Box 7, Folder 8, Document 2

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Box 7, Folder 8, Document 2

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NEW YORK, N.Y. May 28--Beginning July 8, a basic course in
reading skills will be televised from coast to coast in 30 lessons of
one-half hour each. This the latest of a sezies of projects initiated
by the Manpower Education Institute to enable workers, including the
unskilled employed ne the unemployed, to advance themselves in the
ranks of American Labor.

While designed to benefit viewers of all ages, from school
dropouts to college graduates, the course is being timed for maximum
availability to the 1,000,000 young men and women who will be
participating in summer youth programs including job training in
business, industry and government offices. The National Broadcasting
Company, cooperating as a public service, has scheduled the program
to run Mondays through Fridays from 9:30 to 10 A.M. for six weeks
on Channel 4 in the metropolitan area and from outlets in other
cities. It will make the program available to other affiliated
stations wherever local community participation is indicated.

This city's former Commissioner of Labor, James J. McFadden,
national director of the non-prcfit Manpower Education Institute,
announced that the reading skill program, along with the summer
youth job project, had the full support of the united labor movement,
business organizations and the ity administration, davey Van Arsdale,
Jr., president of the Central Trades and Labor Council, AFL-CIO is
chairman of the Manpower Education Institute.

The television series, to be know as "Read Your Way Up", will
include basic reading skills, speed and comprehension in reading,

word mastery, reading for pleasure, and effective use of libraries
READING SKILLS . -: . .2

and reference materials. In announcing the program, Mr. McFadden
said: "Almost everybody. reg2ardiess of hew mech or how little formal
education he has had can impreve his reading skill and get greater
benefits from the printed word. Gee he has ga.ned the reading
skills, imprcvement will come every day with practice."

For many of the unemployed end the unskilied, reading
deficiency has blocked the wey to employment end job advancement.

This happens when job appiicants are snablie to comprehend
readily the printed instructions for operating procedures, safety
cautions or other material.

The National Alliance of Businessmen, cooperating with the
Institute, has circularized all employers cospezrating in the
national summer youth job program, asking them to provide viewing
facilities on the job to permit their trainees to watch the half-
hour programs. In New York, where the Commerce and Industry
Association has called the program te the attention of 3,900
companies; such business leaders as Equitable Life, New York Telephone
and Chase Manhattan Bank are among the many thar will net only
enable their summer trainees to, view the color pregrams but will
provide supplementary instruction by staff members or other
educators.

The City administration here, which is putting 15,000 youths
in summer municipal jobs, is providing television viewings for all
of them except those in scattered field assignments, as in parks.
The City's Urban Corps, consisting of 3,000 ccilege students, will

give an additional hour of supplementary assistance following each
READING SKILLS ... °.3

half-hour TV program to the trainees in city agencies.

Mayor John V. Lindsay is taking measures to bring the benefits of
the improved reading skills to thousands who axe ocucside the summer job
training program. He has directed the City's Human Resources Administra-
tion to inform all welfare clients of the television series and to
notify them that they can obtain, free of cost, 4 reading kit with
course euelines: lesson. reviews and supplementary reading information.
The kits will be given out at all welfare centers. The program will be
made available also to patients in municipal hospitals, and inmates of
houses of detention and other institutions.

Many of the companies in the summer job progrém are providing the
reading kits free to their trainees. Individual home viewers may obtain
the kits by sending $2.50 to Box 310, Grand Central Post Office, New York
10017, for the entire 30 lessons.

The curriculum has been prepared for the Manpcewer Education
Institute by some of the nation's leading educators and specialists in
reading skills. The consultants, headed by Dr. Clyde Weinhold, Director
of education of the New Jersey Department of Educaticn and Robert H.
Coates, Director of School District of Philadelphia, are Dr. Nala Bs
smith, Distinguished Service Professor, Glassboro State College;

Eleanor T. Smith, Library Services Program Officer of the U.S. Depart-
ment of Health, Education and Welfare; Bernice A. MacDonald, Coordinator
of Adult Services, New York Public Library; Chris McHoney, Director of
Education for the Department of the Army; Gladys Alessi of the municipal

Welfare Education Department; and Professor Ann McKillop.
READING SKILLS ., , . .4
The program will.be given by Dr. Meivin Howards, Chairman
of the Reading Department, and Director of the Reading Improvement
Center, Northeastern University, and former professor at

New York University's reading center.

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