[NIFL-4EFF:2959] response to Conflicting Paradigms in Adult Literacy Education

From: Diane Gardner (dgardner@utk.edu)
Date: Thu Apr 14 2005 - 16:25:37 EDT


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From: Diane Gardner <dgardner@utk.edu>
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Subject: [NIFL-4EFF:2959] response to Conflicting Paradigms in Adult Literacy Education
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I wanted to enter this discussion and provide a brief explanation of 
references made to EFF, clarifying the two separate but related initiatives 
or components which have been misrepresented in some of the media coverage 
recently.

The development of the EFF Work Readiness Credential, which was mentioned 
in the Chicago Tribune article and referenced by Andrea, had its beginnings 
in the EFF National Center, and was initially supported through NIFL. The 
EFF Work Readiness Credential partnership, a coalition of business 
organizations and state officials, has since been formed, and has an office 
within the Center for Workforce Preparation of the U.S. Chamber of 
Commerce, in Washington, DC. Sondra Stein is the Project Manager.  SRI 
International, the primary contractor for this initiative, has partnerships 
with other organizations that assist in this work.
(http://www.sri.com/policy/cep/literacy/CEPLiteracyEFFWorkReadinessCredential.html 


The EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance, on the other hand, 
provides professional development, technical assistance and resources to 
adult education practitioners in the field.  The EFF Center continues to 
operate from its offices at the University of Tennessee, Center for 
Literacy Studies, Knoxville, TN.  We have a cadre of trainers across the 
country, many of whom have been with the EFF project since its beginning 
some eleven years ago.  All EFF training is coordinated through this Center.

Andrea, I was happy to hear about your interest in deepening your 
understanding of EFF.  I would certainly encourage you to explore the 
website (http://eff.cls.utk.edu) if you have not.  The Equipped for the 
Future Content Standards: What Adults Need to Know and Be Able to Do in the 
21st Century is also a wonderful resource if one is interested in 
understanding the development of the framework and how the "pieces" of the 
framework that you mentioned relate to each other.

I have not read George's book, so can not make any specific comments 
related to the chapter on EFF.  As you mentioned in your comments, Andrea, 
just describing terms or framework in the abstract does not necessarily 
facilitate understanding or application of principles and theory to 
practice.   As George mentions in his response to you, his objective was to 
relate how these components emerged.  Fortunately, EFF has developed over 
the years many tools and resources that move adults toward accomplishing 
their goals in their various roles and that facilitate the use and 
application of the EFF standards-based approach to instruction and 
assessment.  The EFF Teaching/Learning Toolkit, which can be found at 
http://eff.cls.utk.edu/toolkit, is an excellent resource that can be used 
to guide instructional practice.

For more information on EFF training, please contact the EFF Center for 
Training and Technical Assistance at 865-974-9949.

Diane Gardner
EFF Center


Diane P. Gardner
EFF Center
The University of Tennessee
Center for Literacy Studies
600 Henley Street, Suite 312
Knoxville, TN 37996-4135
865-974-9949
dgardner@utk.edu



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