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e*Literacy

Volume 2, Issue 6 September, 2002
Message from Sandra Baxter, Interim Executive Director

September is always an important month for the literacy field. Since 1965, when UNESCO first established September 8 as International Literacy Day, nations from around the globe have used this opportunity to focus the world's attention on literacy. The celebration also allows us as a community to reflect on our successes and discuss the work that remains to be done. International Literacy Day is a chance to rededicate ourselves to improving the literacy skills of adults and children throughout the world.

The National Institute for Literacy is proud to be a part of this important dialogue. This year's discussion, held on September 5 at the United Nations in New York, focused on ensuring that literacy services are reaching all those in need, regardless of their race, gender, or nationality. This commitment - literacy for all - is one the Institute firmly believes in. And we remain focused on providing the programs and services necessary to improving literacy skills across the lifespan.

The start of fall also offers an opportunity to reflect on learners' goals and how adult educators can best meet them. Many of us are aware that more research about effective reading instruction and program structures would help make our services and our students more successful.

In years past, there have been few places to turn for that kind of valuable research information. Today, I am pleased to let you know that the National Institute for Literacy is supporting several efforts designed to build a stronger knowledge base and instructional foundation for adult literacy.

Earlier this year, the Institute, in partnership with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the U.S. Department of Education, announced that $3.8 million would be made available for research into improving instruction in adult and family education. These funds will be awarded in October.

We are also working with the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy and the Partnership for Reading to conduct a literature review of adult reading research. This review will be available in print at the end of September.

Together, these research pieces will help us take a significant step forward in developing and identifying the research most needed by the adult literacy community, providing us with proven information to guide future programs and calls for research.

CONTENTS

Discussions on Reauthorizing Adult Education Law Continue

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) will hold two public meetings in October to request comments on reauthorization of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). These meetings follow a series of informal "listening sessions" that OVAE held with the help of Institute facilitators to address issues likely to arise during reauthorization, such as accountability for student performance, professional development, funding mechanisms for adult education programs, student transitions, and expanding the capacity of the delivery system.

The first public meeting will be held October 15 at the Sheraton Nashua Hotel in Nashua, NH. The second will be October 25 at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, CA. Both sessions will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The public meetings and listening sessions are part of preparations for reauthorization of AEFLA, the federal guidelines that assist adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for employment and self-sufficiency, obtain the educational skills necessary to become full partners in the educational process of their children, and complete secondary school education.

For more information on the public meetings, please call 1-800-877-8339 or email Gerri Anderson, Conference Manager, at ganderson@dbconsultingroup.com. To find out more information about the AEFLA and track the reauthorization process, visit /lincs/collections/policy/wia.html.

Reading, Learning Disabilities Focus of Upcoming Sessions

June Crawford, the Institute's Learning Disabilities Program Director, will advise the American Federation for the Blind (AFB) at a September 20 conference on the impact of low vision and learning disabilities on literacy. The National Seminars event in Atlanta, GA will include a series of forums for adult educators on these topics.

The forums build on a national AFB "train the trainer" initiative begun late in 2001 using the Institute's Bridges to Practice model. The initiative seeks to train adult educators and vocational rehabilitation counselors to train their peers in addressing the literacy needs of adults with low vision. The similarities in instructional accommodations and assistive technology for adults with low vision and adults with learning disabilities make them easy to adapt for the adult education classroom. Training sessions have been held in San Antonio, TX; Boston, MA; San Francisco, CA; and Atlanta, GA.

For more information, contact June Crawford at jcrawford@nifl.gov.

"English for All" Program Launched on LINCS

In an effort to provide older adolescents with the tools they need to learn English as a second language (ESL), the Institute's LINCS Multimedia Center is now offering an "English for All" multimedia program. Developed by the Cyberstep Project, the "English for All" program provides five hours of streaming videos on vocabulary, grammar, and life skills exercises in a powerful, interactive learning environment. The program is available free of charge through LINCS.

For more information, please visit: /lincs/.

Research Funds on Adult and Family Literacy Scheduled for October Award

In October, the Institute, NICHD, and the U.S. Department of Education will award $3.8 million in research grants to develop new knowledge on the critical instruction factors that influence the development of literacy competencies and the identification or design of effective program structures and models of service delivery in adult and family literacy programs. These research priorities were drawn in part from a series of meetings held by the Institute, its federal partners, and the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) between November 2000 and August 2001.

The Institute and its partners cosponsored a series of technical assistance workshops during early 2002 to help potential applicants develop sound proposals. In order to be considered for funding, proposals had to be submitted to NICHD by May 15.

For more information and a summary document, go to: http://www.nichd.nih.gov/crmc/cdb/AFL_workshop.htm.

EFF Reading Project Focuses on "Read With Understanding" Standard

Citing a need to apply scientifically based reading research to family literacy programs, the Equipped for the Future (EFF) Reading Project began its eight-month pilot effort in August. The pilot is designed to specifically explore the EFF Framework, focusing on the EFF Standard: Read With Understanding, and the evidence-based reading research being integrated.

Developed by the Institute in partnership with the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL), the pilot was launched with two cohorts of family literacy programs. Each participating program will receive technical assistance and will participate in two additional contact sessions, one in November and one in early 2003.

During this process, the EFF Reading Project will develop a training program that prepares family literacy programs to integrate scientifically based reading instruction with EFF's approach to teaching and learning.

One cohort is comprised of five family literacy programs and a state or partner organization representative from Delaware, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, with the other cohort, designated the Family and Child Education (FACE) cohort, comprised of family literacy programs sponsored by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

In addition to the five sites FACE has identified to participate in the pilot, adult educators from all 32 FACE programs participated in three days of the EFF Reading Project training, co-facilitated by NCFL staff.

For more information, contact Sondra Stein at sstein@nifl.gov

International Literacy Day Focuses on Literacy for Diversity

The Institute again joined fellow members of the International Literacy Network (ILN) to celebrate International Literacy Day, held this year at the United Nations in New York City. The 2002 International Literacy Day program, held on September 5, focused on the growing demand to provide literacy skills to all, regardless of ethnicity, language, gender, and/or religion, especially for those in economically developing nations, societies enduring conflict, and in America's communities.

Conference officials focused on answering two key questions: "What is the role of literacy in developing resilient communities?" and, "As part of the literacy agenda, what should we do to enable voices that are excluded and marginalized?"

This year's event was sponsored by the United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in cooperation with the ILN. For more information, please visit /nifl/literacy_day/2002/ild_2002.html.

Partnership for Reading to Launch On-Line Reading Discussion Group

The Institute's Partnership for Reading project, which disseminates scientifically based reading research on adults, adolescents, and children, will pilot its first on-line discussion group on reading. The goal of the effort is to use scientifically based reading research on a series of key topics to encourage interaction among educators and facilitate a deeper understanding of how to teach reading to students of all ages.

The topic of the pilot is reading assessments in the K-3 classroom. Twelve classroom teachers, literacy specialists, and curriculum coordinators will volunteer their time to determine the best methods to disseminate research-based practices in reading instruction to practitioners in schools. At the completion of the five-week pilot, participants will work with the Partnership for Reading to evaluate the pilot's success and application to future discussions.

For more information on the Partnership and this pilot project, please visit: /partnershipforreading.

Legislative Update

FY 2003 Appropriations - Congress returned to work last week after a month-long district work period. On the top of the agenda in the House is the FY 2003 appropriations bill for federal education programs, including adult education and literacy programs. As soon as the House releases its budget proposal, the Institute will notify the field through a Policy Update. In the meantime, you can learn more about the President's and the Senate's budget proposals at /lincs/collections/policy/updates.html.

September 2002 events include:





E*literacy is published monthly by the National Institute for Literacy. The National Institute for Literacy is an independent federal organization leading the national effort toward a fully literate nation in the 21st century. The Institute's mission is to improve the national adult and family literacy system by building capacity and improving quality through strategic public-private partnerships at the state, regional, and national levels.

Editor: Lynn Reddy (lreddy@nifl.gov)

For more information, contact:
National Institute for Literacy
1775 I Street, NW
Suite 730
Washington, DC 20006-2417
202-233-2025