National Coalition for Literacy

By Jeff Carter, Guest Blogger and NCL Board Member, with Ellen Fern, Washington Partners LLC

After months of negotiations, a bipartisan group of senators known as the “Gang of Eight” released a comprehensive immigration reform bill on April 16th. The bill would allow the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants to apply for U.S. citizenship while providing for additional security along the nation’s southern border.

If enacted, the ”Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act” (S.744) would be the first major overhaul to the nation’s immigration laws since 1986. It would create a 13-year…

By Jackie Taylor and Marcie Foster, NCL Advocacy Co-Chairs

The National Coalition for Literacy is working on developing proposals that would support immigrant integration as an important component of immigration reform. We’re tackling questions such as–

Should previously undocumented immigrants need to become proficient in English in order to get on a path to citizenship?

How can the existing adult education system be a…

—A Guest Blog Article in the Discussion Series on Social Innovations in Adult Education

Article by Debra Jones

Adult education and career training programs play a vital role in America’s economic recovery. Investments in these programs are among the most cost-effective ways to improve economic conditions across the United States. Billions of dollars can be saved, earned, and pumped back into the struggling economy as a result of investments in effective and efficient workforce development programs. A preemptive focus on adult education actually saves governments money by reducing societal healthcare, public assistance,…

—A Guest Blog Article in the Discussion Series on Social Innovations in Adult Education

Article by Stephen Reder

When we talk about digital literacy, we’re often referring to a range of capabilities ranging from use of cutting-edge technologies at one end of a continuum to basic digital access and inclusion at the other end. As adult educators, we want to support our students’ movement along this continuum. There is good reason for us to be concerned. A recent survey by the U.S. Census found, for example, that although 65% of Americans…

—A Guest Blog Article in the Discussion Series on Social Innovations in Adult Education

Article by Anne Murr

“If I were in a wheelchair, you would do everything you could to help me.  But I can’t read.  For me, where’s the ramp?”  Norma has found her digital ramp:  Mac laptop with screen-reader built-in to the Mac operating system and with MacSpeech (Mac-compatible Dragon Naturally Speaking).

With these innovative technology tools, Norma now has much easier access to the written word.  She uses technology to read and communicate.  She has also achieved a…

.

—A Guest Blog Article in the Discussion Series on Social Innovations in Adult Education

Article by Anne Murr

For the 43% of Americans who lack functional literacy, inability to read is a significant barrier to digital literacy.  While lack of access to or unfamiliarity with computers are also barriers, computer and digital device use can be difficult if you can’t read the print on the screen.  Functional literacy, then, is an essential component of digital literacy.

Before we discuss specific technology innovations for learning, let’s investigate data that supports…

—A Guest Blog Article in the Discussion Series on Social Innovations in Adult Education

Article by Elizabeth Friese

“I never thought I would say this, but I think I want one of those electronic readers.”

My father-in-law is a skilled and avid reader. However, over the past several years, his vision has changed. The primary reason my father-in-law asked for an e-reader was to take advantage of the ability to change the text size of whatever he chose to read.

My father-in-law’s experiences reminded me that each person’s literacy is…

—A Guest Blog Article in the Discussion Series on Social Innovations in Adult Education

Article by Bobbi Newman

Almost two years ago I came across the term transliteracy for the first time. I discovered it while reading up on the various names and formats of new and emerging 21st century literacies.  What is transliteracy? The working definition from Transliteracy Research Group:

Transliteracy is the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through

…

—A Guest Blog Article in the Discussion Series on Social Innovations in Adult Education

Article by Larra Clark and Marijke Visser

What does it mean to be literate in the digital age?  How is the preponderance of online-only resources affecting how people find and use information?  What do libraries think about all this?

These are the kinds of questions the American Library Association’s (ALA) newly formed Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) Digital Literacy Task Force is asking as it works to identify the role…

—A Guest Blog Article in the Discussion Series on Social Innovations in Adult Education

Article by Dale Lipschultz

Last summer I acquired an e-reader for purely practical reasons. I could no longer carry a 600 page book in my briefcase―any more than could I leave it home. For me, the switch was neither problematic nor traumatic. A book is a book. How print is displayed is not an issue for me. It’s the reading that’s important.

My personal and pragmatic decision to go digital was greeted with alarm by friends and family members.…

Social Innovations in Adult Education

—A Guest Blog Discussion Series on the Importance of Social Innovation for Adult Literacy

Technology innovations are changing our relationship with education and knowledge. These innovations (“social innovations”) can be used to advance social causes such as adult education and literacy by connecting users to technology tools for learning, building networks, and bridging the digital divide. How are we—and how can we—harness innovation to improve adult literacy in the United States? Join the National Coalition for Literacy for a guest blog discussion series that explores…

—A Guest Blog Discussion Series on the Importance of Social Innovation

for Adult Literacy

August 1 – September 16, 2011

Introduction by Heidi Silver-Pacuilla

Technology and social innovations are changing our relationship with education and knowledge. Schools and instructors are no longer the font of knowledge. Individuals can now ACCESS an ocean of educative experiences, CREATE them, and SHARE them with known and unknown colleagues. If you’ve ever contributed to Flickr, Twitter, YouTube, or the NCL blog, you’ve created new knowledge for the rest of us to…

By Washington Partners and Jackie Taylor

The House Adult Literacy Caucus and the National Coalition for Literacy held a Congressional briefing May 12, 2011, highlighting 21st Century Approaches to Adult Literacy. Approximately 40 were in attendance, including adult education leaders, advocates, and legislative staffs.

The briefing followed the NCL Quarterly Meeting, where Congressman Bill Goodling made a surprise visit after recovering from a serious medical condition.

Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, President of the National Coalition for Literacy, opened the…

by Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, 2010-2011 President of NCL

This blog post is cross-posted on Institute for Women’s Policy Research’s FemChat blog. See more women’s news there.

Women make up more than 50% of the adult ed population; in ESL classes, they are more than 60% (NRS tables, 2008-2009). How much are we taking the unique concerns of women learners into account in our programming and teaching? In March, Women’s History Month, I was able to attend several events focused on women immigrants and the role and challenges…

.

The new digital divide is about speed and affordability—making clear connections to low income families and programs that serve them.

New analysis by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (see report) underscores what the difference high-speed service can mean for communities, businesses, and individuals. Here is an excerpt:

The nationwide trend toward widespread adoption of broadband Internet connections has occurred among virtually all demographic groups, with nearly universal year-over-year growth. Adoption and growth rates, however, are uneven among various demographic groups. Over the past year, gaps decreased…

Even Start’s funding was eliminated as part of the CR that ended last Friday, March 18, 2011. Even Start has often been widely misunderstood and inaccurately reported as ineffective. Below is a letter from Barbara Van Horn, Reading Co-Director of the  Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy and Board Member with the National Coalition for Literacy, who sets the facts straight about Even Start Family Literacy.

Action Request: To add Even Start back to the full year FY2011 Continuing Resolution, a congressional champion must advocate and negotiate for it as part of the FY2011 long-term CR negotiations. [ Read More → ]

By Jackie Taylor

The National Coalition for Literacy recently launched a social media campaign to grow the grassroots advocacy base for adult education and family literacy. On February 14, the Coalition began by launching a redesign of its main website, folding the Advocacy Clearinghouse and Toolkit and its blog under one umbrella web presence.

The website provides resources for the general public to quickly access in understanding why adult education is important and how to take action. It also provides a policy one-stop for legislative staff in locating critical public policy updates,…

By Jackie Taylor

Today’s economic climate demands bold, innovative strategies to advance effective policies for adult education and literacy. Adult education advocates have historically relied on email as a mainstay communication vehicle for sending and receiving advocacy alerts and galvanizing action. However, research shows nationally that email open rates have declined 63% from 2004–2008. With the rise of social media, cell phones and Internet access, some would even argue that there is not a digital divide.

We must also look at the sheer volume of messages going in to Congress each day as a…

.

By Heidi Silver-Pacuilla with Elizabeth Lower-Basch of Center for Law and Social Policy, Kevin Miller of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Mev Miller of WE LEARN, Gloria Mwase of Jobs for the Future, Margaret Patterson of GED Testing Service, and Heide Spruck Wrigley of Literacywork, International

—What is the role of literacy and education on women’s economic contribution?

December 2010 was a banner month for advocates and scholars interested in this question.

The National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) and the Institute for Women’s Policy…

By Kevin Talley and Jackie Taylor

The House and Senate are finalizing a short term continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through March 4, 2011. A more conservative 112^th Congress will make the funding decisions to finish out the FY11 program year. Many of these Members were elected on promises of slashing spending. This leaves adult education and family literacy funding in a vulnerable and uncertain state. In particular, Even Start (ES) historically has been targeted, among other small education programs, for cuts.

You can take the following steps now to elevate the…

—A Public Policy Update on Adult Education and Literacy, Part III

By Jackie Taylor With Heidi Silver-Pacuilla and John Segota

The DREAM Act was passed last week in the House and the Senate is expected to vote on it, with amendments, before the 111th Congress ends. The Migration Policy Institute has just released revised total and state-level estimates of the unauthorized youth and young adults who might be eligible for conditional legal status. Grassroots groups, like the National Council of LaRaza, the [ Read More → ]

By Heidi Silver-Pacuilla

The final version of the National Ed Technology Plan (NETP) was released November 9, 2010.

This spring, during the call for input, the National Coalition for Literacy coordinated an adult education response to the draft. That document attempted to articulate the role that technology could play in adult education for teaching, learning, and program infrastructure. The document was subsequently adopted by NCL as a policy position.

The final version of the NETP preserves the main categories presented in the draft version:…

A Public Policy Forum on Women’s Education and Economic Opportunity: The Role of Literacy will be held in Washington, DC, Wednesday, December 1, from 9:00am – 2:00pm jointly sponsored by the National Coalition for Literacy and the Institute on Women’s Policy Research.  There is no cost and lunch is provided. Continental breakfast will be provided starting at 8:30am.  Plan to stay for informal networking till 3:00pm.

This Forum will bring together advocacy organizations, policymakers from Congress and federal agencies, and researchers to share what we know, what we still need to know, and what…

—An NCL WIA Reauthorization Priority

Article by John Segota

Most federal funding programs are created through authorizing legislation, and then funded annually through the appropriations process. The EL/Civics grant program came about in a different way: it started first as a demonstration grant at the U.S. Department of Education, and has been funded annually for over a decade, but lacks the actual legislative backing to authorize the program. This creates a significant disadvantage for the program, as it only really exists on a year-to-year basis, rather than having the opportunity to grow. Moreover, without authorizing language, the program could disappear…

—An NCL WIA Reauthorization Priority

Article by Heidi Silver-Pacuilla

Consider these statistics about how U.S. adults are using technology in 2010 and whether adult education programs are prepared to take advantage of these trends:

Broadband. 74 % of adults have broadband access at home, and 67% consider themselves as users of that access in the home. The main dividing lines for access are along socioeconomic dimensions such as income and education:

46% of adults whose highest level of education is a high school degree are broadband users at home;

• 82% of adults who have attended or graduated from college

…

. . . along with a hold harmless provision so that no state sees any reduction in its current funding level as a result of this change.

—An NCL WIA Reauthorization Priority

Article by John Segota

The demand for adult ESL programs has been growing dramatically in the U.S. for many years, however the funds distributed under WIA Title II – the largest federal funding program for adult ESL – are calculated based on the number of adults without a high school diploma. Although all adult English learners are eligible for WIA Title II programs, according to the following…

This workshop will highlight the demographic trends and policy developments leading U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to encourage civic participation by providing tools and resources for immigrants and communities that serve them to facilitate the naturalization process and celebrate citizenship.

Wednesday, March 17, 2:45 – 3:35 pm

Northwest Seven (Lower Level)

Presenter:

Rachael Shaw, Management and Program Analyst, Office of Citizenship, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Handouts:

• Power Point Presentation (pdf)
• National Coalition for Literacy’s English Language Learning Policy Principles (pdf)

Please share your comments on this session or this topic in the Comment Box below; click…

The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy lays out a vision and seven goals to create a health literate society. This workshop will discuss the development of the goals and strategies, the potential impact of the plan on policy, and its use in everyday practice.

Thursday, March 18, 4:15 – 5:15 pm

Boulevard B (2nd Floor)

Presenter:

Gary Podschun, Manager, Community Outreach and Cultural Competence Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations, American Dental Association (ADA)

Handouts:

• Slide Presentation (pdf)

Please share your comments on this session or this topic in the Comment Box below; click Comment…

Literacy is a strong predictor of health status, more than age, income, race, ethnicity, unemployment status, or educational level. Half of U.S. adults have difficulty understanding health documents. This presentation focuses on 1) strategies for creating partnerships between literacy and health professionals, and 2) increasing communication between patients and providers.

Friday, March 19, 8:30 – 9:30 am
Northwest Two (Lower Level)

Presenters:

• Carol Gabler, Consultant, Health Literacy Advancement, LLC
• Sue McIntyre, Consultant, Health Literacy Advancement, LLC

Handouts (added as available):

• Health Literacy Advancement Brochure (Contains Carol’s and Sue’s contact information)

Please share your comments on…

John Segota, Director of Advocacy and Professional Relations for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), shares strategies for raising awareness of adult ESL programs, including the use of social media. See the two You Tube examples below from the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in California (APALC). In the comment box, tell us what you have done or are doing to raise awareness of adult ESL programs in your community or in the Web 2.0 world. Is your class on You Tube, for example? Share those links with readers here.

Making an Impact

In…