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<DIV>Ms. Cuttler: This sounds like a great model for other organizations
wanting to provide the same services in other parts of the country. Would you be
willing to share documentation so that other organizations would not have to
reinvent the wheel?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Thanks!</DIV>
<DIV>Susan Landrum</DIV>
<DIV>VISTA volunteer</DIV>
<DIV>Central Georgia Technical College</DIV>
<DIV><A href="mailto:salandrum@aol.com">salandrum@aol.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 11/18/2008 11:33:30 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
l.cuttler@comcast.net writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>Thank
you, Christy, for asking probing questions that could form the basis of a
concerted nationwide strategy to fix this old problem. <BR><BR>The basic
premise: teachers leave schools of education unprepared to teach 20% of
the population with dyslexia. <BR><BR> Even teachers with credentials to
teach special education classes do not receive Orton-Gillingham based
preparation. Any teachers desiring that preparation must find it from
the resources of the International Dyslexia Association. <BR>Therefore,
it is appropriate for schools of education to give teachers all the tools they
need - a thorough preparation in phonemic awareness and phonological
awareness. <BR><BR>Further, experience as founder of a volunteer organization,
Project Literacy/Outreach, Inc., we created volunteer tutors in a 21 hour
course to deliver O-G remediation to an underserved population. This
501-C-3 nonprofit provided all serves for free. It existed from 1986
until 2004, when I moved to San Francisco from Glen Cove, NY. <BR><BR>That
organization proved it is not money, but a teaching method, that opens the
door to literacy. <BR><BR>A cost-effective training method would result in
reducing special ed classroom populations and save - not only anguish - but
money. <BR><BR>Can we consider a strategy to reduce illiteracy by
providing all children with well-prepared teachers, with tools to teach all of
the children - not only 80% These teachers then would be totally
prepared for the task of teaching reading starting K-2.
<BR><BR>Just imagine the changes if school district by school district we
effected this idea. <BR><BR>Lucille Cuttler
<BR><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From:
learningdisabilities-bounces@nifl.gov<BR>[mailto:learningdisabilities-bounces@nifl.gov]On
Behalf Of Christy<BR>Breihan<BR>Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 7:11
AM<BR>To: learningdisabilities@nifl.gov<BR>Subject: [LearningDisabilities
2563] Re: [SPAM?] Thinking about the NIFL<BR><BR><BR>I agree with Lucille that
we need effective teacher training, but if it<BR>is being done somewhere, then
presumably it should be having some<BR>measurable effect on the communities to
which these well-trained<BR>teachers have been assigned. So my question
is, aside from the<BR>correspondents to this site who claim success with their
methods, are<BR>there "pockets of progress" anywhere in this country where
teacher<BR>training and research-based methods are boosting the literacy
levels of<BR>communities in a measurable and sustainable way? Are there any
teacher<BR>training or research institutions that can be shown to be having
a<BR>positive effect on their communities? Do the numerous centers
for<BR>special needs support, often represented at conferences I attend,
reach<BR>beyond their own clientele to influence teachers at
neighboring<BR>institutions? Are there partnerships between universities and
school<BR>districts or adult learning programs that are devising a
promising<BR>blueprint for others to emulate? Or are we all on our own in a
world<BR>where success is increasingly based on connectedness?<BR>Christy
Breihan<BR>ABE Instructor, Milwaukee<BR><BR><BR>>>>
<tsticht@znet.com> 11/17/08 5:35 PM
>>><BR>Colleagues:<BR><BR>In July 1991, the President of the United
States signed Public Law<BR>102-73<BR>which, among other things, established
the National Institute for<BR>Literacy<BR>(NIFL). The law called on the NIFL
to conduct basic and applied research<BR>and demonstrations. Though the actual
agenda for the NIFL was not<BR>specified, examples of questions to be
addressed were given. These<BR>included:<BR><BR>1. How do adults
learn to read and write and acquire other skills<BR>(listening, speaking,
reasoning, etc.)?<BR>2. How does the literacy level of the
parents affect the skills<BR>development<BR>and schooling of the parent’s
children?<BR>3. What are better ways to assess literacy
skills?<BR>4. How can better instructional programs be
developed?<BR>5. What are good methods for assisting adults and
families to<BR>acquire<BR>literacy skills, including the use of technology;
methods for adults<BR>with<BR>special learning needs (learning disabilities),
and limited English<BR>proficient (LEP) adults?<BR>6. How can the
most disadvantaged be effectively reached and
taught<BR>literacy<BR>skills?<BR>7. How can technology be used to
instruct and to increase the<BR>knowledge<BR>base?<BR>8. How can
research effort of others be built on?<BR>9. How can the field
attract, train and retrain professional
and<BR>volunteer<BR>teachers?<BR><BR>We are now nearing the end of 2008, some
18 years after the NIFL was<BR>established, and I am wondering what adult
literacy professionals think<BR>of<BR>these questions: were they appropriate
for the work of the NIFL, if so,<BR>how<BR>well have they been addressed, and
if there were other questions that<BR>took<BR>priority and were addressed by
the NIFL, and how any one or all of these<BR>activities have improved the
field of adult literacy education up to<BR>now.<BR><BR>Some adult literacy
advocates have called for changing the present<BR>NIFL’s<BR>focus on lifelong
learning of literacy from birth through adulthood, and<BR>returning it to its
original focus on adult literacy education. Is this<BR>a<BR>good
idea?<BR><BR>What do you think the NIFL should be doing to advance the field
of adult<BR>literacy education that it is not doing now?<BR><BR>Tom
Sticht<BR><BR>----------------------------------------------------<BR>National
Institute for Literacy<BR>Learning Disabilities mailing
list<BR>LearningDisabilities@nifl.gov<BR>To unsubscribe or change your
subscription settings, please go
to<BR>http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/learningdisabilities<BR>Email
delivered to
breihanc@matc.edu<BR><BR>----------------------------------------------------<BR>National
Institute for Literacy<BR>Learning Disabilities mailing
list<BR>LearningDisabilities@nifl.gov<BR>To unsubscribe or change your
subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/learningdisabilities<BR>Email delivered
to
l.cuttler@comcast.net<BR><BR>----------------------------------------------------<BR>National
Institute for Literacy<BR>Learning Disabilities mailing
list<BR>LearningDisabilities@nifl.gov<BR>To unsubscribe or change your
subscription settings, please go to
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/learningdisabilities<BR>Email delivered
to salandrum@aol.com</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV CLASS="aol_ad_footer" ID="dd2ff870a6e5ac5652601bf17947bed6"><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px"><a href="http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100000075x1212774565x1200812037/aol?redir=http://toolbar.aol.com/moviefone/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown00000001">Get the Moviefone Toolbar</a>. Showtimes, theaters, movie news & more!</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>