Thanks, David for summarizing the discussion on what is community literacy.  Thought it would be helpful to share one state's perspective. Georgia has defined community literacy in its statewide Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP) http://www.dtae.org/adultlit/clcp.html, "The Certified Literate Community Program (CLCP) promotes literacy in Georgia by involving entire communities. By making literacy a community-wide commitment, a broad variety of community resources are mobilized to promote and support literacy training. The CLCP is a business-education-government partnership resulting in improved literacy levels of children, families, and workers in an entire community.

The purpose of the CLCP is to harness the power of communities. It addresses the twin challenges of scarce adult literacy funding and the need to recruit adult students in greater numbers. The CLCP is important because it enables communities to improve their literacy rates, fosters a collaborative approach and mobilizes all community resources to fight illiteracy. The program began in 1990 with five pilot communities. Currently the CLCP has 56 programs: 42 Participants and 14 Certified Literate Communities. Approximately twenty-five other communities are in various stages of organizing programs."

The state provides guidelines and a process for communities to follow, support to local communities, and accountability through its certification process. Each CLCP begins with a community-wide literacy needs assessment. As a result of the needs assessments, CLCPs establish goals for serving adults with literacy needs over a ten-year period. 

We profiled one of the CLCP communities at http://www.c-pal.net/profiles/georgia.html.

Kathy


On Wednesday, June 27, 2007 7:47 AM, David J. Rosen <djrosen at comcast.net> wrote:

>

> What is Community Adult and Family Literacy?

> 

>I am going to attempt a summary of the discussion so far on

>community literacy definitions by suggesting four different but

>in some cases related or overlapping definitions.  Beneath each

>definition I have included selected comments from guests or

>subscribers. Following the four definitions are other

>discussion comments on definitions, including several about

>what these different perspectives may have in common.

> 

>1) From an adult and family literacy provider perspective:

> 

>• an effort in a community, through the collaboration,

>partnership, or coalition of a wide range of stake holders to

>raise adult and family literacy to a top priority in all neighborhoods, for all residents.

>  

>• not just a collection of literacy providers but an

>adequately-funded system of adult and family literacy services at the community level

> 

>“Community Literacy is the level of literacy in the community.

>It includes the levels of both children and adults. It includes

>all the venues that provide some type of literacy service. The

>general public primarily thinks of the school system. The array

>of providers and the sites where instruction occurs is vast. In

>my community both the public and private sectors provide

>services. This includes schools, community based organizations,

>hospitals, health clinics, colleges, prisons, businesses,

>childcare centers, churches, synagogues, libraries, homes,

>among others. We are all stake holders because current

>community literacy levels impact us all.” (Carl Guerriere)

> 

>“...the practice of infusing literacy throughout neighborhoods

>in an effort to build healthy communities and strengthen

>families.  It encourages dialogue around shared problem-solving

>that leads to initiatives to raise literacy levels.  Community

>literacy unites communities to promote the vision of 100

>percent literacy through 100 percent community engagement.  It

>includes all family members and all community stakeholders in

>a collaborative effort to promote personal success, economic,

>educational and social justice.” (Margaret Doughty)

> 

>“If we believe in educational equity the concept of 100 percent

>literacy is critical to our vision for the future.  In many

>communities I hear benchmark discussion taking place leading

>incrementally toward a community wide vision.  The idea of

>setting community benchmarks to increase literacy levels by 5%

>or 25% is very commendable but what happens to those who fall

>outside that target?  When does literacy get raised to a top

>priority where the value of education is elevated throughout

>all neighborhoods because individuals and families have

>evidence that it does make a difference?....This is where

>community literacy can make its mark.  Community literacy

>cannot just be a collection of providers if it to make

>substantive change.  It must be a ‘system’ as you suggest

>David.  The cities that have developed community literacy plans

>have involved all sectors and stakeholders in the planning

>process, have included learners of all ages, and have embraced

>the concept of community wide literacy infusion.  With a

>blueprint to guide progress there is also a framework to move

>away from reliance on vertical silos and collaborate

>horizontally across program types and funding streams.  This

>includes all levels from block clubs to neighborhood centers,

>zip code projects to city halls and business board rooms. 

>Where each stakeholder endorses and implements a part of the

>plan and funders align their giving to support specific goals

>in the plan ownership can begin to belong to the community at

>large.  In the early 1990’s there were only a dozen or so

>literacy coalitions.  There are currently over 75 that I know

>of and probably many more that are working to position literacy

>as a top community priority, some very successfully.” (Margaret Doughty)

> 

>“One of the key goals of community literacy is to help

>position literacy at the top of the community's agenda so that

>everyone will understand that one of the best ways to address

>crime, poverty, teen pregnancy and so many other social issues

>is through making literacy resources and programs available to

>all those with limited literacy and English skills.

> 

>Key community literacy stake holders include business, the

>media, literacy providers, local education

>institutions, government, chambers of commerce, faith-based

>organizations, civic clubs among others.”

>(Darlene Kostrub)

> 

>2) From a social change perspective, one that includes literacy

>(reading, writing, ESL/ESOL, numeracy) as a part or tool of the

>community change process, how students, teachers and community

>organizations can work together to improve the lives of people

>in the community, for example by reducing education inequities,

>reducing discrimination, improving worker conditions, changing

>community power relationships, etc.

> 

>“

partnerships between individual classes and community

>organizations doing work on issues of interest to the students.

>These included partner organizations working on housing

>discrimination and day labor issues. The classes developed

>their language and literacy skills as they learned about and

>worked on those issues (resulting in a bilingual video about

>housing discrimination and a community survey on labor issues –

>data used to supplement policy papers).” (Andy Nash)

> 

>3) From a public policy perspective, a (large-scale) strategy

>in a community, through increasing literacy to accomplish other

>community policy goals like reducing crime, easing re-entry

>into the community for released inmates, increasing workforce

>preparedness and employment, supporting family

>self-sufficiency, improving community health, etc.

> 

>“On top of that, our Literacy Coalition just launched

>officially in the last year.  One of the big challenges we face

>is answering the question for community leaders "why should I

>care?"  We really do need proof that this will indeed impact

>crime, families, businesses, etc. “ (Rene Greer)

> 

>“The adult education and literacy community has been saying for

>years that its work is the key to healthy families,

>communities, and businesses.  We have the data to show that this is true. (Jose L. Cruz)

> 

>4) In the design of literacy services, community literacy

>includes the full-range of support services that community members need to succeed.

> 

>“Designing literacy support services for people in a human

>context should work better than designing services for people

>who are being fitted into rigid and changeable funding

>contexts, or into competitive provider-driven definitions of

>services.” (Amanda Leslie-Spinks)

> 

>Other Comments:

>  

>“Is it possible to come up with a useful definition that

>encompasses both of these things: shared priority of literacy

>development within  communities and literacy in service to the

>community?....What they might have in common is that they both

>suggest some kind of relationship between literacy development

>and community needs and goals.” (Jeff Carter)

> 

>“

literacy instruction that supports the development and growth

>of healthy communities. “ (Jeff Carter)

> 

>“

a way to get people thinking about the role/impact of  their

>literacy work in their respective communities, and for 

>communities to think about how literacy impacts their community.” (Jeff Carter)

>             

>“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.”

>(Kathy Chernus)

>

>

> David J. Rosen

>Special Topics Discussion Moderator

>djrosen at comcast.net

>

>

>

>

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

>National Institute for Literacy

>Special Topics mailing list

>SpecialTopics at nifl.gov

>To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go

>to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/SpecialTopics

>Email delivered to kchernus at mprinc.com

>