Eric (and All), 
I also found that incarcerated people in literacy programs are quite 
literate. In a study I did a few years back I was surprised to find that, 
except for participants in the lowest reading group (word recognition 
scores at about 1st grade level, and very slow reading rates) all others 
reported reading outside of class as much as 6 hours a week or more. (Even 
those at the lowest reading levels that had a bit stronger reading rate 
scores were active readers.) One mother ? also in the lowest reading group 
? regularly wrote letters home in her effort to hold the family together. 
Another (male) literacy learner, who really struggled with print, said he 
read (USA Today, magazines) 3-4 hours every night. Not to say that these 
literacy practices always came easily to them, but their literacy 
practices certainly defied the stereotypical image of ?illiteracy!? 

And I agree they present opportunities for outside of school programs such 
as book clubs and discussion groups. There is a fathers group at one of 
our federal prison in Allenwood PA, that formed out of the parenting 
class. Because the teacher established a culture of dignity and trust (as 
John Gordon so eloquently described), the men began opening up and talking 
about the pressing issues facing their children, spouses, and parents back 
home. They found this conversation so helpful they took it upon themselves 
(with the support of the staff) to create the fathers group that met one 
evening a week in the school. One of the men told me that he never 
identified as a father until some others from the fathering group urged 
him to come to their meetings; now his responsibilities as a father were 
the defining purpose for how he was doing time. Another told me, ?The 
thing I will miss most about prison when I go home will be the support I 
receive from this (fathers) group.?  (Miss? about prison?)

Footnote to John Gordon:
I love your suggest to bring us together. The Correctional Education 
Association provides one important forum for this. I wonder others would 
be interested if we created a strand in next summer?s international 
meeting?  Of course, David, we?d love for you to fund something to, 
please.  :) 

This has been such a good exchange. It would be good to know who the 
participants are, which systems they work with/in, & types of populations 
& settings...
-Bill




David Rosen <djrosen at comcast.net> 
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09/21/2006 06:52 AM
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Subject
[SpecialTopics 223] Community education for inmates who are released






Hello Colleagues,

I would like our guests -- and others -- to explore some other 
challenging questions:

1. One of the characteristics of a successful prison education 
program (Gerber and Fritsch,  and Luiden and Perry) is follow-up with 
inmates after release.  Can you describe some models that do this 
well, and that lead to released prisoners continuing their education 
in the community?

2.  Do you know of examples of prisons or jails that invite community 
education programs to provide basic education inside so that when 
inmates are released there is continuity with the community education 
program outside? Can you tell us about how the model(s) works?

3. Is there any way that a web-based learning system could be offered 
to prisoners for self study inside that they could continue to use 
outside in a library, community technology center or at a community 
education program? I know that prisons and jails cannot offer 
Internet access, but are there any examples of a version of a web 
site being run on an internal server, in the prison, offering 
(nearly) the same experience as the user would have with internet 
access to the web site?

I hope others will continue to post their questions and comments. 
Steve Steurer plans to join us tomorrow or Monday, and the discussion 
continues through Tuesday.

Those who have just joined us, and others, the postings in this 
discussion are archived at

http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2006/date.html

If you would like to know more about other National Institute for 
Literacy-sponsored discussion lists, you will find information at

http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2006/date.html


David J. Rosen
Special Topics discussion Moderator
djrosen at comcast.net





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