Literacy Council Facts:

This Literacy Council of Bowie & Miller Counties is in its 20 th year of serving adults in Bowie and Cass Counties in Texas and Miller, Lafayette , and Little River Counties in Arkansas with basic literacy, English as a Second Language (ESL) and Pre-GED services. The Council is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit community based organization incorporated in Texas and Arkansas , a United Way of Greater Texarkana Agency and is governed by an active Board of Directors.

The Literacy Council is an accredited affiliate of ProLiteracy America/Worldwide. All program and financial management; tutor trainings and in-services; student intake, assessments, screenings, curriculum, placement, etc and board governance MUST meet the national standards. All trainers MUST be certified and all staff MUST maintain a level of staff development training. On-site visits by ProLiteracy are every three (3) years.

The need in our community for adult literacy education is great. Level 1 (of five) literacy carries with it the following baggage:

43% of adults at Level 1 live in poverty compared to 4% at Level 5

Three out of four food stamp recipients perform in the two lowest levels.

Adults in Level 1 have median income of $240 per week compared to $681 at Level 5.

Seven of ten prisoners perform at the lowest two literacy levels.

Adults at level 1 work an average of 19 weeks per year compared to 44 weeks for adults at Level 5. *

In our service area the Level 1 literacy rates are as follows: *

Bowie County 24%

Cass County 25%

Lafayette County 37%

Little River County 23%

Miller County 26%

Texarkana , Arkansas 29%

Texarkana , Texas 30%

*Source: The State of Literacy in American: 1998/2004 Published by the National Institute for Literacy

Research has shown that adults currently seeking help with reading and writing have undiagnosed learning disabilities in numbers disproportionate to the general population. The Literacy Council screens every adult student for signs of "LD" at intake. Additional screenings and referrals are made as appropriate. Accommodations are made a part of the basic curriculum.

Services the Literacy Council provides to adults in our service area include:

•  Assessments and screenings

•  TABE (Test for Adult Basic Education)

The TABE is a valid and reliable National Academic Assessment tool that measures reading, math and language skill levels from 0.0 to 12.9 GE.

•  Learning Disabilities Screenings

•  Basic literacy services including one-on-one or small group tutoring

•  English as a Second Language Assessments (BEST) and tutoring

•  Family Literacy programs

•  Correctional Tutor Training for Residents of the Southwest Arkansas Community Correctional Center

•  Teen Tutor Training for Area High Schools

•  Basic Literacy & English as a Second Language Tutor Trainings using ProLiteracy America/Worldwide methods. (12-hour workshop held four times a year. Reservations must be made)

•  Computer aided instruction

•  Video and audio tapes, workbooks, and manipulatives

•  Computer Literacy Classes at the Texarkana Arkansas Center through a partnership with the City of Texarkana Arkansas. (Reservations must be made)

•  Life and job skills tutoring that includes Financial Literacy.

The Literacy Council has a very small paid staff – five full time and three part time – and depends strongly on volunteer assistance.

The Literacy Council is a student centered program and strives to assist students in meeting their individual educational goal. During 2005-06, we served over 1,200 adult students – 313 new students - and trained & certified 100+ volunteer tutors and had 33,856 volunteer hours donated to our cause.

We have learning centers in Texarkana, Texas – Texarkana College Annex Building, Texarkana, Arkansas – 600 Walnut, and Stamps, Arkansas – 305 Main Street. We also have volunteer satellite locations in DeKalb, New Boston and Linden, Texas.

The Literacy Council does NOT get money automatically from any source – all grants the Council receives are through competitive grants . The Council is held accountable by all funders and must meet certain “Quality Indicators” to continue to receive funding. The support from the Texarkana Community through our yearly membership drive and fundraisers such as the Computer Garage Sale and the Spelling Bee are crucial to the survival of the Literacy Council.

Learning Centers: