by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
At a conference Wednesday morning at the Duval County Courthouse, Circuit Court Judge Karen Cole met with a roomful of Jacksonville’s leaders to address the trend of increased illiteracy among juvenile offenders and how to correct it.
“Last year there were approximately 7,000 juvenile arrests in Duval County,” said Cole. “Not Clay and not Nassau — Duval. Of those children, 85 percent are classified as being illiterate or functionally illiterate.”
Cole’s findings led to the Juvenile Delinquent Literacy Project, which is faced with the challenge of reducing those numbers significantly. The initiative has the support of the Jacksonville Bar Association, the State Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office.
“I’ve been interested in education issues for some time,” said Cole. “After an April Seminar [at the Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership] I began searching the Internet for school systems who had enacted successful and innovative reading programs.”
Coincidentally, Cole’s search led to a newsletter that chronicled the success enjoyed by San Diego Juvenile Court Judge James Milliken, who installed a “multi-sensory structured language” program earlier this year.
According to Cole, MSL programs are taught in a way that incorporates sight, sound and touch while adhering to “explicit instructions.”
“What’s good about them” said Cole, “is that they have proven effective with dyslexics [they comprise a vast majority of illiterate juvenile offenders] and non-dyslexics.”
Satisfied with the conference, Cole expects a smaller group to meet and discuss the benefits of MSL programs further in the near future. Funding will also be a topic of discussion.
In the meantime, Cole said she is pleased with Wednesday’s conference.
“My take on today’s meeting is that Jacksonville’s leaders are no longer willing to tolerate these high levels of illiteracy and they support a system that will help our children learn to read,” said Cole. “We can give them a future and allowing their talents to flourish. Our society only stands to benefit from a reduction in the juvenile crime rates.”