- Dr. Janet Allen, author of Plugged-in to Reading and Plugged-in to Nonfiction , will be speaking about adolescent literacy at this year’s International Reading Association (IRA) conference in Minneapolis, MN, on May 6th at 2:00 in the Minnesota Convention Center, Room 200 ABC. The title of this SIGNAL session is “Network on Adolescent Literacy–Adolescent Literacy: Titles, Genres, and Strategies to Engage All Readers–Struggling, Reluctant and Avid.” Dr. Allen’s featured presentation is titled “Passionate and Committed Readers: Where Do We Get Them? How Do We Keep Them?”

Dr. Allen will draw on her extensive experience as a high school reading and English teacher and researcher to address the topic of engaging adolescents in literacy. During this workshop, Dr. Allen will be teaching the same strategies she used in the teaching materials she created for the core texts in Plugged-in to Nonfiction. Dr. Allen offers strategies for reading and writing nonfiction, learning from functional versus expository versus narrative text, as well as learning specialized vocabulary. She also demonstrates how to generate interest and engagement in nonfiction and how to transfer text-specific nonfiction reading strategies to other texts and contexts.

“I’ve discovered books that teach students how to write, draw, dance, skateboard, and build,” Dr. Allen says. “I’ve been able to find books that make them want to read, discuss, think, and write about others’ stories. And I’ve been able to help them discover what many of us have known since childhood–there are new words and new worlds waiting for each of us between the covers of these great books.”

To learn more about Plugged-in to Nonfiction and Dr. Janet Allen’s appearance at the IRA conference, please visit http://www.PluggedintoNonfiction.com.

Recorded Books Contact:

Beth Eaton: 800-638-1304 x1122

270 Skipjack Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678

http://www.pluggedintoreading.com, http://www.pluggedintononfiction.com

ABOUT RECORDED BOOKS: Recorded Books, a Haights Cross Communications company, produces and distributes unabridged audiobooks and other audio products for schools and libraries, in CD, cassette and Playaway formats. Over 9,000 titles are available for children, young adults, and adults, narrated by professional, award-winning actors. Recorded Books also publishes and distributes curriculum products including Dr. Janet Allen’s Plugged-in to Reading (http://www.pluggedintoreading.com), Plugged-in to Nonfiction, and The Alan Sitomer BookJam (http://www.thebookjam.com). Packaging is designed for high circulation. One-year warranty, cataloging, processing, and free MARC records are available. For more information, visit http://www.recordedbooks.com.

ABOUT HAIGHTS CROSS COMMUNICATIONS: Founded in 1997 and based in White Plains, NY, Haights Cross Communications is a premier educational and library publisher dedicated to creating the finest books, audio products, periodicals, software and online services, serving the following markets: K-12 supplemental education, public library and school publishing, audiobooks, and medical continuing-education publishing. Haights Cross companies include Sundance/Newbridge Educational Publishing (Northborough, MA), Triumph Learning (New York, NY), Buckle Down Publishing (Iowa City, IA), Options Publishing (Merrimack, NH), Recorded Books (Prince Frederick, MD), and Oakstone Publishing (Birmingham, AL). For more information, visit http://www.haightscross.com.

Safe Harbor Statement: This press release contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “potential,” and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors may cause our actual results, performances, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include, among others, changes in external market factors, changes in our business or growth strategy, or an inability to execute our strategy due to changes in our industry or the economy generally, the emergence of new or growing competitors and various other competitive factors. In light of these risks and uncertainties, there can be no assurance that the events and circumstances described in forward-looking statements contained in this press release will in fact occur. You should read this press release completely and with the understanding that our actual results may be materially different from what we expect. We will not update these forward-looking statements, even though our situation may change in the future. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

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(Nasdaq: SHIPD) Seanergy is engaged in the transportation of dry bulk cargoes. The Company?s current fleet consists of 20 dry bulk carriers, including four Capesize, three Panamax, two Supramax, one Handymax and ten Handysize vessels, with a total carrying capacity of approximately 1,293,693 dwt and an average fleet age of 13.5 years.

Gary Eelman, RedChip?s Research Director, shares insights behind the current Speculative Buy rating and $ 8.30 price target issued by RedChip in the following video:

A copy of the most recent research update can be obtained by visiting the following link:

http://www.redchip.com/about/aboutmain.asp?page=vreport&reportid=367&from=redChipUniverse

About RedChip Companies, Inc.

RedChip Companies is an international, small-cap research and financial public relations firm headquartered in Orlando, Florida; with affiliate offices in Beijing, China and Seoul, Korea. RedChip delivers concrete, measurable results for its clients through its extensive national and international network of small-cap institutional and retail investors. RedChip has developed the most comprehensive platform of products and services for small-cap companies, including: RedChip Research?, Traditional Investor Relations, Digital Investor Relations, Institutional and Retail Conferences, RedChip Small-Cap TV?, Shareholder Intelligence, Social Media and Blogging Services, Webcasts, and RedChip Radio?. To learn more about RedChip’s products and services, please visit: http://www.redchip.com/visibility/productsandservices.asp.

Source: RedChip Companies, Inc.

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Related RESEARCH And PUBLICATIONS Press Releases

Recently released research from totaljobs.com finds that seven out of ten (72%) public sector jobseekers would consider a move into the private sector in order to get a better deal on pay. This comes as the Office of National Statistics reveal that public sector pay is on average 7.8% higher than in the private sector, demonstrating a huge gap in perception amongst public sector workers.

Further outlining the current mindset of public sector jobseekers, almost half (49%) said they would look to the private sector for improved job security, and 59% for better working conditions ? factors traditionally seen as benefits of working in the public sector. The vast majority of jobseekers polled, (94%) stated that they would even consider a complete career change, suggesting that jobseekers are increasingly frustrated by the perceived poor deals offered by vacancies in the public sector.

John Salt, director, Totaljobs.com comments:

?It is clear that public sector jobseeker confidence is at an all time low, with a large section believing they are better off in the private sector. However, the sectors are difficult to compare in terms of pay, particularly in the current climate. With large numbers looking to migrate to the private sector, we must remember that jobs are out there. Our site currently houses over 1,000 postings for public sector jobs showing that it is still possible to progress well and experience the benefits traditionally associated with this sector.?

It seems that this current sentiment could quickly begin to impact on public services, with 20% of public sector jobseekers considering industrial action against the cuts while 83% think that talk of cuts is affecting morale to some degree.

John continues: ?For those looking to move to the private sector it is encouraging to see that jobseekers are keeping their options open. The good news is that the many of the skills acquired in previous roles are transferable and it seems that jobseekers are aware of this. This is an improvement on earlier this year when our research showed confidence of transferring to the private sector was low. Being more flexible is exactly right the attitude to take if jobseekers are to secure employment during difficult conditions as it will present more options.?

There also seems to be a growing resentment towards the public among the majority (82%) of those public sector workers surveyed as they believe the public doesn?t understand the full scope of the services provided. A similar proportion (82%) feel unappreciated by the public with 72% stating that antipathy towards public sector workers has risen since the public sector cuts were announced, citing government rhetoric as the main cause of this.

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Innolyst, Inc., a leading provider of collaboration tools for not-for-profit medical research, today announced the launch of its ResearchCrossroads website at http://www.researchcrossroads.com. Recognizing a need to reduce redundant efforts in the nearly $ 200 billion of public research performed in the U.S. over the past 15 years by 125,000 researchers at 10,000 organizations, Innolyst created ResearchCrossroads to consolidate medical research from both government and private foundations and combine this with grants and funding opportunities, with an aim of speeding the discovery of treatments.

?ResearchCrossroads connects academia, research foundations and the pharmaceutical industry in ways never before possible,? says Kyle Brown, Founder of ResearchCrossroads. ?Often, scientists are conducting research that may be useful in other diseases, but there is little information sharing today. For example, many neurological disease foundations are struggling with how to deliver treatments effectively to the brain. ResearchCrossroads connects those scientists and organizations working on similar research, speeding discovery.?

Since the passing of the Freedom of Information Act, the United States Government has been required to make federally funded research data available to the public. However, the format and accessibility of this information has made it nearly impossible to understand who is working on what research and how much is being funded. Now ResearchCrossroads consolidates data from government sources, including: NIH CRISP, NIH funding data, ClinicalTrials.gov and Grants.gov, and combines this information with grants and funding opportunities from private research foundations to present a comprehensive view of public medical research.

?We have over 125,000 researcher profiles, one million grants, and funding history for more than 10,000 organizations. This social network of scientists can annotate their research, providing more complete and accurate data so funding agencies can identify research partners,? continues Brown. ?And foundations can leverage the outstanding work conducted by other organizations, making their valuable research dollars go farther.?

The consolidated information in ResearchCrossroads is used to create organization and researcher profiles. These intelligent profiles enable researchers, foundations and for-profit companies to quickly identify collaborators in specific disease areas, reducing redundant research and speeding the discovery of potential treatments. Researchers can update their profiles with biographies, publications, and photos to create a social network of researchers and organizations with similar research interests.

ResearchCrossroads is free to the public and foundations. Subscriptions to the data and analytical reporting are available to for-profit companies, highlighting not-for-profit research to potential commercial partners.

About ResearchCrossroads:

ResearchCrossroads manages the world?s not-for-profit research. By consolidating data from government sources and combining this information with grants and funding opportunities from private research foundations, ResearchCrossroads presents the most complete view of publicly funded medical research.

Contact:

Kyle Brown

Founder, ResearchCrossroads

650-678-8929

pr @ researchcrossroads.com

http://www.researchcrossroads.com

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More RESEARCH And PUBLICATIONS Press Releases

Progress Academy has added online, interactive textbooks from the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt family of publishers to its wide range of curriculum for Kindergarten through High School graduation. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt?s updated and innovative textbook curriculum, combined with the 21st century functionality of Progress Academy?s web-based platform provides a comprehensive education for homeschool students.

According to recent estimates, around 2 million children are homeschooled every year, and that number is growing(1). Many parents, dissatisfied with a one-size-fits-all approach to education, choose homeschooling in order to customize their child?s curriculum according to learning style and preferred pace. Other families choose homeschooling in order to provide a safer learning environment, free from the distractions of drugs, bullying, and other social issues common in the school setting.

Whether students need a faster pace with more of a challenge, a slower pace so challenges can be overcome, or just a distraction-free environment to aid concentration, Progress Academy makes homeschooling a viable choice for any family. Niqui Chatfield, co-founder of Progress Academy says, ?We provide the curriculum and the support to enable parents to homeschool their children in a way that prepares them for a lifetime of academic success. Students work at their own pace, enhancing productivity by using the most innovative advances in educational technology. Products from the award-winning publishers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, will be a great addition to our curriculum.?

About Progress Academy:

Progress Academy is a web-based curriculum provider, offering subscriptions to students looking for an alternative to public school education, or current homeschoolers looking for more formal structure. The online curriculum is a complete Kindergarten through High School graduation program that meets a variety of needs and learning styles.

(1) Ray, Brian D., PhD. ?Research Facts on Homeschooling.? 2009. National Home Education Research Institute. 22 March 2010 http://www.nheri.org/Research-Facts-on-Homeschooling.html.

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Related CURRICULUM ISSUES Press Releases

Comprehensive Health Education Foundation (C.H.E.F.

Two College of Education researchers at Lehigh University have developed what they believe is the first comprehensive, K-12 curriculum designed to address sexual abuse and prevention education.

Sexual education continues to be a controversial subject matter. Recent reports indicate that nearly 20 percent of all girls and upwards to 10 percent of school-aged boys experience some sort of sexual abuse; many more cases go unreported. One-half of all victims are under the age of seven.

It’s against that backdrop that public officials in Colorado, Kansas and Maryland, among other states, continue to argue whether the public classroom is the appropriate forum to provide sexual education.

The ongoing debate prompted members of the College of Education to learn what resources are available to educators, parents, and school administrators. Nick Ladany, chair of the education and human services department with Lehigh’s College of Education, and Roger Douglas, associate director of Lehigh’s Office of International Programs, devised the innovative curriculum after failing to find a long-term educational approach to tackling the issue.

Their curriculum features specific content created for each grade level, along with corresponding tools and resources for counselors, teachers, parents and administrators. Typically, sexual abuse prevention resources are readily available, but more often that not, they are targeted at a specific age group with little continuity between grades.

That means that students are getting a fragmented introduction to sexual abuse prevention–if they’re getting any introduction at all.

Ladany and Douglas answered the challenge by creating a curriculum that evolves along with a child’s age and physical and emotional development. It’s written for the long-term and is designed to progress with students throughout their formative years.

“To put it simply, if 20 percent of all kids had a cold, we’d be all over it,” said Ladany. “When the issue is sexual abuse, though, we tend to think of it as a private matter–which, to a large extent, it is–but we fail to explore what’s at the heart of the matter. The lack of information about how to approach the issue is astounding.”

In the curriculum, children in kindergarten are introduced to “safe touches,” while 2nd graders are taught the “ask first” rule. Cyber safety is introduced to 4th graders, while 6th graders learn how to safely talk in a virtual environment.

“This curriculum is a step-by-step approach that evolves along with the child and builds upon itself,” explained Ladany. “Our philosophy is to create as safe an environment for children by strengthening the lines of communications between children and those they can trust.”

For nearly 140 years, Lehigh University has combined outstanding academic and learning opportunities with leadership in fostering innovative research. The institution is among the nation’s most selective, highly ranked private research universities. Lehigh’s four colleges – College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and Economics, College of Education and the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science – provide opportunities to 6,500 students to discover and grow in a learning community that promotes interdisciplinary programs with real-world experience. Lehigh’s campus is located in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley – in Bethlehem, PA (50 miles north of Philadelphia and 75 miles southwest of New York City).

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Related CURRICULUM ISSUES Press Releases

Article by solo chen

It has been argued that the most effective way for adults to learn literacy skills is from their own daily literacy experiences (Rogers, 2004). To provide authentic learning experiences for adults, it is important for educators to consider the print literacy engagement of various groups. Stites (2001) found that television news was one of the more common forms of print material among a group of adults considered low literate in rural China. Books, magazines, or newspaper reading–beyond television news–was reportedly engaged in by less than half of the adults in the study. Zubair (2001) found that in rural Pakistan some of the print literacy practices of women entail reading prayers, newspapers, magazines, novels, medicine labels, cards, and calendars.

Writing activities included letters, diaries, record keeping, messages, poetry, and short stories for the 15–29 age group. Men were more in charge of paying bills and reading instructions and political news. Participants in another study, who were all low-income mothers, liked word games, romance novels, and autobiographical writing that may support the need to express feelings, the need for recreation, and to escape from daily life stresses and activities (Finlay, 1999). Mace (1998) claimed that literacy might serve as a temporal excursion from the mundane. In further research on the print engagement of low–socioeconomic status (SES) families, Purcell-Gates (1996) found that engagement included fliers, coupons, advertisements, television notices, grocery lists, name writing, and more. Indeed, for many of the reported studies, children would observe parents engaging in many of these literacy events.

“The traditional picture between literacy and development is that there is a direct relationship between the two”. Development and economic indicators, children’s effective participation in school, health, and participation in community and political life all seem to relate to adults’ educational level and literacy development (Papen, 2001). Studies of families using literacy as part of their daily routines (e.g., Heath, 1983; Taylor & Dorsey-Gaines, 1988) showed that children’s early understanding of literacy was acquired within the social and cultural context of their family and community. Whether parents and siblings engaged in frequent reading and writing for personal purposes was connected to children’s vocabulary development (van Steensel, 2006). Purcell-Gates’s (1996) research also showed that children’s early literacy achievement related to parents’ engagement in specific types of print literacy activities, particularly those with more complex levels of discourse for leisure and entertainment.

Research suggests that the home literacy practices often emphasized with young children in family literacy programs are equally important for adolescents (National Center for Educational Statistics, 1999). Parents’ discussion of schoolwork and their provision of reading materials continue to support older children’s reading achievement (Richardson & Sacks, 2003). Given the relationship between parents’ literacy levels and adolescent high school dropout rates (Hammond, Smink, & Drew, 2007) as well as the link with children’s emergent literacy practices (Purcell-Gates, 1996), it is important to examine the literacy activities engaged in by parents that may support students’ literacy learning.

Find More ADOLESCENT And ADULT LITERACY Articles

In this study, the development of focal participants’ technological literacy also was closely related to another 21st-century proficiency known as information literacy. Information literacy refers to the ability to seek out and critically evaluate information across a range of media. This includes recognizing when information is needed and then using technology, such as communication networks and electronic resources, to locate, evaluate, synthesize, and put this information to use (NCREL, 2003). One of Nanako’s sources of computer-related knowledge was the computer classes she was taking in school. However, the emphasis in school-based Breitling Replica computer classes is often on basic or mechanical aspects of computer use or computer-based reproductions of print-based activities.

Thus, the skills from her computer classes did not all readily transfer to her extracurricular computer-based activities. In fact, the primary way that Grace, Nanako, and Cherry-chan developed their technological literacy was by accessing online sources of information and tapping into networks of people who were skilled at using these technologies.

This finding is akin to the findings of Chandler-Olcott and Mahar’s (2003b) study investigating adolescent girls’ technology-mediated literacy practices. In this article, the authors focused on two focal participants, Rhiannon and Eileen, who created and designed multimodal texts within the anime fan community. The authors also emphasize the point that these young women did not receive mentorship for their technology use in schools. Instead, they relied on related Breitling Replica Watches print resources or went online to seek out examples of and explicit instructions for how to design tech-savvy texts.

Grace, Nanako, and Cherrychan also engaged in such self-directed forms of learning. For example, Nanako would sometimes publicly post questions or rants about technological challenges that she was having on her WebPages as a means of eliciting feedback and help from the audience. Also, all three youths visited online help sites and forums to find information about how to create and maintain their various web-pages, forums, and Live journal accounts. In so doing, they continued to develop their information literacy skills, as they sought out information, decided which materials were relevant to the tasks they were trying to accomplish, and then applied this information to complete their online projects and activities.

Article by Jeffery Parham

Bremerton Lodge #117, F.& A.M. was the recipient of the Jen Southworth Community Service Award presented by The Literacy Council of Kitsap on their Annual Student/Volunteer Recognition Event on Wed, Jan 26th 2004. The Honor Night is an annual tradition of the Literacy Council that was sponsored this year by Bremerton Lodge #117 and the Bremerton Valley Scottish Rite.The Literacy Council of Kitsap recognize students who earned GEDs, became citizens, and met other goals; and presented awards to Tutors of the Year, Volunteers of the Year and recipients of the Jen Southworth Community Service Award.

Six students who completed the program and were also awarded citizenship and in tribute the theme of the evening was “American Pie” a combination of patriotic symbols and Americana- hamburgers, model Ts, Native Americans, barbershop music and, of course – pie!

WB Charles “Red” Andersen accepted the award in the name of masonry and our lodge. During the past 2 years Bremerton Lodge #117 has partnered with the Literacy Council to advance literacy in our community. We raised money thru raffles and sponsored and created the Kitsap Family Literacy Project, have two lodge members on the Grand Lodge Literacy Committee, awarded scholarships to literacy students and sponsored their various programs. Our involvement with Literacy was announced during visit of Grand Master MWB John McNab two years ago. The Grand Master donated 0 to our program that night. The Temple Board also has allowed the Literacy Council to utilize space at the Bremerton Masonic Temple for their Board of Directors meetings and various Literacy events, including this one. Additionally, one of our officers, Bro. Pat Marley, is a tutor at the Literacy Council and I am on the Board of Directors for the Literacy Council.

Accepting the award, the WB thanked the Literacy Council of Kitsap for the recognition and honor and for the opportunity to say a few words about Masonry and our involvement and dedication to literacy. I adapted a speech I had given earlier on Literacy, which was well received by those present and reads as follows:

Freemasonry is a fraternity or brotherhood dedicated to making good men better, thus making individuals stronger, their families, communities and society. Masonry is not a religion but is brotherhood of men that follow a system of teaching to instill all of the virtues in a individual that are key to the development of character and productive lives. No one is certain how old our fraternity is, but records of freemasons go back hundreds if not thousands of years. Thus from the first Stonemasons that built the pyramids to those that built the great cathedrals, knowledge was passed from person to person, and those enlightened or literate individuals were better enabled and “free” to provide for their selves, their families, as well as those less fortunate.

In the broad sweep of human history, we have been dependent upon oral tradition to pass knowledge, learning and culture from generation to generation. The early development of writing, initially on stone and papyrus, was the first milestone in the preservation of ancient knowledge, tradition, lore, and history. However, since the ability to both write and read was limited to a few scholars, shaman, and priest class, this had little effect in raising the consciousness of the masses, and in the promotion of democratic participation in ones self development, and that of local and regional society and culture.

Guttenberg’s development of the printing press marks the threshold of modern society, in that it ushered in the availability of the written word, and the possibility of expanding literacy to all people, with all the attributes and benefits that literacy entails.

With literacy comes the art of grammar that is the ability to arrange words in a manner that affords Excellency of expression of individual and common thought. The ability to preserve and communicate thought for present and future benefit, such as in the recordation of history, is of keen importance, for we are told that if we do not know history we are doomed to repeat it.

Rhetorical ability is honed through literacy, so that we are able to both write and speak with elegance and strength of purpose. Literacy refines our logic, and allows us to think, deduce, and conclude with reason and persuasion, both for our personal benefit and that of our brothers and sisters in our respective communities and on the world stage.

There were many other Masonic influences in early American history: Lafayette, the French liaison to the Colonies, without whose aid the war could not have been won, was a Freemason; the majority of the commanders of the Continental Army were Freemasons and members of “Army Lodges”; most of George Washington’s generals were Freemasons; the Boston Tea Party was planned at the Green Dragon Tavern, also known as the “Freemasons’ Arms” and “the Headquarters of the Revolution”; George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States by Robert Livingston, Grand Master of New York’s Masonic lodge, and the Bible on which he took his oath was from his own Masonic lodge; and the Cornerstone of the Capital Building was laid by the Grand Lodge of Maryland.”

Widespread literacy is the key building block, and indeed the foundation and pillars upon which rest the temple of democracy. Literacy, the ability to read and write, and its expansion to both child and adult is the greatest gift that can be given to ensure self development, meaningful and constructive participation in our communities, and preservation of the democratic institutions we cherish, but which could only arise through mass literacy and can only survive by virtue of literacy.

Bremerton Lodge #117, Free and Accepted Masons of Washington would like to help empower families by continuing to offer a scholarship to low income students to help defer the cost of the GED test, provide resources, such as Project Outreach to encourage family literacy and to direct families to the proper community resources. Additionally, we will entertain collaborations with the Literacy Council for the good of future students.

In closing, I would like to congratulate all of you for your dedication to learning and improving your lives and those around you. I would like to encourage you to not take your accomplishments lightly. We are all on a path of self improvement in life, and it is important to know that you are not alone, that who you are and what you do is relevant to you, and ultimately to those around you.

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