RobertLaubach - Pennington Research Associationpenningtonresearch.org/Resources/Documents/Article on...
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Ro bert Laubach Robert Laubach. 91. or s) racuse. ha-, vpent a lifetime promoting literacv. grnll illg h ix parents pioneering initiative into Laubach Literac , lntemarional. IlOII Prol.ueracj Worldw ide. and helping to keep S) racuse at the U;'IlI<:'r or a globa] IlHl\<:'IllCIlI. Laubach also founded New Rcadcr-, Prcs-. and created Syracuvc Unix crsir; .~ lilCral') journulism program. In ~O()6. he received the Mclv in A. Eggcr-, Alumni Award from SU. I was 12 when I first witnessed an adult learning to read. It was 1930 in Lanao province in the Philippines, where I was born and lived until I was 16. My parents, Frank and Effa Laubach, were missionaries of the Congregational Church. Dad adapted our ABC's to the Maranao language and began teaching the people to read. Read what? Dad set up a little print shop and began publishing simple leaflets for people who were becoming "new readers." I learned to set type by hand. There was a saying: Once you get printers' ink under your fingernails, you can never get far from journalism. Little did I realize where the ink under my fmgernails in my teens would lead me. Jump to 1947. I joined Dad's literacy team. He traveled around the world, helping missionaries develop literacy projects. In the years 1947 to 1951, I went with Dad on two long trips through Africa and two around Asia. On these trips, I observed that a minister of education in some African nation might be disturbed by reports of his country's low literacy rate. He would then launch a mass literacy program. People by the thousands would learn to read. But, read what? It was the same problem that had faced my dad years earlier. There was nothing simple enough for the "new literates" to read. A person carmot quickly become literate and jump to reading the daily newspaper or the Bible. I saw my life challenge. Frank Laubach was a world pioneer in literacy. As his son, I saw a career training journalists to write for new literates. I came to Syracuse in the fall of 1951, to study for a master's degree at Syracuse University's School of Journalism. The school had been planning studies in the literacy field, and I was asked to teach. My first class in the spring of 1952 developed into the graduate program I called Literacy Journalism. In Syracuse I began experimenting with booklets for new literates in very easy English. My journalism students tried writing in an ultra-easy manner on many topics. In class we critiqued their efforts closely, writing and rewriting. We asked ourselves: Are the simple articles we write of real value to new literates? To find out, we conducted a test. We rewrote several current news stories and duplicated them in 14-point type on one small sheet of paper. One February evening in 1959, we took our "news" paper to a Syracuse adult basic education class. My students and I observed the men and women trying to read the stories aloud. We noted the hard words and sentences that troubled them. Back in our journalism class we worked to make our writing easier for the next issue of News for You, as we called it. In February 2009, we celebrated the 50th birthday of News for You. Today the newspaper serves 90,000 students each week, in junior high schools, in adult basic education and in prison literacy classes. I am now in my 90s and I beam when my colleagues call me the founder of New Readers Press and the "daddy" of News for You. ProLiteracy Worldwide, our corporate name, has 1,200 groups of volunteer tutors around the United States and helps support literacy projects in 55 nations abroad. We continue to teach large numbers of men and women to read. We understand the importance of providing valuable (and easy) reading materials for "new literates." That's what I call Literacy Journalism .•:.
Transcript of RobertLaubach - Pennington Research Associationpenningtonresearch.org/Resources/Documents/Article on...
Robert LaubachRobert Laubach. 91. or s) racuse. ha-, vpent a lifetime promoting
literacv. grnll illg h ix parents pioneering initiative into LaubachLiterac , lntemarional. IlOII Prol.ueracj Worldw ide. and helpingto keep S) racuse at the U;'IlI<:'r or a globa] IlHl\<:'IllCIlI. Laubach alsofounded New Rcadcr-, Prcs-. and created Syracuvc Unix crsir; .~lilCral') journulism program. In ~O()6. he received the Mclv in A.Eggcr-, Alumni Award from SU.
I was 12 when I first witnessed an adult learning to read. It was1930 in Lanao province in the Philippines, where I was born andlived until I was 16.
My parents, Frank and Effa Laubach, were missionaries of theCongregational Church. Dad adapted our ABC's to the Maranaolanguage and began teaching the people to read.
Read what? Dad set up a little print shop and began publishingsimple leaflets for people who were becoming "new readers." Ilearned to set type by hand. There was a saying: Once you getprinters' ink under your fingernails, you can never get far fromjournalism. Little did I realize where the ink under my fmgernailsin my teens would lead me.
Jump to 1947. I joined Dad's literacy team. He traveled aroundthe world, helping missionaries develop literacy projects. In theyears 1947 to 1951, I went with Dad on two long trips throughAfrica and two around Asia.
On these trips, I observed that a minister of education in someAfrican nation might be disturbed by reports of his country's lowliteracy rate. He would then launch a mass literacy program. Peopleby the thousands would learn to read.
But, read what? It was the same problem that had faced mydad years earlier. There was nothing simple enough for the "newliterates" to read. A person carmot quickly become literate and jumpto reading the daily newspaper or the Bible.
I saw my life challenge. Frank Laubach was a world pioneer inliteracy. As his son, I saw a career training journalists to write fornew literates.
I came to Syracuse in the fall of 1951, to study for a master'sdegree at Syracuse University's School of Journalism. The schoolhad been planning studies in the literacy field, and I was askedto teach. My first class in the spring of 1952 developed into thegraduate program I called Literacy Journalism.
In Syracuse I began experimenting with booklets for newliterates in very easy English. My journalism students tried writingin an ultra-easy manner on many topics. In class we critiqued theirefforts closely, writing and rewriting.
We asked ourselves: Are the simple articles we write of realvalue to new literates?
To find out, we conducted a test. We rewrote several currentnews stories and duplicated them in 14-point type on one smallsheet of paper. One February evening in 1959, we took our "news"paper to a Syracuse adult basic education class. My students and Iobserved the men and women trying to read the stories aloud. Wenoted the hard words and sentences that troubled them.
Back in our journalism class we worked to make our writingeasier for the next issue of News for You, as we called it.
In February 2009, we celebrated the 50th birthday of News for
You. Today the newspaper serves 90,000 students each week,in junior high schools, in adult basic education and in prisonliteracy classes.
I am now in my 90s and I beam when my colleagues call me thefounder of New Readers Press and the "daddy" of News for You.ProLiteracy Worldwide, our corporate name, has 1,200 groups ofvolunteer tutors around the United States and helps support literacyprojects in 55 nations abroad. We continue to teach large numbersof men and women to read.
We understand the importance of providing valuable (and easy)reading materials for "new literates." That's what I call LiteracyJournalism .• :.
