From tgsticht at gmail.com Tue Nov 4 22:01:09 2025 From: tgsticht at gmail.com (Thomas Sticht) Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2025 14:01:09 -0800 Subject: [Reading-hall-of-fame] Fwd: Vets Day 2025 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Adult Educators Remembered on Veterans Day! ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Thomas Sticht Date: Mon, Nov 3, 2025 at 2:43?PM Subject: Vets Day 2025 To: Thomas Sticht Literacy Teachers Fight Illiteracy During War Time: A Message for Veterans Day 2025 Tom Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education (Ret.) November 11, 2025 is Veterans Day in the United States of America. Veterans Day is observed as a national holiday to honor all those who have served in the armed forces of the United States. Among these are many educators who have performed their military service by teaching undereducated military recruits how to improve their literacy skills to better perform their jobs and to communicate with loved ones back home. Cates (2022) explains that the explosion in technological advancements that the US Army adopted before, during, and after World Wars I and II increased the importance of literacy ability in military activities. He notes that Sticht (2002) provides an historical perspective from the colonial and early national periods, where the military at times provided literacy education for servicemembers and the effect these programs had on servicemembers during and after their military service. Whenever I visit Washington, DC I try to find time to honor those who died during the Vietnam War whose names are carved into the black stone of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This is a very personal experience for me because I came into contact with thousands of the young men who fought in Vietnam. And not just any of the young men, but a very special group, those who were the undereducated youth typically cast-off by society as losers. My job was to find out what kinds of jobs poorly literate men might best be suited for, and to develop literacy programs that would help thousands of these barely literate young adults improve their literacy skills so they could do the jobs they had volunteered for or had been drafted to do in the Army of the United States. Improving the reading skills of undereducated Army recruits took on a special meaning for both the adult literacy teachers and the new soldiers themselves. It was entirely possible that their lives and the lives of their comrades would depend upon their ability to read directions for administering first aid treatments to themselves and their buddies. I recall the enthusiasm with which small groups of men would work on a reading passage dealing with life saving first aid steps because they knew that in a war like that of Vietnam, they might really need to be able to read, comprehend, and use directions for administering first aid to keep themselves or their buddies alive. When I celebrate Veteran's Day, I have a special place in my thoughts for the hundreds of thousands of undereducated, less literate veterans who have served our nation honorably. I also think of the thousands of veteran adult literacy educators who, through their dedication to fighting illiteracy, have helped thousands of these military personnel succeed. I have visited the National World War II museum in New Orleans, the World War II, Korean and Vietnam War memorials in Washington DC, but I have found no stone monuments to these veteran teachers of literacy. But I know that our nation's struggle for freedom has relied upon books as well as on bullets and bombs! To celebrate the lives of military literacy teacher veterans and their adult learner veterans I have compiled a number of my brief research notes into one report entitled, ?FIGHTING ILLITERACY IN TIMES OF WAR?. These notes discuss the work of such notable literacy teachers of military students as Captain Garry and Caroline Clark during the World War I era, who later went on to found the great magazine to help children learn to read called Highlights for Children! Another note talks about the World War II work of the famous musician and actor, Desi Arnaz, husband of Lucille Ball in real life and onTV in the I Love Lucy series, and his role in teaching U.S. Army personnel to read in WW II. The full Contents of the report include:: Chapters: 1. Introduction to Fighting Illiteracy in Times of War 2. Former Slave Girl Fights Illiteracy in the Civil War 3. Learning to Read With the Doughboys in World War I 4. Learning to Read with Private Pete & Sailor Sam in World War II 5. The Reading Formula That Helped Win World War II 6. Join the Conga Line for Literacy in World War II 7. Learning to Read in the ?Forgotten War? of Korea 8. The Functional Literacy (FLIT) Program of the Vietnam War Era 9. Songs in the Literacy Lessons of the World Wars 10. VESL for Victory and Independence 11. Associationism, Behaviorism, Constructivism: The ABCs of Adult Literacy Education 12. Paul Witty & Private Pete in World War II 13. A "Marshall Plan" for Adult Literacy in Industrialized Nations 14. Swinging the Sword of Literacy in Iraq 15. Waiting for the Watermelons: Remembering 9/11 The full report on Fighting Illiteracy in Times of War is available online at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320024840_FIGHTING_ILLITERACY_IN_TIMES_OF_WAR_An_anthology_of_brief_historical_notes_by_Tom_Sticht References Cates, S. (2022). The Influence on American Post-Secondary Education by United States Military and Veteran Programs Resulting from Changing Technology, Reform-Minded Leaders, and Large Military Operations. A Dissertation Submitted to The Faculty of Liberty University In Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. Sticht, Thomas G. ?The Rise of the Adult Education and Literacy System in the United States: 1600-2000.? The Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy 3 (2002): 10? 43. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ppearson at berkeley.edu Thu Nov 13 22:36:56 2025 From: ppearson at berkeley.edu (P David Pearson) Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:36:56 -0800 Subject: [Reading-hall-of-fame] OECD Webinar on Message-ID: RHoF members, David Pearson here I was involved in the writing of this report, and I highly recommend it! Two of the authors, Colin and Sari, have been invited to present a webinar on it. The other three authors were Renate Valtin of Germany, Greg Brooks of the UK, and yours truly. Worth a listen Research to Policy (R2P) webinar on Effective Teaching Strategies for Developing Literacy Title: Effective teaching strategies for developing literacy Speakers: Colin Harrison (University of Nottingham) Sari Sulkunen (University of Jyv?skyl? - Finland), Oana Felecan ( DG EAC - Action Plan Basic Skills and its 2026 planned initiatives) Moderator: Hanna Siarova Technical aspects: Brenda Frydman Date/time: 27 November 14.30-15.45 CET Registration for attendees: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../WN_g1b2Vkc_QN-fFFlfBJ3Wmg... Despite multiple efforts to improve basic skills attainment across Europe, recent PISA results show a concerning decline in reading performance. The proportion of students failing to achieve basic proficiency in reading (PISA Level 2) has increased significantly, indicating a growing literacy challenge. This trend has been evident for over a decade but has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent NESET-EENEE analytical report "Effective practices for literacy teaching" offers timely, evidence-based insights on addressing literacy challenges. Drawing on a review of over 600 studies, this comprehensive report identifies proven teaching practices that promote literacy development from early childhood through adulthood. The report challenges traditional notions of "basic literacy," highlighting that even foundational reading proficiency requires complex skills including identifying main ideas, drawing inferences, reflecting on authors' purposes, and evaluating evidence. This webinar aims to provide participants with a clear understanding of evidence-based practices in literacy teaching. Attendees will gain insights into specific teaching strategies that promote reading development across different educational settings, moving beyond simplistic notions of literacy to address the more complex reading skills required in today's world. Moreover, the relevance of this evidence on literacy promotion will be analysed from a policymaking perspective, by exploring how this research can be translated into coherent policy frameworks at national and European levels. The discussion will examine how these findings on effective literacy teaching practices can inform strategic investments in education systems, teacher professional development programs, and targeted interventions for vulnerable student populations. >From the Commission, Oana Felecan (Policy Officer for equity and well-being, DG EAC) will open the discussion and briefly talk about the Commission?s Action Plan on Basic Skills and the possible linked 2026 initiatives on literacy. Colin Harrison, lead author of the NESET?EENEE report on Effective Practices for Literacy Teaching, will present the main findings on the key effective practices and policy recommendations. Sari Sulkunen, literacy expert, will share practical insights from her work on the Finnish Literacy Strategy. From ENESET, Hanna Siarova will moderate the discussion. This link should get you to the report https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/e8056a51-167c-11f0-b1a3-01aa75ed71a1/language-en -- +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *An unpublished extra verse from The Truth is Marching On* *Some courts within our country now kneel before the King,* *Ceding power to the despot to control most everything.* *As they plot to crush our freedoms, let us grow courageous wings.* *The brave are marching on.* +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ P. David Pearson Evelyn Lois Corey *Emeritus* Professor of Instructional Science Graduate School of Education University of California, Berkeley email: ppearson at berkeley.edu other e-mail: pdavidpearsondean at gmail.com website for publications: www.pdavidpearson.org PDP's YouTube Channel : ******************* *HOME ADDRESS* 110 41st Street, Apt 401 Oakland CA 94611-5237 iPhone: 510 543 6508 **************************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ppearson at berkeley.edu Fri Nov 21 22:11:21 2025 From: ppearson at berkeley.edu (P David Pearson) Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2025 14:11:21 -0800 Subject: [Reading-hall-of-fame] Fwd: Hunting for vintage ILA photos In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Reading Hall of Fame colleagues, I am forwarding this request from Lara Deloza on the ILA STAFF. THEY ARE LOOKING FOR ARTIFACTS, PARTICULARLY PHOTOS, THAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE IN THE MATERIALS. THEY ARE SHARING FOR THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF ILA. Feel free to correspond directly with Lara If you have relevant photos or other artifacts to share. ILA will be hosting a lot of webinars during the year long 20 26 70th anniversary celebration. Best, David +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *A good deal of tyranny goes by the name of protection. Crystal Eastman (co-founder of ACLU, 1881-1928)* ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ P. David Pearson Evelyn Lois Corey *Emeritus* Professor of Instructional Science Graduate School of Education University of California, Berkeley email: ppearson at berkeley.edu other e-mail: pdavidpearsondean at gmail.com website for publications: www.pdavidpearson.org PDP's YouTube Channel : ******************* *HOME ADDRESS* 110 41st Street, Apt 401 Oakland CA 94611-5237 iPhone: 510 543 6508 **************************************** ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Lara Deloza Date: Fri, Nov 21, 2025 at 12:51?PM Subject: Hunting for vintage ILA photos To: David Pearson , Norman Stahl , Rita Bean CC: Jillian Gorry Hi David, Norm, and Rita, As part of the 70th Anniversary work, we?re gathering vintage photos to help tell ILA?s story over time?Board meetings, conferences, committee work, publications, and so on. For the cover of the Jan/Feb/Mar issue of *Literacy Today*, we?ll need at least one high-resolution image; if we can?t secure a single strong option, a collage may be our next best approach. If you have older ILA photos you can easily access, would you be willing to share them? Rough dates, locations, and a few words about who or what is pictured would be incredibly helpful. And if you know others who might have photos tucked away, we?d appreciate any referrals. We?re hoping to gather assets over the next few weeks, with a bit more urgency around potential cover images. That said, I know each of you has a lot on your plate, so please feel free to pass if now isn?t the right time. Thank you in advance for your consideration! Lara *Lara Deloza | Pronouns: she/her* *Director of Communications | International Literacy Association* PO Box 7168 | Newark, DE 19714-7168 W: 302.898.4853 literacyworldwide.org | ILA Digital Events * Sign up for our Literacy Teaching & Learning SmartBrief?now 2x/week! * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 8243 bytes Desc: not available URL: