The endowment is part of a substantial educational spending bill signed by President Clinton in December, and the initiative to use the funds for the creation of a family literacy center at the state’s flagship university was spearheaded by Goodling. In honor of his efforts, it will be named the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy.

“It’s both an honor and a challenge for Penn State to lead the charge for the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy,” said Penn State President Graham B. Spanier. “The University takes seriously its role in helping to solve some of society’s most pressing needs, and the goals of this initiative are perfectly suited to Penn State’s mission of teaching, research, and service.”

Goodling recently retired from the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. He has been a champion of education programs throughout his 24-year Congressional career, and is a nationally recognized leader in the adult literacy community.

“The work that Penn State and the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy has undertaken over the years has provided a great foundation to our work in Congress on literacy issues,” said Goodling. “Today, with the opening of the William F. Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy, that work will be complemented and expanded in some very important ways.

“I am humbled by being asked to participate in this important effort and challenged that the work in improving the lives of millions of Americans will rest on our efforts,” he added.

David H. Monk, dean of Penn State’s College of Education, is in discussions regarding potential future roles for Goodling with the new institute, among them a position as chairman of the institute’s board of advisors.

“We will overcome the barriers to greater literacy across America through aggressive research,” says Monk. “This institute, which Mr. Goodling has been so helpful in establishing, guarantees that this research will go forward.”

Penn State was selected as the site for the institute based on its long-term commitment to quality literacy programming. The College of Education is already home to the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, and the two Penn State institutes will collaborate to develop and publish course materials and one or more courses in family literacy to be offered through Penn State’s World Campus.

The Goodling Institute will also collaborate with the National Center for Family Literacy, based in Louisville, Ky., to provide high quality, research-based instruction and programs in family literacy, as well as a certificate program with credits applicable toward a Penn State master’s degree in adult education or early childhood education. The Goodling Institute will be housed at Penn State’s University Park and York campuses.

Pennsylvania is a national leader in family literacy and one of only a few states to offer such programs on a statewide basis with support from both federal and state funds. In a Penn State report on the statewide evaluation of family literacy programs to the Department of Education, Governor Tom Ridge said, “Education is the ultimate tool of empowerment...and reading is the foundation of a quality education. Family literacy programs literally can turn lives around.”

“This is a tremendous opportunity to join forces with the National Center for Family Literacy to conduct research, help providers apply the results to their practice, and promote the value of family literacy,” said Barbara Van Horn, senior research assistant in the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy and co-director of the new institute at Penn State.

Family literacy programs provide a unified program of educational services to parents and children. They provide interactive literacy activities between parents and their children and age-appropriate education directly to children. In addition, services include training for parents on their role as the primary teacher of and full partner in educating their children, and adult basic education for parents that leads to economic self-sufficiency.

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Contacts:
Jeff Deitrich, College of Education, (814) 863-2216, jdeitrich@psu.edu
Tysen Kendig, Department of Public Information, (814) 865-7517, tysen@psu.edu