TheTimesTribune.com, Corbin, KY

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May 19, 2008

‘Reading Cafe’ a topic at two national literacy conferences

Special to The Times-Tribune

Two Laurel County Adult Education and Literacy (LCAEL) instructors were recent presenters at two national conferences.

Ken Corso and Tina Cook presented at the National Conference on Family Literacy in Louisville and the National Conference of the Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE) in St. Louis, Mo., respectively. Both spoke on LCAEL’s Read KY program known as “The Reading Café” in London and Corbin.

Read KY was developed by The Collaborative Center for Literacy Development. It is designed to assist those adults with limited literacy levels or a fifth grade or lower reading level. “There are only six centers in Kentucky participating in the Read KY program. We are proud that LCAEL is one of those centers,” Cook said.

Low adult literacy is a pervasive problem throughout the country. According to the 2003 State Assessment of Adult Literacy Report, 42 percent of Kentucky adults are at or below basic literacy levels.

The Collaborative Center for Literacy Development worked with Kentucky’s eight public universities and the National Center for Family Literacy to develop computer software for an adult reading program that incorporates computer software as a major part of the instruction program. “Three centers (including LCAEL) are testing three different types of software for computer-only learning, the three other centers are testing instructor- assisted computer software,” Corso said.

“I spoke at the conference about our program, The Reading Café,” Cook said. “The Reading Café has the relaxed environment of a coffee shop. The program is self-paced. Even though we have only been operating since August 2007, we have had some significant success stories. Four students have increased their reading levels up to two grade levels.”

Cook is a graduate of Union College. In addition to being an instructor at LCAEL for nine years, she also served as a researcher for the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy at Harvard University.

Corso is a graduate of Miami University in Miami, Ohio. He also is an alumnus of The Kentucky Adult Educators Literacy Institute. He has been an employee of LCAEL for six years.



Do you know someone who would like to improve their reading?

Call the Reading Café for information. In London call: 864-9943. In Corbin call: 528-0184.

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