Generally, I only have to mention that our program is a partnership between the school district and the court, and that it helps at-risk youth develop literacy and job skills, with the goal of keeping them out of the criminal justice system. Most people recognize that these are sound strategies that benefit the entire community. Marge Christensen teaches and coordinates an alternative literacy program for at-risk students under the auspices of the Arizona Supreme Court and the Tucson Unified School District. She is also the author of Reclaiming At-Risk Youth for the 21st Century Workplace , published in the ASCD Curriculum Handbook . However, given the staggering number of functionally illiterate persons in this country and the rate at which that number increases, the most effective way to reach the greatest number of persons is through the use of technology.
Computers are nonthreatening and permit students to progress at their own pace.
Interactive software stimulates students to use visual, auditory, and kinesthetic modalities. Students can repeat lessons for reinforcement. An added bonus is that while the students are developing literacy skills, they are also acquiring some computer and workplace skills, both of which are requirements for success in today's technologically oriented workplace. The number of illiterate persons in the United States increases by 2.3 million annually. 75 percent of the unemployed are nonreaders.