Aspiring to be an anchor institution for Houston, the University of Houston-Downtown was recently awarded $2,470,225 by the U.S. Department of Commerce to upgrade the UHD bilingual e-library in support of connectivity and literacy skills of the Hispanic community. Additionally, this project will have a dramatic impact on workforce development and, ultimately, the local economy, as the City of Houston seeks to increase the literacy skills of Houstonians by one level. The benefits of this project will extend beyond Houston since access to the bilingual e-library will be available worldwide.

Dr. Irene Chen, Professor of Education in the Department of Urban Education in UHD’s College of Public Service, and Dr. Maria Bhattacharjee, a former UHD Associate Professor of Education, are the co-investigators for the two-year project entitled "Expanding the UHD Bilingual E-Library to Support Literacy Awareness and Connectivity among the Hispanic Community."

"During the development of our 2022-2027 Strategic Plan: A New Paradigm, we set our sights on becoming an Anchor Institution for the region," stated UHD President Loren J. Blanchard. "This project epitomizes what it means for UHD to be an anchor for the city-not only through an accessible, online library specifically targeting Houston’s Latino community, but also as a resource and workforce development tool to grow the local economy significantly," added Blanchard.

According to Houston’s Adult Literacy Blueprint Executive Summary Report, published by the Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy in partnership with Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, the City of Houston’s economic growth is linked to literacy achievement. The report stated, "Harris County’s economy could grow by 13 billion if adults with low literacy could increase their literacy skills by even one level."

Additionally, according to the same report, connectivity is another challenge that Houstonians need to address. "In Houston, about 142,650 households do not have a computer at home and almost twice that amount, about 267,250 households, do not have broadband internet access."

The grant was awarded through the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program, a $268 million grant program to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions for the purchase of broadband internet access service and eligible equipment or to hire and train information technology personnel. UHD is federally designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Minority-Serving Institution, and a Military Friendly School.

The Project

Ten UHD bilingual students and two reading specialists will assist 240 Hispanic families in writing culturally meaningful stories over the two years of the project. These stories will be part of the UHD-upgraded bilingual e-library. Because of the interaction, Hispanic families will learn to use the e-library for self-teaching and reading and writing with their children at home.

"Teachers in the UHD anchor community also play an essential role in preparing Hispanics for the job market in Houston," stated Dr. Chen. "Therefore, it is crucial to support teachers, too. UHD pre-service teachers and in-service bilingual/ESL teachers at seven elementary schools with high Hispanic enrollment will have the opportunity to participate in the training of reading comprehension strategies using the e-library."

Furthermore, the plan is to mobilize the Hispanic community by involving the Parent Teacher Organization/Association representatives from each of the seven campuses. They will visit UHD monthly to learn how to prepare their students to complete a bachelor’s degree at UHD and how to use the e-library to support the development of literacy skills. There will be opportunities for all parents at these schools to attend the meetings virtually.

In summary, UHD faculty, community members, and students will be involved in this project. Nineteen students from different programs, such as Urban Education, Communication, and Technology, will work together to create a community of learners that link Hispanic families and pre-service and in-service teachers to the e-library and each other.

"The expectation is that as Hispanic families use the e-library, they will increase their literacy skills levels and abilities to self-teach using technology," stated Dr. Bhattacharjee. "These skill sets, in turn, will increase the number of Hispanics prepared to enter the labor market in Houston."

For more information about UHD, visit uhd.org.