Hello from the Londer Learning Center--we're one of the centers profiled in the Community Partnerships in Adult Learning study. We're a center that works exclusively with adults who have been released from prison or jail (and who are on parole/probation), as well as with adults engaged in substance abuse treatment or under court supervision of some sort. Heidi is correct in mentioning a common goal. In our case, we've had very successful partnerships due to a common goal--re-entry and rehabilitation. 

We are fully funded by county-operated community corrections, so our partners are judges and POs, but also all the local drug/alcohol treatment centers. Improving their education is a way for our high-risk adults in transition to change their lives--not only in developing skills, but also due to the "pro-social" involvement that a school setting provides, and all the interpersonal skills gained in such a setting. The community colleges and local one-stops also support our work as they cannot provide the services we do to such clientele. 

Unfortunately, it is often difficult for our county to see our unique "public safety" role. Every year when budgets are drawn, we are on a list of programs to be cut. However, it is the support of our community partners that ultimately saves us (so far) from the budgetary axe.  The treatment centers and one-stops are exceptionally vocal in saying that this educational service is vital to the re-entry and rehabilitation efforts that everyone is engaged in.

Carole Scholl
Manager, Londer Learning Center
Multnomah County Dept. of Community Justice
Portland, Oregon
http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/dcj/acjlonder.shtml



-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Wrigley, Heide
Sent: Monday, June 25, 2007 5:21 PM
To: Kathy Chernus; specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 348] models of successful collaboration?


Hi, Kathy! Nice to see you on-line. 

Kathy is there a particular community that stands out in your study as having a particularly successful collaboration? I'm knee deep in issues around immigrant integration and I wonder what particular approaches create a win-win situation for all community partners. 

I'm aware of partnerships that are in name only, as everyone gets together ostensibly to collaborate but then nothing much happens beyond talk. As a panelist at the Spokane conference on transitions mentioned (and I paraphrase)"agencies often want others to collaborate but are unwilling to give on turf issues. The message sent is - we'll be happy to use your money to do something special, but we need all of our monies to do what we are already doing. Partners need to realize that on some issues you come out ahead in a collaboration and in others you don't."

The question is of course for the entire list: What does it take to build successful partnerships around a common goal and what are examples of partnerships that work because there is significant "value added" through the collaboration that results in better opportunities for community members. 

Cheers 

Heide 

Heide Spruck Wrigley 
LiteracyWork International 
Mesilla, New Mexico 

-----Original Message-----
From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Kathy Chernus
Sent: Monday, June 25, 2007 12:53 PM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 341] Re: Community Literacy Discussion Begins

Hi everyone. David, thank you for convening this discussion and inviting me to participate.  

In the Community Partnerships for Adult Learning (C-PAL) study of community partnerships that support adult education, we found that community literacy looks quite different from community to community (see http://www.c-pal.net/profiles/index.html).  For example, there are a variety of types of organizations that partner and may include one or several providers; they may serve a specific population or anyone in the community with adult literacy or English language and literacy needs; some have formal agreements but others have no infrastructure. That said, they share a common commitment to adult learners in need of literacy services. Many recognize the connections between adult literacy, workforce development, and economic development.  The purpose of these partnerships is to increase the availability and quality of adult education and other literacy services.

In the partnerships we studied, the partners who come together to support adult literacy include: adult education providers (local school systems, community colleges, libraries, community-based and faith-based organizations, public housing facilities, correctional facilities, etc.), businesses, state and local government, workforce development and social service agencies, public housing facilities, and other community organizations.

Hope this is helpful.

Kathy Chernus


On Sunday, June 24, 2007 7:29 PM, David J. Rosen <djrosen at comcast.net> wrote:

>

>Dear Community Literacy Discussion Colleague,

>

>

>On Monday we begin a discussion of adult and family community literacy. 

>First I would like to thank our guests: Margaret Doughty, Carl 

>Guerriere, Petrice Sams- Abiodun, Darlene Kostrub, Jeff Carter, and 

>Kathy Chernus. You can learn more about them by going to 

>http://tinyurl.com/23nvye )

>

>

>Here's how the National Institute for Literacy Special Topics 

>discussion list works:

>

>

>* A discussion opens and a few days later it closes.  Between 

>discussions there are usually no messages posted until the next 

>discussion is ready to begin.

>

>

>* A discussion is carried on by e-mail. As a subscriber all of the 

>messages will be sent to your e-mail.  These might include information, 

>questions, replies to questions, comments and expansions, further 

>explanations, requests for more detail, comments on other perspectives, 

>and more. Sometimes a discussion with guests consists of just questions 

>to the guests and their answers, but I will try to encourage real 

>discussion, especially since we have other experts in community 

>literacy among our participants.

>

>

>* You will probably get a lot of e-mail from the Special Topics 

>discussion list each day for the next five days!  You might decide to 

>skim the messages, read through the ones that especially interest you, 

>and save the rest to read later. Every message is also archived at 

>http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2007/date.html

>

>

>* You can get all the day's postings in one message each day, in 

>"digest format".  To find out how you can set your subscription to do 

>that, go to 

>http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/help/help_mailman.html#digest

>

>

>* When you want to send a message, email it to specialtopics at nifl.gov 

>and it will go out to everyone who has subscribed. Please check before 

>you send it that the Subject line of the message is correct for your 

>message, that is, if your message is a continuation of a discussion 

>strand, leave it as is; however, if you are introducing a new topic or 

>strand, then give it a Subject title that concisely and accurately

>reflects the new content area of your message.

>

>

>We have several hundred people who are subscribed for this discussion, 

>so we won't do introductions of participants. The bios at 

>http://tinyurl.com/23nvye are your introductions to our guests.  We 

>have a lot of questions to discuss this week -- and you may want to 

>post more questions -- so we'll get started now with the questions 

>below to our quests.

>

>

>We'll begin by discussing what Community Literacy is.  There will be 

>many variations on the definition, of course, and definitions in this 

>discussion will focus on adult and family community literacy, not just 

>schools reaching out to engage parents in the literacy of their 

>children.

>

>

>I would like to ask our guests to address the following question from 

>their experience, from research,  and/or from their professional 

>wisdom:

>

>

>What is Community Literacy?

> 

>* What does community adult and family literacy mean?

> 

>* What are the purposes and goals of community literacy?

> 

>* Why is community literacy important?

> 

>* Typically, who are the key community literacy stake holders?

>

>

>On Tuesday we will go on to this question:  How are Community Literacy 

>Coalitions Developed and Sustained? I will also post subscribers' 

>messages from Monday with their thoughts about what community literacy 

>is.

>

>

>David J. Rosen

>Special Topics Discussion Moderator

>djrosen at comcast.net

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>-------------------------------

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>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to 

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>Email delivered to kchernus at mprinc.com

>


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