-service programs throughout the year to maintain their training.

Since the program's inception, more than 1,000 volunteer literacy tutors have been certified and more than 1,500 learners have received help reading. For information, call (714) 566-3070 or visit www.readoc.org .