Here is the bundle of resources from the past week:

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>From Workforce USA


WorkforceUSA's September 2006 Newsletter
http://www.workforceusa.net/news_prv.php?id=82 presents a comprehensive
look at welfare reform from 1996 to 2006: "Welfare Reform: Then and
Now." News articles, opinion editorials, research papers, full-length
books and related resources are compiled in one place for easy
reference. 

How We Ended Welfare, Together  
<http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70A17FB395A0C718EDDA10
894DE404482>
Former President Bill Clinton looks back on the 10th anniversary of
welfare reform in an opinion-editorial for The New York Times. Clinton
argues welfare reform has proved to be "a great success," citing the
decline in caseloads and the transition of many former welfare
recipients into employment. He also notes that the legislation required
compromise from both Democrats and Republicans, and that it resulted in
the resignation of some of his own administrative officials. Clinton
reflects on the use of cooperative government to achieve results for the
American people and criticizes Capitol Hill's current hyper-partisan
environment.

Welfare reform: Progress, pain 
<http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/15331259.htm> 
The welfare reform act that moved from a system of strictly cash
benefits to comprehensive but temporary support receives mixed reviews
after 10 years, as reported by California's The Mercury News. Millions
of parents have joined the workforce and welfare rolls have shrunk. But
many working families continue to live in poverty. The article looks at
the experiences of several local and state programs and the individuals
they serve.

Next: workforce reform 
<http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/
2006/08/22/next_workforce_reform> 
This Boston Globe editorial looks at 10 years since welfare reform and
the need to address larger "workforce problems." Low-wage jobs are not
fully supporting families and provide little opportunity for
advancement. Peter Edelman, who resigned from the Clinton Administration
after the passage of the 1996 welfare reform act, notes that poverty
numbers have not greatly improved: "we still have too many poor people."

A Decade After Welfare Overhaul, a Fundamental Shift in Policy and
Perception 
<http://www.workforceusa.net/article_det.php?article_id=566> 
Robert Pear and Erik Eckholm of The New York Times explore what has
happened in the 10 years since the passage of the 1996 welfare reform
acts. Contradictory statistics declare or refute success; however one
conclusion drawn by Pear and Eckholm is the need for continued policy
change and political collaboration.

Empowering the Poor  
<http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/0
9/27/empowering_the_poor/>
David T. Ellwood, former assistant secretary at the Department of Health
and Human Services, discusses Hurricane Katrina's larger implications in
a Boston Globe editorial. Ellwood was one of the principal authors of
Clinton's original welfare plan but resigned leading up to the passage
of the altered 1996 act. Ellwood examines how those reforms may have
impacted the poor who were so heavily concentrated in Katrina's disaster
zone.

What Happens to Families When They Leave Welfare? (2003)  
More than 1.4 million people left California's welfare rolls between
August 1996 and September 2001. This report presents the findings of
telephone surveys conducted in the late 1990s among one- and two-parent
families approximately after they've left welfare. It provides snapshots
of how well these families were doing during each of these periods,
describing the families' economic security, use of public assistance,
and difficulties encountered in maintaining employment and coping with
adverse conditions. In addition to comparing circumstances over time,
the report also identifies factors that might predict a return to
welfare and other poor outcomes for families. A short report is
available <http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/rb/RB_903TMRB.pdf> or the
full study can be downloaded.
<http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_903TMR.pdf>

A Profile of Families Cycling on and off Welfare (2004)  
This report analyzes the experiences of welfare "cyclers," families who
repeatedly return to welfare assistance. The MDRC study of more than
160,000 single-parent welfare recipients identifies three groups:
long-term welfare recipients, short-term recipients and cyclers. The
study results indicate that cyclers were less disadvantaged in the labor
market than long-term welfare recipients. However, cyclers were less
able than short-term recipients to attain stable employment and to work
without public subsidy. Findings suggest that cyclers should derive
benefits from employment retention and advancement supports.
<http://www.mdrc.org/publications/396/execsum.html> 
 
A Decade of Welfare Reform: Facts and Figures (2006)  
The Urban Institute assesses the first decade after the landmark welfare
reform legislation. The authors argue that the transformation of Aid to
Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) into the Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families (TANF) has impacted the way low-income families seek
and receive services. These families' experiences are illustrated in
this brief, highlighting the issues around the hard-to-serve, marriage,
working families, child well-being and other areas.
<http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/900980_welfarereform.pdf>  
 
Paths to Work in Rural Places: Key Findings and Lessons from the Impact
Evaluation of the Future Steps Rural Welfare-to-Work Program (2006)  
Mathematica Policy Research Inc. conducted an evaluation examining the
impacts of the Future Steps program. Funded by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services and the Administration for Children and
Families, the report looks at the Future Steps program's direct affect
on the employment, self-sufficiency and well-being of work-ready
low-income individuals in rural Illinois.
<http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/pdfs/pathstowork.pdf>
 
Poverty and Place in North America (2005)  
Mary Jo Bane provides an overview of poverty in Mexico, the United
States and Canada. Bane, a Thornton Bradshaw Professor of Public Policy
and Management at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government,
served as Assistant Secretary for Families and Children in the federal
Department of Health and Human Services from 1993 to 1996.  As co-chair
of President Clinton's Working Group on Welfare Reform and a co-author
the President's originial bill, Bane resigned in protest after the
President signed the revised 1996 welfare reform bill.
<http://ksgnotes1.harvard.edu/Research/wpaper.nsf/rwp/RWP05-035/$File/rw
p_05_035_bane2.pdf>
 
Race, Poverty and Public Policy (2005)  
Mary Jo Bane's working paper explores the extent to which racial
differences in poverty rates reflect differences in family structure and
education.
<http://ksgnotes1.harvard.edu/Research/wpaper.nsf/rwp/RWP05-030/$File/rw
p_05_030_bane.pdf>  
 
The Clinton Welfare Bill: How Bad Is It? (1997)  
In this 1997 keynote address, published by the University of Maryland
School of Social Work, Peter B. Edelman discusses his opposition to the
Clinton welfare reform bill. Edelman has been a Professor of Law at
Georgetown University Law Center since 1982, and served in President
Clinton's first term as Counselor to Department of Health and Human
Services Secretary Donna Shalala and then as Assistant Secretary for
Planning and Evaluation. He resigned from his position after the
President signed the revised 1996 welfare reform bill.
<http://worldcatlibraries.org/oclc/39454344&referer=brief_results> 
 
Welfare as We Might Know It (1997)  
In this article Mary Jo Bane, President Bill Clinton's former Assistant
Secretary for Children and Families in the Department of Health and
Human services, discusses her opposition to the 1996 welfare reform.
Bane discusses her fears that "the new law poses serious dangers to poor
children and families," with the federal government abdicating
responsibility for the poor.
<http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&article
Id=4857>
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>From Public Education Network Weekly NewsBlast for September 22, 2006

"Public Involvement. Public Education. Public Benefit." See whole issue
at <http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_current.asp>

EDUCATION FOR ALL: A REPORT CARD
While some countries are making notable commitments to education,
progress is often uneven within countries and others are making little
progress at all. About 100 million children of primary-school age in the
developing world do not attend school and, in about one third of
countries, one out of every three children that begins primary school
will not finish it. Getting kids in school is one thing; keeping them
there is another. None of the above is to say that the international
community has not come a long way in providing at least a primary school
education for many of the world's children. It has. Advancements since
the 1950s, for example, have been substantial, with primary school
enrollments increasing more than three-fold in the past 50 years. But
there is still much to be done. In many cases, for example, the quality
of education, which is fundamental to keeping kids in school, has
received less attention than expanding access. About one fifth of the
world's adult pop  ulation still cannot read or write. And, in many
countries, the reality is that an individual will have greater
educational opportunities if they are not poor, female, or residing in a
rural area. <http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/138653/1/>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
 
 Some online resources shared with me by Sandra Fugate, my co-worker and
the ESL person here at the Center for Literacy Studies.  These have to
do with ESL in the workplace, and she shared them with me because of our
current cross-list discussion with the ELL list:

Steps To Employment
http://209.121.217.200/manuals.html

Summary Report for:
37-2012.00 - Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/37-2012.00

Summary Report for:
45-2092.01 - Nursery Workers
http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/45-2092.01

Summary Report for:
35-2011.00 - Cooks, Fast Food
http://www.onetknowledgesite.com/onet_ks_home.cfm

Penton Overseas - Spanish at Work Series - these are audio tapes with
transcripts in Spanish and English.  I have used these and really like
the conversation/vocabulary.  The English may be used with all cultures.
The titles are:  "Gardening in Spanish" and "Housekeeping in Spanish".
http://www.pentonoverseas.com/spanish-at-work.htm#english


Canada
http://www.itsessential.ca/itsessential/display_page.asp?page_id=353
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


>From New Zealand Literacy Portal

Expo 06: WWestnet's essential skills expo - 2006 (Can)
This Canadian resource (105 pages) is the proceedings of a conference
which presented findings from various companies involved in workplace
literacy programmes in Canada. 
http://www.nald.ca/library/research/wwestexpo/wwestexpo.pdf 

Literacy in the construction industry - 2004 (Aus)
This report is a record of a project carried out in the construction
industry in Queensland and details not just the skills required by this
critical industry but also a range of practical and useful
recommendations.
<http://www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz/imsdirector.php?resid=2023&ruid=2182

>


Public investment in skills: Are Canadian Governments doing enough? -
2005 (Can)
This Canadian study looks at how developing and measuring literacy and
numeracy skills produces a clear relationship between investment in
human capital and economic growth. These findings have policy
implications as they show that raising skill distribution is more
important than producing more graduates.
<http://www.nzliteracyportal.org.nz/imsdirector.php?resid=2571&ruid=2182

>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
***Researchers take note***

National Adult Education Researcher-Practitioner Symposium: A Meeting of
the Minds II

Join us for this exciting dialogue among adult education researchers,
practitioners, and policy makers! 

Nationally recognized adult education researchers will discuss their
studies in such areas as reading, learner persistence, English as a
Second Language instructional strategies, technology innovations,
transitioning adults to college, authentic materials, health literacy,
adult numeracy, family literacy, social justice, innovations in
statewide assessment, practitioner inquiry, professional development,
and many more. In addition, a featured concurrent session consists of a
panel of adult literacy learners.   

Presenters include Kathleen Bailey, Hal Beder, Alisa Belzer, Beth
Bingman, John Comings, Larry Condelli, Ros Davidson, Ron Glass, John
Fleishman, Daphne Greenberg, Kathy Harris, Erik Jacobson, Jere Johnston,
Tara Joyce, Cheryl Keenan, Mark Kutner, Susan Levine, Myrna Manly,
Dennis Porter, Paul Porter, Steve Reder, Pat Rickard, Rima Rudd, Maricel
Santos, Robin Schwarz, Renee Sherman, Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, Cristine
Smith, John Strucker, Robin Waterman, Cynthia Zafft, and others.

Throughout the symposium, each research presentation will be followed by
a panel of practitioners who will respond to the presentations, and then
by group discussions among participants who will share their reactions
and explore implications from their perspectives as practitioners,
researchers, and policy makers. 

The opening plenary session on Thursday features presentations by John
Comings on Advice from NCSALL Research on Building High Quality Programs
and by Mark Kutner on results of the National Assessment of Adult
Literacy (NAAL) and the Health Literacy survey. The plenary session on
Friday features a panel discussion on the topic of how research
influences policy in adult literacy education. 

Dates of the Symposium are November 30-December 2, 2006, at the Sheraton
Grand Hotel, Sacramento.

To register online for the Symposium, visit the Web site
www.researchtopractice.org. The complete program schedule will be posted
to the Symposium Web site within the next few days. Registration is open
now.

Sponsors of the Symposium are the California Department of Education
(CDE), the American Institutes for Research, the California Adult
Literacy Professional Development Project (CALPRO), and National Center
for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL). 

Don't miss this exciting opportunity! Registration is limited to the
first 300 people. Visit the Symposium Web site and register now!  We
look forward to seeing you in Sacramento on November 30.

 -Mary Ann Corley, Ph.D.
CALPRO Director and Symposium Coordinator
American Institutes for Research 
Upcoming special events on the NIFL discussion lists:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is an announcement about a special event on NIFL Focus On Basics
discussion Lists:


Focus On Basics
Next week (Sept. 25-29) we are pleased to have Anastasiya Lipnevich as a
guest on the Focus on Basics Discussion List to discuss her recent FOB
article about self-esteem in adult learners "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or
Reality?"  http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1105

Anastasiya is a PhD student in educational psychology at Rutgers
University. She has a master's degree in counseling psychology from
Rutgers University and a master's degree in psychology and education
from the University of Minsk. Her research interests include
self-esteem, motivation, and self-regulation. 

Discussion Questions for "Low Self-Esteem: Myth or Reality?

1.  How much do you and your programs presume low self-esteem among your
learners? 

2.  How do you think this presumption affects the delivery of education
to adult learners? 

3.  The findings of this study may conflict with some people's notions
of adult learners. How does this article affect your thoughts about the
self-esteem of learners in your program?

4.  How might you adjust your teaching or delivery of services if your
learners had a higher self-esteem than you thought?

5.  There was some discussion of science's ability to "understand the
human mind", and of the validity of research on a concept such as
self-esteem. It is a broad and variably-defined concept, which may be
affected by many external factors related to one's situation in life.

How do we, as consumers of research, handle this question? 

You can join the FOB discussion list at the following address:

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/focusonbasics

(Be sure to reply to the confirmation e-mail to complete the process.) 
I hope you can join us!

Julie

Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And lastly, the resources that are a part of our discussion with the ELL
list could be mentioned here also.  I'm hoping to see a post or two from
the Workplace list members Friday.  Don't be shy!

Donna
djgbrian at utk.edu