literacy

Mike Switzer interviews Sandi Smith, executive director of the Augustine Literacy Project of the Upstate in Mauldin, SC.

Mike Switzer interviews Sandi Smith, executive director of the Augustine Literacy Project of the Upstate in Mauldin, SC.

Each summer, when school lets out, children fall behind in reading. Research shows that students lose one to two months of reading proficiency over the summer. For struggling readers or children with learning disabilities, the losses can be even greater.

Mike Switzer interviews Tamara King, executive director of the Richland Library in Columbia, SC.

Mike Switzer interviews Tamara King, executive director of the Richland Library in Columbia, SC.

The Greenville Literacy Association's latest course teaches business basics. The ideas are already flowing.

At 95 years old, Mrs. Jessie Sinkler took a digital literacy class that changed her life. She learned how to navigate a tablet, connect to the internet, Facetime with relatives, and use telehealth to meet with her doctor.

All across the Midlands, volunteer reading tutors meet students at public libraries, parks and other locations to help them improve their reading. The students are not in school, however. They are adults who, through a variety of circumstances, never learned to read well. The volunteer tutors are matched with learners by Turning Pages, a nonprofit organization formerly known as the Greater Columbia Literacy Council, that helps adults who have low levels of reading skills.