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Professional Wisdom for Adult and Family Literacy |
35 Ways Your Church Can Promote Adult and Family Literacy in Your CommunityIn my role as Coordinator of Literacy ConneXus, I help churches and other religious organizations to develop a literacy outreach program through technical assistance, networking, and training. The roots of Literacy ConneXus go back over 50 years to the development of the Laubach Literacy Center at Baylor in 1957. This Center was started in response to a challenge by President Dwight D. Eisenhower at Baylor’s commencement in 1956, and was housed in at least four departments on Baylor’s campus until funding dried up in 1968. Through this Center and its innovative first director, Dr. Richard Cortwright, many churches began literacy programs in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Dr. Cortwright used television as an instructional tool as early as 1958. After a 20-year hiatus, I became first director of the Baptist Literacy Missions Center at Baylor in 1988. This Center continued in one form or another until 2002 when it essentially went dormant. In 2004, I was hired to form Literacy ConneXus with a view toward establishing similar projects on other university campuses. The School of Social Work at Baylor University supports literacy work through its Center for Family and Community Center via materials and networking. Literacy ConneXus is led by a multi-denominational board, although most funding currently comes from Texas Baptist churches. I would like to share the following suggestions to promote adult and family literacy in your community: 1. Identify and equip an “education advocate” in every congregation. Above list based on: Abriendo Puertas! Opening Doors for Hispanic Youth (Report of the Hispanic Education Task Force of the Baptist General Convention of Texas) and Public Education and the Church – Resolution #263 - The General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church. Contact Literacy ConneXus for additional information about this list and how your church can further educate and promote literacy in your community. Or share ways your church is already doing one of these projects - info@literacyconnexus.org Lester Meriwether is Executive Director of Literacy ConneXus, Inc., (www.literacyconnexus.org) which is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. He can be reached at (817) 696-9898 or via email: Lester@literacyconnexus.org. |
Texas Adult & Family Literacy Quarterly is published by
The Texas Adult and Family Literacy Clearinghouse,
a project housed in the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy & Learning
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4477
The contents of The Quarterly do not necessarily represent the views or opinions
of the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy & Learning,
Texas A&M University, Texas Education Agency, nor Harris County Department of Education.
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