LITERACY DISTRICT 5180

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LITERACY DISTRICT 5180

• DISTRICT ASSEMBLY
• March 24, 2007

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WHY SHOULD MY CLUB BE INVOLVED IN LITERACY?

• 1 OUT OF 3 CHILDREN WILL NOT FINISH HIGH SCHOOL.
• 50 OF OUR ADULTS CANNOT FILL OUT A JOB
  APPLICATION.
  
• 75 OF ALL UNEMPLOYED ADULTS HAVE READING
  DIFFICULTIES.
  
• 65 OF ADULT PRISONERS ARE FUNCTIONALLY
  ILLITERATE.

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WHY LITERACY?

• U.S. DEPT. OF EDUCATION ESTIMATES THAT 49 OF OUR
  ADULTS CANT READ PAST A 4TH GRADE LEVEL.
  
• SACRAMENTO COUNTY HAS OVER 158,000 ADULTS WHO
  CANT READ PAST THE 4TH GRADE LEVEL.

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WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO US?

• THE CALIFORNIA DRIVERS HANDBOOK IS WRITTEN AT A
  6TH GRADE LEVEL.
  
• INSTRUCTIONS ON A BOTTLE OF ASPIRIN ARE WRITTEN
  AT AN 8TH GRADE LEVEL.
  
• THE BIBLE IS WRITTEN AT A 7TH GRADE LEVEL.
• MOST NEWSPAPERS ARE WRITTEN AT AN 8TH GRADE LEVEL.

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ILLITERACY IN DISTRICT 5180
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HOW DO WE COMPARE?

• CALIFORNIA 24
• SAN FRANCISCO 30
• SAN JOSE 27
• E. PALO ALTO 45
• OAKLAND 38
• RICHMOND 35
• SAN PABLO 37

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WORLD COMPARISONS

• WE RANK 49TH OUT OF 156 UNITED NATION COUNTRIES.
• IN READING, WE RANKED 14TH OUT OF 32
  INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS. (OECD)
  
• TOP 3 NATIONS FINLAND, CANADA, N.Z.
• BOTTOM 3 BRAZIL, MEXICO, LUXEMBOURG

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COST OF ILLITERACY

• 73 BIL. - 225 BIL. ANNUALLY
• 1,000. FOR EVERY MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY.
• AS JOB SKILLS INCREASE, THAT NUMBER GOES TO
• 1,500. FOR EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD IN THE USA.

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IMPACT OF SKILLED JOBS

• TODAY 40 OF JOBS ALLOW FOR LIMITED SKILLS.
• 49 OF OUR ADULTS COMPETE FOR THOSE JOBS.
• THAT LEAVES 9 UNEMPLOYED AND SO FAR WEVE BEEN
  ABLE TO ABSORB.
  
• OUR NEW JOBS WILL ALLOW FOR 27 UNSKILLED AND WE
  GO FROM 9 TO 22. WE CANT ABSORB THAT.
  

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AVERAGE ANNUAL INCOMES
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ANNUAL INCOMES

• A NON-HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE MAKES 42 LESS INCOME
  THAN A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE.
  
• A COLLEGE GRADUATE MAKES ALMOST THREE TIMES AS
  MUCH AS A PERSON WHO DID NOT FINISH HIGH SCHOOL.
  THATS TRUE FOR BOTH MALE AND FEMALE.

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PARABLES

• IF YOU THINK EDUCATION IS EXPENSIVE, TRY
  IGNORANCE.
  
• IF THE PARENT CANT READ, HE CANT HELP HIS CHILD
  TO READ.
  
• IF MOMMA READS, EVERYBODY READS.

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LITERACY PROJECTS IN District-5180

• DICTIONARIES TO THIRD GRADERS Contact Neil
  Orchard
  
• [phone] or
• PDG Hal Shipley [phone]
• MENTORING PROGRAM WITH COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP
• Contact Bob Hoyme, Elk Grove Club (916)
  714-2216
  
• DIRECTORY OF LITERACY PROVIDERS
• Contact PDG Hal Shipley [phone]

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Additional Literacy Projects

• Orangevales Literacy Tutoring Program.
• Don Russell (Doninovale_at_comcast.net) has an
  on-going program at the Green Oaks Elementary
  School. Their slogan is, just 1 hour of your
  time which future hour will you pick? Call
  Don, hell help you get a program going at your
  club.

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Additional Literacy Projects

• How about copying a program started by Dolly
  Parton? Her objective was to help disadvantaged
  children escape from poverty. Her reasoning was
  simple, The best was to escape from poverty is
  to succeed in school. and the best way to
  succeed in school is to learn to read before you
  start to school. She sends books every month to a
  child from birth to age 5. For information, go
  to www.imaginationlibrary.com

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More Inspiring Examples

• St. Louis Park Rotary Club Children First
  www.rotaryslp.org/Children_First
  
• District 6110 Programs for Children at Risk
  www.ri6110.org/children/index.html
  
• Rotary Club of Cincinnati Government Seminar
  for HS students www.cincinnatirotary.org
  

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Fellowship of Literacy Providers

• Goal is to share ideas, information and
  techniques relative to improving literacy
  throughout the world.
  
• 140 Members
• 34 Countries
• 35 States
• 93 Rotary Districts
• 137 Rotary Clubs

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More Parables

• In ancient times, Rotary wasnt as modern as it
  is today.
  
• No one ever listened himself out of a job.
• Its easier to get older than it is to get
  wiser.
  
• Many of us started out with nothing and still
  have most of it.

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A Brief Test

• FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT
• OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY
• COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

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A few reasons English is difficult.

• The bandage was wound around the wound.
• The farm was used to produce produce.
• We must polish the Polish furniture.
• He could lead if he would get the lead out.
• I did not object to the object.