4-14-2011 - Learning Link Reports Progress, Plans

The Star
April 14, 2011

Vivian Likes and Mary Simcox discuss adult learning at Learning Link's semi-annual community meeting held at Eastside.

BUTLER — Erik Weber, chair of the Learning Link Steering Committee, kicked off its semi-annual community input meeting telling 77 participants from across the county, “This community belongs to every one of us here, and we are all responsible for taking ownership and making it what we want it to be.”

The committee invited the public to its meeting April 4 at Eastside Junior-Senior High School.

Learning Link, focused on learning for all ages, is an education initiative of the DeKalb County Community Foundation.

Learning Link “is not about starting new programs, but coordinating and aligning the goals of DeKalb County’s programs that exist,” said Judy Sorg, facilitator of the foundation’s initiative. Sorg said when she attends meetings in other counties, people envy the coordinated effort around working together through continuous learning to improve the quality of life in DeKalb County.

Glenda Ervins, Regional Coordinator of the 21st Century Scholars program, spoke to audience members about the statewide program that enrolls sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students who are part of the free and reduced-price lunch program. Once enrolled, students pledge to maintain a C average and stay away from illegal drugs and crime in exchange for four years of paid tuition at any one of 88 Indiana colleges. The goal is to make post-secondary learning accessible to any Indiana student, regardless of family income.

Learning Link’s early childhood learning team reported on the development and success of a kindergarten-readiness screening tool in 2010.

Tonya Weaver, incoming principal at J.E. Ober Elementary School in Garrett, said, “The good news is the tool worked and was effective (as one of the pieces of evidence) used to identify students in need of extra assistance. We plan for the tool to be used countywide in 2011.”

The team’s vision is to increase the number of children ready with the skills they need to learn successfully in kindergarten.

The kindergarten to 12th-grade team divided itself into two work groups, one focused on increasing the percentage of third grade students reading at grade level. Brennen Kitchen, principal at Riverdale Elementary School in St. Joe, introduced three projects of the third-grade literacy group:

•KiPS, a kindergarten preparatory series scheduled at Butler Public Library this summer in partnership with DeKalb Eastern schools providing curriculum and transportation;

• parent literacy enrichment, a two-part series for parents of identified kindergarten students starting in the fall; and

•EXCEL, an afterschool program in partnership with DeKalb Central schools, which provides children in grades 1-5 with homework help, recreation and academic enrichment after school.

The K-12 team’s second work group is promoting more business involvement with students related to career development. Chris Straw of Team Quality Services reported, “We are now working with career development teachers in the classrooms of each of the public high schools in DeKalb County. Business involvement in education is essential to keeping coursework aligned with real-world needs and challenges. By connecting kids with local businesses, we’re able to bring relevance to the lessons they are learning in the classroom. We bring color to their curriculum.”

Ann Williams, director of Purdue Extension in DeKalb County, reported the adult lifelong learning team’s vision as adults participating in learning to improve themselves, their families and their community.

Organizational leaders who work with families were encouraged to consider posting the team’s brochure to their websites. The brochure includes 36 opportunities for DeKalb County parents to enhance their parenting skills.

“Everyone has room for improvement in their skills as parents. Letting parents know that there is help and information out there is one key, getting them to open the door to learn is the other,” Williams said.

Following the team presentations, audience members divided into interest groups. Participants reported especially liking:

• all communities of DeKalb County being served by Learning Link;

• the promotion of business involvement in the schools; and

• the focus on third-grade literacy, because after third grade, children need to read to learn.

Participants were asked for suggestions for moving teams forward. A suggestion for the early childhood team was to reach the parents of “at-risk” children, possibly by using more social media. It was suggested that the kindergarten to 12th-grade team help expand internship opportunities for high school students. A suggestion for the adult learning team was to increase the awareness of unemployed and underemployed individuals of opportunities for further learning or retraining.

“There are many people in DeKalb County who are convinced that education is the key to improving the quality of life for their children and grandchildren,” said Wendy Oberlin, the community foundation’s director. “They are willing to devote their time to work toward a common educational goal. The community foundation is happy to provide the coordination and platform necessary to make their work possible.”

Anyone with an interest in getting involved is invited to join an action team of interest. For more information about DeKalb County Learning Link or its publications, call Judy Sorg at 925-0311, send email to JSorg@DeKalbFoundation.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or go to DeKalbLearningLink.org.