Support READ ACROSS CALIFORNIA MARCH 2012

Read Across California Month
Will be presented for
an Assembly Floor Vote
Monday, June 27, 2011

Resolution ACR 62 by Assembly Member Julia Brownley would proclaim March of 2012, and each following year, "Read Across California" month, encouraging Californians to read at least 30 minutes a day for 30 days.

Children who independently spend time reading score higher on tests than children who do not read. Unfortunately, 23 percent of Californians lack basic literacy skills. This measure would help foster a love for reading and knowledge, and raise awareness of the importance of reading.

Support

READ ACROSS CALIFORNIA

Assembly Education Subcommittee

Your Assembly Member or State Senator

AuthorJulia BrownleyCo-Authors
Mike FeuerTed LieuCarol LiuFran PavleyBetsy Butler
March 2 is Read Across America Day, NEA’s national reading celebration of the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Across the country, thousands of schools, libraries, and community centers participate by bringing together kids, teens, and books.

Lompoc Library - Literacy program in jeopard

Literacy program in jeopardy
Santa Maria Times: 6.18.2011 by Christina Chill

Consider your own life and how you would function without the ability to read and write. Simple everyday tasks like reading your emails, deciphering driving instructions, or writing a check would be daunting.

More challenging tasks like reading the want ads, balancing a checkbook, or filling out a job application could be virtually impossible without help from a confidant.

Nearly every thing we do on the job, at home, and in the community requires a certain level of reading, writing, and reasoning skills, yet nearly one-fifth of English speaking residents in Lompoc are illiterate.

Many are immigrants, who have learned to speak English well enough to get by, but lack the literacy skills to compete for 21st century jobs. Others were born in the United States, but for a variety of reasons failed in our traditional school system. A few have learning disabilities. Others are dropouts. Some have graduated from high school without having acquired the necessary skills to function in today’s information driven society.

For 21 years, the Lompoc Public Library has been giving these adults a second chance and an opportunity to succeed in life through free individualized tutoring by professionally-trained volunteers. Our “Each one Teach one” method is not only cost effective, but has helped 2,000 residents improve their skills and achieve their goals, from getting a job to enrolling in college. As a result, many have moved off welfare or other governmental services, and are productive citizens in our community.

The economic crisis in Lompoc has put our Literacy Program in jeopardy. Without community support, we could face elimination of these vital services in the upcoming months. You can help to keep our program afloat by supporting the Friends of the Library food booth at Flower Festival. All proceeds benefit literacy. We will be serving barbecue chicken dinners, jalapeno chicken poppers, drinks, and almond brittle. We will also have a slide show presentation at our booth, so you can see some of the faces of those we serve and the volunteers who make the program possible. Hope to see you there.

Christina Chill
Literacy Coordinator
Lompoc

Lompoc Valley Flower Festival
June 22 - 26
Ryon Park

The Times in Plain English

The Times in Plain English

A new newspaper for adult learners that has important news from America’s best sources of information. The writing is in clear, readable English.

The stories with links to the full articles come from these newspapers:
Arizona Republic
Los Angeles Times
Miami Herald
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
Washington Post

Topics Include:
Education
Health
Immigration
In Brief
Law
Money & Work
New York
News
Of Interest

The editor of The Times in Plain English is Arthur Schiff, the publisher of City Family magazine published in New York in the 1990′s.

Newport Beach Library - Snapshot: Damari Guerra, Adult Learner

Snapshot: Damari Guerra, Adult Learner
Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy Newsletter: June/July 2011

In 2008, Damari Guerra -originally from El Salvador- first came to the Newport Beach Public Library’s literacy program (Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy). Damari’s goal was to obtain her GED in order to attend college and find a better job.

She was quickly matched with her tutor, Lynn Pearlman. While working as a child care provider, Damari and Lynn worked to meet her goal and at the end of May 2011, she succeeded. She graduated and received her high school diploma. And, for all of her hard work, Damari earned a $500 Academic Scholarship for Santa Ana College for outstanding grades. She is an inspiration to all of our learners.

Literally Speaking:
What motivated you to come to the Newport Beach Public Library Literacy Program?
Damari: I wanted to improve my English and get help to earn my high school diploma.
Literally Speaking:
Why did you choose obtaining your high school diploma as your goal?
Damari: I would like to go to college and become a nurse.
Literally Speaking:
How did your relationship with your tutor develop over the years and help you to learn?
Damari: My tutor encouraged me to pursue my goals. She helped me with homework and things I didn’t understand.
Literally Speaking:
Now that you are graduating, what are your future plans?
Damari: Now that I am graduating, I plan to go to college and become a nurse.
Literally Speaking:
What are your hobbies?
Damari: I love to read the bible, attend church and hang out with my friends and family.

San Diego Public Library - READ/San Diego - 2011 Tutor Conference

READ/San Diego 

Tutor Conference

June 11, 2011

Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice

University of San Diego

Keynote Speaker - Dr. Robert Brooks, a clinical psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, who is an internationally recognized speaker on motivation, resilience, family relationships, and balancing personal and professional lives. He will speak on The Power of Mindsets: Strategies for Nurturing Hope and Resilience.

Workshop Highlights:

21st Century Skills & Digital Literacy
Marian Thacher, OTAN

Picture is Worth 1000 Words
Tracy Block-Zaretsky, Dyslexia Training Institute

Techniques Teaching Speech, Pronunciation, Listening
Marsha Chan, Mission College

Learner Centered-Process Oriented Writing
Graham, Halstead, & Slater, Cuyamaca College

Covina Library - Second Start Literacy Program

Second Start Literacy Program

The Literacy Program now offers a free English as a Second Language Program (ESL) Funding Sources: WIA Title II Grant (Workforce Investment Act)

Join the Covina Public Library’s Free English as a Second Language Program. The program helps learners achieve proficiency in English and related skills needed for daily life and employment situations. All students are tutored in one-on-one settings and get individualized reading instruction twice per week. The program starts at the beginning level for those who neither read nor write English and progress to the final level before learners can be mainstreamed into all English instruction. For more information, call the Literacy Division at (626) 384-5280.

Are You Interested in Becoming a Volunteer Literacy Tutor?
- All volunteers are carefully screened and receive the proper training in order to become excellent tutors.
- Volunteers work one-on-one with either an adult or a child.
- Commitment: two hours per week (tutors can arrange to meet with their students one hour twice per week, or schedule two sessions consecutively)

Journey Into Dyslexia: Alan and Susan Raymond

Journey Into Dyslexia: Alan and Susan Raymond

JOURNEY INTO DYSLEXIA
Alan and Susan Raymond
HBO Documentary (see schedule)

Academy-Award winning filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond examine the complexities of this differently structured brain and debunk the myths and misperceptions about dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a specific leaning disability that is neurobiological in origin and typically manifests through difficulty in reading, writing, spelling and math. It has nothing to do with intelligence, birth defects, or a mental illness of any kind, the home environment, level of education or economic status.

Dyslexia persists throughout one's lifetime and is prevalent in every culture in the world. In the U.S. it affects as much as 10% of the population.

Surprisingly, however, Journey into Dyslexia reveals that many adult professionals who once struggled to learn in school consider their dyslexia a unique gift and the defining reason behind their success.

Because of its hidden characteristics, dyslexia is often misunderstood and misidentified. To qualify for accommodations in school or the workplace, a person must be identified through psychological testing.

Alan and Susan Raymond visited schools throughout the U.S. that have programs specifically designed for different ways of learning. These schools focus on programs where students are effectively taught to read and learn compensatory skills to manage their deficits. They talk with students from elementary age to college, teachers, researchers and successful adults about the way dyslexia informs who they are, how they learn and the ways in which they develop a different set of skills with which to navigate a world where standardization is the norm. READ MORE @ Video Verite - featuring (with links):

Adult Dyslexics
Erin Brockovich
Benjamin Foss: Inventor of the Intel Reader
Tracy Johnson
Jonathan Mooney
Willard Wigan

Entrepreneurs
Carl Schramm
Steven J. Walker

Science
Dr. Guinevere Eden, Director Center for the Study of Learning,
Georgetown University Medical Center
Dr. Maryann Wolf – Proust & The Squid

Educational Resources
Dr. David J. Connor
The Kildonan School
Delaware Valley Friends School
Bridges Academy
Parents Education Network
SAFE Voices
Evergreen State College