<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><b><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black"><br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><b><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">To: Reading Hall 0f Fame</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><b><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black"><br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><b><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">March 15, 2025</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><b><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black"><br></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><b><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">Media Contact:</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:45pt;line-height:normal;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">Sharon Bonney</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:45pt;line-height:normal;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">Chief Executive Officer</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:45pt;line-height:normal;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">888.44.COABE</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:45pt;line-height:normal;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><a href="mailto:info@COABE.org" style="color:blue" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">info@COABE.org</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 12pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><b><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">Esteemed Leader in Adult Education To Receive Prestigious National Award </span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><b><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">From the Coalition on Adult Basic Education</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";font-size:11pt">Dr. Thomas Sticht, an influential policymaker, consultant, researcher, and practitioner in adult education will be awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) at it's national conference, the largest convening of adult educators in the world,  in Dallas, Texas on March 31st, 2025. </span><span style="color:rgb(143,143,143);font-family:"Source Sans Pro",sans-serif;font-size:16px"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="color:rgb(143,143,143);font-family:"Source Sans Pro",sans-serif;font-size:16px"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">As an international consultant, Dr. Thomas Sticht has contributed greatly to the field of adult education. For 25 years (1979-2003) he represented the International Reading Association (now the International Literacy Association) as a member of UNESCO's International Literacy Prize jury.  His additional </span><span style="color:black;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";font-size:11pt">contributions to adult literacy education include extensive research and development on the oral and written language skills of adults, diagnostic tests for learning-disabled adults, and the development of adult education programs that integrate the teaching of basic skills with career education. Perhaps one of </span>Sticht’s<span style="color:black;font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";font-size:11pt"> greatest contributions has been his research on literacy education for the U.S. Army on the listening and reading skills of lower aptitude recruits which resulted in the creation of the Army’s Functional Literacy program, which integrated and contextualized basic skills education with Army occupational training and influenced the formation of the National Workplace Literacy Program of the U.S. Department of Education.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">Sharon Bonney, CEO of COABE, states, "Thomas Sticht’s incredible research contributions for the field of adult education are inspirational. His storied career has impacted so many facets of society including  adult learners in the military, adult learners and their children, and adult learners in the workplace. We are honored to award Dr. Sticht the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award and thank him for his service.”</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;text-align:center;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black">###</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black;font-size:11pt">The Coalition on Adult Basic Education provides leadership, professional development and advocacy for 82,000 educators, administrators, and paraworkers in the field of adult education. COABE highlights excellence in the field of adult education by presenting yearly scholarships, incentive grants and prestigious national awards to feature best practices in the field. Learn more at</span><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";color:black;font-size:11pt"> </span><a href="http://coabe.org/" style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif";font-size:11pt" target="_blank">coabe.org</a><font color="#000000" face="Arial, sans-serif">.</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";font-size:12pt">Biographical statement for Thomas Sticht from the Reading Hall of Fame:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><br></p></div><h2 style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Trebuchet MS","Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;background-color:rgb(225,231,242);margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:1.2em;border-bottom:none;font-weight:400"><br></h2><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Trebuchet MS","Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;background-color:rgb(225,231,242)"><div><div><div><p style="margin:0px 0px 0.75em;padding:0px"> Thomas G. Sticht worked as an International  Consultant in Adult Education from 2000 to his retirement in 2013.  Earlier he served as President and Senior Scientist at the Applied Behavioral & Cognitive Sciences, Inc. (the ABC'S); Vice President of the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO);  Associate Director of the National Institute of Education (NIE), Visiting Associate Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education;  Research Professor of Industrial Psychology at the U. S. Naval Postgraduate School,  and visiting Noted Scholar at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.75em;padding:0px"> Sticht received the Ph. D degree from the University of Arizona, where he specialized in experimental psychology. His research and development efforts have focused on the application of cognitive science to the literacy needs of under-served youth and adults. He formulated the Functional Context Education approach to integrating vocational and literacy education which has been used by the U. S. Department of Education's National Workplace Literacy Program, in functional literacy programs for the U. S. Army, Air Force, and Navy, and is included in the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.75em;padding:0px"> He served on the National Governor's Association's Advisory Group for Achieving National Education Goal 6 (adult literacy); the National Commission on Working Women; the Secretary of Labor's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS); the National Commission on Testing and Public Policy; from 1992-98 he was Project Coordinator for the San Diego Consortium for Workforce Education and Lifelong Learning (CWELL), and in 1989-91 he  chaired the California Workforce Literacy Task Force established by the California State Legislature.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.75em;padding:0px"> Internationally, Sticht served annually from 1979 through 2003 on UNESCO’s International Jury for Literacy Prizes. He has consulted with government agencies and other organizations in France, Germany, Wales, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, all 10 Canadian provinces, Ireland, Thailand, Saipan, and New Zealand.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.75em;padding:0px"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.75em;padding:0px"> In 1978 the International Reading Association (IRA) awarded Dr. Sticht the Albert J. Harris Award for outstanding research on the assessment of learning disabilities of adults.  In 1994 he was elected to the Reading Hall of Fame. In 1997, the Reading Research Quarterly reported that his research and the work of Paulo Freire were the two most influential lines of research on adult literacy education in the last thirty years; in 2003 he was awarded UNESCO’s Mahatma Gandhi Medal (Bronze) for his 25 years of work on UNESCO’s International Literacy Prize Jury; and in 2013 he was elected to the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.  </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.75em;padding:0px"> </p></div></div></div></div></div>
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