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The Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy has published two
new research briefs examining (1) the involvement of adult learners in
programmatic decision making in adult and family literacy and (2) the
consequences of policy changes in funding and welfare requirements for 10
family literacy programs in Pennsylvania. Summaries and links are
included below. <br><br>
Esther<br><br>
<br>
<b>Moving towards Participatory Adult Education: Involving Family
Literacy Students in Meaningful Leadership Experiences<br>
</b>Blaire Willson Toso, Esther Prins, Brendaly Drayton, Ramazan Gungor,
and Edith Gnanadass<br>
<a href="http://www.ed.psu.edu/goodlinginstitute/pdf/Research_Brief_4_Final.pdf" eudora="autourl">
http://www.ed.psu.edu/goodlinginstitute/pdf/Research_Brief_4_Final.pdf<br>
<br>
</a><b>Key Findings<br>
</b>Although adult educators espouse values such as inclusion and
ownership,<br>
adult learners seldom play a substantive role in programmatic<br>
decision making. This collaborative research project explored family<br>
literacy participants’ experiences in their program’s parent
advisory<br>
council (PAC). The study shows that involvement in the PAC enhanced<br>
program effectiveness, increased learners’ investment in the
program,<br>
and fostered capacities that learners transferred to personal,
educational,<br>
and social domains. However, learners had little or no influence<br>
over some programmatic areas. In sum, giving learners a meaningful<br>
say in programmatic and curricular matters can prepare them to<br>
exercise more control over decisions in their lives and communities.<br>
This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the benefits and<br>
challenges of student leadership in adult basic and literacy
education,<br>
insights that can assist teachers and administrators in creating
programs<br>
of, by, and for adult learners.<br><br>
<b>Key Implications<br>
</b>This study underscores the importance of providing adult learners
with<br>
opportunities for leadership and substantive decision making. Since<br>
staff members often maintain control over which decisions and<br>
changes learners can make, it is important to consider why
particular<br>
decisions should be open or off-limits to student input and to
communicate<br>
this clearly to participants. Educators should also consider how<br>
best to develop leadership among learners (e.g., election or
assignment<br>
of leadership roles) and, whenever possible, negotiate this process<br>
with participants. Finally, staff need to recognize that
participatory<br>
learning can be co-opted: If participation is used only to give the<br>
illusion or feeling of control, it merely reinforces inequitable
power<br>
relationships and increases people’s cynicism about so-called
participatory<br>
processes.<br><br>
<br>
<b>Changes in Family Literacy Funding and Welfare Policy: Consequences
for Pennsylvania Family Literacy Programs<br>
</b>Esther Prins and Ramazan Gungor<br>
<a href="http://www.ed.psu.edu/goodlinginstitute/pdf/Research_Brief_5_Final.pdf" eudora="autourl">
http://www.ed.psu.edu/goodlinginstitute/pdf/Research_Brief_5_Final.pdf<br>
<br>
</a><b>Key Findings<br><br>
</b><font face="Arial, Helvetica">Due to federal budget cuts in 2005-06,
11 family literacy programs in<br>
Pennsylvania switched from federal Even Start to state (Act 143)
funding.<br>
Simultaneously, state welfare requirements stipulated that in most
circumstances<br>
adult education is not an allowable work activity for welfare
recipients<br>
over age 20. This study examined how these policy changes affected<br>
10 Pennsylvania family literacy programs. The study reveals that the
combination<br>
of these policy changes, coupled with the need to meet state<br>
standards, created distinctive challenges for programs, especially in
student<br>
recruitment. Secondly, the effects of the policies were mediated by
factors<br>
such as program size, structure, and geographic location, local
infrastructure<br>
(e.g., transportation), and program participants’ characteristics.
Thirdly,<br>
the Act 143 and welfare policies had numerous, unintended ripple
effects,<br>
affecting multiple programmatic areas and transcending the boundaries
of<br>
government agencies. Fourthly, the findings show that the effects of
policy<br>
changes are diverse and contradictory, simultaneously opening some
opportunities<br>
while foreclosing others. Finally, the study illustrates the
creative,<br>
resourceful ways that family literacy professionals respond to shifting
policies.<br><br>
</font><b>Key Implications<br><br>
</b><font face="Arial, Helvetica">The awareness that changes in funding
and other government policies are<br>
routine, coupled with the adoption of innovative strategies, can
enable<br>
family literacy and adult education programs to adapt to
unanticipated<br>
changes in state and federal policies. Program directors advocated
increasing<br>
alignment between state and federal family literacy guidelines and<br>
reporting systems and allowing state-funded family literacy programs
to<br>
serve dual-enrolled students and teen parents in school and to apply
for<br>
state funds for which they are currently ineligible. Directors
underscored<br>
the importance of education in enabling welfare recipients to acquire
and<br>
retain higher-wage employment. Policy recommendations included
counting<br>
adult education as a core activity; setting realistic expectations for
the<br>
time required to obtain a GED; providing financial support to pursue
education<br>
after finding work; increasing coordination between state welfare<br>
and education agencies; and ensuring that education and welfare
regulations<br>
do not penalize families for being poor.<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br>
Esther Prins<br>
Assistant Professor and Co-Director<br>
<i>Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy
</i>(<a href="http://www.ed.psu.edu/goodlinginstitute" eudora="autourl">
http://www.ed.psu.edu/goodlinginstitute</a>)<br>
<i>Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy
</i>(<a href="http://www.ed.psu.edu/isal" eudora="autourl">
http://www.ed.psu.edu/isal</a>)<br><br>
Adult Education Program, Dept. of Learning & Performance Systems<br>
Pennsylvania State University<br>
305B Keller Building<br>
University Park, PA 16802<br>
814-865-0597<br>
814-865-0128 (fax)<br>
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