National Coalition for Literacy

By Marsha L. Tait and Jackie Taylor, Public Policy Committee Co-Chairs

It’s been a busy spring for the National Coalition for Literacy! Congress was on recess for two weeks but resumed session April 12. Following is a report of NCL’s latest public policy activities.

Appropriations

The House and Senate appropriations sub-committees have been accepting outside witness testimonies; the National Coalition for Literacy submitted testimony to both. Copies of the NCL testimonies are now online. Additionally, Senators were to submit their appropriations requests for FY11 to Appropriations Chair Inouye by April 16, 2010. Thus, NCL issued a grassroots alert asking advocates to contact their Senators immediately, asking that they support an increase in funding for adult education for at least $750 million. Visit the NCL Advocacy Blog on appropriations for details.

WIA Reauthorization

On February 12, 2010, Jackie Taylor, NCL public policy committee co-chair, met with Scott Cheney, Staff Director with the Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety. This subcommittee has been working diligently in drafting a Senate WIA reauthorization bill and Cheney was optimistic that we would see WIA reauthorization move forward this spring. On April 6, Taylor contacted Crystal Bridgeman (Senator Murray’s staff), who indicated that the Senate subcommittee is still just as optimistic that we will see WIA Reauthorization this year. Bridgeman indicated that the bipartisan team has been “deep in the weeds” on the issues and will reach out to the Coalition as the process advances. Art Ellison, policy chair of the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education (NCSDAE), reported that the House is now moving forward and that Chairman Miller (CA-D) has moved responsibility for WIA Reauthorization in the House to Congressman John Tierney (MA-D).

Earlier this winter, the NCL Board approved the new 2009 -2010 NCL WIA Reauthorization Priorities. Since that time, NCL Members have been advancing specific issues identified in the NCL WIA Priorities document. In particular, Jeff Carter, ProLiteracy, is leading a CLASP Report Response Task Force to draft NCL’s response to the report, Recommendations for Performance Accountability in the Workforce Education and Training System. NCL’s response will focus special attention on the NRS recommendations in the report. Members of the task force include Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield and Evelyn Ganzglass, CLASP, Jim Parker, individual Member, Marsha L. Tait, NCL public policy co-chair with Jackie Taylor, COABE.

 Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, American Institutes for Research (AIR) is leading a Technology Task Force that has agreed to review the newly released National Educational Technology Plan and draft a response from the Coalition. The task force aims to present a draft to the NCL Board and NCL Members in May. Task force members include Stephen Reder, Portland State University, David J. Rosen, individual NCL Member, Marian Thacher, Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers (AALPD), John Fleischman, Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN), and Jackie Taylor, NCL public policy co-chair.

Welfare Reform

Thursday, April 22, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support held a hearing on The Role of Education and Training in the TANF Program. Julie Strawn (CLASP) and Shauna King-Simms (Director, Transitions Programs, Kentucky Community and Technical College System) were among the witnesses. All testimonies (written and video recordings) are available online.