Hi everyone. Re: David's question #4, "What is the relationship of community literacy to workforce literacy, workforce development, 'healthy communities' initiatives, and transition to higher education?"...a few thoughts before our discussion comes to a close for now.

I think community literacy is closely linked to workforce literacy, workforce development and economic development, and postsecondary education. We saw these connections in many of the communities we visited.  For example, the Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy (WAGE), through partnerships with South Arkansas Community College, the One-Stop Center, the Workforce Investment Board, the state departments of employment security, human services, and economic development, the Chamber of Commerce, and local employers, provides employment-related education to learners and upgrades the skills of incumbent workers. WAGE blends best practices from adult education, workforce training, and economic development. WAGE awards employability certificates recognized as “a ticket to a job” by participants and “an inspection sticker” by employers. For more information on the WAGE partnership, see http://www.c-pal.net/profiles/arkansas.html. 

Two other examples of partnerships driven by explicit workforce and economic development concerns are the Houston County Certified Literate Community Program in Houston County, GA, http://www.c-pal.net/profiles/georgia.html, and the Midlands Literacy Initiative (now the Education, Jobs & Life Skills Community Council of the United Way of the Midlands) in Richland, Fairfield, Lexington, and Newberry Counties, South Carolina, http://www.c-pal.net/profiles/full_profiles/sc_index.html. 

Jefferson County Public Schools Adult and Continuing Education in Louisville, KY, is a lead partner in Louisville's Workforce Education Initiative (the WE Initiative). Its ambitious mission is "to increase the skills and education attainment levels across the board, from GEDs to PhDs, of the people in our community." It has the involvement and support of the Kentucky Adult Educatio, the state Council on Postsecondary Education, leaders and representatives from local government, businesses, faith-based organizations, community agencies, and workforce development organizations. WE's goals include building a workforce development system capable of responding quickly to the needs of employers locating or expanding in the greater Louisville area and to "deliver a quantum change," rather than incremental improvements, in Louisville's educational attainment levels.

Understanding clearly that no one institution can take on the task alone, they see collaboration as the way to achieve their goals and develop a stable infrastructure capable of surviving inevitable funding and leadership changes. They believe that the WE Initiative "has the potential to help create a true workforce development 'system' that is responsive to the needs of individuals—rather than the 'patchwork quilt' of opportunities" that exists now. For more information on the WE Initiative, see http://www.c-pal.net/profiles/kentucky.html.

As Daphne suggested, I hope we have an opportunity to continue this discussion and address this question and many others that we didn't get a chance to talk about in more depth. I agree with Daphne's conclusion that "community literacy may be the way to finally get the type of attention so many of us in the field seek from policy makers and funders."

Best to all and thanks again for a great discussion. Kathy


On Friday, June 29, 2007 7:00 AM, David J. Rosen <djrosen at comcast.net> wrote:

>Community Literacy Discussion Colleagues,

>

>

>This is the fifth and last day of the community literacy

>discussion.  Our guests are available through today. I will

>leave the discussion list open through Monday so that

>subscribers (and guests) who have last-minute, further, or

>follow-up comments may post them.  I hope subscribers who have

>not joined in yet -- and those who have -- will continue to add

>insights, examples and other comments from their own community

>literacy work or research. 

>

>

>Those who have joined the discussion in media res can catch up by going to 

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

>

>

>The Questions for today include:

>

>

>4. What is the relationship of community literacy to workforce

>literacy, workforce development, “healthy communities”

>initiatives and transition to higher education?

> 

>• What indicators, for example, have communities developed

>around literacy in thinking about a healthy (or “sustainable”)

>community? E.g. http://www.rprogress.org/cihb/index.shtml and

>http://www.communityindicators.net/indicatorefforts.html

> 

>5. What is the role of technology in community literacy?

> 

>6. How can literacy organizations work together to make

>literacy a top community priority?

>

>

>7. What sort of training will best prepare community literacy

>coalitions to address community power dynamics, e.g. issues of

>racism, ethnocentrism?

>

>

>

> In addition, we can still discuss questions from the previous

>days. For example, I hope our guests might address:

>

>

>• How do providers sustain partnerships over the long haul?

> 

>• What are some incentives and strategies for strengthening

>community literacy?

>

>

>• How do community literacy coalitions or partnerships assure

>the quality of instruction? Is this an issue?  If so, what are

>some ways quality gets addressed?

>

>

>and

>

>

>• What do we know about community literacy from research?

>

>

>David J. Rosen

>Special Topics Discussion Moderator

>djrosen at comcast.net

>

>

>

>

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