literacy education janet l. gooch, ph.d., ccc-slp
TRANSCRIPT
LITERACY EDUCATIONJanet L. Gooch, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
WHAT IS LITERACY?
Literacy is defined as "using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.“ (IES, 2007).
A fully literate person is one who can read, write, do math, and use a computer (Literacy Partners, 2006)
U.S. JUVENILE LITERACY STATISTICS
If a child does not read proficiently in the 4th grade, he/she has approximately a 78% chance of never catching up
2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of the 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare
Begin to Read (2014)
U.S. ADULT LITERACY STATISTICS
93 million American adults have basic or below-basic literacy
30 million American adults are functionally illiterate (reading below a 5th grade level)
63 million American adults read at the 5th-8th grade level (but cannot understand the basic newspaper)
Literacy Partners (2006)
WORLDWIDE LITERACY STATISTICS
67 million children have no access to education (Rotary, 2013)
775 million (12%) of the adult population are considered functionally illiterate (Literacy Partners, 2006)
ROTARY’S GOAL
Supports activities and training to improve education for all children and literacy for children and adults.
Area of Focus: TRF enables Rotarians to ensure that all people have sustainable access to basic education and literacy by: Involving the community to support programs that strengthen
the capacity of communities to provide basic education and literacy to all
Increasing adult literacy in communities
Working to reduce gender disparity in education
Supporting studies for career-minded professionals related to basic education and literacy
Rotary (2013)
EXAMPLES OF DISTRICT LITERACY PROJECTS
The Dictionary Project
Distribution of dictionaries to local school children (Kansas City Rotary Groups)
Honduras Education Grant
Provides training and resources to help Honduras teachers improve education in their classrooms and schools (Independence Rotary Club)
Pages and Chapters – Family Literacy Workshop
Assists families as they complete literacy assessments to help them learn to read, and supply families that attend with a book at every session (Kansas City Rotary Group)
Book Donations to Local Public School Libraries
Collection and Donation of School Supplies
LARGER WIDE-SCALE LITERACY PROJECT IDEAS
Literacy/ESL Tutors
Provides a full range of literacy services to adults, children, immigrants and local literacy programs (Minnesota Rotary)
Imagination Library
Provides children with high-quality, age-appropriate children’s books in the mail every month from birth until age 5 (Foothills United Way)
Newspapers in Education
Provide newspapers in the classrooms
Mini Library Project or Bookmobiles Project
project promotes literacy and better learning skills among the poor by establishing mini-libraries (reading books and groups) in small rural and urban schools and childcare centers.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Build a committee Look for experts in your club, those with an
association to literacy, those with a keen interest
Start Small Think about the projects that your club already
does
How can you incorporate a literacy component?
DEVELOP AN ANNUAL PROJECT
Donate books to local and school libraries, medical offices, government assisted programs (WIC office, planned parenthood).
Sponsor a spelling bee
Hold an essay writing contest for youth
Read to children in local schools or the library
Read to the elderly in nursing homes, assisted living facilities
REFERENCES
Begin to Read. (2014). http://begintoread.com/research/literacystatistics.html
Institute of Education Sciences (IES), National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Fast facts: Adult literacy. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=69
Literacy Partners. (2006). Literacy facts. http://www.literacypartners.org/literacy-in-america/literacy-facts
Rotary. (2013). http://www.rotary.org