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About

Date: October 10, 2009

About the NCL Advocacy Clearinghouse and Toolkit Blog

The National Coalition for Literacy brings you this online blog forum, for a second consecutive year, to engage NCL members in cultivating and supporting public policy advocates, assisting advocates with questions asked by the press and the public, and expanding the number of active advocates in support of adult education and family literacy in the public policy arena.

The NCL posts frequent public policy updates, as well as key information and resources pertinent to the current federal public policy landscape. Additionally, we will host  2-4 blog discussions with NCL members who are federal advocacy experts (http://www.ncladvocacy.org/abtnclmembers.html) during critical times for advocacy.

How to Participate:

Just post your comment or question in the “Comments” field. For a quick tour on how to post, click here.

Guidelines

This blog is moderated by the NCL Technology Coordinator, Jackie Taylor. NCL asks that all contributors keep comments within these few guidelines:

• Comments and questions pertain to the topic of the blog posting.
• General comments and questions pertain to federal level public policy and advocacy. (These may be questions that do not clearly pertain to any one of the blog postings.)
• This is a professional forum, thus all discussion should be conducted in the spirit of curiosity and mutual respect, expected of professionals in adult education and literacy and related fields.
• Please sign your comments with your name, affiliation, and email address. (If you wish to post anonymously, please email your post to Jackie Taylor (jackie@jataylor.net), NCL Technology Coordinator, who will post it without attribution, if appropriate.)

NCL will not post comments or questions that do not meet the above guidelines.

The NCL Advocacy Clearinghouse and Toolkit is a one-stop collection of public policy advocacy resources designed to assist you in advocating for adult literacy at the federal level. We are pleased to offer this new blog to support your advocacy needs.

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Date: October 10, 2009

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Comments RSS TrackBack 8 comments

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  Barb Van Horn

  in October 14th, 2009 @ 17:01

  My House Representative voted YES for the resolution – a small victory for adult and family literacy recognition in PA…

  [Reply]

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  mltait

  in October 14th, 2009 @ 17:26

  Mine too, Barb!

  [Reply]

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  Sonia Socha

  in October 23rd, 2009 @ 18:08

  The South Baltimore Learning Center contacted Representative John Sarbanes of Maryland’s 3rd District office staff to request a press conference to kick off Adult Education & Family Literacy Week. SBLC has developed on going working relationship with the congressman’s office over the past few years. I had also contacted the office about the congressman being a sponsor of the resolution prior to it being passed.

  Remarkably, SBLC had the press conference confirmed only three days before it was scheduled for the morning of October 19 and much work had to take place quickly. However, it was well worth the it. We had two major Baltimore TV stations covering the story (and video to use afterwards), as well as pre and post releases & pictures that can be used in newsletters, websites and other appropriate places. The press conference program included Maryland’s new State Director of Adult Education (Patricia Tyler) and the Policy Analyst (Lynn Selmser) from the National AE State Directors organization. It also included amazing success stories given by 3 SBLC graduates, and the opportunity to feature our statewide professional adult education association (MAACCE) along with the work it has done to raise awareness and funding in Maryland.

  The congressman was on site for about 90 minutes–and after the press conference he visited classes an spoke with learners and staff –he has done that once before about two years ago. During his speech at the press conference he not only pointed out the many benefits and great importance of adult education & family literacy for the country and Maryland (along with his support for the program), but he also cited SBLC as a national model program.

  It was an exciting opportunity for SBLC to have Congressman Sarbanes sponsor the press conference and take the lead for Maryland as part of this first ever national awareness program: Adult Education & Family Literacy Week.

  I am happy to share any pictures, videos, the press packet and the program with those interested in seeing it or borrowing ideas.

  I will be meeting with the Congressman’s legislative aide for education in the next few weeks to discuss adult education & literacy needs–and also how the Maryland congressional delegation might play a role in the future to help increase the importance of this area of education( as well as its funding).

  Sonia Socha, Excutive Director

  [Reply]

  

  Barb Van Horn Reply:
  October 29th, 2009 at 7:38 am

  Sonia, thanks for a terrific post. As a former Marylander, I was delighted to hear that Sarbanes is such a supporter of adult and family literacy. Have you had any luck getting support from your senators? I understand that it will be very important to get support from senators to support Even Start since the Senate has, once again, eliminated funding for the program. We need to keep funding there at least until we can get through ESEA reauthorization.

  Just a general question for anyone else checking this blog: any opportunities to reach senators regarding support for Even Start?

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  Sonia Socha

  in October 29th, 2009 @ 12:40

  We will try to access our Senators on this.

  Does Even Start require any state funding to be a part of the operation-because if it does–Maryland has a problem with having enough state funding right now.

  [Reply]

  

  Barbara Van Horn Reply:
  October 30th, 2009 at 5:09 pm

  As far as I know, Even Start doesn’t require state funding. Local programs have to provide cost-sharing, but I don’t think there is a state requirement. And, I think ALL states are having problems right now… not good for providing high quality adult and family literacy services. A sad situation.

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  Jean Sherrod

  in November 17th, 2009 @ 22:01

  While advocating for adult literacy at the federal level is of great importance, there also seems to be a need for advocacy in our communities and at our own community college campuses. Educating the public seems to be the first logical step to take in promoting the importance and necessity of our basic skills programs.

  [Reply]

  

  mltait Reply:
  November 19th, 2009 at 1:13 pm

  Hi Jean. I could not agree with you more! We need to increase our advocacy efforts at every level — local, state, and federal — if we want adult education to get the attention it deserves. There are many resources in the NCL Advocacy Toolkit and Clearinghouse to help you do this. Although sometimes our NCL policy alerts pertain to specific federal legislative activity, the resources, tools, and techniques can be applied at any level. Also, you never know where someone you cultivate as a champion locally may end up, or how they may be in a position to help your program or the cause at a later point in time. Keep us posted on your local efforts!

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