Our mission is to create a community in which reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking serve as a foundation for life-long learning in Rogers County through tutoring. Tutoring objectives are determined by considering each learner’s personal literacy goal.
Organization
The Rogers County Literacy Council (Council) was formed in 1985 as a result of a series of stories published in the Claremore Daily Progress newspaper about adult illiteracy. The Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization governed by a community-based Board of Directors. When the Will Rogers Library, Claremore opened in 1994, the City of Claremore dedicated two rooms to the Council’s use; one is an office for the Executive Director, the other a tutoring space.
Contact:
918-277-4331
1515 N. Florence
Claremore, OK 74017
Office hours are Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
The literacy council volunteers (and grant-funded teachers) teach adult basic education (ABE) and English as a learned language (ELL) to adult learners who want to:
- Learn to improve their reading skills for home or work.
- Prepare to take a High school Equivalency Preparation class such as the one offered through Union Public schools on the RSU Campus in Claremore.
- Seek US Citizenship.
- Improve their life skills through better understanding, including in the workplace.
In 2017 the Council initiated a program called RoCo Readers. This is a volunteer program placing trained tutors in public schools in Rogers County. A reading teacher selects participants from grades one, two, or three. The Council supplies a tutor for a weekly reading tutoring session and a book for each young learner to take home.
The literacy council trains volunteer tutors to:
- Recognize that all learners deserve respect and compassion.
- Utilize technology to keep their skills current and grow their personal knowledge of literacy tutoring.
- Understand the learning process.
- Recognize and overcome some common learning obstacles.
- Use teaching tools to keep learning rewarding for everyone.
The Council is a member of the Oklahoma Literacy Coalition, ProLiteracy America, and the Claremore Chamber of Commerce.
