Archived:President Clinton's Coalition for the America Reads Challenge-October, 1999 Update

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	President's Coalition Update Newsletter


October, 1999 Update MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR As the temperature drops one of the best ways to enjoy the cold weather is to curl up with a good book. We hope you will find more time to share the joy of reading with a child. This update includes news on a few initiatives of the U.S. Department of Education, as well as new tools to make learning fun for children. In the update, learn more about: Community Technology Center grants awarded through the U.S. Department of Education and "what's new online" at the U.S. Department of Education website. America Counts Tutoring Roadmap, an on-line guide containing suggestions and materials for building and sustaining high-quality mathematics tutoring and mentoring programs. The International Reading Association's Commission on Adolescent Literacy. We hope this update finds you well and that you will keep us posted on your efforts to help all children read well. Happy reading! COMING SOON - AMERICA READS UPDATES BY EMAIL In an effort to share information more efficiently, America Reads will soon be sending regular updates electronically. Please watch for more information on how to continue to receive information from the America Reads Challenge. COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY CENTERS Vice President Gore recently announced 40 grants (totaling $9.9 million) to bring computers and the Internet to community centers, public housing, and libraries. The grants, made under the Community Technology Centers program, can support a range of services, including: workforce development, employment information, and adult education preschool and family programs available at times when parents can bring young children to use age-appropriate software after-school learning activities for students The Department received 750 applications for these grants. For a list of grantees and other information, please see: http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/09-1999/ctcgrants.html or http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/AdultEd/CTC/ NEW ONLINE Please find these new resources on the web from the U.S. Department of Education. "NAEP 1998 Writing Report Card Highlights," released by the National Center for Education Statistics, describes major findings and looks at students' experiences which appear to be associated with achievement in writing: http://nces.ed.gov/commissioner/remarks99/9_28_99.asp "Ideas at Work: How to Help Every Child Become a Reader," a directory of innovative programs, offers ideas, resources and strategies for helping children from birth through age 9 in various settings. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/ideasatwork/ provide early intervention for children with reading difficulties. "Bringing Education to After-School Programs" tells how reading, math, college preparation, technology, and the arts can be integrated into after-school programs to enhance children's learning and build on the school program. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/After_School_Programs/ TOOLS FOR TUTORS Looking for ways to enliven your tutoring sessions? Games and word activities can now be found on the LEARNS Web site: http://www.nwrel.org/learns/resources/games. Step-by-step instructions show how popular card games like Concentration and Go Fish can be easily turned into literacy-rich activities for children. In addition to being entertaining, these word games give children another way to integrate their learning and reinforce their skills. You will also find helpful articles, resources, newsletters, and links on the LEARNS website at http://www.nwrel.org/learns The LEARNS partners are dedicated to helping national service staff, volunteers, and community members create, improve, and sustain their literacy, tutoring, and mentoring programs:. AMERICA COUNTS TUTORING ROADMAP The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce that the America Counts Tutoring Roadmap is up and running. The roadmap is an on-line guide containing suggestions and materials for building and sustaining high-quality mathematics tutoring and mentoring programs. The roadmap provides information about key program components, such as setting goals, tutor recruitment, and tutor retention. The roadmap highlights materials for use in tutoring sessions. The materials include activities, videos, games, computer software, web sites, and children's literature, which are all organized along grade bands and content strands for easy use. While some of these materials will be available at no cost through the Internet, others are available for purchase. To view the roadmap, please visit http://www.ed.gov/americacounts/roadmap/ on the America Counts web site. ADOLESCENT LITERACY AND THE INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION There has been a great deal of interest in efforts to support adolescents who have difficulty reading well. Literacy instruction for students this age is very important and requires serious attention. That's why the International Reading Association Adolescent Literacy Commission recently released a position statement and is presenting a series of forums on this topic. The forums are an invitation to teachers, reading specialists, curriculum supervisors, administrators, teacher educators, and school librarian/media specialists to participate in conversations on adolescents' literacy learning. For more information on the position statement and the forums on adolescent literacy visit: http://www.reading.org/conferences/forums/ny_forums.html SHARE YOUR GOOD WORKS If you have items you would like us to share with other members of the Coalition, please send a paragraph describing how your organization is meeting the America Reads Challenge to: President's Coalition for the America Reads Challenge 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-0107 Phone: 202/401-8888, Fax: 202/260-8114 e-mail: americareads@ed.gov