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Reading is considered in the Reading First section of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 as “a complex system of deriving meaning from print that requires all of the following:
(a) The skills and knowledge to understand how phonemes, or speech sounds, are connected to print;
(b) The ability to decode unfamiliar words;
(c) The ability to read fluently;
(d) Sufficient background information and vocabulary to foster reading comprehension;
(e) The development of appropriate active strategies to construct meaning from print; and
(f) The development and maintenance of a motivation to read” (National Institute for Literacy).
Reading deficiencies result in lower self-esteem and generally a disadvantage as compared to others. Low levels of literacy are likely to limit life chances and may be related to social welfare issues including poverty, incarceration, and preventive health care (National Assessment of Adult Literacy, National Institute for Literacy).
Studies show that 43% of Americans with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty and 70% have no employment or even a part-time job. Only 5% of Americans with strong literacy skills live in poverty. 75% of unemployed adults have reading or writing difficulties (National Institute for Literacy).
Literacy Impacts the Future Today (LIFT) was established to take the initiative for defining and executing an adult reading remediation program to improve the literacy of homeless adults. Improving adult basic literacy has a direct impact on employment and the economy. This initiative targets a specific adult population currently supported by Mobile Loaves & Fishes (MLF). A goal of this effort is to establish a formal program that benefits this population, resulting in their increased personal confidence, self-esteem and less reliance on social assistance programs.
Advisory Board
Meet the LIFT Advisory Board
Literacy Studies
1 in 7 U.S. adults are unable to read this story, USA Today
National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
Adult Literacy Supplemental Assessment (ALSA)
National Institute for Literacy
Developing Literacy Programs for Homeless Adults. Professional Practices in Adult Education and Human Resource Development
Videos
Tony Carmona sharing his literacy skills at Uncorked 2009, MLF’s annual fundraiser:
In this segment, the tutor asks the student to read a passage of a story that corresponds to that day’s tutoring lesson. The tutor and the student are always working toward a goal for accuracy set at 98% for each passage for every lesson:
In this segment, the tutor and the student are reviewing the long sound of the letter a as in the word acorn, the short sound of the letter a as in apple, the long sound of the letter i as in iris and the short sound of the letter i as in itch. The tutor helps the student with various words as necessary during the lesson:
During this portion, the teacher introduces the new letter patterns for study in that day’s lesson:
Within this portion, the teacher demonstrates how to listen to a target word with a tch or a ch, repeat the word, say each sound within the word while representing the sounds with a color tile, naming the letters within the word, and spelling out the target word with letter tiles:
