A

A B O U T    U S 

The Key is a newspaper 

written for new readers

The Key provides reading material for adults with limited reading skills.  These include adults who have not completed their high school educations, those learning English and those with learning disabilities. 

All material in The Key and on-line is free of copyright for nonprofit, education purposes only. The Key New Readers Newspaper has been published monthly since 1988.  It is a project of Milwaukee Area Technical College Office of Grants and Development. 

We encourage you to make as many copies of the articles as you need.  

Objectives 

The objectives of The Key New Readers Newspaper Project are two-fold: to provide people with limited reading skills access to the main flow of information in the community and to provide teachers in adult basic education programs with quality materials which are relevant to the adult learner. 

The project publishes an eight-page monthly newspaper with a Wisconsin circulation of 15,000 copies.  In early 1998 services were expanded to national distribution through the Internet. 

Funding 

The Key is funded primarily through an Adult Education and Family Literacy grant through the Wisconsin Technical College System Board..  Printing for The Key is generously donated by Journal Communications, publisher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which has been its corporate partner since the project began.  Funding for the Web Site Expansion Project is sought from a variety of corporate and foundation resources, as well as from literacy centers and readers who enjoy the newspaper. 
 
Collaboration 

The Key is a model of collaboration.  Both volunteer committees, the Advisory and Content, link the project to literacy programs and service organizations in the community and encompass a wide range of stakeholders. 

.

Activities of The Key New Readers Newspaper Project

November 1988 - Funding secured from the Wisconsin Technical College State Board under the Adult Education Act.  Commitment secured from Journal Communications to donate printing of 10,000 copies.

December 1988 - First edition launched.

March 1989 - Initiated four-page supplements which are student written and published quarterly with the assistance of Key staff.

September 1989 - Teacher’s guide included with each issue.

April 1990 - Readers as Writers annual creative writing competition began with the first publication, Dreams From Under Your Hat.

March 1990 - Developed workshops for tutors on using The Key.

November 1990 - Distribution extended statewide.  Print run increased to 15,000.

March 1991 - Using The Key as a Teaching Tool distributed to instructors and tutors.

June 1991 - The Key moves from its original home at Journey House Community Center to Milwaukee Area Technical College where it becomes part of the Adult Basic Education Program.

October 1992 - Special Election, 16-page edition published with 50-page teacher’s resource packet.

June 1994 - Launching of New Faces: Immigration to Wisconsin 1970s to 1990s, a 76-page booklet published as a special project.  Two printings, totaling 5,000 copies, have been sold to schools statewide.

August 1994 - Production of a 10-minute video on The Key to be given to new instructors to acquaint them with the many aspects of the program.

June 1995 - Presentation of project at the Commission for Adult Basic Education national conference in Memphis, Tenn.

March 1996 - Archive articles compiled into a data base which can be used by instructors and students to access previously published work.  Copies distributed to literacy programs statewide.

October 1996 - A second Special Election edition and teacher’s guide was published.

September 1997 - Collaborated with Wisconsin Department of  Corrections to publish From Within, a collection of writing from inmates.

April 1998 - The Key expands services worldwide through The Key Online web site.