A View on Literacy: Special Supplement from Verizon Thinkfinity's Literacy Partners
As we celebrate International Literacy Day, it is the perfect time to reflect on how our communities have been affected in the past year and how we are rising up to the challenge.
Certainly, the economy has had the biggest impact on all of us. Bad economic times have the most powerful impact on those who are least prepared for 21st century work: Unemployment is 65 percent higher among those who have failed to earn a high school diploma than it is among all other workers. In turn, opportunities for their children are threatened.
And tough budgetary times have meant cuts in literacy coaches at schools and less money for professional development to train educators and practitioners on the best ways to increase literacy.
But we've also seen that during challenging times, there are signs of hope and reasons for optimism.
Studies show an upswing in student literacy practices outside of school and growth in student volunteerism. Interest is building steadily among educators, policy-makers and parent groups in 21st century literacies -- the vital skills children and adults require to succeed in higher education, the workplace and in a competitive global economy.
Other promising developments are emerging. Research is underway to explore new forms of assessment that advance student learning. There has been a surge in experimentation with new forms of teacher preparation, certification and professional development, along with new ways to communicate ranging from Twitter to "crowd-sourcing" news reportage and analysis.
Verizon Thinkfinity is one of those resources - providing research-based best practices for practitioners to use and guaranteeing that professional development and new, effective instruction methods are available to all.
State and federal laws outline the necessity of parent involvement, but all too often, schools and parents aren't given the tools to participate constructively. Verizon Thinkfinity and other free online resources available through our organizations bridge that gap and help transform the barriers of poverty into progress.
Literacy is a fundamental skill upon which all other life skills and career skills are built. It is the common foundation for thriving communities and societies. Schools do a tremendous job educating our children, but we must not view literacy solely as the responsibility of the school or needed only for a certain age range.
Children spend five times as much time outside the classroom as they do in school, so parents and caregivers must be part of the solution. And we must instill literacy across the lifespan because tomorrow's workers will have 10 to 14 jobs by the time they're 40 years old - sometimes voluntarily and sometimes out of necessity.
Rather than dwell on the problems, let's focus on the opportunities and the possibilities that open new doors when literacy is put into practice.
On International Literacy Day, join us as we celebrate and support literacy across the lifespan so that today's and tomorrow's community members and workers can open new doors using the power of 21st century literacies.
Sharon Darling, President & Founder, National Center for Family Literacy
William B. Harvey, Executive Director, International Reading Association
Peter Waite, Vice President, Programs and Services, ProLiteracy
Kent Williamson, Executive Director, National Council of Teachers of English
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