National Coalition for Literacy

—October 2011

By Jackie Taylor and Ellen Fern

Action items are listed first in this month’s update:

• American Jobs Act (Action)
• WIA Reauthorization (Action)
• Budget and Appropriations (Update)
• Joint Deficit Reduction Committee (Update)
• ESEA Reauthorization (Update)
• Advocacy Workshops & Tools
• 2012 House Calendar and Congressional Visits

American Jobs Act

A few weeks ago, the American Jobs Act was brought to the Senate floor where it died quickly. The only way both Democrats and Republicans…

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),…

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

…

By Marsha Tait

The National Coalition for Literacy is pleased to announce that it will hold two public policy advocacy symposia this spring with generous support from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The first event will be held in Nashville, TN on March 15, 2011 in partnership with the TN Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Adult Education, and the TN Association of Adult and Community Education.  Newly appointed Commissioner of the TN Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Karla Davis, will speak.  The event will take place at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel. We are pleased to…

By Jackie Taylor with Washington Partners Ellen Fern and Ellin Nolan

I am pleased to welcome Washington Partners Ellen Fern and Ellin Nolan as public policy consultants with the National Coalition for Literacy. Not only will they bring much needed information and strategic recommendations to the Coalition for advancing adult education, they are also well-known and respected in education circles on the Hill.

Washington Partners has provided the budget and appropriations update below. Read it carefully. Several key factors are coalescing in Congress that will critically…

By Marsha Tait and Jackie Taylor.

Symposia

The National Coalition for Literacy is pleased to announce that it will hold two public policy advocacy symposia this spring with generous support from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The first event will be held in Nashville, TN on March 15, 2011 in partnership with the TN Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Adult Education, and the TN Association of Adult and Community Education.  The event will take place at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel. We are pleased to be offering this…

New Research Publications from the Goodling Institute

The Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy has published two new research briefs. The first examines how the identities of African American men shape participation in adult basic education & literacy programs. The second offers a critical analysis of how a widely used adult literacy curriculum in Turkey portrays men’s and women’s roles and identities.

• African American Men, Identity, and Participation in Adult Basic and Literacy Programs By Brendaly Drayton and Esther Prins
• Reproducing Gender Inequality: A Critical Discourse Analysis of a Turkish Adult Literacy Textbook By Ramazan Gungor and Esther

…

By Heidi Silver-Pacuilla

Welcome to Washington Partners, joining our team as NCL policy consultants. After a search for a policy consultant which generated many fine and qualified applicants, the search team agreed that the Coalition would be best served by this firm with its depth and breadth of experience in education policy and reputation for high quality service.

Washington Partners is a full service firm, offering government and public relations services, policy research and analysis, grassroots organizing and advocacy, as well as strategic advice and planning. We are looking forward to learning from their…

By Heidi Silver-Pacuilla

Hello All, we are heading into the end of December, so I’ll start with happy holidays and a wish for a safe, healthy, and more equitable and peaceful 2011.

This has been a busy month for the Coalition.

The elections brought surprises, recounts, and an upset in the newly formed House Adult Literacy Caucus. Follow the fall out of the elections here. We are also monitoring Congress closely to stay on top of shifting funding arrangements that may greatly impact our programs.…

—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 → ]

—A Public Policy Update on Adult Education and Literacy

By Jackie Taylor

Adult education and literacy impacts a host of critical issues that face our nation: jobs and the economy, health care, immigration, poverty, families and children’s education, to name just a few. We can help change these issues for the better by advocating for more effective public policies that support adult education and literacy.

As the lame duck session nears a close, I’ll share public policy advocacy updates in parts.

.

Part I of V: Jobs and

…

By Marsha Tait

NCL held its second 2010 public policy advocacy symposium in Little Rock, AR this month. More than 85 participants were introduced to the NCL Advocacy Toolkit, blog, and Twitter. Speakers included AR State Director of Adult Education Jim Smith, State Senator Shane Broadway, Dr. Charles Allen, and legislative aides from US Representative Vic Snyder’s and Governor Mike Bebe’s offices. Local panelists Patricia Bates, Ray Pool, and Randall Whitmore discussed the collaborative W.A.G.E. project, a state-wide effort to credential workers’ skills.

Following a role play about “how…

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…

By Heidi Silver-Pacuilla

Hello all, I am honored and excited to take on the role of President of the National Coalition for Literacy. Thank you for your vote of confidence. I look forward to a year of learning from all of the members, policymakers, and advocates.

With the announcement of the Adult Literacy Caucus, we have an incredible opportunity to move the cause of adult literacy to a more central policy conversation where it belongs—deeply entwined with the conversations on the economy, jobs and a competitive workforce, poverty, gender equity, health and wellness, civic involvement, parenting and early childhood, dropout…

The National Coalition for Literacy has been asked by Hill staff, “Of the NCL WIA Reauthorization Priorities, which are most important?” The answer to that question is that they are all important.

From July 19 – August 6, the National Coalition for Literacy held a guest blog discussion on Reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act—What is a priority for you? During this period, guest bloggers from the Coalition wrote about why each NCL WIA reauthorization priority is important and invited comments from the field.

Substantive discussions resulted over multiple weeks about why these are priorities for the…

—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

…

—An NCL WIA Reauthorization Priority

Article by Art Ellison,  Policy Committee Chair,  National Council of State Directors of Adult Education

An annual federal appropriation of at least $1 billion for adult education would represent the lowest possible figure that would indicate a serious commitment to the needs of undereducated adults in this country. The state grant appropriation level of $614 for FY11 contained in the budget submitted to Congress by the Obama administration would need to be increased by Congress to $386 million in order to reach the $1 billion level for next year.

A [ Read More → ]

By Marsha Tait and Jackie Taylor

National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week—Thank You Congressman Polis!

June and early July have been deceptively busy in the public policy arena!

For the second consecutive year, Congressman Jared Polis has led the U.S. House of Representatives in passing bipartisan legislation (H Res. 1472) supporting the designation of the week of September 13, 2010 as National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. The resolution, authored by Congressman Jared…

Join Members of the National Coalition for Literacy for an online discussion of reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act, July 19 – August 6, 2010. Using the NCL Priorities for WIA Reauthorization as a springboard for discussion, comment on the priorities that are important to you and why, discuss the issues with guest bloggers, add your own priorities for WIA reauthorization, and vote on issues most important to you. During National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, NCL will share your comments and questions with legislative staffs over WIA reauthorization.

To participate: Visit the [ Read More → ]

News from the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education

The National Council of State Directors staff has been working intensively with Senate HELP Committee staff over the past two weeks on specific issues related to a new WIA reauthorization bill. Similar discussions are beginning to take place with House Education and Labor Committee staff. This is the most promising news that the state directors have had on WIA reauthorization in the past four years. For further information contact Art Ellison, Policy Committee Chair, National Council of State Directors of Adult Education at aellison@ed.state.nh.us.

AALPD and…

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,

…

This has been a very busy few months for the National Coalition for Literacy. Initially, it was historic with the first ever quarterly meeting canceled in February due to the never-ending Washington snows. Fortunately, that has not stopped the activities of our committees, public policy work, or national advocacy trainings.    

Our Dollar General grant has produced several new technology features as well our fall North Carolina workshop. An excellent follow up session in North Carolina was conducted by Marsha Tait and Jackie Taylor in April and our Ohio Partnerships and…

By Marsha L. Tait and Jackie Taylor, Public Policy Committee Co-Chairs

It’s been a busy spring for the National Coalition for Literacy! Congress was on recess for two weeks but resumed session April 12. Following is a report of NCL’s latest public policy activities.

Appropriations

The House and Senate appropriations sub-committees have been accepting outside witness testimonies; the National Coalition for Literacy submitted testimony to both. Copies of the NCL testimonies are now online. Additionally, Senators were to submit their appropriations requests for FY11 to Appropriations Chair Inouye…

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…

Popularly known as the “Policy Panel” that has drawn over 400 participants each conference, this preconference provides you an exclusive opportunity to interact with panelists for an in-depth look at the federal legislative issues. National adult education leaders will update you on federal legislative developments in adult education and related areas. Then join roundtable discussions led by panelists, examine how policy affects practice, and target policy change in areas that concern you most. Create a plan; bring it home.

Monday, March 15, 8:30 – 11:30 am

Boulevard C

Panelists:

• Jeff Carter, Policy and Government Affairs Director, ProLiteracy
• Art Ellison,

…

The session features practical, hands-on strategies for planning and implementing a successful grassroots advocacy program. Participants will discuss strategies and tactics and create action plans that integrate advocacy with community and business partnerships. Built on the successes from the National Coalition for Literacy grassroots advocacy symposia, with generous support from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, you will hear from local and state level advocates on how they have implemented successful advocacy campaigns.

Monday, March 15, 12:30 – 3:30 pm

Boulevard C

Panelists:

• Brenda Brown, Vice President, Adult Education, Middle Georgia Technical College
• Dorothy Ferguson, Coordinator, Adult Education, Middle Georgia

…

For the first time ever, a panel of experts at conference will explore different perspectives on hot policy issues that affect adult education[i] in the U.S. today. COABE and ProLiteracy Members not attending conference can also participate in the debates live via Webinar.

Topic 1: Investing in the Lowest Level Learners

Video Archive of Debates, Topic 1

The first topic explores whether and to what extent federal and state monies should be invested in the lowest level of learner in an economic and political climate that is focused almost entirely on jobs creation economic stimulus.  

Topic 2: Adult Education: Situated in…

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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Thursday, March 18, 1:45 –2:45 pm

Continental Ballroom B (Lobby Level)

Presenters:

• Brenda Dann-Messier, Assistant Secretary, Office of

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