National Coalition for Literacy

Tell Congress to Vote NO on H.R. 803!

Issue: As soon as this Thursday, March 14, the House will vote on H.R. 803 as the next step in reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).  Created in 1998 through a bipartisan process, WIA is the legislation which provides for adult education programs (Title II).

H.R. 803 would threaten the ability of states and communities to educate low-skilled adults and English language learners and prepare them for self-sufficiency by allowing states to consolidate adult education funding together with a newly-created Workforce Investment Fund. This new fund…

By Jackie Taylor and Ellen Fern

Unless there is a last minute agreement reached by the President and party leaders today, sequestration will occur at 11:59 pm tonight, Friday, 3/1.  We will know more about the impact on states in the coming days.

However, as previously stated by the U.S. Department of Education, adult education state formula grants will not be affected until July 1, 2013 because AEFLA is forward funded. Thus it would not affect any AEFLA funds that were already awarded in July 2012. (Source)

Thank you to advocates…

—By Jackie Taylor and Ellen Fern

On Thursday, June 14, 2012, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS-ED) approved its FY 2013 appropriations bill on a party-line vote of 16-14 (See summary). This bill provides federal funding for adult education. Republicans opposed the bill largely over objections to funding for the Affordable Care Act. (Listen to the audio archives here.)

Earlier this week, the bill passed out of subcommittee by a vote of 10 to 7.

Adult education…

Thank You Adult Literacy Advocates!

—By Washington Partners with Jackie Taylor

On Thursday, June 7, the House Education and the Workforce Committee met to mark up and amend the Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012, H.R. 4297.  Overall, this bill consolidates 25 workforce training programs that have been identified as duplicative and ineffective into a single Workforce Investment Fund that provides flexibility for states to determine the best use of funds.

On the flip side, Democrats John Tierney (D-MA), George Miller (D-CA), and Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) proposed H.R. 4227, an alternative version…

Issue: On March 29th, Members of the House Education and the Workforce Committee introduced The Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012 (HR 4297). As early as next week, the full Committee may meet to markup the bill as the next step in reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

Created in 1998 through a bipartisan process, WIA—the legislation which provides for adult education programs—has not been updated since then. Now, House Republicans are moving their legislation forward to markup.

The National Coalition for Literacy has several concerns…

—By Washington Partners with Jackie Taylor

Budget and Appropriations

The Congress has an uncanny way of exhausting itself and every advocate in town just before a district or state work period.  Last week was no exception.  Capitol Hill was crawling with citizens deeply committed to either keeping or tossing the Affordable Healthcare Act.  They surrounded the Supreme Court building that was hosting an unprecedented three-day proceeding at which the Justices were hearing arguments both for and against the constitutionality of certain provisions of the law.  There were also crowds protesting the tragic death of…

—Co-hosted by the Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE)  and the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL)

We are pleased to bring you the annual Public Policy Advocacy Strand at the COABE/VAACE Conference in Norfolk, Virginia, April 9-13, 2012. To register or add preconference sessions and excursions, visit: http://www.coabeinvirginia2012.org/index.html

Tuesday, April 10              PreConference Sessions

8:30-11:30 am    The Politics of Adult Education

Presenter: Art Ellison, Policy Chair, National Council of State Directors of Adult Education

1:00-4:00 pm      Tapping the Potential of Social Media for Advocacy

Presenters:

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DEADLINE: Noon, March 28, 2012

Dear Adult Education & Literacy Advocate,

Issue: Just like in the House, Senators have been asked to submit their funding priorities for FY 2013 to the Chair of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee. Senator Webb wants to make sure that adult education is a priority for every Senator. He is sponsoring a letter that all Senators can sign, making it easier for Senators to prioritize adult education funding for FY2013. Since the letter does not have a Republican co-sponsor, it will be especially important for constituents of Republican…

—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 Sean Abajian

On Tuesday, March 13, and for the second time this year, the LAUSD presented an Interim Financial Report stating that the District will end the 2011-2012 school year with reserves of over $700 Million (pg. 51 of 92 in the Scribbd.com document linked above). $707 million represents almost…

—A Weekly Education and Advocacy Update

By Washington Partners with Jackie Taylor

The Senate found itself “home alone” again last week as the House of Representatives was out of town for a week-long district work period.  In their absence, a surprising level of at least nominally bipartisan activity took place.

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) came to agreement on approving 17 federal judges whose nominations had been languishing for months.  The Senate also passed a two year transportation bill that now goes to the House…

—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 Robert D. Skeels

“I’m an adult ed teacher, and I just want to say thanks to those of you outside of adult ed who understand the importance of what we do, and are willing to stand with us as we fight to survive this year. When I go back to work tomorrow morning and greet my

…

—A Weekly Education and Advocacy Update

By Washington Partners with Jackie Taylor

President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and even Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) had thought developing a budget for FY2013 would be a less contentious task this year, as last summer’s debt ceiling measure included an agreed upon FY2013 spending cap.  That was then.

Now it appears that House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI) and many other Tea Party Members are insisting that the number be reduced and deep cuts in entitlement and domestic discretionary…

—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 Blanca Perez, President, & Evelyn Escalante, Vice President, United Adult Students

In our experience as president and vice president of United Adult Students, we have had the privilege to organize our community in which approximately 350,000 students would be impacted if the proposed elimination of adult education by the LAUSD Board…

—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…

—The Education Advocate’s Week in Review

By Washington Partners with Jackie Taylor

The Congress chose not to wait for the release of the President’s FY 2013 budget proposal, due out on Monday, before getting to work on their 2013 spending plan.  In spite of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) declaration that a budget resolution is unnecessary this year since spending levels were agreed to in last year’s negotiations around the debt limit increase, House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI) takes a different view.  He has proposed removing any cost…

Thank you to everyone who got involved with the State of the Union Address for adult education and family literacy! On Tuesday, January 24, the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) was invited to the White House to tweet live during the State of the Union (SOTU) address and participate in an interactive, open questions event with senior administration officials afterwards. We had the chance to ask questions about the speech and share questions from our followers on Facebook and [ Read More → ]

By Marty Finsterbusch

2011 has been a very productive and energetic year with the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL). I believe our advocacy helps to make adult literacy a greater priority in this country. Here is a recap of NCL’s accomplishments for 2011 and ways you can become involved in 2012:

• For the first time in the National Coalition for Literacy’s history, an adult learner is now the president of it. Those most impacted by literacy issues should be directly involved in the solution. Marty Finsterbusch, executive director of Voice of

…

By Ellen Fern and Jackie Taylor

In this month’s update, learn more about the status of the budget and appropriations process for FY2012 and what this means for adult education; find updates and breaking news on extending Unemployment Insurance (UI) employment benefits and how it may impact undereducated workers, new jobs legislation that includes adult education, and see more progress made on WIA reauthorization in the House.

• Budget and Appropriations
• UI Alert
• WIA Reauthorization
• Pathways Back to Work Act
• Adult Literacy Advocacy – What this means for you

[ Read More → ]

We are proud to announce that Southwest Airlines is now the official airline of the National Coalition for Literacy! Southwest Airlines, through its dynamic Community Affairs and Grassroots philanthropic work, gives back to the community by championing causes that matter most in the daily lives of their customers. Southwest recognizes the importance of adult literacy in shaping virtually every major issue important to adults and their families in the United States.

Nationally, one in seven adults will not be able to complete a job application, an elections…

The National Coalition for Literacy is hosting its Quarterly Meeting on December 8, 2011, at the Phoenix Park Hotel (Georgian Room) in Washington, DC. We’re thrilled to welcome several presenters as well as legislative staffs joining us for a Hot Topics Legislative Panel.

The Meeting fee is $30.00 to help cover the cost of the meeting space.

RSVP Here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NCLMtg-LegPanel

Please RSVP by November 28 to reserve your seat, after which we will open the legislative panel up to others who would like to attend.

NCL Quarterly Meeting…

—Guest Blog Post, Advocate Voices from the Field

Billie Izard is the Executive Director of the Certified Literate Community Program in Georgia. She blogs about Georgia’s amazing story of how adult literacy advocates put a stop to the increase in GED test fees. 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 adult education and family literacy. Submit

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Hello CAEPA Participants!

We are thrilled to be here in Denver, Colorado, at the CAEPA Rendezvous October 21-22, 2011. We are presenting a couple of workshops: “Using Social Media for Grassroots Advocacy” and “Public Policy Advocacy and YOU!”. We are posting e-files of our handouts here. Please comment in the box below and tell us something that has stood out to you during either of these sessions. And let us know what you plan on implementing or trying out when you return home.

Also, here are some photos we took while in Denver:

Here is the…

The National Coalition for Literacy will be presenting several interactive public policy advocacy sessions at the US Conference on Adult Literacy (USCAL) in Houston, Texas, November 2-5, 2011. We hope you will join us! Come share your experiences and recommendations in advocating for adult and family literacy and have a voice in strengthening NCL’s advocacy nationwide. Leave armed with resources for strategically developing your advocacy campaigns.

Add a preconference to your schedule: Register today for our day long preconference on Effective Advocacy Strategies. Early registration has been extended until October 21. Register here.

[ Read More → ]

By Jackie Taylor with Ellen Fern and Heidi Silver-Pacuilla

WIA Reauthorization

On June 17, 2011, the National Coalition for Literacy and several adult education and family literacy organizations submitted their recommendations for the Senate Discussion Draft of the Workforce Investment Act of 2011. Many adult education advocacy groups, such as the Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers (AALPD), Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE),…

—Education Advocates Stay Vigilant, Engaged

By Washington Partners and Jackie Taylor

ESEA Reauthorization

With the House of Representatives in recess, Capitol Hill was relatively quiet last week. Before leaving town for a district work period, House Education and the Workforce Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chair Duncan Hunter (R-CA) introduced the first installment for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which would make good on one of the first Republican promises regarding reform of this law—making it smaller and less costly. The bill repeals the authorizations…

—NCL is Awarded $150,000 Grant to Continue Technology and Advocacy

By Marsha Tait

On Thursday, May 12, The Dollar General Literacy Foundation notified the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) that we have been awarded a $150,000 grant for the coming program year.  The grant will allow NCL to continue to develop our on-line advocacy toolkit, blog, web site and use of social media to reach, train, and inform adult education advocates.

The grant will also underwrite the costs of the NCL Literacy Leadership Award event in Washington DC on September 14, and…

Save the Date!

May 12, 2011 will be a day to explore innovative approaches to adult literacy solutions!

Mark your calendars to attend the NCL Quarterly Membership Meeting in Washington, DC in the morning and a special Hill briefing in the afternoon, co-sponsored by the National Coalition for Literacy and the House Adult Literacy Caucus.

Confirmed speakers:

Jennifer K. Foster, Senior Director for Adult Education and Family Literacy/State Director for GED Testing, presenting on the Shifting Gears work in Illinois

• Shifting Gears, funded by the Joyce Foundation, is

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The Commission on Adult Basic Education and the National Coalition for Literacy are pleased to bring you the Public Policy Advocacy Strand, hosted at the national COABE Conference, San Francisco, CA, April 17-21, 2011.

To add a preconference to your existing registration,  modify your registration or contact the COABE office if you need assistance (888-442-6223 or info@coabe.org).

Presentations and handouts will be posted here as they are made available.

Effective Advocacy Strategies

Sunday, April 17, 2011

PreConference 8:30 – 11:30 am

Presenters:

• Kathi Medcalf, Past President, Maine Adult

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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,…