Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f6UH4Uf24524; Mon, 30 Jul 2001 13:04:30 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 13:04:30 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <00be01c1191b$be80ad80$60a31c3f@cbking> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Catherine King" <cb.king@verizon.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:554] Cross-Post from NLA--Adult Education and Political Culture X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; Status: O Content-Length: 30296 Lines: 682 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_009F_01C118DF.755EB840 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Below is a cross-post from the NLA list regarding the political "voice" of adults who seek further and ongoing education in the United States. It is in response to a note from Archie Willard who recently attended the VALUE Adult Learner Leadership Conference: Archie, Thank you for the informative note on the NLA. George Demetrion and myself (and others) have argued for a better understanding of the link between democracy and adult education and suggesting that this link is key to opening support and funding channels for Adult Education--that this link is necessary for creating and maintaining a healthy political culture in the United States. A ongoing healthy development of the political culture in a democracy is, I would argue, a right; however, teeth cannot chew anything without both top and bottom sets working together. That is, rights are important, but so is the responsibility of any elected, appointed, or hired government policy maker or employee to understand and implement the idea of self-government that undergirds the whole function of a healthy democracy-- --to keep The People in a state of viable enfranchisement. Only with both sets of teeth--the bottom and the top--will the process of chewing, or political developing, take place. Under the current situation, there is a failure of "top-teeth" stewardship adrift in the land. Policy makers are in a state of "failure to respond" to the basic tenets of a democracy, and worse, many throw up roadblocks to political development of those who are de facto disenfranchised, as if we have to prove what we need after we have gotten it. While a rights movement is about what Adults have a right to, it should be coupled with a Responsibility Movement where the dialogue reflects the failure of policy-makers to fulfill their basic responsibility to the political system of self-government we all claim to embrace and for which they were endorsed. The irony is, we are speaking about adult education, and many of our policy makers are woefully under-educated about their own political responsibility. I am not a legal expert, and though I know of nothing in the U. S. Constitution exactly stating that adults need to be educated; still, the whole idea of a democracy as self- government stands on the presupposition that "The People" will have the wherewithall to understand, to make decisions, to act, and to participate in the government that is OF, BY, and FOR us. (I believe Jefferson wrote education into the Virginia Constitution--when the power balance between the Federal Government and the States was still being worked out. I would argue that education was not directly written into the U. S. Constitution because early on these decisions were considered the responsibility of the States.) But one of the most cogent links in the U. S. Constitution is the OF the People, BY the People, FOR the People, language. Education is FOR The People so that Government OF and BY The People has a chance to be done well--to foster a well- governed commonwealth. What the Constitution **doesn't** say is important here too. For instance, it doesn't say, Of-By-For only the People who can afford to prepare themselves to participate; or it **doesn't** say Of-By-For only the People who are clever enough to own a stock portfolio or a computer, or own large companies and corporations, or who just got lucky in the ovarian lottery; and it=20 **doesn't** even say only for those who care to take an interest. =20 "The People" is everyone by virtue of our being citizens. But in a democracy, those who **Do Not** participate are, because of the way the system operates, de facto giving their=20 silent endorsement to those who do because of the very structure=20 that was set out by those who developed it--whether we know it=20 or not. And if we don't know it, we are de facto disenfranchised by default. Political control defaults back to those who understand.=20 It follows that those who DO participate, and who are not identified with the many groups who make up our adult population in the United States, have much to gain by our ignorance and silence, and by our not being=20 organized around the central ideas embedded in our Constitution. =20 The foundations that make the "pursuit of happiness" for=20 The People a continuing possibility are the foundations=20 of public education connected with libraries, the arts,=20 open communications, and community development. =20 How can a government be "Of the People," if The People=20 have no clue about their relationship to it? And how can those who steward a democratic government claim to fulfill the Constitutional "FOR The People" if it views adult education as some sort of welfare? And if "It" doesn't even care to educate us to that awareness or heed our call for affordable educative services? This is not welfare here--this is the survival of a viable democracy and a claim to keep it a well-developed possibility. Education of the polity in this=20 view is more than a right--it is owed to the general public as a part of the substructure--the basic tenets of the U.S.=20 Constitution. =20 As you know, illiteracy and lack of basic education is connected with many other personal developmental situations, one of which is often a sense of political carelessness and powerlessness, or another word for it is "helplessness." Helplessly, we watch from the sidelines the things that affect our lives like watching a game--the players play and we watch. =20 But if we can understand the whole idea of a democracy as the hope and "experiment" of governing ourselves well, we will also understand that good self-government is not something we are born with but is something that requires prior development. Hence the emphasis on education in our culture. (The whole idea of self-government is woefully lacking, even missing, in our K-12 school system.) If this is so, then that development is central to what the institution of education in a democracy is about. Adult education, then, is to the United States as good health practices are to a person. Like not exercising or eating well can invite sickness and bad health over time in a person, so an inadequate K-12 and Adult Education system invites political sickness in a democracy. As it stands at present with the lack of support for the AE system in the United States and elsewhere, we are not taking good care of ourselves, and are in various stages of political sickness. Like having a silent heart attack, one of the signs of our illness is that we have no idea that we are sick or how sick we are. Our democracy is not taking good care of itself. So the argument that says, "We have a right to literacy and education," should be accompanied with the companion argument speaking to our policy-makers: "You have a responsibility to the whole idea of the democracy you live=20 in to take all possible and reasonable steps to ensure=20 literacy and education for our adult population--the polity-- who are the substance of our developing political culture." If not, we want to know "Why not?" Thank you again, Archie, for your report on the VALUE Adult Learner Leadership Institute meeting. Regards, Catherine King ----- Original Message ----- From: Archie Willard <millard@goldfieldaccess.net> To: <NLA@world.std.com> Sent: Friday, July 27, 2001 10:03 PM Subject: NLA Info: VALUE Adult Learner Leadership Institute > > The VALUE Adult Learner Leadership Institute is over for 2001 and it = was > a huge success. It was held in Columbus, Ohio July 19-21. There were > many sponsors that helped to make things happen at the Institute and > they deserve a big thanks. A lot of people and committees worked hard > to put on this leadership institute and they did a nice job. There = were > many kinds of workshops providing good training for all adult = learners. > VALUE has come a long way in the past four years. If you look back, = we > have accomplished a lot as a group of adult learners. VALUE is a real > voice within our country now and it is being heard more and more. We > can make a difference in moving literacy forward and to help adult > learners find their place in life. Altogether there were 140 people at > this meeting, 107 were adult learners from 29 different states and 33 > people were not adult learners who came to see what was happening. > Those 33 represented the Department of Education, the National = Institute > for Literacy, the American Library Association, the National Coalition > for Literacy, the Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA), Laubach = Literacy > (LLA), and Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA). > > Dr. Tom Sticht and State Representative Ray Miller were Keynote/ = Feature > Speakers. Dr. Sticht is an adult literacy researcher and Rep. Ray > Miller is now serving his eighth term as a member of the Ohio House of > Representatives. Dr. Sticht opened our eyes with figures about how > little money the adult literacy field receives per student and that = the > Adult Education and Literacy System of the United States is barely > recognized as an entity within the education field. The figures that = he > gave us about adult literacy made us think, "Does this country really > care if we as adult learners become more productive and make literacy > improvements?" He pointed out that for every dollar that is spent for > adult literacy at least two dollars make their way back into society. > Rep. Miller spoke about how people in our society were being held back > in many different ways. He also said that as adult learners, if there > are things in our lives that we don't like then we need to make = changes. > To make changes he said, "We need a literacy movement in this = country." > > At the Columbus meeting I visited with two ladies from Florida. I told > them that the New Readers organization in Iowa met with Iowa Secretary > of State Chester Culver and asked him to come to the Iowa New Readers > Conference on September 22 and speak about the voting process in Iowa. > We also asked him to bring sample ballots for the adult learners to > study and then we would make written comments about the ballots, good = or > bad. Secretary Culver has agreed to speak at the conference and to > bring sample ballots. I encouraged the ladies from Florida to contact > their Secretary of State. What state could be better than Florida to > have adult learners looking at and evaluating sample ballots and = making > recommendations? I feel they thought it was a good idea. I also > encourage other states to contact their Secretary of State to do the > same. This could be the start of a literacy movement. > > At the Columbus meeting a statement was made: "The civil rights > movement today isn't just about race, it's also about literacy." In > this free country of ours things are not just handed to us. Adult > learners will have to stand up and make the claim for the freedom and > the help that belongs to them. One of the things adult learners need = is > a bill of rights for learning. The State of Rhode Island has one in > place that we need to look at. If we are going to make the changes = that > are needed in literacy to help others in our country, we will need a > literacy movement. > > My post-Columbus meeting thoughts about adult literacy: > > A news article in The Washington Post on July 16 stated that the NALS > survey didn't get the facts right back in the 90's and that there are > fewer illiterate people in our country than originally reported by the > NALS report. This news story says that there are only 5% of the = people > in our country who are illiterate. Even if the 5% figure is true, = that > is still too many people who are illiterate. There are still many = more > who are functionally illiterate and who need literacy help. Tom Sticht > said that about 4 million people come forward each year for literacy > help. He also said since the national reporting system has been in > place the number of people who come forward for literacy help has > decreased by 400,000. How many more are out there who should come in > for literacy help? Does anyone really know how many adults need > literacy help in this country? > > I feel that a lot of money has been spent on the NALS report in the = past > and they are now saying that the testing they did was not done right. = We > all know that literacy money is hard to come by. This is sad because = the > people who need the help will be held back because of poor = information. > If we are going to do another study, let's get the people who have the > literacy problems to be actively involved in the study. After all, > aren't we what the studies are about? Adult learners can do many = things > that we are not given credit for doing. Some adult learners who are > dyslexic have the ability to look at things from a different = perspective > and have a wisdom that is not measured by any written test. Adult > learners are able to change airplanes in O'Hare Airport in Chicago, = find > our way around in large strange cities and we work and pay taxes. We > have unique life experiences that only we can bring to share with the > research projects. As taxpayers and voters let's see that the Adult > Education & Literacy System of the United States is properly funded = and > that it is regarded as an important part of our education system. > > Archie Willard > President Emeritus of VALUE > > ------=_NextPart_000_009F_01C118DF.755EB840 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2314.1000" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Below is a cross-post from the NLA list regarding</DIV> <DIV>the political "voice" of adults who seek further and</DIV> <DIV>ongoing education in the United States. It is in = response</DIV> <DIV>to a note from Archie Willard who recently attended the</DIV> <DIV>VALUE Adult Learner Leadership Conference:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> Archie,<BR><BR>Thank you for the informative note on = the=20 NLA.<BR><BR>George Demetrion and myself (and others) have = argued<BR> for a=20 better understanding of the link between democracy<BR>and adult = education and=20 suggesting that this link is key to<BR>opening support and funding = channels for=20 Adult<BR>Education--that this link is necessary for creating = and<BR>maintaining=20 a healthy political culture in the United States.<BR><BR>A ongoing = healthy=20 development of the political culture in a<BR>democracy is, I would = argue, a=20 right; however, teeth cannot<BR>chew anything without both top and = bottom sets=20 working<BR>together. That is, rights are important, but so = is=20 the<BR>responsibility of any elected, appointed, or hired = government<BR>policy=20 maker or employee to understand and implement<BR>the idea of = self-government=20 that undergirds the whole function<BR>of a healthy = democracy--<BR><BR>--to keep=20 The People in a state of viable enfranchisement.<BR><BR>Only with both = sets of=20 teeth--the bottom and the top--will the<BR>process of chewing, or = political=20 developing, take place.<BR><BR>Under the current situation, there is a = failure=20 of "top-teeth"<BR>stewardship adrift in the land. Policy makers = are in a=20 state of<BR>"failure to respond" to the basic tenets of a democracy,=20 and<BR>worse, many throw up roadblocks to political development = of<BR>those who=20 are de facto disenfranchised, as if we have to<BR>prove what we need = after we=20 have gotten it.<BR><BR>While a rights movement is about what Adults have = a right=20 to,<BR>it should be coupled with a Responsibility Movement where = the<BR>dialogue=20 reflects the failure of policy-makers to fulfill their = basic<BR>responsibility=20 to the political system of self-government we all<BR>claim to embrace = and for=20 which they were endorsed. The irony<BR>is, we are speaking = about=20 adult education, and many of our<BR>policy makers are woefully = under-educated=20 about their own<BR>political responsibility.<BR><BR>I am not a legal = expert, and=20 though I know of nothing<BR>in the U. S. Constitution exactly stating = that=20 adults need to<BR>be educated; still, the whole idea of a democracy as=20 self-<BR>government stands on the presupposition that "The = People"<BR>will have=20 the wherewithall to understand, to make decisions,<BR>to act, and to = participate=20 in the government that is OF, BY,<BR>and FOR us.<BR><BR>(I believe = Jefferson=20 wrote education into the Virginia<BR>Constitution--when the power = balance=20 between the Federal<BR>Government and the States was still being worked=20 out. I<BR>would argue that education was not directly written = into<BR>the=20 U. S. Constitution because early on these decisions were<BR>considered = the=20 responsibility of the States.)<BR><BR>But one of the most cogent links = in the U.=20 S. Constitution is the<BR>OF the People, BY the People, FOR the People,=20 language.<BR>Education is FOR The People so that Government OF and = BY<BR>The=20 People has a chance to be done well--to foster a well-<BR>governed=20 commonwealth.<BR><BR>What the Constitution **doesn't** say is important = here=20 too.<BR>For instance, it doesn't say, Of-By-For only the People who=20 can<BR>afford to prepare themselves to participate; or it **doesn't**=20 say<BR>Of-By-For only the People who are clever enough to own a=20 stock<BR>portfolio or a computer, or own large companies = and<BR>corporations, or=20 who just got lucky in the ovarian lottery; and it </DIV> <DIV>**doesn't** even say only for those who care to take an = interest. =20 </DIV> <DIV>"The People" is everyone by virtue of our = being citizens.<BR><BR>But=20 in a democracy, those who **Do Not** participate are,<BR>because of the = way the=20 system operates, de facto giving their </DIV> <DIV>silent endorsement to those who do because of the very structure = </DIV> <DIV>that was set out by those who developed it--whether we know it = </DIV> <DIV>or not. And if we don't know it, we are de facto=20 disenfranchised</DIV> <DIV>by default. Political control defaults back to = those who=20 understand. <BR><BR>It follows that those who DO participate, and who = are<BR>not=20 identified with the many groups who make up our<BR>adult population in = the=20 United States, have much to gain<BR>by our ignorance and silence, and by = our not=20 being </DIV> <DIV>organized around the central ideas embedded in our</DIV> <DIV>Constitution. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The foundations that make the "pursuit of happiness" for </DIV> <DIV>The People a continuing possibility are the foundations </DIV> <DIV>of public education connected with libraries, the arts, </DIV> <DIV>open communications, and community development. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>How can a government be "Of the People," if The People </DIV> <DIV>have no clue about their relationship to it? And how can = those</DIV> <DIV>who steward a democratic government claim to fulfill the</DIV> <DIV>Constitutional "FOR The People" if it views adult education</DIV> <DIV>as some sort of welfare? And if "It" doesn't even care = to</DIV> <DIV>educate us to that awareness or heed our call for affordable</DIV> <DIV>educative services? This is not welfare here--this = is=20 the</DIV> <DIV>survival of a viable democracy and a claim to keep it a</DIV> <DIV>well-developed possibility. Education of the polity in this = </DIV> <DIV>view is more than a right--it is owed to the general public = as</DIV> <DIV>a part of the substructure--the basic tenets of the U.S. = </DIV> <DIV>Constitution. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As you know, illiteracy and lack of basic education is<BR>connected = with=20 many other personal developmental<BR>situations, one of which is often a = sense=20 of political<BR>carelessness and powerlessness, or another word for it=20 is<BR>"helplessness." Helplessly, we watch from the sidelines=20 the<BR>things that affect our lives like watching a game--the<BR>players = play=20 and we watch. <BR><BR>But if we can understand the whole idea of a = democracy<BR>as the hope and "experiment" of governing ourselves well,=20 we<BR>will also understand that good self-government is not = something<BR>we are=20 born with but is something that requires prior development.<BR>Hence the = emphasis on education in our culture. (The whole<BR>idea of = self-government is=20 woefully lacking, even missing, in<BR>our K-12 school = system.) If=20 this is so, then that development<BR>is central to what the = institution of=20 education in a democracy<BR>is about.<BR><BR>Adult education, then, is = to the=20 United States as good<BR>health practices are to a = person. =20 Like not exercising<BR>or eating well can invite sickness and bad health = over<BR>time in a person, so an inadequate K-12 and Adult<BR>Education = system=20 invites political sickness in a democracy.<BR><BR>As it stands at = present with=20 the lack of support for the<BR>AE system in the United States and = elsewhere, we=20 are<BR>not taking good care of ourselves, and are in various<BR>stages = of=20 political sickness. Like having a silent heart<BR>attack, one of = the signs=20 of our illness is that we have no<BR>idea that we are sick or how sick = we=20 are. Our democracy<BR>is not taking good care of = itself.<BR><BR>So=20 the argument that says, "We have a right to literacy<BR>and education," = should=20 be accompanied with the companion<BR>argument speaking to our=20 policy-makers: "You have a<BR>responsibility to the whole idea = of =20 the democracy you live </DIV> <DIV>in to take all possible and reasonable steps to ensure </DIV> <DIV>literacy and education for our adult population--the polity--</DIV> <DIV>who are the substance of our developing political culture."<BR>If = not, we=20 want to know "Why not?"</DIV> <DIV><BR>Thank you again, Archie, for your report on the VALUE<BR>Adult = Learner=20 Leadership Institute meeting.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR><BR>Catherine=20 King<BR><BR><BR>----- Original Message -----<BR>From: Archie Willard = <<A=20 href=3D"mailto:millard@goldfieldaccess.net">millard@goldfieldaccess.net</= A>><BR>To:=20 <<A = href=3D"mailto:NLA@world.std.com">NLA@world.std.com</A>><BR>Sent:=20 Friday, July 27, 2001 10:03 PM<BR>Subject: NLA Info: VALUE Adult Learner = Leadership Institute<BR><BR><BR>><BR>> The VALUE Adult Learner = Leadership=20 Institute is over for 2001 and it was<BR>> a huge success. It was = held in=20 Columbus, Ohio July 19-21. There were<BR>> many sponsors that helped = to make=20 things happen at the Institute and<BR>> they deserve a big = thanks. A=20 lot of people and committees worked hard<BR>> to put on this = leadership=20 institute and they did a nice job. There were<BR>> many kinds of = workshops=20 providing good training for all adult learners.<BR>> VALUE has come a = long=20 way in the past four years. If you look back, we<BR>> have = accomplished=20 a lot as a group of adult learners. VALUE is a real<BR>> voice within = our=20 country now and it is being heard more and more. We<BR>> can = make a=20 difference in moving literacy forward and to help adult<BR>> learners = find=20 their place in life. Altogether there were 140 people at<BR>> this = meeting,=20 107 were adult learners from 29 different states and 33<BR>> people = were not=20 adult learners who came to see what was happening.<BR>> Those 33 = represented=20 the Department of Education, the National Institute<BR>> for = Literacy, the=20 American Library Association, the National Coalition<BR>> for = Literacy, the=20 Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA), Laubach Literacy<BR>> (LLA), = and=20 Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA).<BR>><BR>> Dr. Tom Sticht and = State=20 Representative Ray Miller were Keynote/ Feature<BR>> Speakers. = Dr.=20 Sticht is an adult literacy researcher and Rep. Ray<BR>> Miller is = now=20 serving his eighth term as a member of the Ohio House of<BR>>=20 Representatives. Dr. Sticht opened our eyes with figures about = how<BR>>=20 little money the adult literacy field receives per student and that = the<BR>>=20 Adult Education and Literacy System of the United States is = barely<BR>>=20 recognized as an entity within the education field. The figures that = he<BR>>=20 gave us about adult literacy made us think, "Does this country = really<BR>>=20 care if we as adult learners become more productive and make = literacy<BR>>=20 improvements?" He pointed out that for every dollar that is spent=20 for<BR>> adult literacy at least two dollars make their way back into = society.<BR>> Rep. Miller spoke about how people in our society were = being=20 held back<BR>> in many different ways. He also said that as = adult=20 learners, if there<BR>> are things in our lives that we don't like = then we=20 need to make changes.<BR>> To make changes he said, "We need a = literacy=20 movement in this country."<BR>><BR>> At the Columbus meeting I = visited=20 with two ladies from Florida. I told<BR>> them that the New Readers=20 organization in Iowa met with Iowa Secretary<BR>> of State Chester = Culver and=20 asked him to come to the Iowa New Readers<BR>> Conference on = September 22 and=20 speak about the voting process in Iowa.<BR>> We also asked him to = bring=20 sample ballots for the adult learners to<BR>> study and then we would = make=20 written comments about the ballots, good or<BR>> bad. Secretary = Culver=20 has agreed to speak at the conference and to<BR>> bring sample = ballots. =20 I encouraged the ladies from Florida to contact<BR>> their Secretary = of=20 State. What state could be better than Florida to<BR>> have = adult=20 learners looking at and evaluating sample ballots and making<BR>>=20 recommendations? I feel they thought it was a good idea. I = also<BR>>=20 encourage other states to contact their Secretary of State to do = the<BR>>=20 same. This could be the start of a literacy movement.<BR>><BR>> At = the=20 Columbus meeting a statement was made: "The civil = rights<BR>>=20 movement today isn't just about race, it's also about literacy." =20 In<BR>> this free country of ours things are not just handed to us.=20 Adult<BR>> learners will have to stand up and make the claim for the = freedom=20 and<BR>> the help that belongs to them. One of the things adult = learners need is<BR>> a bill of rights for learning. The State of = Rhode=20 Island has one in<BR>> place that we need to look at. If we are = going=20 to make the changes that<BR>> are needed in literacy to help others = in our=20 country, we will need a<BR>> literacy movement.<BR>><BR>> My=20 post-Columbus meeting thoughts about adult literacy:<BR>><BR>> A = news=20 article in The Washington Post on July 16 stated that the NALS<BR>> = survey=20 didn't get the facts right back in the 90's and that there are<BR>> = fewer=20 illiterate people in our country than originally reported by the<BR>> = NALS=20 report. This news story says that there are only 5% of the = people<BR>>=20 in our country who are illiterate. Even if the 5% figure is true,=20 that<BR>> is still too many people who are illiterate. There = are still=20 many more<BR>> who are functionally illiterate and who need literacy = help.=20 Tom Sticht<BR>> said that about 4 million people come forward each = year for=20 literacy<BR>> help. He also said since the national reporting = system=20 has been in<BR>> place the number of people who come forward for = literacy=20 help has<BR>> decreased by 400,000. How many more are out there = who=20 should come in<BR>> for literacy help? Does anyone really know = how many=20 adults need<BR>> literacy help in this country?<BR>><BR>> I = feel that a=20 lot of money has been spent on the NALS report in the past<BR>> and = they are=20 now saying that the testing they did was not done right. We<BR>> all = know=20 that literacy money is hard to come by. This is sad because the<BR>> = people=20 who need the help will be held back because of poor information.<BR>> = If we=20 are going to do another study, let's get the people who have the<BR>> = literacy problems to be actively involved in the study. After = all,<BR>>=20 aren't we what the studies are about? Adult learners can do many=20 things<BR>> that we are not given credit for doing. Some adult = learners=20 who are<BR>> dyslexic have the ability to look at things from a = different=20 perspective<BR>> and have a wisdom that is not measured by any = written=20 test. Adult<BR>> learners are able to change airplanes in = O'Hare=20 Airport in Chicago, find<BR>> our way around in large strange cities = and we=20 work and pay taxes. We<BR>> have unique life experiences that only we = can=20 bring to share with the<BR>> research projects. As taxpayers = and voters=20 let's see that the Adult<BR>> Education & Literacy System of the = United=20 States is properly funded and<BR>> that it is regarded as an = important part=20 of our education system.<BR>><BR>> Archie Willard<BR>> = President=20 Emeritus of VALUE<BR>><BR>><BR></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_009F_01C118DF.755EB840--
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Jan 18 2002 - 11:33:07 EST