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Learning
Is For
Everyone
Over a year ago, local leaders from the Decatur County area attended a community retreat to address the need to improve the literacy level of its citizens. 1990 census figures had shown that four out of ten adults in Decatur County did not have high school diplomas or the GED equivalent. It was determined that this issue affected the future economic and social growth of the community. The consensus of the group was that the county should become part of Georgia’s Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP).
CLCP helped give the community the framework it needed to meet their literacy needs. The thinking behind this collaboration is that a community can reach its citizens in ways outside sources cannot. Decatur County’s CLCP mission was to make significant progress in the education of adults in need of improvement within ten years.
Under the leadership of the Bainbridge/Decatur Chamber of Commerce, meetings with Georgia’s CLCP Executive Director were held, a steering committee was formed, and the application was prepared with approval by the State Board of Technical and Adult Education in July 1999. A director was hired in November, followed by a strategic planning retreat in January 2000 to set implementation goals.
Working with the adult education program, Learning is For Everyone (LIFE), the CLCP began to establish a community-wide network to determine existing services and collaborative efforts. Within this process, needs were identified and plans outlined to improve and enhance existing programs.
The goal was to equip all adult learners with the skills needed to help them achieve their educational goals. The removal of barriers was properly identified as crucial to the success of the adult learner. Expanding support for these students became a focus of LIFE through individual tutoring and small group counseling. Using community volunteers has become a resource in personalizing this effort.
The LIFE program has grown to become the umbrella organization which facilitates adult educational opportunities in Decatur County. In this community, it holds true when people say, LIFE-long learning is for everyone.
Joan Shiver |
Serving low functioning adult learners was determined to be a primary need for improvement. The new LIFE Director suggested adapting the corrective reading program being used in grades K-12. Reading Consultants, a literacy program in the Jacksonville, Florida public library system, was recommended as a model. The LIFE Director and Adult Literacy Volunteer Coordinator observed the instructional techniques that had been adapted to serve adults. An agreement was made with the Decatur County Schools to utilize reading coaches to train teachers and volunteers in this method. Materials were obtained, training conducted, a pilot group selected, and a starting date scheduled.