Education

Ebb and Flow

June 10, 2026 No Comments

By Elizabeth Alber Life seems to ebb and flow, in and out, up and down, with high and low tides. Earlier this year it was all flow- classes were full, people were excited about learning. One guy spent half his time learning himself and the other half teaching what he learned to his fellow Spanish speaker. There was enthusiasm around the table, ideas being thrown out, counter ideas being discussed – loudly at times. Tests were ready to be taken. Then the ebb started. As is common in corrections, a student’s time was up– either time served here or released

Hoosier Hospitality at COABE Indy 2026

March 18, 2026 No Comments

Hoosier Hospitality at COABE Indy 2026 By Jenn Wigginton Stop by the Hoosier Hospitality booth in the Griffin Foyer/Pre-function area and help us celebrate all things Indiana during the conference! Our space is all about connection, state pride, and a little Hoosier fun woven throughout the week. To bring the spirit to life, we’re inviting Indiana attendees to join in our daily Indiana-themed attire: Monday – Indiana Pride Day Show off your Hoosier spirit! Wear your favorite Indiana-themed gear. It could be an Indiana shirt, gear from your favorite Indiana college or professional team, or anything that proudly represents the

Student investment in your conference session choices

March 4, 2026 No Comments

By Elizabeth Alber On the first day with a new student I tell them that I expect them to come to class and they can expect me to be there also. If they are absent it better be for a good reason, not ‘I just didn’t want to come’. They can expect the same from me, I will be there unless I’m too sick to get out of bed or maybe something has happened in the facility (Jail) which doesn’t allow them to come, otherwise I’ll be there. I take attendance seriously, I expect it from them and they can

Celebrating Student Voices: 2026 IAACE Essay Contest Winners

January 21, 2026 No Comments

Celebrating Student Voices: 2026 IAACE Essay Contest Winners Adult education is about more than credentials—it is about second chances, renewed confidence, and the courage to keep going. Each year, the IAACE Essay Contest gives adult learners across Indiana the opportunity to share their stories in their own words. The 2026 top essays remind us exactly why this work matters. These powerful student voices will be celebrated at IAACE Adult Education Day at the Indiana Statehouse on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. The public is invited to attend and join us in recognizing the learners whose journeys reflect the impact of adult

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Oral reading with a purpose but also for fun

January 7, 2026 No Comments

Oral reading with a purpose but also for fun. By Elizabeth Alber When I was first asked to start the Adult Education program at the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, the thing I knew for sure that I wanted to include was reading out loud to the students at the end of class every day. I have such great memories of my dad reading to my brother and me after supper and of my husband and I reading to our daughters and now our grandchildren, that I wanted to continue that with my students. It occurred to me though they are

Innovative Ways to Address the Literacy Crisis

August 1, 2018 No Comments

By Amber Harris, guest blogger When it comes to literacy, it might seem to the casual observer that the United States as a whole is doing well, especially for people living in urban areas. The numbers, however, tell a different story: a story of a literacy crisis, even in big cities. New York City is home to 6.4 million working age adults, but 2.2 million of these adults do not have a high school diploma or English proficiency, reducing their ability to make a living wage and lead a fulfilling life in the United States. 50% of adults who do

Recruiting Volunteers – Suggestions From Our Members

August 14, 2017 No Comments

Last month we asked you for ideas and suggestions on how you find and recruit new volunteers. Here are some of the suggestions we received. Please continue to let us know how you are doing in your efforts to recruit volunteers! My program recruits volunteers by using a comprehensive approach. We speak to as many groups as possible to educate the community about the problem of low literacy adults and how our volunteer tutors change their lives. It is always good if you can have a newspaper story or two as well. In our experience, people seldom volunteer after immediately

Tutor Training Ideas From the Huntington County Literacy Coalition

February 9, 2017 No Comments

By Dawn Schmidt, Coordinator, Huntington County Literacy Coalition At last fall’s Indiana Literacy Association’s annual meeting, many of us were interested in tutor training. So I’ll share what we have done at Huntington County Literacy Coalition. Please share your practices and ideas too! We have around 35 tutors who meet with adults and children for individualized tutoring. Our volunteers are exceptionally caring citizens of Huntington County giving their time to help others learn. They epitomize our literacy’s tag line: “YOU CAN LEARN”. Each fall, we have new tutor training one night a week, for two weeks. This was a change

Literacy in Indiana

November 10, 2016 No Comments

By Cynthia L. Cates, Executive Director, Kosciusko Literacy Services Long before adults become casualties of illiteracy, they were children who could not read. The window of opportunity for literacy never fully closes, but learning to read becomes more difficult as one ages. The literacy and language centers of the brain develop rapidly during the first five years of life. Though any child may have reading difficulties, children living in low-income homes are more vulnerable to not developing reading skills. The Indiana Literacy Association estimates that between 800,000 and 1,500,000 adults in Indiana read at basic or below basic levels of