Literacy and Reading News

Fall Schedule of Online Teacher Workshops

2009-09-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

This fall the National Humanities Center will hold eight online workshops for high school teachers focusing on specific topics in American history and culture along with primary source materials that can be used with their students in their classrooms. The 90-minute sessions are led by leading scholars of history, art, and literature and provide opportunities for sharing ideas with other teachers across the United States. Using online conferencing software that allows verbal exchanges among participants, these workshops are the newest offering from the National Humanities Center's education programs and build on its thirty years of dedicated effort to improving humanities teaching at all levels of education through engagement with scholars and professional development.

Workshops scheduled for this fall include sessions on consumer behavior in colonial America, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and art in the Civil War and early twentieth century, among other topics. The workshops will draw from, and help familiarize teachers with, materials in the National Humanities Center's Toolbox Library, an extensive archive of primary sources - historical documents, literary texts, visual images, and audio materials - which are supplemented with discussion guides and helpful notes.

Registration for each workshop is $35. All sessions are conducted live, online. Participants need a computer, an Internet connection, along with speakers, and a microphone. For participants who need a headset with a built-in microphone, one will be provided.

WHO: Teachers (K-12) of U.S. History and American Literature

WHEN:

Thursday, October 8:

"The Consumer Revolution in Colonial America"

Led by historian Maurie McInnis, University of Virginia

Tuesday, October 13:

"Why Some New World Colonies Succeeded and Others Failed"

Led by historian Kathleen Duval, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Tuesday, October 20:

"Lincoln's Gettysburg Address"

Led by historian Andrew Delbanco, Columbia University

Tuesday, October 27:

"Civil War Art"

Led by art historian Kirk Savage, University of Pittsburgh

Wednesday, October 28:

"The Cult of Domesticity"

Led by literature scholar Lucinda MacKethan, North Carolina State University

Tuesday, November 10:

"Emancipation"

Led by historian Reginald Hildebrand, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Thursday, November 12:

"The Ashcan School"

Led by art historian Angela Miller, Washington University of Saint Louis

Thursday, November 19:

"In Search of the Civil Rights Movement"

Led by historian Kenneth Janken, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

WHERE: All sessions will be conducted online.

CONTACT: For more information, or to reserve space, please contact Michelle Walton-Shaw, 919-549-0661, mshaw@nationalhumanitiescenter.org

Website: http://www.nationalhumanitiescenter.org/

Central New York Teachers Participate In Federal Writing Project

2009-09-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

Twelve Central New York teachers undertook an intensive, four-week Summer Institute in July at SUNY Cortland during the second year of the Seven Valleys Writing Project (SVWP).

The institute took place July 6-31 at Main Street SUNY Cortland, an extension facility the College operates at 9 Main St. in downtown Cortland. The educators honed their written expression and improved their grasp of research in education-related subjects.

"I used to laugh at the idea of having students write in class every day," said Nick Bessette, an English language arts teacher at Union Springs (N.Y.) High School. "Now I don't."

"At the end of the Summer Institute, I have come to realize how little I have used writing," noted Kathryn Cernera, English language arts teacher in the Ithaca (N.Y.) City School District's DeWitt Middle School. "I knew it was missing, but after being here, I have so many ways to sneak it into my classroom."

Since 2008, the College has operated a local branch of the National Writing Project, funded through the federal Department of Education, as a means of helping outstanding teachers across Central New York improve their practice through writing and research. In all, 26 area educators have been trained as master educators and returned to their home districts to share their new knowledge with colleagues and students by conducting professional development demonstrations after school hours.

"This whole institute has been a real shot in the arm for my teaching," said Tina Conklin, English language arts teacher in Chenango Valley (N.Y.) Middle School. "I want to go back and infect my school with an enthusiasm for writing."

"The program has helped 4,800 students gain access to a SVWP teacher consultant so far," said David Franke, a SUNY Cortland associate professor of English and professional writing who is the College's project director with Brian Fay, a teacher at the Onondaga-Cayuga-Madison BOCES. "The bottom line is that we anticipate our program will reach 18,000 students with a Seven Valleys Writing Project teacher by the end of five years. In our second year, we've taught a total of 26 educators from more than 20 school districts in Central New York. These teacher consultants practice in all fields and at all levels in the theory and practice of using writing to help students learn at the kindergarten through 12th grade level."

The SVWP will ultimately serve 79 school districts in an eight-county territory located within a 100-mile radius of Cortland, Franke said. The 12 teachers were competitively selected from 15 applicants and were required to have at least two years of teaching experience. Franke and Fay would like to see more candidates apply who teach science, math, social studies, art and other content areas.

The other Central New York teachers chosen to attend this summer's institute were: Quana Brock, English language arts teacher at Binghamton (N.Y.) High School; Deborah Gleason-Rielly, English teacher at Auburn (N.Y.) High School; Tish Evans, English as a second language teacher in the Syracuse (N.Y.) Central School District; Deborah Kisloski, English teacher at Horseheads (N.Y.) High School; Shannon Dawson, English language arts teacher at the Maine-Endwell (N.Y.) Central School District; Sarah Marcham, English language arts and math support teacher at Dryden (N.Y.) Elementary School; and Gerald Masters, an English and technical writing teacher at Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES Finger Lakes Technical and Career Center.

"Part of my job as a teacher is to pay attention to my students' passions," said Marilyn Mayer, a music, art and physical education teacher at Ithaca (N.Y.) City School District's Northeast Elementary School. "Listening to the things they say and the questions they ask — and all the silences in between -- is the only way to help them move to feel joy and take pride in the work they do."

"I'm reminded to take risks and that if I don't think the writing is interesting, no one else in my class will," said Joseph Cortese, history and economics teacher in the Homer (N.Y.) Senior High School.

"It was really an amazing year," Franke noted. "People work so hard, but it's really good work. They love it. They do research into their own professional research questions, for example, 'Does teaching grammar make elementary students better writers?' and 'How can I teach students to respond critically to their peers' work?' Stuff like that. At the same time, the teachers are helping each other compose their own writing, everything from memoir to poetry to fiction. On top of that, the group serves as a critical audience for teachers to develop their own ways to use writing in the classroom."

For more information about the SVWP, visit the Web site at www.cortland.edu/svwp or contact Franke at (607) 753-5945.

Children Can Learn A Second Language In Preschool

2009-09-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Interim results from an international research project which looks at bilingual education reveal that children can learn a second language as early as preschool.

The University of Hertfordshire is one of nine European partners in ELIAS (Early Language and Intercultural Acquisition Studies) which was awarded €300,000 by the European Union last year to research bilingual education and intercultural awareness in children through observational studies and language assessments in six project preschools.

The researchers use a concept called 'immersion teaching', whereby children are addressed in each language by the respective native speaker and asked to respond in that language.

The study focuses on bilingual preschools in Germany, Sweden and Belgium, where the staff members are teachers from the respective country, but at least one teacher is a native speaker of English. Data is also collected from nurseries in Hertfordshire and the bilingual nursery of the German school in London. Children’s progress in English is measured through a receptive vocabulary test and a grammar task that was designed within the project. So far, 266 preschool children aged between three and five took part in the tests.

The researchers found that although not all the preschool groups performed equally well in the tests, and there was a large amount of individual variation in children’s comprehension of vocabulary and grammatical phenomena, there was clear evidence that it is feasible for children to start to learn a second language in a preschool context, using immersion methods.

Dr Christina Schelletter, a senior lecturer in English Language and Communication in the School of Humanities at the University of Hertfordshire, who leads the UK investigation said: "We have found that immersion-type teaching can be of real benefit to children. Immersion is the best and most successful method of foreign language learning at an early age. The natural learning abilities of young children as well as their enthusiasm promise rapid and successful acquisition of the second language."

ELIAS will continue until October 2010 during which time it will document and assess the development of the children, organise teacher training events and recommend practical work for the preschools. Following the final symposium in 2010, a compilation of the results will be published for general public use.

For more information, see: http://www.elias.bilikita.org/

Readers' Choice Literacy Grant

2009-09-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

Better World Books announced the creation of its Readers' Choice Literacy Grant. Twice a year, Better World Books' five primary non-profit literacy partners are now invited to submit grant proposals which will then be voted on by consumers on www.BetterWorldBooks.com. The winner each time will receive a significant grant to fund its proposal. Voting for the first grant will begin on Oct. 23, 2009. "We want to keep growing public awareness of the importance of literacy, and the Readers' Choice Literacy Grant is a great way to deepen our readers' engagement and empower them to help make a difference," said Better World Books CEO David Murphy.

Every book bought on BetterWorldBooks.com funds global literacy through Better World Books' five primary non-profit literacy partners (the National Center for Family Literacy, Books for Africa, Room to Read, Worldfund, and Invisible Children) as well as through nearly 100 other non-profit organizations.

She's Going Back To School But Can She Read?

2009-09-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

The fact that children who do not read well by the end of Grade 3 are at risk of dropping out or failing to graduate is one of the grim conclusions made in a report released by the Canadian Education Statistics Council.

The report, "Literature Review: Key factors to support literacy success in school-aged population" was prepared by principal investigator Julia O'Sullivan, Dean of the Faculty of Education at The University of Western Ontario. It explores the gaps in students' opportunities to learn to read and identifies those at risk based on how well Canadian children can read in Grade 3 or Grade 6. Statistics prove that at least 30 per cent of students across the country cannot read or write well enough to support success in school by the end of Grade 6.

"These students move to junior or senior high where reading is not taught and these same students are expected to read well enough to learn from textbooks in subjects ranging from science to history," says O'Sullivan. "Then they have to write about what they know and think. But without those reading skills, success is highly unlikely."

And while many students are doing well in Canada's current education system, the report says it's unacceptable that nearly one quarter will not graduate from high school. The costs for these students, their families, communities and Canada are much higher today than 25 years ago. Today, Canada competes against countries with higher graduation rates whose students often speak two or three languages.

Efforts to improve reading and writing skills, historically, happen at the primary and elementary levels. But the report urges that those efforts must be intensified for young children and expanded to junior and senior high school if more students are to succeed. And that means more literacy teachers in high school settings.

O'Sullivan explains, "Reading, or the ability to get meaning from print, is fundamental for school success for all students. It is the golden ticket that every child in this country has a right to expect. The challenge for Canada is to raise the bar and close the gap for all of our students. Every single child is entitled to learn to read, to attain that golden ticket."

Read the full report here

Web Site Sells Words and Supports Literacy

2009-09-08T11:25:00.001-07:00

Buy a word and support international literacy efforts. Web entrepreneur Jeremy Burghall has created the Web site www.EveryWordIsForSale.com with the goal of raising $2.4 million. Burghall is donating 25% of the total raised to ProLiteracy, the world's largest organization of adult literacy programs.

The www.EveryWordIsForSale.com Web site consists of the entire text of the book "The Science of Getting Rich," by Wallace D. Wattles, first published 99 years ago. Each word is available for purchase as a hyperlink advertisement to the buyer's Web site.

"The book inspired the idea for the Web site," Burghall, 27, said. "I want to increase opportunities for people seeking self-improvement. ProLiteracy's international programs give budding entrepreneurs in developing countries the basic literacy and math skills they need to help their businesses succeed."

Individuals and companies can buy words for $100 each with the stipulation that they must purchase every instance of the word. The most common, and therefore most expensive, word is "the," which Burghall hopes to sell for $123,900. Supporters are encouraged to buy words related to their products or services. For example, attitudetravel.com has purchased the word "travel."

"Partnerships with young entrepreneurs like Jeremy are so important to the work ProLiteracy does around the world," said Lynne Jones, ProLiteracy's vice president for development and membership. "Many of our international partner programs offer literacy instruction that helps adults start and grow their own small businesses."

Disability.gov Adds Social Media Tools, Disability Resources and a New Design

2009-08-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Department of Labor has re-named and re-launched its disability resources Web site to Disability.gov. Formerly called DisabilityInfo.gov, the site offers comprehensive information about programs, services and assistive technology to better serve more than 50 million Americans with disabilities, their family members, veterans, employers, educators, caregivers and anyone interested in disability-related information.

The new Web site (http://www.disability.gov) integrates content from 22 federal agencies and will be managed by the Labor Department. The former DisabilityInfo.gov site was revamped with social media tools to encourage interaction and feedback, and new ways to organize, share and receive information. Visitors can sign up for personalized news and updates, participate in online discussions and suggest resources for the site. New features include a Twitter feed, Really Simple Syndication feeds, a blog, social bookmarking and a user-friendly way to obtain answers to questions on such topics as finding employment and job accommodations. Additional tools will be added during the months ahead.

"Far more than just a directory of federal resources, Disability.gov is a meeting ground for Americans to learn, respond and communicate about a wealth of critically important disability-related topics," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "The new site has been vastly enhanced to provide more information in as efficient and interactive setting as possible."

The site is organized into 10 subject areas: benefits, civil rights, community life, education, emergency preparedness, employment, health, housing, technology and transportation. By selecting a category, visitors are directed to useful information on federal and state government programs and services, news and events, grants and funding opportunities, disability services, assistive technology and more.

"The Department of Labor is pleased to be the managing partner of Disability.gov and to help advance the independence and full participation of people with disabilities in the workforce, the classroom and their communities," said Kathleen Martinez, assistant secretary for the Labor Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

Disability.gov contains thousands of links to reliable disability resources and information from its federal agency partners, as well as educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and state and local governments -- as well as links to assistive technology.

ODEP is leading a 21st century federal response to the historic underemployment of people with disabilities. In collaboration with other government agencies, public and private employers, and additional stakeholders, ODEP facilitates the development and implementation of innovative policies and practices necessary to achieve a fully inclusive workplace. ODEP's work primarily falls into three categories: employers and the workplace; workforce systems; and employment-related supports, which include education and training, health care, reliable transportation, affordable housing and assistive technology. For more information, visit http://www.dol.gov/odep.

U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at http://www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit http://www.dol.gov/compliance.

National Forum On Information Literacy Celebrates 20th Anniversary

2009-08-31T12:41:00.001-07:00

On October 15 and 16, 2009, the National Forum on Information Literacy begins celebrating 20 years of promoting information literacy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Conference Center in Washington, D.C. Information literacy is a critical skill set essential today for academic achievement, workplace success, and engaged civic participation in our dynamically evolving information and communication technology universe. It provides the worldview template needed by all Americans for successful pursuits in areas of competitive advantage, personal responsibility, and lifelong learning in the 21st century.

The anniversary theme for the two day affair is Empowering Future Generations: Information Literacy. Arthur J. Rothkopf, Senior Vice President and Counselor to the President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will keynote the dinner celebration on Thursday, October 15th. Friday's Annual Meeting will offer an interactive town hall format focusing on the theme and is open to the public. Seating is limited.

The Anniversary's honorary chair, Congressman Major R. Owens, Ret. has said, "Information literacy is needed to guarantee the survival of democratic institutions. All men are created equal but voters with information resources are in a position to make more intelligent decisions than citizens who are information illiterates. The application of information resources to the process of decision-making to fulfill civic responsibilities is a vital necessity."

The two day affair will celebrate the achievements of the National Forum including acknowledgement of the steadfast dedication and leadership of its first chair, Dr. Patricia Senn Breivik, currently Vice President of Nehemiah Communications in Columbia, South Carolina. The National Education Association is one of the event's key sponsors.

As we move further into the 21st century, it is quite clear that information literacy will become the standard-bearer for academic achievement, workforce productivity, and competitive advantage.

For more information on the 20th anniversary celebration, visit www.infolit.org

More Than 30 Percent Of Faculty Say They Tweet

2009-08-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

Faculty Focus, a website for higher education professionals, today announced results of a survey on Twitter usage and trends among college faculty. The survey of approximately 2,000 higher education professionals found that nearly one-third (30.7 percent) of the 1,958 respondents say they use Twitter in some capacity. More than half, (56.4 percent) say they've never used Twitter.

The findings, available in the downloadable report Twitter in Higher Education: Usage Habits and Trends of Today's College Faculty, show relatively strong adoption rates among higher education professionals. On the other end of the spectrum, the results also reveal a large number of faculty question the value of using the micro-blogging service in an academic setting.

Key findings of Twitter in Higher Education: Usage Habits and Trends of Today's College Faculty include:

-- 21.9 percent of respondents say they are "familiar" or "very familiar"
with Twitter.

-- Of those who use Twitter, 21 percent say they "frequently" use it to
collaborate with colleagues; 15.6 percent do so "occasionally."

-- Of those who use Twitter, 7.2 percent "frequently" use it as a
learning tool in the classroom; 9.4 percent do so "occasionally."

-- 71.8 percent of current Twitterers expect their usage to increase this
school year.

-- 20.6 percent of current non-Twitter users say there is a "50/50
chance" they will use Twitter as a learning tool in the classroom in
the next two years.

-- 12.9 percent of respondents say they tried Twitter, but stopped using
it because it took too much time, they did not find it valuable, or a
combination of reasons.

Depending on how they answered the question "Do you use Twitter?" respondents were asked a unique set of follow-up questions. The 20-page report released today provides a breakdown of the survey results by question, including comments provided by survey respondents when available. The comments further explain how they are using Twitter, why they stopped, or why they have no interest in using it at all.

Although the majority of faculty do not currently use Twitter, their reasons are varied. Many questioned its educational relevance and expressed concerns that it creates poor writing skills. For others the reasons boiled down to the simple fact that they either don't know how to use Twitter, or don't have time to use it.

"One of the more interesting findings from the survey is the high percentage of faculty who use Twitter, even if they're still experimenting with the best ways to incorporate it into their courses," says Mary Bart, content manager for Faculty Focus. "What also became quite apparent was how strongly Twitterers and non-Twitterers feel about the technology."

The majority (55.9 percent) of people who took the survey are professors or instructors, with another 4.3 percent who designated themselves as online instructors specifically. Nearly one-fourth (23.6 percent) are academic leaders, such as department chairs and deans. Sixteen percent selected their role as "other" and this included individuals in faculty development, academic advisement, instructional design, marketing, admissions, assessment, and library services.

The survey was conducted in July and August 2009. An email invitation to participate in the online survey was distributed to Faculty Focus subscribers, as well as to select in-house lists of higher education faculty and administrators. Faculty Focus also notified its Twitter followers of the survey via http://twitter.com/facultyfocus.

To access the full report: Twitter in Higher Education: Usage Habits and Trends of Today's College Faculty visit http://bit.ly/4cjCh0 or http://www.facultyfocus.com/.

Stimulus Helps Schools, but Not as Much as Hoped

2009-08-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

Federal stimulus funds for education are flowing to states and local school districts, but many of the dollars are simply backfilling budget holes, limiting the ability of districts to implement innovative reforms, according to a study released today by the American Association of School Administrators. "Schools and the Stimulus: How America’s Public School Districts Are Using ARRA Funds," is based on a survey of 160 school administrators from 37 states conducted in July and August 2009. The study finds that while school leaders appreciate the opportunity the federal stimulus funding represents, a lack of flexibility in the funding and a need to fill federal, state and local budget shortfalls are sizeable obstacles that many districts have been unable to overcome in their efforts to save jobs and effect change.

"AASA members have voiced both appreciation for and concerns with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," said AASA Executive Director Daniel A. Domenech. "While they remain committed to their daily efforts to advance education reform and innovation, the current economic realities have severely limited their ability to use stimulus dollars for anything beyond filling budget holes."

Survey Highlights

A majority of districts have received or anticipate receiving soon their ARRA Title I, IDEA and State Fiscal Stabilization Fund dollars.

When asked how their districts are using ARRA funds to bring about education innovation and reform, more than two-thirds of respondents replied that the stimulus dollars are either filling funding gaps or represent only marginal growth in funding levels.

School districts are using the one-time funds to save teaching and staff positions. However, less than half of respondents reported being able to save core subject teaching positions with ARRA dollars.

The top five reported uses for ARRA Title I and IDEA monies are: professional development; saving personnel positions; classroom technology; classroom equipment/supplies; and software.
AASA members said a heightened level of bureaucracy and reporting tied to the stimulus funds limits their time and ability to implement education reform and innovation.

AASA President Mark Bielang, superintendent in Paw Paw, Mich., said: "The survey results echo a frustration my colleagues and I have long articulated: limited flexibility for the existing federal education funds cuts down on our ability to innovate, and the stimulus dollars come with limitations. In light of the tight economic situation at the federal, state and local levels, a little flexibility goes a long way toward supporting educator efforts to innovate and reform America’s public schools. AASA will continue to monitor ARRA and advocate for the greatest flexibility possible, so that school administrators across the country can maximize ARRA’s investment in America’s public schools."

Survey results: http://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=5452.

Children’s Creativity with "Curious Corner," a New Interactive Web Site

2009-08-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

The Art Institute of Chicago's Department of Museum Education has just launched Curious Corner, a vibrant children's interactive game that brings the museum's collection of art to life. Packed with lively animation and fun features, the dynamic program encourages young Web users and their families to explore more than 30 works of art from around the world through playful and creative activities.

Developed by the Art Institute in collaboration with Sandbox Studio, Inc., a design company dedicated to educational programs and technology, Curious Corner is now accessible on the Web as well as on dedicated computers inside the museum.

"Opening the new Ryan Education Center in the Modern Wing has really been a catalyst for us to bring the world of museum education into the twenty-first century," said Robert Eskridge, the Woman's Board Endowed Executive Director of the Department of Museum Education. "The education center is now fully equipped with state-of-the-art computer terminals, wireless laptops and interactive whiteboard technology, and, in the classrooms and studios, multimedia projection and display systems. With Curious Corner on the Web, we're now able to bring all the advances of the Ryan Education Center into the homes of families and visitors."

Curious Corner introduces families, children, and educators to the Art Institute's diverse collection, teaches basic visual skills, and promotes the museum in a stimulating, intuitive, and appealing way. The activities allow children to "learn by doing": children can interact with works of art through both words and pictures, experiment with visual elements and principles, and use different styles of design to create something new. The broad selection of artworks featured in the program include American and European paintings, African masks, Indian artifacts, and contemporary works-offering children of all ages ample opportunity to encounter and discover a diverse array of styles, media, and cultures.

On the homepage of Curious Corner, users can choose from three different activities: "Story Time," "Match Up," and "Play with Art." "Story Time" enables children to explore the background behind three different art objects with animated tales that allow web visitors to click on components throughout. "Match Up" teaches careful looking skills to children through the act of combining textures, shapes, and sounds with details in famous artworks. The third section, "Play with Art," encourages kids to create their own mask or Joseph Cornell box and match faces to famous portraits–all while teaching them about the art that inspired the game.

Curious Corner is one of many ongoing technology initiatives that the Art Institute's Museum Education department has developed in recent years for its audiences, both online and inside the museum. It continues the museum's award-winning tradition of innovation in education that can be found in previous interactive exhibitions such as Telling Images and Faces, Places, and Inner Spaces.

Curious Corner can be accessed through one of the computer terminals found in the Vitale Family Room of the Ryan Education Center in the Modern Wing or online at artic.edu/aic/education/CC. This program is one of many that support the Art Institute's goals to serve families and enhance the appreciation and enjoyment of art.

Arizona Science Center launches 'Young Science Correspondents' program

2009-08-24T05:59:00.000-07:00

Arizona Science Center is exploring new opportunities for science learning and inspiration with the creation of a new and innovative program – Young Science Correspondents -- that is training eight Valley students to be science correspondents with the help of local journalists and science experts. These eight students, four from the Bioscience High School and four from Carl Hayden High School, are making the My Digital World Gallery and the azcentral.com CyberLab at Arizona Science Center their home this summer.

The Young Science Correspondents program introduces youth to science journalism through organized experiences and mentorship in science, journalism and media. Program goals are to inspire teenage youth – including the participating correspondents and those that they reach – and to introduce science into teen awareness throughout Arizona.

Supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, Arizona Science Center’s Young Science Correspondents program begins with a month long summer program this July plus monthly 3-hour workshops during the 10-month school year. Students are learning and using multi-media journalism to report the sciences and are responsible for researching, interviewing and producing at least one project per week during the month of July.

An impressive interview schedule has been set for this program that includes individuals from Wired magazine, the Arizona Department of Health Services, and ASU Biodesign Institute just to name a few. The students will also be taking trips to some of the top media and science locations throughout the valley such as The Arizona Republic, Know99 TV and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

Now more than ever, Arizona’s young people need opportunities in which they can become actively engaged in the science around them, explore new ways that scientific discovery affects their world and discover new career opportunities. To create interest in young people, they need non-school environments where they can have authentic experiences and see real-world applications.

Arizona Science Center developed the Young Science Correspondents program to address concerns of leaders in Arizona who are committed to preparing a strong workforce. It addresses the need for a new generation of scientifically literate residents by experimenting with a new kind of science learning environment for English- and Spanish-speaking adolescents and young adults in our community.

Other youth journalism projects targeting teens in Arizona do exist but the Young Science Correspondents project is the first journalism program for teens that focuses on science topics and is led by a science center. This pilot project will create an innovative pedagogical, collaborative approach utilizing scientists, journalists, and informal educators teaching together that may be replicated at other informal learning centers.

Students Seek Quality Higher Education in the Face of California Budget Cuts

2009-08-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

As the effects of vast state budget cuts at California's public higher education institutions are felt, more students may rely on the stability of private schools like Academy of Art University for a quality education. Academy of Art University's student population has grown continuously in recent years, a trend that the school plans to support as public institutions face budget cuts that could significantly stall enrollment.

California State University (CSU) recently announced measures to address an unprecedented budget reduction of $584 million for 2009-10. CSU has stopped accepting student applications for the 2010 spring term. CSU has typically enrolled more than 35,000 freshmen, undergraduate transfer and graduate students during the spring term.

State budget cuts do not affect privately funded schools like Academy of Art University. "The Academy continues to offer a world-class educational experience in art and design. We welcome all students interested in pursuing a creative career," said Dr. Elisa Stephens, Academy of Art University president.

CSU has been working to finalize a plan to address the unprecedented budget cuts, which will include measures to reduce enrollment, employee furloughs, possible student fee increases, salary and hiring freezes, and restrictions on travel and purchases. Overall, CSU is looking to reduce its enrollment by 40,000 students system wide for 2010-2011.

While budget cuts force state-funded schools to consider cutting degree programs, Academy of Art University recently announced the addition of two new majors to meet the increasing demand for quality art school programs. The School of Game Design offers AA, BFA, and MFA degrees in a variety of specializations. Students can pursue their love for music for film, TV, and on the Web in the new School of Music for Visual Media.

In addition to limiting enrollment and cutting programs, state budget cuts could lead to a less qualified faculty and a diminished classroom experience for state-funded schools. Higher salaries will draw the best teachers to more competitive schools, and fewer instructors mean fuller classrooms.

The enrollment reductions and service cuts at state-funded schools are prompting many students to transfer to private schools like Academy of Art University. The Academy accepts transfer credits from many institutions and welcomes students seeking quality higher education.

With small class sizes and a high graduate job placement rate, Academy of Art University is committed to its exceptional standard of art school education. The Academy will continue to prepare the creative work force of California, the nation and beyond, regardless of state budget cuts.

Reading Is Fundamental Launches "Read for Change"

2009-08-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) has launched Read for Change, a campaign to encourage all Americans to read with young children. This initiative is part of United We Serve, the national effort launched by President Obama on June 22 to engage more Americans in serving their communities this summer.

"One of the greatest services we can provide our communities is to ensure that all children obtain access to books and discover the joy and value of reading," said RIF President and CEO, Carol H. Rasco. "Today RIF is pleased to launch 'Read for Change' and we challenge Americans across the country to collectively log 3 million minutes of reading with children by September 11, 2009."

Participants can log their time at http://www.RIF.org/readforchange. At the end of the campaign, RIF will randomly select five participants to receive a children's multicultural book collection as well as the opportunity to select a school in their community to also receive a book collection.

This effort by RIF, the nation's oldest and largest children and families' literacy nonprofit organization, projects to raise awareness about the impact of children's literacy on the long-term economic health of the country.

In addition to raising awareness of the issue of literacy, RIF is partnering with the Verizon Foundation to encourage participants to supplement these reading activities by visiting Verizon's Thinkfinity.org web site (www.thinkfinity.org). The site contains thousands of free, educational resources for teachers, parents and students, including K-12 lesson plans, online educational activities, videos and other materials designed to strengthen literacy development, creativity and develop the critical thinking skills needed for success in the classroom and the workplace.

Reading to children becomes particularly important during the summer months, when children lose knowledge gained during the school year. The magnitude of this phenomenon, known as the "summer slide" or the "summer slump," is strongly affected by family income -- students from low-income families experience over two months summer learning loss in reading achievement, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Summer Learning.

To help meet growing social needs resulting from the economic downturn, the Summer Service Initiative, launched by the White House, aims to both engage new volunteers in expanding the impact of existing organizations and to encourage "do-it-yourself" projects. The focus of the initiative is economic recovery, with the support of education and literacy for all Americans as a main component. Within the literacy component there are three specific focus areas: reading with kids, book drives and distributions, and library card registration drives.

"RIF is pleased to join with our partners to participate in United We Serve, and thanks the President for making this call to service this summer and beyond," added Rasco.

To participate in Read for Change, people can log their minutes read with a child at http://www.RIF.org/readforchange. To learn more about this and other local volunteer opportunities in your community, visit www.Serve.gov.

TechForEducators.com Unveils World's Largest Public Library Advertisement

2009-08-17T05:27:00.000-07:00

TechForEducators.com unveiled a new outdoor advertising campaign for public libraries. The campaign entitled "Free Education" aspires to create a greater intellectual life among Bay Area citizens and to help improve the performance of schools and teachers.

"Public libraries are an incredible resource. Yet, a great advertising campaign for public libraries has never been done before. Why not?" asked Matt Spergel, President of TechForEducators.com. "How many more great books will be read? And how many lives will change as a result?"

TechForEducators.com claims the billboard is the world's largest public library advertisement. The advertisement's headline exceeds 41 feet and the call to action spans the length of the billboard at 48 feet. "As far as we know, the world has never seen a public library advertisement of this size," Spergel said.

"Education cannot rest on the shoulders of teachers alone. Parents must also take more resposibility for the education of their children ... and bringing them to the library is an important first step," Spergel added.

The billboard is in Martinez, CA on I-680 south after the Benecia Bridge on the right-hand side.

Government of Canada Supports Project to Promote Adult Literacy in British Columbia

2009-08-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

Adults with learning disabilities will benefit from a project funded by the Government of Canada designed to help improve their literacy skills. Ms. Dona Cadman, Member of Parliament for Surrey North, made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

"Our government works with partners across Canada to improve literacy and essential skills that will help Canadians get jobs and build better futures," said Ms. Cadman. "This project will build the ability of adult literacy practitioners to better understand and help adults with learning disabilities."

Under the project, Learning Disabilities and Adult Basic Education: A Whole Life Approach to Professional Development, Literacy BC will receive $389,263 to create professional development strategies for literacy practitioners to enable them to better understand and help adults with learning disabilities. In addition, 50 literacy practitioners from across the province will participate in provincial and regional workshops to prepare themselves to meet the needs of people with learning disabilities.

Improving Canadians' literacy and essential skills is a key part of the Government's commitment to making the Canadian workforce the best educated, most skilled and most flexible in the world. The Government underscored this commitment in Canada's Economic Action Plan. To help Canadian workers and families during the global economic downturn and to prepare for the country's long-term growth, the Government is investing an unprecedented $8.3 billion in the Canada Skills and Transition Strategy.

Literacy and essential skills are the foundation for lifelong learning and play a vital role in the development of healthy families, vibrant communities and a prosperous economy. Literacy and essential skills programs and activities across Canada are supported by the federal, provincial and territorial governments, and by a variety of businesses and voluntary organizations.

Website: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/home.shtml

Dad's Early Connection With Child 'Writes Script' For Later School Involvement

2009-08-10T06:33:00.000-07:00

When a dad changes diapers and makes pediatrician's appointments, he's more likely to stay interested and involved when his child makes the transition to school, said a new University of Illinois study that explores the role of parent involvement on student achievement.

"If we want fathers to be involved in school, we need to focus on men building close, loving relationships with their children in the preschool years. When fathers do this, they're writing a script that says they're involved in their child's life, and their expectation is that they'll go on being involved in that child's life," said Brent McBride, a U of I professor of human development.

McBride likes to use affection as an example of early parent involvement. "That can be as simple as a father winking at his three-year-old child," he said.

"If you, as a dad, develop an affectionate way of interacting with your preschooler, later when your child comes home and tells you what he's done in school that day, the warm, close relationship you've built will allow him to approach you with trust, and it will allow you to respond to your child's enthusiasm or frustration in a positive way," he said.

"If fathers wait to seek a closer relationship with their child until later in the child's life, the moment has passed," he said.

The study involved 390 children and their families from the Child Development Supplement data set of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics.

When the children were two to five years old, five early parenting behaviors—parent-child household-centered activities, parent-child child-centered activities (for example, reading to kids), parental limit setting, responsibility (such as making doctor's appointments), and demonstrating affection—were measured for both parents. Later the mothers' and fathers' involvement in school and the children's student achievement were assessed.

The study is unique in that it looks at mothers and fathers simultaneously, said the researcher. "No one person in a family system does anything without being influenced by every other person in that system. Having both parents in these analyses is a big advantage and a step above the previous research."
The study showed that the paths are different for mothers and fathers, and the researcher believes that parents and teachers should acknowledge that and build on these differences.

For example, although mother involvement in school-related activities was positively associated with student achievement, father involvement in such activities had a negative correlation with academic success.

"But this occurs because fathers who have established a pattern of being involved early in a child's life are more likely to step in at school (for example, in formal conferences and interaction with teachers) when their child is struggling in the school setting," he said.

McBride explained that parental roles aren't scripted for men as they are for women, and expectations aren't as clear-cut. "As long as a father is providing for his children, he's usually considered a good father," he said.

"And, although we're trying to encourage fathers to become more engaged in parenting than they have been, I don't believe the institutional mechanisms are in place to help that engagement along. Child-care providers and teachers aren't trained to approach fathers to help them become more involved as parents," he said.

He believes the best way to make these changes is to work with child-care providers and educators so they broaden their definition of parent to mean more than mothers.
"For example, if you're a day-care provider and a child is experiencing stress because of toileting issues, you would probably automatically reach out to the mother about these problems. Why shouldn't the father get that call?

"We need to train teachers so they're comfortable communicating with men as parents," he said.

The study, which appeared in a recent issue of the Journal of Educational Psychology, was co-authored by W. Justin Dyer, Ying Liu, and Sungjin Hong of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Geoffrey L. Brown of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was funded in part by grants from the American Educational Research Association and the National Science Foundation.

Source: http://www.uiuc.edu/

10 Most Popular Websites for Kids

2009-08-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

As there is a seemingly endless supply of child-appropriate websites on the Internet, kids' websites are facing the same challenges as other sites on the net, namely bringing traffic and capturing the users' attention.

In a quest to drive website traffic and increase site popularity, marketers and brands are all doing their best to stand out and attract users, and to convince them to visit their websites. This, however, is quite a complicated task, as young kids visiting sites depend totally on their parents to set up the sites for them.

But what happens when you put all the kids' websites into one place and create easy navigation for children to surf these sites? What happens when you let the kids decide for themselves what their favorites are from a big selection?

This is exactly what happens in KIDO'Z, and what this Kid's Web Environment does is it gives every kids' website a fair chance to make its mark, by letting the kids themselves decide what their most popular websites are, regardless of marketing spending and online efforts.

Websites are added to KIDO'Z by parents and educators from all over the world. The KIDO'Z smart content engine ensures that, in addition to personalizing the content for each kid, all content that has been recently added is getting exposure. This keeps the content fresh for the kids and gives the new content a chance to become popular.

The following lists represent the 10 most visited sites on KIDO'Z by kids from more than 80 countries. "Through KIDO'Z, young children have direct access to hundreds of kids' websites in more than 30 languages in a safe, central place." -- Gai Havkin, CEO.

These websites are identified by colorful eye-catching thumbnails and children simply need to click on the image of their choice to visit the site. Children can also easily add any website to their Favorites section for fast and easy return to the sites that they like the most."

You'll notice that even though some of the big brands are up there, there are also a couple of unique, smaller sites that are making their mark. For example, Fun Brain and Poisson Rouge are listed among the most popular English websites in KIDO'Z, and through KIDO'Z, they are given the opportunity to compete with some of the established big brands. These two sites fall under the educational website category and use learning games and activities to educate children. The popularity of these sites could be indicative of the demand by children for educational and interactive website content.

Below you can find the lists of the most popular sites by languages. These lists, including links to the websites, can be found at http://www.kidoz.net/blog.

Most popular kids' sites in English:

Fun Brain
Dora
Mickey Mouse
Hot Wheels
Poisson Rouge
Roary the Racing Car
Ben 10
Barbie
PBS Kids
Thomas

Most popular kids' sites in French:

Pocoyo
Mila
Wumpa le Morse
Monsieur Madame
Caillou
Petite Princesse
Petit Ours Brun
Bali
Clifford
Chez Polo

Most popular kids' sites in Spanish:

Pocoyo
Cartoon Network
Jetix
Disney Playhouse Spain
Discovery Kids
Cuentos Interactivos
Mundo Nick
Wumpa
Infantil
Barbie

Most popular kids' sites in Italian:

Pocoyo
Gormiti
La Casa di Topolino
Tigger & Pooh
Manny Tuttofare
Little Einsteins
Higglytown Heroes
Il Circo di Jojo
Bunnytown
Rolie Polie Olie

Computers Can Boost Literacy

2009-08-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

Computers do not spell the demise of literacy -- in fact, they may help to create one of the most literate and engaged generations the world has seen.

Carl Whithaus, associate professor of writing at UC Davis, will report preliminary results from a California Department of Education-funded project under way in fourth-grade classrooms at elementary schools in the Elk Grove School District in Elk Grove, Calif. The project uses technology to increase academic achievement.

During the first year of the two-year study, student achievement increased 27.5 percent, according to Whithaus, who is principal investigator of a study to evaluate the project's effectiveness.

"We're finding that traditional print-based literacy is important. At the same time, we're seeing that the new technologies are not just eye candy," says Carl Whithaus, an associate professor of writing at UC Davis and principal investigator of the evaluation arm of the study.

"Traditional print-based reading and writing is only part of a much larger set of skills that students need in the 21st century."

Whithaus is also the organizer of Computers & Writing 2009. The conference is the culmination of a yearlong series of conferences hosted by the University of California on technology and writing.

Source: http://www.ucdavis.edu/

Online Tutorials Help Elementary School Teachers Make Sense Of Science

2009-08-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Interactive Web-based science tutorials can be effective tools for helping elementary school teachers construct powerful explanatory models of difficult scientific concepts, and research shows the interactive tutorials are just as effective online as they are in face-to-face settings, says a University of Illinois expert in science education.

David Brown, a professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education, said that elementary school teachers need high-quality, research-based resources to help them build a meaningful scientific knowledge base.

"Refining one’s scientific knowledge base through online interactive resources can help teachers develop a deeper conceptual understanding of scientific phenomena, making them better prepared to engage students in science-based activities," Brown said.

In any curriculum, there is teacher background literature or other forms of digested information that teachers can study to refresh their memories or get the broad stroke outlines of what they’re going to teach.

The trouble with those teaching aids, according to Brown, is that the information they contain is "usually fairly terse" and isn’t interactive or research-based.

If teachers lack confidence in their scientific knowledge base, they’re probably going to avoid situations where they might be caught flat-footed by a student’s question, because they don’t want to be asked a question they don’t know how to answer, Brown said.

So they’ll fall back on more traditional lesson plans that emphasize the rote memorization of scientific terms over inquiry-based forms of learning, such as hands-on activities and discussions of those activities.

But an emphasis on routinized learning doesn’t help students grasp the foundational science behind what they’re learning, Brown said. "If online tutorials focus on explaining the underlying scientific concepts behind the phenomena rather than on the rote memorization of facts, that can help teachers form a more meaningful conceptual understanding of what they’re going to teach," he said. "A teacher who has a firm scientific knowledge base can then help students understand the fundamental scientific ideas and concepts behind what they’re learning better."

To test his hypothesis, Brown developed "Making Sense of Science," an online multimedia tutorial that tested subjects’ pre- and post-test knowledge of the scientific concept of buoyancy.

In the first 10 interviews, the average post-test score increased by 16 percent; in the second group of 10, by 28 percent; and for a group of 68 online users, by 33 percent. Similarly, Brown discovered that the average post-test confidence scores nearly doubled after the respondents interacted with the tutorials, and the written explanations of their ideas went from "somewhat incoherent" to "coherent explanations that made use of relevant ideas," he said.

"We found that our resources were effective, and they were as effective online as they were face-to-face," Brown said.

The tutorials were also crafted to address the perceived deficiencies that Brown thought other teacher background information and online resources suffered from.

"The resources are designed to help teachers develop their ideas," Brown said. "They’re not designed for teachers to use directly with the students, but rather as background information for the teachers to develop their ideas so they’ll be in a better position to engage students in activities."

Those positive results make Brown guardedly optimistic that online resources for teachers can be developed that will be helpful in advancing reform in elementary science education.

"The focus in both national and state standards is involving students in inquiry-oriented activities," he said. "This is just trying to provide a resource for teachers for what they’re already being asked to do at the national and state levels."

Brown believes having better prepared elementary school science teachers will ultimately lead to more students interested in science.

"There’s a world of difference between a drill-and-kill lesson versus an inquiry-oriented one in terms of student engagement and retention," he said. "There’s a wealth of potential there that we’re not tapping into."

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Free Booklet: Earth Science Literacy Principles

2009-08-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

If you're clueless about petrology, paleobiology and plate tectonics, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Earth Science Literacy Initiative (ESLI) have just released a free pamphlet offering a concise primer on what all Americans should know about the Earth sciences.

Funded by the National Science Foundation and compiled over the last year by ESLI, the booklet represents an attempt to gather and codify the underlying understandings of Earth sciences into a succinct document that will have broad-reaching applications in both public and private arenas.

"The Earth Science Literacy framework document of Big Ideas and supporting concepts was a community effort representing the current state-of-the-art research in Earth sciences," said Michael E. Wysession, Ph.D., chair of ESLI and associate professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

Earth Science Literacy Initiative explores 9 "Big Ideas" at core of current research

The new Earth Science Literacy Principles establish nine "Big Ideas"and 7-10 supporting concepts for each, which together cover the essential information that everyone should know about the Earth sciences. The resulting Earth Science Literacy framework will also become part of the foundation, along with similar documents from the ocean, atmosphere and climate communities, of a larger geoscience "Earth Systems Science" literacy effort.

The scope of the new ESLI Earth Science Literacy Principles spans a wide variety of research fields that are funded through the NSF-EAR program. These fields include geobiology and low-temperature geochemistry, geomorphology and land-use dynamics, geophysics, hydrologic sciences, petrology and geochemistry, sedimentary geology and paleobiology, and tectonics.

The project included a 2-week online workshop with over 350 participants and multiple revisions supervised by a dedicated organizing committee of a dozen Earth scientists and educators.

"It was written, evaluated, shaped, and revised by the top scientists working in Earth science," Wysession said. "Because of its validity, authority, and succinct format, the ESLI document will be influential in a wide variety of scientific, educational, and political domains. New textbooks and curricula are already being developed using it, and future governmental legislation will be guided by it."

More information on the EARTH SCIENCE LITERACY INITIATIVE and a downloadable version of the free booklet can be found at the web site http://www.earthscienceliteracy.org/.

Book Drive to Foster Youth Literacy

2009-08-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Aug. 1, will mark the first day of a community-based book drive at more than 1,000 Borders(R) and Waldenbooks(R) stores throughout the nation. Borders and Waldenbooks' staff will encourage customers to purchase new children's books through the first week of September. All books will be directly donated to a local charity chosen by each store. In this difficult economy when charities nationwide have generally seen a decrease in contributions, Borders and Waldenbooks stores are pleased to coordinate book drives that will benefit hundreds of local non-profit organizations across the country.

"Borders' customers are extremely generous even in this challenging economy -- and they share our company's passion for fostering children's literacy. Every child should experience the joy of owning a book and we are pleased to team with our customers and hundreds of non-profit organizations throughout the country to help make that possible," said Anne Kubek, executive vice president of Merchandising and Marketing for Borders.

Whether searching for a beloved classic from their childhood or discovering a new author or illustrator, customers will enjoy browsing Borders and Waldenbooks stores' selection of thousands of titles. The retailer expects some of the most popular books donated to include "Horrid Henry," "Fancy Nancy: Pajama Day," "The Poky Little Puppy" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox." Customers can choose to donate these titles or they can donate their favorite age-appropriate children's book. If they choose, customers can even purchase a toy or game to donate.

Borders stores in Omaha, Neb. have selected Boys Town as the recipient of their book donations. "Reading is such an essential part of any child's educational development, and is key to their future success," said Father Steve Boes, Boys Town National Executive Director. "We want to thank Borders for making this important donation to our vital work."

Borders stores in Michigan have once again selected Reach Out and Read Michigan as the beneficiary of the books they collect. "Literacy is vitally important to the quality of life of Michigan's families. We are grateful to Borders stores for again helping us provide much needed books to children throughout our state," said Wendy Shepherd, Outreach Manager for Reach Out and Read Michigan.

Customers may contact their local Borders or Waldenbooks store to learn more about the book drive. To find a store, visit Borders.com and click on the store locator tab.

Designing Your Newsletter For Readability by Bret Ridgway

2009-07-31T05:39:00.000-07:00

When you're laying out a newsletter one of your key considerations must be the concept of designing for readability. Whether you're working with an outside graphics person or doing the layout yourself, there are things you need to avoid in your layout in order to improve the readability of your newsletter.

One of the first things you want to make sure of is the way the fonts look for people. Typically, the main font types used are Serif and San Serif. The Serif fonts are fonts with little feet like Times New Roman, and Garamond. San Serif fonts are straight without feet such as Helvetica, Arial and other fonts like that.

Knowing how to use these properly is very important.

When doing headlines for your newsletter the best type font to use are San Serif. They're bold, bigger types that are much easier to read for small amounts of text.

However, when it comes to the body of copy it's actually easier to read a Serif font such as Times, because those feet actually allow the readers eye to flow from one letter and one word to another naturally and without them even realizing it. Therefore, you should be using a San Serif font for your headlines, sub-heads and other text that you want to stand out. Then use Serif fonts for body text, which simply helps to keep it readable.

Another thing you want to do is break up the newsletter with graphics, and callouts, some people call them pull quotes. These help to break up the readers eye and gives them something graphically appealing that will keep them interested in the stories you're sharing and also provide visual queues to enhance what they're reading.

However, it's important to not over use color and graphics to the point where it distracts people as they're reading. One thing, especially when it comes to readability, is that you don't want to use too much color in your text. It's important to keep the text readable so it's recommended any body text remain black so it's crisp and clear to a reader's eye.

When it comes to headlines, sub-heads and other things like that, you may want to pull the color in for your text. Just don't over do it and make it difficult for people to read.

With pictures, make sure your resolution for a print newsletter is at least 300 dpi. Less then that is acceptable for web usage, but try and use lower than 300 dpi in print and you'll really be disappointed with how it looks.

That means you can't go grab your logo from your website and just slap it into your newsletter and expect it to look good because it won't when you print it out.

Readability is critical to the success of your newsletter. If your newsletter is perceived as too difficult to read it doesn't matter how great your content might be. People will be put off and you run the risk of them unsubscribing from your newsletter sooner rather than later.

So be cognizant of this concept of readability whenever you're laying out your newsletter.

Bret Ridgway is co-founder of the Newsletter Formula along with Heather Seitz. For your copy of their free report "7 Ways to Make Money with Newsletters and Continuity Programs" visit http://www.NewsletterFormula.com

Americans called to log time spent reading with kids to raise awareness for children's literacy

2009-07-31T05:37:00.000-07:00

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the nation's oldest and largest children and families' literacy nonprofit organization, is proud to take part in United We Serve's Education Week (July 27-August 2) -- a week-long focus on the countless Americans who strengthen communities by rolling up their sleeves to have a positive impact on children through education-based volunteer activities.

"One of the greatest services we can provide our communities is to ensure that all children obtain access to books and discover the joy and value of reading," said RIF President and CEO Carol H. Rasco. "RIF is honored to work with tens of thousands of committed volunteers across the country to raise literacy levels in their communities."

To further raise awareness about the importance of literacy and its long-term impact on the economy, RIF is challenging all Americans to collectively log 3 million minutes of reading with children by September 11, 2009, on the Read for Change website: www.RIF.org/readforchange. At the end of the challenge, RIF will select five participants to receive a children's multicultural book collection as well as the opportunity to select a school in their community to receive a book collection.

Each day of Education Week, RIF will also showcase inspiring stories of its volunteers on RIF's President and CEO blog, www.RascoFromRIF.org. "We invite Americans to join the movement to increase literacy across the country by picking up a book and reading to a child in their life or by spreading the joy of reading through volunteering," adds Rasco. Statistics show that nearly two-thirds of low-income families own no books for their children. RIF has provided families access to books and reading materials since 1966, by providing volunteers with the resources to distribute 16 million free books to 4.5 million children each year.

For more information about United We Serve and other volunteer opportunities in your community, visit www.Serve.gov.

cholastic Launches Nationwide Mentoring and Literacy Program

2009-07-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

Scholastic has launched Scholastic R.E.A.L.: Read. Excel. Achieve. Lead.(TM), a nationwide mentoring program that provides students with reading mentors from their communities. The program was launched at an education Town Hall with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as part of the 23rd annual 100 Black Men of America conference in New York City.

A recent Child Trends research brief found that young people who participate in mentoring programs have better attendance, are more likely to pursue higher education, and have more positive attitudes toward school than those without mentors. Building on this research, school districts participating in Scholastic R.E.A.L. recruit members of their community to commit one hour a month to visiting and reading aloud to second, fifth or seventh grade classrooms.

Mentors read and connect with students who have limited access to positive role models. Students receive books to build their home libraries and the powerful experience of meeting strong, successful members of their community.

"I know first hand the powerful impact that mentoring can have on both mentor and student. As a R.E.A.L. mentor, I am humbled to be a part of a program that shows students the world of reading, and encourages them to pursue their dreams," said Greg Worrell, President of the Scholastic Classroom and Library Group. "Scholastic is thrilled to have an opportunity to bring the R.E.A.L. program to districts nationwide, and eager to ensure that positive role models are in classrooms all across the country every day."

Mentors participating in the Scholastic R.E.A.L. program come from all areas of the community: business, medicine, law, sports, politics and the nonprofit sector. The program is designed to combat the staggering literacy and dropout rates of young men of color in America: only 20% of Latino boys and 16% of Black boys are reading at grade level by the fourth grade; 45% of black boys and 42% of Latino boys will drop out of high school.

"Strong mentoring relationships are critical to the future of our children... and to the future of our nation, particularly among boys of color who are not achieving at the level of their peers, and are therefore at greater risk of dropping out of school," said Albert E. Dotson, Jr., Chairman of the Board of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. "100 Black Men of America is proud to join the Scholastic R.E.A.L. program in bringing positive role models into the lives of students across America."

Visit www.scholastic.com/scholasticreal for more information about Scholastic R.E.A.L.