Project LEARN (LITERACY EDUCATION AND READING NETWORK) is being launched by the two primary Literacy assistance agencies in Tarrant County, Tarrant Literacy Coalition and Learning Center for North Texas. Their initiative brings together experts in adult literacy, with a capacity to address varied needs of individual students, from the zero level adult, to adults with learning disabilities, to those stalled on the Pre-GED edge where they are unable to comprehend the very difficult new GED materials. The sponsor agencies will begin classes in the early fall.
At the present time, only Arlington Reads (sponsored by Arlington Rotary) is functioning to teach this level of student, and the need in the county (including Arlington) earnestly needs the resources to say "yes" to the dozens of Tarrant County adults who contact them each week. The consolidated team of Tarrant Literacy, Learning Center for North Texas, and Literacy Connexus, (all non-profit literacy providers) will provide services to low level readers in our community who are not being served by any other program, and they will provide training and assistance to the existing program(s), including Arlington Reads.
With an initial "in-kind" grant from Pro-Literacy, they have obtained enough books for 10 adults, and their tutors. The District Grant will meet a need LEARN has identified for an additional 12 sets of materials that carry the students through a critical three levels of reading and literacy development. In addition, the Grant will provide the first of four levels of teaching material from The Barton Method, which is especially suited for the level of adults served by LEARN . This action by the District and the club, will provide all that is needed in the way of materials to start in the fall, and work with the students through their first level, ( about three months.) The LEARN team plans to ask others to sponsor one of the three remaining levels to get all the way through this classroom experience. Two members of Arlington Rotary, who serve the District as Community Service Literacy Chair, and Foundation Education and Literacy Resource, we provide information for any other clubs in Tarrant County who might be willing to support the program by adopting one of the other three levels of the Barton system ($800/level.)
We plan to provide the requested $3000 funds by the first of October, and to convey the funds directly to the 501 ciii Tarrant Literacy Coalition to acquire the agreed materials.
The club membership has an active involvement in literacy including Arlington Reads, Tarrant Literacy Coalition, Member sponsorship of Reading Oasis in Arlington, and members who tutor, or teach adults, elementary school, and those that work directly with Arlington Reads and Tarrant Literacy to assess ongoing needs, and to sponsor programs that keep our members engaged with this critical need.
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