National Coalition for Literacy

Issue: This Thursday, June 7, the Education and the Workforce Committee will likely markup The Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 (HR 4297) as the next step in reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Created in 1998 through a bipartisan process, WIA is the legislation which authorizes funding for adult education programs.

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…

—A guest blog article in the discussion series on Cut the Excuses, Not Education! How SaveAdultEd.org Is Fighting the Proposal to Eliminate Adult Education in L.A.

By Matthew Kogan, Chair, Adult Education United Teachers Los Angeles

In response to projected budget deficit for 2012-13 in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Superintendent John Deasy proposed a fiscal stabilization plan that would eliminate its adult education program serving 350,000 students.

It appeared that a majority of the LAUSD school board supported the elimination…

—A guest blog article in the discussion series on Cut the Excuses, Not Education! How SaveAdultEd.org Is Fighting the Proposal to Eliminate Adult Education in L.A.

The National Coalition for Literacy interviewed Sean Abajian, a campaign organizer from SaveAdultEd.org, to get the big picture on what happened and what advocates were doing to save adult education in Los Angeles, CA. Our questions and Sean’s responses follow.

Tell us a little bit about the adult education program in L.A. and the literacy rates…

—Where Do You Stand?

Wednesday, February 1, members of the House-Senate Conference Committee met to further discuss issues and work out their differences surrounding the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011, H.R. 3765. According to Roll Call, a newspaper which covers Capitol Hill, legislators “…still find themselves on shaky ground after their second meeting, with broad agreement on where to go but little agreement on how to get there.”

Legislators discussed the education requirement at great length, which was proposed by House Republicans as part of an earlier…

—Guest Blog Post, Advocate Voices from the Field

Elaine Kuhar is a literacy volunteer at the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Pittsburgh-Refugee Services, who blogged during National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week about becoming a literacy advocate. Her story is below. She has joined us on the NCL Advocacy Blog as a guest and is happy to respond to your comments or reactions.

Have a story to share? The National Coalition for Literacy is pleased and proud to feature blog articles about individuals’ experiences advocating for

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

By Jackie Taylor

For those of us who work in adult education and literacy, it’s no surprise that many of our programs have waiting lists of adults who want to improve their basic skills or learn English. In a recent Washington Post article, community colleges now also face similar demands: Adults want new skills but…

Did you go to Conference? Share what you learned on public policy and advocacy so other adult literacy advocates can benefit from your ideas. Advocacy is a team effort! Tell your colleagues who stayed home to bookmark this space and watch for updates.

If you did not go to Conference, this Blog offers a way you can benefit from the conference afterwards. Session handouts you can download are now available! Just click on the title of the session that interests you and you will find the handouts linked there. Share your comments/questions for any of the…

During challenging economic times, it is increasingly important to leverage resources, foster collaboration, and develop partnerships at both the state and local levels. Participants in this session will discuss how systems and organizations can work together in order to access American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.

Thursday, March 18, 10:30 – 11:30 am

Blackstone Hotel, Inspiration Studio (5th Floor)

Presenter:

Jeffrey A. Fantine, State Director of Adult Education, Maine Department of Education

Handouts:

• Adult Education and Its Role in Maine’s Unified Special Education Regulations (Chapter 101) Selected Questions and Answers (doc)
• ARRA – How to Include Adult Education to

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