Turner Co to Honor National Adult Education Week
Moultrie Technical College, Turner County Connections (TCC) and the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) have joined in the declaration to celebrate National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, September 13-17, 2010. This congressional declaration, H. Res. 1472, was sponsored by Rep. Jared Polis [D-CO] and is the culmination of literacy advocacy and outreach resulting in twenty co-signers in the House. Georgia Congressman John Lewis of the 5th Congressional District added his name in support.
Adult education and family literacy programs serve adult students who need to improve their basic literacy and math skills, improve their oral and written English, practice for the GED test to attain a high school equivalence degree, and prepare for community college or vocational training.
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Moultrie Technical College Turner County Campus Adult Education program student Jamal Chatfield is hard at work preparing to take the GED examination this quarter and then continue his education in MTC’s Auto Collision Repair program. Chatfield plans to take his core classes at MTC in Ashburn and then transfer to the MTC Moultrie campus to finish his automotive diploma work. |
According to a recent national survey of adults, over 93 million American adults have basic or below basic literacy skills that limit their ability to advance at work and in education, help their children with school work, interact with their health care professionals, and participate in their communities.
Family literacy programs serve parents and their young children, teaching basic skills, English as a Second Language, and parenting skills to the adults while the children are provided high quality preschool programming. These programs are focused on breaking the cycles of low literacy, low education and poverty.
A 2003 study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics reported that Turner County has a 24 percent rate of low literacy which significantly surpasses Georgia’s statewide rate of 17 percent. Moultrie Technical College’s Adult Education program is working to change that through the free classes it offers for people ages 16 and over.
“Moultrie Tech has excellent teachers who are ready to assist students in advancing their education. Forty percent of GED diploma recipients continue their education in the MTC credit programs,” said MTC Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Jerry Smith.
In its four-county service delivery area of Colquitt, Tift, Turner and Worth, Moultrie Tech has served an average of 1,350 students per year over the last four years with an average of 320 students per year obtaining a GED credential.
During fiscal year 2010 MTC’s Adult Education program worked with a total of 2,158 students. Out of that number, 1,449 students completed the orientation and assessment process and enrolled in class. There were more than 190,000 student in-class participation hours logged from July 2009 to June 2010 at Moultrie Tech.
According to MTC Turner County Campus Adult Education instructor Melissa Burtle, “The Turner County School System has done a great job of increasing the graduation rate, so we are reaching out to adults who are ready to return to class and complete their education. The Moultrie Tech Turner County Adult Education program works closely with Turner County Connections, Even Start, and other community programs to provide educational opportunities for residents. We are excited to be working with community leaders to begin the process of becoming a Certified Literate Community. Our goal is to mobilize every resource available to enhance the community literacy efforts.”
Turner County Connections, a community collaborative organization that promotes literacy initiatives throughout Turner County, partners with Moultrie Tech to see county-wide education levels increase. TCC is involved with the Turner County School System through the 21st Century Community Learning Center after school program which serves K – 8th grade students, a high school after school tutoring/mentoring initiative and the Even Start program.
The Even Start program targets families with children birth – age 7 with the primary care-giver working on a high school diploma or GED. Through TCC’s Even Start program, young adults are referred to MTC for GED preparation classes. In return, MTC refers students to the Even Start program in an effort to saturate the family with a variety of literacy activities the Even Start provides.
Persons interested in attending class or volunteering, please contact the MTC Turner County Adult Education department at 567-4280. Free classes are currently offered from 8 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday, and evening classes are available on Monday and Tuesday from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. New student orientation will be held September 17 at 8:30 a.m.
For more information about Moultrie Tech’s Turner County Adult Education program, contact Burtle at (229) 567-4280 or log on to www.moultrietech.edu/adulted/.
