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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 09-07-1999 - 10c,' 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Action Agenda Item No. /d_ C„ ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: September 7, 1999 SUBJECT: Countywide Literacy Initiative DEPARTMENT: County Manager ATTACHMENT(S): Proposal for Literacy Initiative PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/l~ ~Vc~ BUDGET AMENDMENT: (Y/N) N~ INFORMATION CONTACT: Albert Kittrell TELEPHONE NUMBERS: - -ext. Hillsborough 732-8181 Chapel Hill 968-4501 Durham 688-7331 Mebane 227-2031 PURPOSE: To receive a report on Countywide Literacy Initiative. BACKGROUND: The Orange County Literacy Council ,Orange County Schools, Chapel Hill- Carrboro Schools and the Orange County Partnership for Young Childern have been meeting since March 99 to develop strategies to address adult literacy and draft a report for the School Systems and the County. Lucy Lewis, Director of the Orange County Literacy Council will present the report and proposal for eliminating adult literacy. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None RECOMMENDATON(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive the report as information. IPItQPQSAlC. lE'OR COUNTY VYLRE LITERACY INITIATIVE 2 Back,~roa~ad In November 1998, meRnbers of the Orange Coutrty Board of Commissioners, the Orange County School Board, and the Chapel Hill Carrboro School Board agreed that they wanted to work with other eomnnunity agencies to develop a comprehensive, holistic literacy strategy for Orange County, aimed at an all-out effort to elixaainate adult illiteracy. This initiative was driven by a concern that many school children in Orange Coutriy school children are trot sul~eiently prepared to start, or to succeed, ira school. The focus of the initiative was on the need to improve the readiness, and ongoing success, of school studerns by strengthening the literacy skills of their parents, and to use community and school resources to help address this need. Following some exploratory discussions, a group of schools staff and coznaaaunity agencies staff and Beard members began meeting in March 1999 to share ideas, develop a proposal, and draft recommendations to the initiating bodies. Group participants included the Superintendent and key administrative staff &an the Orange County School system, key administrative staff from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School system, Orange County Literacy Council staff' and Board President, and the Orange ~ County Partnership for Young Children/Smart Start Parent Education Coordinator. Ca~woiity Need Orange County is a community of wide disparities in education and income. Although a majority of our residerns are highly educated and have strong literacy skills, almost a third of all adult residents have sigaiifieant literacy needs. According to 1990 US Census figures, S% of adults have less than a 9th grade education, 8% have an education between the 9th and 12th grades, and 19% have obtained only a high school diploma or its equivalent. Thitty three percent of Orange County adults have significant literacy needs, according to the National Institute Literacy Survey (MILS) conducted by the U.S. Depa~~mem of Education: in 1992. The N1LS study was the most comprehensive national study to provide a picture of how well adults use printed materials to accomplish day-today tasks -failing out a job application, reading a bus schedule, using an autonnatie teller machine,, or reading to their children -and establish five proficiency levels to measure performance. In Orange County, approximately 1 S% of adults function at a Level i proficiency standard; an additional 18% function at Level 2 (an a scale of 1-5, with 1 and 2 being the lowest levels). These adults have limited literacy skills, and have considerable difficulty carrying out tasks requiring therm to use lengthy tests or do two-step mathematical calculations. These disparities are also found among the county's public school population, reflecting the fact that numerous studies have indicated, the correlation between a parent's educational level and the likelihood of their children's school performance. Students in both school systems score significantly above the state average in standardized tests. However, for years there have been major discrepancies between the test scores of white and African Anxerican students in both school systems, and a significant number of both white and black students have tested below grade level. A Bowing Latino caunity has also significacrtly impacted the literacy and language assessmeiat of Orange County adult residents. According to 1996 US Census figures, there were 1951 Latino residents (out of a total population of lOb,045). The NC Department of Public Instruction records indicate that there were 333 HispaniclLatuao children in the county's public schools in the 1997-1998 school year, a 143% increase since 1991. Orange County Partnership for Young Children's Los Ninon Task Force estimated that 20°!° of all Orange County births between July 1998 and March 1949 were barn to Hispanic/Latino residents. Many of these parerrts are not proficient in spoken English. Some are able to read and write inn Spanish, but not yet in English, while others may not have strong literacy skills in Spanish. ComrnmoutY Solutio4 Parents are their child's first teachers. Children. acquire their basic cognitive and linguistic skills within the family. Children living in educationally and economically disadvantaged honnes often enter school two or mare years behind their peers and are two to three times more likely to drop out of school. Parents who do not have basic literacy skills are less likely to have readinng materials in tbeiur homes, be involved in their child's education, or traasxnit the value of literacy to their children. As the education level of adults improves, so does theiz children's success in school. Helping adults who have literacy needs to improve their basic skills has a direct and measurab}e impact on both the education and quality of life for their children. According tv the National Institute for Literacy, "Children of aduhs who participate in literacy programs improve their grades and test scores, improve their reading skills, and are less likely to drop out." 3 Research into family literacy programs also show significant outcomes. 1~ or example, adults stay enrolled in fami~y literacy programs longer than in most adult-only programs, maintain higher attendance rates, and significantly improve their eturolltnent status, self-confidence, and parenting shills. Children participating in farn~ily literacy proganns make more improvenurrts than would have been expelled based on their development prior to enrolling in a family literacy program. Children also show a significant increase iz~ reading books and visiting their library. All these factors support the need for an intergenerational approach to breakinlg the cycle of illiteracy in Orange County. They indicate the need to increase the literacy skills of low-literacy parents so that they can better assist their children. Innproved literacy levels cart also assist parents in rnceting their own life goals, including enhanced employment prospects. We live in a eomtnunity with a weahh of resources that can be even more effectively tnobilixed than they have been in order to support abroad-based, county wide literacy initiative. t~~sat Project Goal$ l . filimiztate adult illitentcy in Orange County. 2. All parents wiU be able to help their children be ready for, and succeed in, school. Project Qbjectiives The initial objectives of this project include: 1. Deve#op a public awareness campaign to create a positive climate regarding literacy anal lifelong leanaing. 2. Zztcrease community awareness, support, and participation for existing programs/services i~a both school systems and community organizations. 3. implement a series of pilot projects, including school-based programs, that promote urtergeaerational literacy. PHASE Ql~l~: to be launched an Labor Dray, coinciding wit/t National LiYerecy MontAr in September attd the start of the traditional school yta~ 1. initiate a public awareness campaign to promote a positive climate about literacy and lifelong learning. a) Select a slogan and logo - Urange County Reams. b) Seek initial seed money from initiating bodies -Orange County Board of Commissioners, Orange County School Board, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board -for informational and promotional materials. c} Launch a broad campaign of public service announcements featuring prominent educators, elected officials, eommuxAity leaders reading, "Change Courtly Reads -committed to literacy„ d} Launch a second series of public service anatounceu~ttts withal! segmerrts of community readiztg~writing e) Distribute materials to school children and parents, including fat~uiy packs, back peeks, bumper stickers featuring the slogaallogo. 2. increase awareness of existing literacy-related programs and services in both school syste>vos and community organizations. a) Develop and widely distribute brochures, flyers, and/or posters describing existing school and cortamusdty literacy-related resources b) Provide speakers and r~aaterials to groups including PTAs, PTSAs, civic and service organizations, churches and reli¢ious rn~ani~tionc. ahcrut exictinQ nmerams and services 4 .~H,~SB TWO: to be taunclsed in January of 2(!110 Pilot projects, including schoolbas~ programs, that promote courrty wide literacy. a} Establish a Parent University or similar program in at least one site in each school system. The Parent University model offers regular times throughout the year where parents can attend their children's' school and take advantage of a variety of educational progams. Possibilities for programs include "Helping Your Child with Hor~pewoxk" and ":Elelping Xour Child Prepare for a "l"est". adult literacy and ESL programs for out of school children and adults could also be available through Parent University. b} Aslc each school in each system to designate one Orange County Reads project that ties in with their existing programs. Examples could be Read to Xour Kids Today, recruitment for parent volunteers, or arty activity that promotes reading amd writing. c) Ask community partners to develop and/or support one Orange County reads project. NEXT STEPS We propose that the curr~t working group continue, but expand to include new community partners. The funetioms of the group will include: 1. Implement Phase One and Phase Two. 2. Monitor and evaluate the success of Phase One and Phase Two. 3. Further develop ways that public anal private resources can be mobilized and utilized. 4. Create additional mode( programs for specific targeted needs. S. Establish long term outcomes for the Orange Coutrty Reads initiative. OUTCQMES Initial project outcomes will include: l . Residerts of Orange County will have a high awareness Jewel of the ~ for ongoing attention to literacy issues. 2. Parents who leave literacy needs will be aware of and take advantage of literacy programs and services. 3. Pilot programs will be evaluated fox possible expausioxa to multiple sites. 4. An expanded base of eornntunity partners wilt provide resources fox the programs.