National Coalition for Literacy

Adult Literacy Advocates:

We have some exciting news for you! Congressman Dan Maffei (D-NY) is sponsoring an Adult Literacy Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives!

Congressional caucuses are organizations for Members of Congress to advance causes that are important to them. A House caucus is a group of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives who share something in common, whether personal (ex: the Congressional Hispanic Caucus), related to a district’s needs (the Congressional Rural Caucus) or about House Members’ interests or concerns, like the new Adult Literacy Caucus.

Now that Congressman Maffei has formed the House…

Update and Thanks!

Dear Adult Literacy Advocates:

Thank you to all who contacted their Members of Congress in response to alerts on this issue. Your calls made a difference!

Special thanks to advocates in Colorado for their advocacy work with Congressman Polis. Congratulations to advocates in New York, Arizona, Texas, California, Maryland, Kentucky, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Maine, DC, Minnesota, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Tennessee and the Northern Mariana Islands who cinched commitments from House members to co-sponsor the resolution (H. Res. 1472).

If your House Member co-sponsored the resolution, now is a good time to follow up with a note

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By Marsha Tait and Jackie Taylor

Many irons in the fire, but will Congress get it all done before November? Updates this month include appropriations, WIA, ESEA, and TANF reauthorization, immigration reform, House resolution for dedicating Adult Education and Family Literacy Week 2010, advocacy for Even Start and for including adult education in the National Education Technology Plan.

Appropriations:

Despite the fact that adult education serves approximately two and a half million of the ninety-three million adults in need each year, adult education has been nearly flat funded for almost a decade,

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The National Coalition for Literacy requests immediate action now on Appropriations for Adult Education and Family Literacy:

 Action: Please call, email, or fax your two Senators with this message:

 “Please increase funding for adult education to at least $750 million to provide services to potential students placed on waiting list for services.”

Talk about the need and demand for services in your area. Share the 2009-2010 NCSDAE Adult Student Waiting List Survey and discuss the waiting list numbers in your program or state. Make

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Urge Congress to Reauthorize WIA NOW!

Weigh in: What Changes in Adult Education Do You Want Most? 

Deadline: January 15, 2009

The Workforce Investment Act, Title II—the legislation that makes federally funded adult education programs possible—hasn’t changed since it was first authorized in 1998. Thanks to your advocacy efforts, Congress is now working to change it. Now it is time to tell Congress what changes you want to see most in adult education programs.

Remember, this is reauthorization, not appropriations. We will ask you to weigh in…