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We are continuously updating this page. Resources will be added
and annotated frequently so please visit regularly
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broken links at: tnliteracy@yahoo.com.
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Tennessee Adult Literacy Organizations Tennessee Association for Adult and Community Education - TAACE TAACE promotes adult education in Tennessee in a variety of ways, including representing and communicating the needs of its members to state elected officials and citizens.
Center For Literacy Studies - CLS Located at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the Center focuses on adult literacy research, professional development for adult educators, and building a system for sharing the knowledge of the field. (CLS research associate Aaron Kohring is a board member of the Tennessee Literacy Coalition).
State of Tennessee Division of Adult Education Adult Education operates under the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The Division operates Adult Education programs in every county in partnership with local entities such as school systems or community colleges.
Regional Organizations
Mid-South READS is a coalition of Memphis area stakeholders in adult and children's literacy issues. They produce and/or promote a variety of reading-related activities in a six-county area
National Adult Literacy Organizations National Center on Adult Literacy - NCAL NCAL is a research and development center for adult literacy and is housed at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
National Center for Family Literacy - NCFL Located in Lexington, KY, the mission of the NCFL is to create educational and economic opportunity for the most at-risk children and parents. NCFL hosts an annual Family Literacy Conference in March.
National Institute For Literacy - NIFL The NIFL is administered by the Secretaries of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services, and is a clearinghouse for programs and services in literacy.
ProLiteracy is an international non-profit organization based in Syracuse, NY, that was formed in 2002 by the merger of Laubach Literacy and the Literacy Volunteers of America. ProLiteracy American represents 1200 community based volunteer and adult basic education affiliates in the US. (The Tennessee Literacy Coalition is a state organization affiliate).
Formerly the National Alliance of Literacy Coalitions, Literacy USA promotes and strengthens literacy coalitions as they create literate communities.
Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy - CAAL CAAL focuses on studies and analyses, interview-based think pieces, symposia and special projects - all intended to help promote effective policy and resource development, program improvement and communications. The resulting publications are available on this website.
Voices for Adult Literacy United for Education - VALUE VALUE seeks to strengthen adult literacy efforts in the United States through learner involvement and leadership.
National Coalition for Literacy - NCL NCL is an alliance of national adult and family literacy organizations that focuses on public awareness and collaboration at the national level to foster advancement in adult education, language and literacy in the United States.
Commission on Adult Basic Education - COABE COABE is a national organization providing leadership, communication, professional development, and advocacy for adult education and literacy practitioners in order to advance quality services for all adult learners.
Starting a New Literacy Program
Creating and Establishing an Adult Literacy Program This document outlines every aspect of starting a new Adult Literacy Program, including organizing as a non-profit, raising funding, recruiting and training volunteers, recruiting and orienting students, and developing a curriculum. It would also be helpful for established Adult Ed programs that want to add a volunteer component.
Online Courses for Learners This online program of the Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA) provides a variety of interactive lessons for pre-GED learners (reading at 5th to 8th grade level) in reading, writing, vocabulary, math and more. There's no registration or subscription.
Online Courses for Tutors and Teachers The Thinkfinity Literacy Network is a source for free online training for literacy volunteers and literacy professionals, funded by the Verizon Foundation. From the Thinkfinity home page link above, look for Thinkfinity Literacy Network free online courses.
AE Pro Online Professional Development A joint project of the Center for Literacy Studies and the Ohio Literacy Resource Center, this website offers online professional development classes to individuals covering a variety of topics, including ESL Basics, Integration of Technology into the AE classroom, AE Teaching Tools, and more. Each class is conducted online over a six-week period, and a fee is charged.
Teaching Methods, Tools, and Materials Toolkit for Working with Adult English Language Learners Free materials available online through the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), to help providers develop or enhance their ESL programs. Topics covered include needs assessment, evaluation, lesson planning, activity packets, sample lessons, and more.
Center for Applied Linguistics - CAL CAL is a private, non-profit organization of scholars and educators who use the findings of linguistics and related sciences in identifying and addressing language-related problems, including Adult ESL.
A division of ProLiteracy, New Readers Press offers teaching materials and textbooks for adult basic literacy through GED preparation, ESL, and adults with learning disabilities. Membership in ProLiteracy gets you a 25% discount.
A 20-page publication of practical, ready-to-use activities for teaching adult ESL learners. Available by subscription, six issues per year, and the order form is available on the website. National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy - NCSALL Professional development for adult literacy practitioners. Contains free downloadable teaching and training materials to help teachers and tutors work with their learners. Also available for download is a variety of research briefs and other publications on such timely topics as Health Literacy, Workplace Education, Corrections Education and many more.
Dave's ESL Cafe "Idea Cookbook" Each of the topics listed on this site contains dozens of ideas for teaching ESL students either in the classroom or one-on-one. Teachers and Tutors may also submit their own ideas for inclusion in the "cookbook".
This small publishing house offers affordable books and materials for teaching or tutoring in reading and mathematics and for dealing with learning disabilities. Phonetics, numeracy, reading comprehension, and various drill materials are suitable for teaching children and adults. Oxton House also offers workshop opportunities for teachers and tutors.
Beyond To Kill A Mockingbird These lesson plans for nine classic works of southern literature were developed in 2000 by the Tennessee Literacy Coalition and a group of adult educators and librarians from all over Tennessee. We are currently converting the curriculum to electronic format, but we still have a small number of the original print edition available. While the supply lasts, Coalition members may obtain a copy by covering the $4.50 cost of postage. Call 615-259-3700 to reserve a copy.
An online guide to easy-to-read health education materials and web sites for families.
The Jumpstart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy lists a number of lesson plans, teaching guides, and other FREE resources on their website.
Text To Speech (TTS) technology can be helpful for ESL students or low level readers. You can download a free copy of ReadPlease at www.readplease.com.
Adult Basic Education Teacher's Toolkit Created by the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning, this toolkit is a great resource for teaching reading, writing, and math skills.
Learning Disabilities
National Association for Adults with Special Learning Needs The NAASLN website is an excellent resource for information on numerous learning disabilities and how they affect adult students. It is beautifully organized, and contains both written articles as well as registration information for a variety of low-cost webinars offered regularly.
Literacy & Learning Disabilities A special online collection maintained by the Center for Literacy Studies that provides a single point of access to information on LD issues important to adults with LD, Adult Ed teachers and tutors, and employers.
Irlen Syndrome is a perceptual processing disability that causes visual distortion that may affect reading or the ability to read well. Helen Irlen, founder of the Irlen Institute, reports that research has shown that about 46% of individuals with reading problems, dyslexia, or learning disabilities have a perceptual processing problem. Some individuals show a marked improvement in reading ability when reading material is covered by colored acetate sheets. To learn about Irlen Syndrome visit www.irlen.com. The Literacy Council of Sumner County provides Irlen screening in Hendersonville, TN, for a fee. For readers who screen positive, the LCSC can also refer them to a licensed diagnostician for treatment. For information, call Margie Anderson at 615-822-8112.
Literacy Statistics and Information 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey - NALS A technical description of the 1992 national survey and assessment conducted among a randomly selected national population of over 13,000 individuals, another 1000 individuals from 11 participating states, and another 1100 federal prison inmates. The report describes how the survey was designed and implemented.
CASAS Adult Literacy Estimates This site allows the user to search by State, City or County for literacy and education statistics based on the NALS and the 1990 census.
2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) These preliminary results were released in December 2005. The NAAL is comparable in scope to the 1992 NALS, but the survey and the literacy levels described have been redesigned for better analysis. Synthetic estimates of adult literacy skills by state and county are expected to be published later. To access the complete report, click on the link above. To see a brief synopsis, click here.
Released in September 2006, this report analyzes the capabilities of American adults in reading and understanding health related information in English.
Adult Literacy and Education in America An interpretation of the results of the 1992 NALS. The Executive Summary is especially helpful in describing the survey findings.
This March 2004 report from the office of the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury assesses state and county adult literacy levels based on data from the 1992 NALS, and "considers the groups of adults who access education in Tennessee, how service is provided to them, and the role that various state agencies play in providing adult education."
"The Number of Functionally Illiterate Adults in US is Growing" This is the first of a series of annual addresses by the President of ProLiteracy, and in this report, Robert Wedgeworth makes some predictions on the as yet unpublished results of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), successor to the 1992 NALS. The NAAL is expected to be released in 2005.
The National Commission on Writing This 25 member commission, created in 2002 by the College Board, makes the case for writing literacy as a critical component of effective communication and employment. All three reports are available in full at this website.
Non-Profit Management Tools & Resources The Independent Sector is a leadership forum for charities, foundations and corporate giving programs committed to advancing the common good. Some segments of the website are for members only, but there's also a significant amount of research material on such topics as charitable giving and voluntarism in America. The IS is also the source for research on the dollar value of volunteer time in America. The IS updates the national research annually, and provides a state-by-state rate periodically. As of 2004, volunteer time in TN is worth an average of $15.62 per hour.
Center For Non-Profit Management (Nashville) The CNM helps non-profits enhance their results through education, consulting, research, performance evaluation and recognition. If you are located in the Middle TN area, it's easy to take advantage of their library, seminars, and member forums. The Coalition is a current member of the CNM Excellence Network.
Center for Non-Profits (Chattanooga) The CNP is a United Way initiative providing training and consulting for local non-profits and serves as the umbrella organization for the Chattanooga area Volunteer Center, Gifts In Kind Chattanooga, and United Way 2-1-1.
Giving Matters (Middle Tennessee) Giving Matters is a web-accessed database of detailed profiles of participating area non-profits. It's intended to provide funders with the tools they need to make a decision to fund an organization. Giving Matters is a program of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and profiles submitted have been reviewed for accuracy by CFMT staff. The Coalition maintains a current profile in Giving Matters.
Guide Star is a national web-accessed database of non-profit information. If your agency files a 990, it's available to the public at large on Guide Star. You must register to access 990 information, but anyone can register and it's free. Additional information and resources are available to paid subscribers.
Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence (Memphis) Formerly The Grant Center, the Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence had broadened its mission to include all aspects of fundraising as well as other areas of nonprofit management. They still also provide extensive training in grant research and writing.
This site provides a wealth of technological information for non-profits, but is probably best know for it's huge software donation program. For a nominal handling fee, qualified non-profits can receive mainstream software donated by such industry giants as Microsoft, Intuit, and Cisco, just to name a few.
This membership organization provides a variety of print and online resources centered on building an effective board of directors. For non-profits in cities that don't have a local non-profit management training organization, BoardSource membership might be a helpful tool. There are also a few important resources available to non-members, including The Nonprofit Board Self-Assessment Process (Research section) and The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and Implications for Nonprofit Organizations (White Papers).
This online library links users to a list of 675 topics in business and nonprofit management. Links within each topic are sometimes for materials that must be ordered, but there are significant direct links to free downloadable information belonging to the FML site and/or to other free sites. FML also offers the Free, Online Nonprofit Organization and Management Development Program, a "micro e-MBA" course of study for non-profit leaders. It's a how-to for complete non-profit management.
Filing Guide for Non-Profit Corporations in Tennessee Published by the TN Department of State, this guide outlines the requirements and procedures for forming a non-profit corporation, filing a charter, amending a charter, annual reporting, and dissolving a non-profit corporation.
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