WASHINGTON, April 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Coalition
on Adult Basic Education (COABE) and Tyson Foods today announced a
partnership to introduce the free Learning Upgrade app to adult
learners with low literacy skills and enable them to reach their
literacy goals quicker.
The Learning Upgrade app tied for first place in phase one of
the Barbara Bush Foundation's Adult Literacy XPRIZE Competition.
The $1 million Adult Literacy XPRIZE
Communities Competition is challenging communities and
organizations across the country to empower adults with low
literacy skills to download and use the free, effective,
convenient, and private mobile learning app.
COABE has partnered with Tyson Foods, the largest food company
in the U.S., because of its ground breaking in-plant workforce
education program called Upward Academy. Through this program,
Tyson Foods offers free English, GED® and U.S. Citizenship classes,
plus monthly functional literacy classess, covering various topics
such as legal aid, loan scams and tax fraud. Approximately 5,000 of
the company's frontline team members in 43 of its plants have
received more than 160,000 hours of instruction. These team members
will begin benefiting from the Learning Upgrade app, which has
already shown tremendous results in pre- and post-field tests over
a 12-month period.
"Low education and skill levels of adults are a fundamental
barrier to every major challenge facing the United States, including early childhood
education, education reform, economic development, and improving
the health and well-being of our nation's families and
communities," said Sharon Bonney,
executive director, COABE. "This is why we are so passionate about
equipping adult learners and local programs with the necessary
tools, such as the app endorsed by the Adult Literacy XPRIZE."
The mission of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) is
to provide leadership, communication, professional development, and
advocacy for adult education and literacy practitioners to advance
quality services for all adult learners.
By partnering with Tyson Foods, Alliance for Freedom,
Restoration, and Justice (AFRJ, an anti-human trafficking firm),
and the National Association of the State Directors of Adult
Education (NASDAE), COABE hopes to get Learning Upgrade's free app
into the hands of the over 36 million American adults who lack
basic English literacy.
"Equipping our team members with the right tools for their
education has been critical to the success of Upward Academy," said
Kevin Scherer, senior manager,
employee social responsibility, Tyson Foods. "We're excited to
collaborate with COABE on this innovative initiative and provide
our team members with greater access to the resources they need to
be successful."
About COABE
COABE's mission is to inspire educators so adults succeed and
communities thrive. The Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE)
represents the field of 55,000 adult educators and provides a
variety of services, including professional development through
annual, state-of-the-art national conferences, more than 50
webinars annually, and publication of the COABE Journal.
Visit www.coabe.org for more information.
About Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is one
of the world's largest food companies and a recognized leader in
protein. Founded in 1935 by John W.
Tyson and grown under three generations of family
leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and
brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®,
Wright®, Aidells®, ibp® and State Fair®. Tyson Foods innovates
continually to make protein more sustainable, tailor food for
everywhere it's available and raise the world's expectations for
how much good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company had 121,000
team members as of September 29,
2018. Through its Core Values, Tyson Foods strives to
operate with integrity, create value for its shareholders,
customers, communities and team members and serve as a steward of
the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit
www.tysonfoods.com.
Contact: Sharon Bonney, COABE
Phone: 888-442-6223
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SOURCE Coalition on Adult Basic Education