I agree, it's a great idea and badly needed. We found that demonstrating community-based literacy outcomes was one of the most challenging issues for the partnerships we studied. Partners find it difficult to collect and use data because required reporting takes place on multiple and incompatible data systems (i.e.g the NRS, WIA I, TANF, local and state reporting systems, etc.). As a result, the partnerships generally aren't able to document how many more learners received services because of the partnership, changes in the economic well-being of their communities, nor pinpoint and address problems or gaps in services. Client confidentiality issues also impede sharing of data among partners, an issue that affects no only reporting and data collection but also coordination of services. 

The businesses that are helping us develop the Community Partnerships Guide for Businesses have said that the type of evidence described by Jon and Heide is necessary to encourage more businesses to become involved in adult literacy.

Thanks everyone. Kathy

On Friday, June 29, 2007 4:59 PM, Louise Wiener <lwiener at llfinc.org> wrote:

>What a great idea this is!  Incorporating literacy into broader community

>scales may really be critical to gaining broader understanding

>and support.

>

>-- 

>Louise W. Wiener, Chairman of the Board

>    Learning and Leadership in Families

>    2701 12th Street NE

>    Washington, DC 20018

>

>    Mobile Phone: 301-213-6516

>    Office Phone: 202-243-7783

>    Website: www.LLFinc.org

>    Email: lwiener at LLFinc.org

>

>    United Way / CFC # 8981

>On 6/29/07 4:43 PM, "Wrigley, Heide" <heide at literacywork.com>

>wrote:

>

>> Hi, Jon and others - I think developing sustainability indicators and

>> then measuring change along various dimensions is an excellent idea. In

>> the evaluations for AmeriCorps, we looked at the contributions that

>> literacy providers made to the overall health of a community, since

>> literacy couldn't very well take credit for all positive changes in a

>> community. 

>> 

>> In the last few years, we've been working with the California Community

>> Development Matrix (developed in Minnesota originally, I believe). This

>> matrix offers a scale continuum along which which community members may

>> fall. The continuum ranges from "in crisis" to "thriving" with various

>> points in between (vulnerable, stable). The matrix addresses various

>> dimensions (health, housing, employment)and contains a matrix with

>> descriptors for each level. While "education" is included, literacy (or

>> English language proficiency is not).

>> 

>> I think scales and rubrics of this sort can be adapted to include

>> literacy and English proficiency and your example of the social

>> indicators are a great example of how literacy can be made visible as

>> one factor that contributes to community health

>> 

>> Cheers 

>> 

>> Heide

>> 

>> Heide Spruck Wrigley

>> New Mexico  

>> 

>> -----Original Message-----

>> From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov

>> [mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Jon Engel

>> Sent: Friday, June 29, 2007 11:20 AM

>> To: specialtopics at nifl.gov

>> Subject: [SpecialTopics 414] Re: What would be required to measure

>> CommunityLiteracy Impact?

>> 

>> Good Afternoon,

>> 

>> Measuring literacy levels across communities is indeed difficult.  I

>> know of

>> no other resources other than thee census and NALS/NAAL.  However,

>> Austin

>> and Central Texas has a really great project that I wonder if other

>> communities might have.

>> 

>> It is called the Central Texas Sustainability Indicators Project, and it

>> releases a data report every other year.  The report has developed

>> "sustainability indicators" across several domains such as public

>> safety,

>> education and children, social equity, civic engagement, economy,

>> health,

>> environment, and land use and mobility.  The report utilizes hard data

>> sources and a locally designed phone survey.

>> 

>> The 2006 reported that 30% of the population reported that they felt

>> limited

>> "a great deal" by their lack of English proficiency in their day to day

>> activities.  The report stated that the trend was "worsening" and that

>> the

>> community needed to "take action".

>> 

>> You should be able to see the report at www.centex-indicators.org

>> 

>> Jon Engel

>> 

>> 

>> -----Original Message-----

>> From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov

>> [mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov]

>> On Behalf Of Janet Isserlis

>> Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2007 8:11 AM

>> To: specialtopics at nifl.gov

>> Subject: [SpecialTopics 394] Re: What would be required to measure

>> Community

>> Literacy Impact?

>> 

>> David and all,

>> 

>> Interesting question.  Without rehashing the complex arguments and

>> elements

>> of the 'validity' of the NALS or NAAL, I'm wondering if folks working

>> in,

>> say, health or community development/housing - have formal or informal

>> measures of the literacy strengths of their constituents.

>> 

>> In other words, does the fact that service providers/community workers

>> might

>> proactively utilize plain language (because plain language, like

>> universal

>> design, is just good for everyone),  multiple languages (brochures,

>> posters,

>> etc) and otherwise might be thinking about literacy and communication

>> issues

>> -- does all of this indicate a sense of communities' literacy abilities

>> AND

>> a sense of the critical need to be mindful of literacy/communication

>> across

>> service provision areas?

>> 

>> I realize this is not gold standard science, but I am curious to see if

>> there has been any shift in communication by service providers.  As

>> well,

>> how does literacy happen all the time away from literacy provision?

>> (Think

>> New Literacy Studies - Hamilton, Barton; think  (Arlene) Hannah

>> Fingeret's

>> social networks, think community literacy itself.

>> 

>> Community literacy maybe encompasses communities' strengths and

>> abilities so

>> that communities themselves have access, options, and (?) degrees of

>> power?

>> 

>> This, of course, is difficult to measure.

>> 

>> Janet Isserlis

>> 

>>> From: "David J. Rosen" <djrosen at comcast.net>

>>> Reply-To: <specialtopics at nifl.gov>

>>> Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 07:48:23 -0400

>>> To: <specialtopics at nifl.gov>

>>> Subject: [SpecialTopics 393] What would be required to measure

>> Community

>>> Literacy Impact?

>>> 

>>> Community Literacy Colleagues,

>>> 

>>> Since we are looking at outcomes and impact of community literacy

>>> today, let's consider what a city would need to measure the impact of

>>> a major citywide community literacy effort.  One important measure

>>> might be the literacy level of city residents.  At present, the only

>>> ways I am aware of to measure that for adults are:

>>> 

>>> 1) Census data,  and

>>> 2) The NALS or NAAL

>>> 

>>> The census, however,  measures the years of school completed, not the

>>> adult literacy level. The NALS, NAAL, and the next national

>>> assessment, each measure a scientific sample of adults, but so far

>>> this assessment has not been conducted in cities, only in a handful

>>> states, and it is costly -- several hundred thousand dollars, I

>>> believe.  Are there other adult literacy assessments that we should

>>> be aware of that measure a random sample residents -- not just those

>>> enrolled in programs? Are there plans for a new -- or modified

>>> assessment -- a new urban NAAL, for example -- that could meet this

>>> need?

>>> 

>>> David J. Rosen

>>> Special Topics Discussion Leader

>>> djrosen at comcast.net

>>> 

>>> 

>>> David J. Rosen

>>> djrosen at comcast.net

>>> 

>>> 

>>> 

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

>>> National Institute for Literacy

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>>> Email delivered to janet_isserlis at brown.edu

>> 

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>> Email delivered to jengel at communityaction.com

>> 

>> 

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>> 

>

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