National Coalition for Literacy

By Margaret Patterson

The National Coalition for Literacy is now 31 organizations strong – and growing! Now that its 2012 membership drive has ended, the Coalition is delighted to welcome 7 new associate members:

Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy, New York, NY

DC Learns, Washington, DC

GED Testing Service, Washington, DC

Literacy Connections, Poughkeepsie, NY

Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education, State College, PA

R-Ally: Research Allies for Lifelong Learning, Vienna, VA

Wider Opportunities for Women, Washington, DC

You can learn more about our new associate members – and all Coalition members and associate members – here.

It’s Not Too Late to Join!

There’s still time to join the Coalition. In 2012, organizations joining the National Coalition for Literacy as full or associate members will have the opportunity to actively shape the Coalition’s public policy positions and to collectively impact federal policies.

What’s the difference between members and associate members? Generally, NCL members are national not-for-profit organizations with a substantial focus on adult education. Associate members represent not-for-profit state, regional, and local organizations; for-profit companies; and national organizations without a substantial focus on adult education.

Member and Associate Member Benefits

Member and associate member delegates meet quarterly in Washington, DC, to craft national advocacy efforts and to share innovations that benefit adult education. Members vote on public policy positions, directly impacting issues and collectively informing decision makers on needs of the adult education field.

Other benefits of membership in the National Coalition for Literacy include the Coalition Discussion List, a great way to get real-time public policy updates, actively shape advocacy campaigns, learn about advocacy opportunities, provide input, and share the latest innovations and literacy information. In addition, the Coalition sends regular updates with Coalition news, important dates, and happenings from the field.

Join Today

Applications are available for download here. For more information on membership, click here, or e-mail ncl@ncladvocacy.org. Applications may be mailed to National Coalition for Literacy, PO Box 2932, Washington, DC 20013-2932.

Want to learn more about us? Subscribe to our e-newsletter here.

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Margaret Patterson, Internal Affairs Chair

National Coalition for Literacy

—A Weekly Education and Advocacy Update

By Washington Partners

President Obama found a clever way last week to get the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Secret Service scandals out of the headlines on Capitol Hill. He visited college campuses around the country and encouraged students to contact their Representatives in Washington to protest the doubling of student loan interest rates.

It worked. The switch boards were jammed. On Monday, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced his support for the $6 billion proposal to maintain the current low interest rate, though he didn’t indicate how it should be paid for. House and Senate Democrats were quick to pick up the President’s mantel, and by Tuesday, legislation had been introduced by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Slowly but surely, the Republicans sensed the tsunami that was coming and they too got on board.

Sounds like a winner, right? Not so fast. While President Obama would pay for maintaining the lower student loan interest rate by closing a tax loophole for wealthy Americans, Speaker Boehner supports offsetting the cost by repealing what he calls the “Preventive Health Slush Fund” authorized as mandatory spending in the Affordable Care Act. House Democrats on the other hand think big business should foot the bill so they want the offset to be paid for by reduced oil and gas subsidies. Even when these guys agree on something, they seem unable to get the job done. Ultimately it is clear that interest rates on student loans won’t, rise, but the path to that goal remains murky.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan did not testify as planned before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee. Numerous votes on a bill to save the U. S Postal Service forced cancellation of the hearing. A new date has not been announced. We saw other progress on appropriations, however, with the FY2013 Energy and Water bill moving forward and full committee markups of the FY2013 Commerce, Justice and Science agencies’ spending plan.

Also, the House Appropriations Committee met and approved allocations for the 12 FY2013 spending bills. The Senate did the same last week, but their plan is far more generous than the Ryan Budget Resolution that the House agreed to several weeks ago which creates the basis for their allocations. Overall, the House allocation total is $1.027 billion compared to $1.047 in the Senate. For LHHS, the numbers are stark. In FY2012, LHHS was appropriated $156.284 billion. The Senate Appropriators would see this number rise to $157.722 billion. The House Appropriators would slash that figure to $150.00 billion. Gulp!

To see what’s happening in Washington DC this week on education, check out This Week in Washington, by Washington Partners.

Issue: On March 29th, Members of the House Education and the Workforce Committee introduced The Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 (HR 4297). As early as next week, the full Committee may meet to markup the bill as the next step in reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

Created in 1998 through a bipartisan process, WIA—the legislation which provides for adult education programs—has not been updated since then. Now, House Republicans are moving their legislation forward to markup.

The National Coalition for Literacy has several concerns about H.R. 4297. If this bill were to become law, it would allow states to consolidate adult education funding together with a newly-created fund that provides for a broad set of general workforce activities, including job seeking services, without requiring states to use the funding for adult education and literacy services. This could result in significantly less money for adult education.

Action: This is a targeted alert for advocates whose U.S. Representative serves on the House Education and the Workforce Committee (see list below).

Instructions:

1. If your U.S. Representative is listed below, call his or her office (Get phone number here).
2. Ask to speak to the Representative’s Education Legislative Assistant.
3. Tell the Congressional staffer, “I have several concerns regarding H.R. 4297, the Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012. First and foremost, I do not support giving states the option to consolidate adult education and family literacy funding (Title II) which is allowed in this bill.”
4. Speak from your experience on the need and demand for adult education and literacy services in your community. Use any of the suggested talking points below.
5. Tell us how the staff person responds by entering your feedback in the alert form.
6. Follow up with an email to the education legislative assistant you spoke with outlining your concerns.

Talking Points:

• Adult education and literacy programs serve a unique and diverse population of adults who need to boost their basic education and literacy skills or learn English in order to get or keep a job with a family sustaining wage, transition to postsecondary education or training, be actively involved in their children’s education, or to function well in society and civic life. These targeted funds need to be maintained in order to ensure those most in need of these programs can be served.

• The consolidation proposal could drastically reduce the availability of adult education and English language services  for a unique and diverse population of low-skilled workers in states across the country because it would give states the option to use adult education and literacy funding for other activities, unrelated to the mission of Title II of WIA.

• While I want to see adult education and workforce training services aligned, I do not want to see adult education services reduced or replaced.

• Nationally, the adult education and literacy system serves just under 2 million adults out of the 93 million in need of services. 30 million of these adults cannot read well enough to complete a job application. The unemployment rate for the undereducated is three times greater than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

• Adult education and literacy programs already struggle to meet the current demand and are severely under-resourced. Fifty out of 51 states and territories had waiting lists in local adult education programs in 2009-2010, according to the most recent survey. The number of people on waiting lists doubled between 2008 and 2009-2010. Making adult education and literacy funding an option for consolidation could drastically reduce services ever further, at a time when low-skilled adults need services the most.

Full Committee

(Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find your elected official here.)

Republicans John Kline (MN) (Chairman) Thomas E. Petri (WI) Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (CA) Judy Biggert (IL) Todd Russell Platts (PA) Joe Wilson (SC) Virginia Foxx (NC) Bob Goodlatte (VA) Duncan Hunter (CA) David P. Roe (TN) Glenn Thompson (PA) Tim Walberg (MI) Scott DesJarlais (TN) Richard L. Hanna (NY) Todd Rokita (IN) Larry Bucshon (IN) Trey Gowdy (SC) Lou Barletta (PA) Kristi L. Noem (SD) Martha Roby (AL) Joseph J. Heck (NV) Dennis A. Ross (FL) Mike Kelly (PA)

Democrats George Miller (CA) (Senior Democratic Member) Dale E. Kildee (MI) Robert E. Andrews (NJ) Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA) Lynn C. Woolsey (CA) Rubén Hinojosa (TX) Carolyn McCarthy (NY) John F. Tierney (MA) Dennis J. Kucinich (OH) Rush D. Holt (NJ) Susan A. Davis (CA) Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ) Timothy H. Bishop (NY) David Loebsack (IA) Mazie K. Hirono (HI) Jason Altmire (PA) Marcia Fudge (OH)

NCL has several additional concerns with H.R. 4297. Express your views on consolidation with your U.S. Representative’s office. Then see these Five Critical Issues With HR 4297 [LINK]. Call your House Member’s education staffer to discuss any of them that also concern you or offer to email them the list of issues.

Contact us at ncl@ncladvocacy.org if you have questions and let us know what the staffer says when you make your call.

Thank you for joining NCL and its Member Organizations in this campaign and for all you do on behalf of adult education students.

NCL’s Advocacy Team

Links:

• What Is Markup?
• Adult Education Funding Levels and Enrollment
• H.R. 4297 Summary and Full Text
• Five Critical Issues with HR 4297
• House Education and the Workforce Committee Members

—By Washington Partners with Jackie Taylor

Budget and Appropriations

The Congress has an uncanny way of exhausting itself and every advocate in town just before a district or state work period.  Last week was no exception.  Capitol Hill was crawling with citizens deeply committed to either keeping or tossing the Affordable Healthcare Act.  They surrounded the Supreme Court building that was hosting an unprecedented three-day proceeding at which the Justices were hearing arguments both for and against the constitutionality of certain provisions of the law.  There were also crowds protesting the tragic death of Trayvon Martin, the young man shot to death by an armed community watch volunteer.  They took over hearing rooms, and one Member of Congress took to the House floor in a “hoodie” to express his support for the Martin family.

Commotions ruled the day outside the Capitol and the House and Senate office buildings, and things were not much calmer inside.  On Wednesday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made his second trip to the Hill to defend the President’s FY2013 budget request for his Department.  This time his audience was the House Education and the Workforce Committee.  Starkly different views on the budget were as obvious here as they were last week before the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Chairman John Kline (R-MN) came out swinging, hammering the Secretary for ignoring the views of the Congress and its preference for formula grants versus competitive funding and for implementing the waiver policy that offers states relief from current education law. Further, Kline’s indignation about the lack of proposed new investments in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Title I was shared by Members on both sides of the aisle, but Republicans and Democrats agreed about little else when it came to the spending plan.  Ranking Member George Miller’s (D-CA) praise for the plan was as strong as the Chairman’s criticism.

Secretary Duncan held his ground and displayed his remarkable ability to thank Members for their most egregious and arguably insulting comments while sticking to his talking points.  More irritating to Chairman Kline than the President’s budget was the Democrats’ and Secretary Duncan’s constant reference to the disastrous impact the Ryan budget proposal would have on education spending this year and in the future.  Kline insisted that no one knows where cuts would be made.  Miller and Duncan both said the overall cuts were so large they would have to eliminate at least 20 percent of funding for education programs.  That particular debate ended in a standoff.

The House spent last Thursday debating the Ryan budget proposal.  The debate was contentious, with both sides claiming the sky was about to fall.  Republicans expressed fear that the growing debt would leave the nation in economic ruin.  Democrats claimed that if adopted, the Ryan budget would have the same effect.  Following a long and testy debate, the budget passed on a partisan vote of 228-191 on Thursday afternoon.  By Friday it was indeed time for a vacation—for all of us.

Senators Sign Webb Dear Colleague Letter in Support of Level Funding Adult Education

Meanwhile, adult education advocates pushed to preserve funding for adult education in FY2013 by getting behind Senator Webb’s Dear Colleague Letter in support of adult education funding. With only a 3 business-day turnaround, several Senators’ offices were able to process the request in time for their bosses to sign on. The following Senators signed in support:

• Jim Webb (VA)
• Patrick Leahy (VT)
• Jack Reed (RI)
• Mark Begich (AK)
• Jeanne Shaheen (NH)
• Charles Schumer (NY)
• Jeff Bingaman (NM)
• Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)
• Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)

The Webb Dear Colleague Letter is the first letter in the Senate to be circulated solely for adult education funding since the Cantwell-Snowe Dear Colleague Letter in 2006. We greatly appreciate Senator Webb’s leadership on this initiative and his staff for organizing the sign on letter at the National Coalition for Literacy’s request.

If your Senator is listed above, please call his or her office today to thank the Senator for signing the Webb Dear Colleague Letter in support of adult education funding.

Republicans Introduce WIA Reauthorization Bill–the “Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012″ (H.R. 4297)

On Friday, March 29, House Republicans introduced a comprehensive version to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Title II of WIA provides for adult education and literacy programs. The National Coalition for Literacy has formed a task force to review the bill and provide key recommendations to Committee leaders before the bill’s markup. The Committee’s press release can be found here, along with these materials:

• Short Summary
• Longer Summary
• H.R. 4297 Bill Text

NCL’s feedback on both the Democrat and Republican versions will be posted here on the NCL Advocacy Blog this month.

To see what’s happening in Washington DC this week on education, check out This Week in Washington, by Washington Partners.

—Co-hosted by the Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE)  and the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL)

We are pleased to bring you the annual Public Policy Advocacy Strand at the COABE/VAACE Conference in Norfolk, Virginia, April 9-13, 2012. To register or add preconference sessions and excursions, visit: http://www.coabeinvirginia2012.org/index.html

Tuesday, April 10              PreConference Sessions

8:30-11:30 am    The Politics of Adult Education

Presenter: Art Ellison, Policy Chair, National Council of State Directors of Adult Education

1:00-4:00 pm      Tapping the Potential of Social Media for Advocacy

Presenters:

• Nell Eckersley, Director, Regional Adult Education Network of New York City, Literacy Assistance Center
• Marsha Tait, DG Grant Coordinator, National Coalition for Literacy
• Jackie Taylor, COABE President Elect and NCL Advocacy Chair

Handouts:

• Presentation (PDF)
• Social Media Resource Handout (PDF)

Wednesday, April 11         Featured Workshop Sessions

Session I

10:45-Noon Federal Level Public Policy and Advocacy Updates

Panelists:

• Marcie W.M. Foster, Policy Analyst, CLASP
• Cheryl Keenan, Director of Adult Education and Literacy, Office of Vocational and Adult Education
• Steve Reder, University Professor, Portland State University
• John Segota, CAE, Associate Executive Director for Public Policy & Professional Relations, TESOL International Association
• Jackie Taylor, COABE President Elect and NCL Advocacy Chair

Moderator: Marsha Tait, DG Grant Coordinator, National Coalition for Literacy

Handouts:

• NCL Letter to Congresswoman Foxx, Key Concerns regarding HR 4297 (PDF)
• Adult Education Funding and Enrollment, 1998-2012
• FAQ on How the Loss of Ability to Benefit Options in Federal Student Aid Affects Those without a High School Diploma
• Eliminating “Ability to Benefit” Student Aid Options Closes Door to College Credentials for Thousands and Undermines Innovation
• Refocusing Adult Education on Career and Postsecondary Success: An Analysis of Adult Education (Title II) Provisions in WIA Reauthorization Proposals

Session I

10:45-Noon        Promoting Teacher Effectiveness in Adult Education

• Presenter: Mariann Fedele-McLeod, Principal Researcher, American Institutes for Research

Session I

10:45-Noon        Adult Learners as Advocates for Adult Education: Building a Successful Partnership between You and Adult Learners

• Presenter: Elaine Williams Randall, Member of the Board, VALUEUSA

Session II

1:45-3:00 pm      State Advocacy Strategies for Challenging Times

Panelists:

• Ben Merrion, Advocacy and Policy Chair, DC LEARNs Board of Directors
• Eric Nesheim, Executive Director, Minnesota Literacy Council
• JoAnn Weinberger, Chair, Public Policy Committee, Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education (PAACE) and President/Executive Director, Center for Literacy

Moderator: Jackie Taylor, COABE President Elect and NCL Advocacy Chair

Handout: Advocacy Network Comparison Chart (PDF)

Session II

1:45-3:00 pm      Immigration and ESOL: A Policy Update

• Presenter: John Segota, CAE, Associate Executive Director for Public Policy & Professional Relations, TESOL International Association

Immigration & ESL Policy Update – 2012

View more presentations from John Segota

Session III

3:15-4:30 pm      How to Start and Support a Learner Advocacy Council at Your Program

• Presenter: Wes Garvin, Executive Director, Students Taking Action Now with Determination

Session III

3:15-4:30 pm      Adult Literacy Survey: Impact and Action

• Presenter: JoAnn Weinberger, Chair, Public Policy Committee, Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education (PAACE) and President/Executive Director, Center for Literacy

Handout: Adult Literacy Survey

Session IV

4:45-6:00 pm      The Value of a Dollar: A Survey of State Financing and Tuition Policies

Presenters:

• Marcie Foster, Policy Analyst, CLASP
• Lennox McLendon, National Council of State Directors of Adult Education

The Value of a Dollar: A Survey of State Financing and Tuition Policies in Adult Education

View more PowerPoint from Marcie Foster

Session IV

4:45-6:00 pm      Getting to Yes! How to Build Effective Local Partnerships and Collaborations

• Presenter: Marsha Tait, DG Grant Coordinator, National Coalition for Literacy

Handouts:

• Getting to Yes! Presentation (PDF)

• Getting to Yes Worksheet (PDF)

Gettingto yes

View more presentations from Jackie Taylor.

Thursday, April 12              Keynote & Featured Workshop Sessions

KEYNOTE:

9:30-10:30 am    OVAE Update

• Assistant Secretary Brenda Dann Messier

Session V

10:45-Noon        #AdultEd Twitter Town Hall

• Assistant Secretary Brenda Dann Messier
• Cheryl Keenan, Director of Adult Education and Literacy, Office of Vocational and Adult Education

To participate in the #adulted Twitter Town Hall at 10:45 am ET, tweet questions for Dr. Brenda Dann-Messier using the #COABE12 hashtag.

— NCL (@NCLAdvocacy) April 12, 2012

Session VI

1:45-3:00 pm         Adult Learner can be the Best Advocate for Your Program

• Presenter: Marty Finsterbusch, Executive Director, VALUEUSA and President, National Coalition for Literacy

Session VII

3:15-5:00 pm      Blended Learning Advocacy: Learner Web for Career Paths, Digital Literacy, and for Inmates

Presenters:

• Stephen Reder, University Professor of Applied Linguistics, Portland State University
• David Rosen, President, Newsome Associates
• Rosemary Matt, NYS Director of Accountability
• James E. Matt, Director, Central/Southern Tier Regional Adult Education Network (RAEN)
• Marsha Tait, DG Grant Coordinator, National Coalition for Literacy

Blended learningadvocacy

View more presentations from Jackie Taylor.

Session VII

3:15-5:00 pm      Act Now! Tools and Strategies for Effective Advocacy Campaigns

• Presenter: Jackie Taylor, COABE President Elect and NCL Advocacy Chair

—By Washington Partners with Jackie Taylor

URGENT ACTION NEEDED

Adult education advocates now push for Senators to sign the Webb Dear Colleague letter in support of adult education funding. (This letter is the Senate counterpart to the Roe-Hinojosa Letter circulated in the House.) However, time is of the essence, as Senators have only 2 1/2 days to sign on. Advocates who already have a relationship with their Senators’ offices should place calls immediately, requesting that their Senators sign on. Details can be found here.

Last week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made his first appearance on Capitol Hill to defend the President’s FY 2013 budget request.  Arriving only hours after the House Budget Committee concluded a marathon mark-up of Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) controversial FY 2013 budget resolution, Duncan was greeted by a somewhat hostile Subcommittee Chairman in Denny Rehberg (R-MT).  Rehberg made his disdain for the Administration’s proposed 3.4% increase in funding for education clear from the start.  He expressed similar sentiments for its emphasis on funding new “unauthorized and untested” programs at the expense of “tried and true” formula grants, such as the Individuals with Disability Education Act (IDEA) and Title I that have the support of the Congress.

A second equally ill-tempered Member, Congressman Mike Simpson (R-ID), called the Secretary’s testimony “riveting”, and not in a good way, challenged his assumption that the Ryan budget would decimate funding for education programs.  Duncan was unconvinced, saying that such deep cuts in discretionary spending would undoubtedly impact his agency.

Clearly anticipating attempts from Duncan and Subcommittee Democrats to highlight Ryan’s proposal to cut 22 % of funding for the education, training and social service programs that fall into the so-called “function 500” bucket of the federal budget  in FY 2013 alone, Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) attended the hearing and questioned the Secretary about the wisdom of setting up new programs that would be paid for with mandatory funds, putting them out of reach of congressional oversight.

Not to be out done, Ranking Member on the full Appropriations Committee, Norm Dicks (D-WA), was also in attendance.  Though he was considerably friendlier towards the Secretary, he too had concerns about the Administration’s proposal.  At the end of the day it was a stand-off, with the Secretary defending the new initiatives as necessary to incentivize districts and universities to change the way they do business and Subcommittee Members urging increased funding for the programs states, students and colleges rely on the most.

While the Congress argued about how much or how little to spend on education in the coming year, a new report issued by a bi-partisan commission chaired by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former New York City Chancellor Joel Klein made strengthening public education an imperative to the nation’s security and economic prosperity.  One startling fact contained in the report is that 30 percent of high school graduates do not do well enough on aptitude tests to serve in the military.  Add this to those graduates with criminal records or physical shortcomings and it rises to 75 percent.  While the report did not directly call for increased spending, it is hard to see how its recommendations could be met without additional federal, state and local investments in schools, including adult education, a pipeline to catch those who miss their education in younger years.

Secretary Duncan will return to Capitol Hill at the end of April to defend his budget before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Democrats Release WIA Reauthorization Bill in the House

Last week, U.S. Representatives Tierney, Hinojosa, and Miller introduced a House Democrat WIA reauthorization bill. Next week, NCL will provide a more comprehensive update as to what we like and what we’d like to see included as WIA reauthorization moves forward. You can find a copy of the press release here and a summary here.