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LR/RI produces a bulletin roughly every two weeks in order to inform area practitioners of news, events, and calls for participation and also as a forum for posing questions, issues and discussion topics. The current bulletin is posted below. To read previous bulletins, go to Bulletin Archives.January 3, 2002 Bulletin #132
Dear Colleagues, New yearís greetings. Calls for participation, employment and conference opportunities, resources. I will be out of the office during the week of January 7th on a SALT visit, and back on the 14th. Iíll check voice and email as I can. To post information, please contact LR/RI or leave a message (863-2839). Thanks.
Janet Isserlis
NOTICES
Please know that effective immediately, all visitors to the RIDE/URI extension building can only enter from the Washington Street side of the building and must sign in and out with security there. The Westminster Street door can be used for exiting the building only. ESOL educators are invited to attend the first meeting of the Rhode Island Special Interest Group of ESOL and Bilingual Education Professionals of MATSOL. The meeting will be held at Rhode Island College, Student Union Room 211, on January 15, from 6:30-8:30 pm. At this meeting we will explain the benefits of membership in the RI SIG and conduct a needs assessment survey to determine professional development activities for the coming year. For those unable to attend this meeting but interested in joining the Rhode Island Special Interest Group of ESOL and Bilingual Education Professionals, we have enclosed an application for your convenience. We are looking forward to meeting with you on January 15th. If you need further information, please feel free to contact Willis Poole (401) 456-8573 or email: wpoole@ric.edu or Nancy Cloud (401) 456- 8789 or email:ncloud@ric.edu. To read an informational bulletin concerning the RI SIG, contact LR/RI. ESOL sharing/discussion session will take place on Wednesday, January 30 at 2:15 pm at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence. A specific topic hasnít been chosen; during the last meeting, we touched on issues of assessment in workplace and community-based classrooms and EL/Civics. We would like to continue with these topics; as well, all topics and ideas are open ? please join us. A survey about resources for ESOL activities, developed by Debby Venator, is available online. We request that teachers complete the survey and send their responses to LR/RI as sson as possible. Classroom observation: Students at the Swearer Center for Public Service, working with adult language and literacy programs, are interesting in observing ESOL and ABE classrooms. If you would be open to having such a visit anytime after January 1st, please contact LR/RI. From Miriam Burt: Adult ESL Practice in the New Millennium, a Web document On February 15, 2001, NCLE held a panel discussion on adult ESL practice. Ron Pugsley of the US Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) spoke on the adult learner population, Rebecca Moak of OVAE on EL/Civics, Jin Sook Lee of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance on rights of immigrant adults in the US workforce, Larry Condelli of Pelavin/AIR on instructional strategies for English language learners with limited literacy skills, Cathy Shank of West Virginia ABE on English language learners with learning disabilities, and Marilyn Gillespie of SRI International on professional development and working conditions of adult education teachers. Although the event was held 10 months ago, the topics discussed are still topics of great concern to practitioners and researchers working with adults learning English. Online, at http://www.cal.org/ncle/millennium.htm, read the document based on the proceedings of that panel event. Written by NCLE Director Joy Peyton, the document uses the resources of the Internet to present not only what was said at the event, but also to connect to power point presentations given by the panelists and to maps and other documents related to the presentations. from Thursday notes, December 20, 2001 Congress Boosts FY '02 Adult Ed Appropriations - Congress approved a boost of $35M, or 6.48% in adult education state grants on December 18 when work on FY 2002 appropriations drew to a close. From the state grant amount of $575M, $70M is reserved for English Literacy/Civics education. In addition to the $575M, the final appropriations agreement continues the Community Technology Centers (CTC) program at $32.475M and keeps the program in the Department's budget. NIFL got a $60K increase and Even Start was level-funded at $250M. National Leadership Activities, funded at $14M last year dropped to $9.5M for FY 2002. MA Restores Adult Ed Funding - Last week the Massachusetts Legislature passed, and this week the state expects Governor Jane Swift to sign, a supplemental budget restoring $12.5M in state spending for adult education services. This action reinstates all but $500,000 of the $13M cut from adult basic education in the state budget passed in November. Employer Training Investments Decline -US employers were among four national groups to experience a recent decline in investments in worker training, says the American Society for Training and Development. The survey of 500 member organizations comparing 1998 with 1999 data showed however that Asian respondents reported dramatic increases in expenditures in employee training, up from $166 to $736 per employee. The United States experienced a slight decrease (1.8%), while Latin America decreased by 27.5% and China decreased by 8.8%. Among all others that reported increases were Australia/New Zealand (17%), Japan (66%), Canada (25%), and Europe (22%). On the good news side for the US: the Australia/New Zealand region reported the highest percentage of employees receiving training (78.9%) while the United States was a close second at 78.6 percent. See http://www.astd.org and click "press room" on the footer. Go to "snapshot." from Alice Johnson, Associate Director for State Policy. National Institute for Literacy Fri, 21 December: Yesterday Congress finalized its education funding decisions for next year, including a $35 million increase for adult education state grants. For details and information about other literacy-related funding decisions, please see the new Policy Update by Christy Gullion, posted online at: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/policy/updates/01-12-20.html learning opportunities: Cranston Train for Tomorrow vocational courses for adults Nursing assistant ? Tuesday and Thursday 6 to 9 PM: Tuition $90 Computer skills ? Tuesday and Thursday 6 to 9 PM: Tuition $90 Dental Assistant ? Tuesday and Thursday 6 to 9 PM: Tuition $90 Classes are offered to students 18 years or older and not in high school. Students may take only one course. Only those interested in obtaining employment or upgrading job skills by the end of training may enroll. Registration: Days ? Cranston Adult Learning Center, 41 Heath Avenue (take First Avenue off Elmwood Ave.) January 14-18 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. Evening? Cranston Area Vocational Technical Center, 100 Metroploitan Avnue (off Phenix Ave); Tuesday, January 15, 6:30 to 8 pm. All eligible RI residents welcome, GED or High School diploma required. Information: 785-8166 employment opportunities: Need part-time ESL teacher to teach from Monday to Thursday, 6-9 p.m., at the International Institute of Rhode Island. Position will begin January 14, 2002 and end in early June 2002. Applicants must have experience teaching ESL to adults in a community-based setting, and hold a Bachelor's degree in related field. Bilingual capability in any language is preferred. To apply please submit a resume to Nazneen Rahman by January 7, 2002 via email (nrahman @iiri.org) or fax (467-6530). Job Posting: January 1, 2002 IIRI Refugee and Minority Health Promotion Center 645 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI 02907 Tobacco Control Project Outreach Specialist Full time, 35 hours per week Salary $28,000 to $31,000 with benefits Duties and Responsibilities: Collaborate with IIRI Refugee and Minority Health Promotion Center to: Design and implement a culturally appropriate tobacco control education and outreach program; Promote broad-based community understanding for the Comprehensive Tobacco Control Project; Implement a culturally appropriate counter media tobacco control campaign; Assist with data collection and program evaluation; Attend IIRI departmental and agency meetings, RI Department of Health Tobacco Control meetings, events, and trainings Other Requirements: Excellent computer skills including MS Office, graphics, and multi-media programs, Willingness to work some evenings and weekends Preferred: Competency in more than one language; College degree; Marketing and outreach experience Applications due by January 7, 2002 FAX # 401-467-6530 [more re: ] Duties and Responsibilities
Women, Violence and Learning: Several practitioners are going to hold a series of four study group meetings between now and June on the topic of women, violence and education. Interested participants will read material on this topic and meet for one and a half hours to discuss it. The first meeting will be in late January in a late afternoon time slot. If you're interested in learning more about this important topic, call Nancy Fritz at the Genesis Center at 781-6110 Year 2002 scholarship information from the Rhode Island Foundation is online at http://www.rifoundation.org/scholar.html; not all information about all scholarships is posted online, but information is available from the Rhode Island Foundation (401) 274-4564 [youíll be asked to send a self addressed stamped envelope]; as well, LR/RI has a list of current scholarships. your input is needed: Is your program exploring new approaches, developing curriculum, generating materials, or otherwise engaged in work that you'd like to share with others? In addition to various sharing sessions (most notably ESOL, with the hope of others forming around other topics), this bulletin and the LR/RI website provide two vehicles for sharing your work with a larger community of adult educators. As well, LR/RI's site has a page devoted to learner writing and information relevant to adult learners. Please, if you have internet access, take some time to explore the LR/RI site (http://www.brown.edu/lrri) and send feedback, suggestions about existing information as well as other sites that youíve seen that LR/RI could add to the site. Especially consider contributing content ? a lesson plan thatís worked, a reflection about your practice, related news or information about the communities in which we live and work. To get started, if you haven't already, have a look at the current round of inquiry projects, posted on the site . Practitioners are working through developing the proposals you'll see on the site and beginning to collect evidence that will help them examine the questions and concerns they've raised through their projects. Your responses to their work, as well as to anything else on the site, are welcome. Questions? Contact LR/RI - (401) 863-2839; janet_isserlis@brown.edu
From the National Center for Family Literacy: It's that time when we begin our search for student speakers for the National Conference on Family Literacy (March 3-5 in Albuquerque, NM). If you have students in your family literacy programs or programs that provide family literacy services (public schools, adult education programs, and Head Start programs) please submit the student's name. Because students speak to over 1500 conferees we ask that the students possess the following requirements: Prior public speaking opportunities, Completed personal and family goals as defined by student during tenure in the program The ability to travel on their own, and a comfort level with the English language. We will guarantee their travel and expenses while at the conference and give them a copy of the videotape of their speech. If you know of parents, grandparents or caregivers that have participated in family literacy programming and wish to attend the conference and share their story, we'd love for you to submit their names. We will choose the parent speakers after January 15th. When you submit the names, please tell us about your programs and the student's family demographics. If the student has spoken publicly, you can send a copy of that speech. Bonnie Lash Freeman, National Center for Family Literacy bfreeman@famlit.org 502 584 1133 ext 115 volunteer opportunities: - Destiny House: Here's an opportunity to help folks who are providing support and education to adults and teens affected by domestic violence. A newly established Domestic violence advocacy organization, Destiny House, is in need of some technical assistance in getting some recently acquired computers up and running. If you are interested in helping them become fully operational, please contact Ms. Eleanor McSwain Destiny House, 461-6521
online / resources What online, print or other materials have been useful to you in your own learning and/or in working with adult learners? share your findings with colleagues -- send them to janet_isserlis@brown.edu, or to LR/RI at PO Box 1974, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912. Check LR/RI's recently updated pages, as well, to see if thereís something there you can use. One hundred questions about Arab Americans: A Journalist's Guide http://www.freep.com/jobspage/arabs/index.htm search LR/RI - the search function at http://www.brown.edu/lrri has been improved so that the LR/RI website is now searchable. Please try it. Let me know what you think.. Thanks to Bill Dennen at Brown for his assistance in getting it to work. e-literacy: The National Institute for Literacyís electronic newsletter is online (new and archived issues) at http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/eliteracy/archive.html NIFL also maintains an online calendar of events at http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/Calendar/calendar_world.cgi
Free education publications are available from ED Pubs, the U.S. Department of Education's Publications Center. To order free books, brochures, videos, and more, visit the ED Pubs Web site (http://www.ed.gov/about/ordering.jsp) or call ED Pubs toll-free at 877/433-7827.
Community Action Grants - The AAUW's Community Action Grants provide up to $10,000 to support innovative school and/or community-based programs that promote education and equity for women and girls. Women of color and women from other underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. Application deadline: January 15, 2002. http://www.aauw.org/3000/fdnfelgra/cag.html The Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) announces another round of education reform grants in areas of social science research. PRACC is particularly interested in issues such as high classroom turnover/mobility and its disproportionate impact on low-income, minority, and farm worker students. However, other issues will be considered as well. To apply, send PRRAC a proposal outlining the planned research and methodology, the advocacy work it is designed to support, a budget, timeline, and qualifications of the researchers. Maximum grant: $10,000. No application deadline. http://www.prrac.org/grants.htm The Indiana University online graduate course on current approaches to instruction and assessment in EFL and ENL classrooms course Website is now complete: http://www.indiana.edu/~fpteach/eflenl/ This course will take place in the spring 2002 semester(January 8th- May 4th). The course number is L530 (Online). To register, please go to http://www.indiana.edu/~disted/spring.html Please contact fpawan@indiana.edu for more information. Comment from a TTC student . . . "This program helped me improve my skills and has encouraged me to achieve new goals." Should I go to college? Who can I talk to? What courses do I need?
How much will it cost? Am I prepared to study in college? If
you are asking yourself these questions, or you know someone who is, you
may want to call and learn about Project RIRAL's Transition to College
program.
This is a free, three-month program designed to prepare GED or high school
graduates for college. The program begins with a Career Workshop,
and then offers academic classes in reading, writing, math, computer, and
study skills. Students learn about the college application process,
financial aid, and attend mini workshops on Time and Stress Management.
The classes are held in the evening and on Saturday at Network RI in Pawtucket.
Our next session begins in February, and we are recruiting new students
now. Call now to enroll, 722-3100 ext. 182 or 762-3841.
Year 2002 scholarship information from the Rhode Island Foundation
is
online at http://www.rifoundation.org/scholar.html;
not all information about all scholarships is posted online, but information
is available from the Rhode Island Foundation (401) 274-4564 [youíll be
asked to send a self addressed stamped envelope]; as well, LR/RI has a
list of current scholarships.
from Jon Randall, Dec 10: At http://www.natcoalitionliteracy.org you can see the latest version of the Omnibus Literacy Legislation concept paper developed by the National Coalition for Literacy. To get to it, click on "Policy and Legislation" on the home page, then on "Commitment Three," and then on "Omnibus Literacy Legislation." Last week the Public Policy Committee of the National Coalition for Literacy met by conference call to consider 49 recommendations submitted from literacy advocates throughout the country. Most of them were approved in one form or another. On December 13th, the National Coalition for Literacy will review and hopefully approve the document at its quarterly meeting in Washington, D.C. From there, we'll ask a Senator or Congressperson to have the paper drawn up as a piece of federal legislation. In the coming weeks, we'll help literacy supporters become familiar with its provisions by highlighting key sections. We'll also be targeting key potential cosponsors during this period. Check out the web site for additional steps in the process and to download the latest version of the concept paper. (You'll need the free program Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can get from www.adobe.com if you don't already have it on your system.) Call for Papers: Women and Literacy Edited by Mev Miller Women's Studies Quarterly is the leading journal on teaching in womenís studies. Thematic issues feature material for specialists and generalists alike, including the most recent scholarship available in jargon-free language; classroom aids such as course syllabi; discussions of strategies for teaching; and up-to-date, complete bibliographies as well as hard-to-find or never-before-published documents and literary materials. Intersections of race and class with gender are of special concern, as are international perspectives. The Quarterly seeks writing for a December, 2003 issue on Women and Literacy. Cross-cultural and international in scope, this issue seeks to include a selection of essays from practitioners in the fields of literacy and adult education as well as from women's studies. Contributions made by literacy practitioners co-authored with women learners or authored by women learners are especially encouraged. This issue encourages writings in a variety of genres, e.g., memoir, personal essays, collections of student writings. Essays may be both reflective of actual practice or theoretical issues. Contributors are asked to include a brief description of your experience in the literacy field. For the purposes of this issue, "women and literacy" pertains to the
concerns and issues for adult women learners (18+ years of age) who have
pre-basic or limited reading/writing skills in predominately print-based
cultures. This issue seeks to heighten the awareness of womenís studies
academics and feminist educators to the issues of literacy for adult women.
It also strives to explore beyond functional definitions of literacy. The
questions to be addressed may include: What are your definitions
of "literacy"?
The 2002 edition of the Directory of Adult Literacy Programs in Rhode Island is now available through Literacy Volunteers of America-RI. The book is free and may be obtained by calling LVA-RI at 861-0815. For multiple copies, please make arrangements to pick them up. LR/RI website: a shortcut. The URL for Literacy Resources/RI's website has not changed; you can now get to it more quickly by using this new address: http://www.brown.edu/lrri/ -- with thanks to Kath Connolly and Bill Dennen at Brown University for making it so. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011102/neffns1_3.html Applications for the 2002 Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund are available in all Talbots stores and on the Company's website. Now in its 5th year, this unique $100,000 scholarship program annually awards 5 $10,000 scholarships and 50 $1,000 scholarships to women seeking a bachelor's or associate's degree later in life. Since 1997, Fund has awarded college scholarships to nearly 220 women ranging in age from their mid 20's to their early 60's. The 2002 Board of Judges selecting the five $10,000 scholarship recipients will include Blythe Danner, Caroline Kennedy, Marlee Matlin, Joyce Carol Oates, and Deborah Roberts. Applicants must be women currently residing in the US who earned a high school diploma or GED at least 10 years ago; be seeking a degree from an accredited 2 or 4 - year college, university or vocational-technical school, and have at least two full-time semesters or 24 credits remaining to complete their undergraduate degree. Eligible entries must be postmarked no later than March 4, 2002. To download an application, please visit www.talbots.com/about/scholar/scholar.asp . conferences - conferences are listed chronologically and are updated with each bulletin
The National Association for Adults with Special Learning Needs - NAASLN, in conjunction with the Greater Milwaukee Literacy Coalition and the Milwaukee Area Technical College, is sponsoring an international conference, Forging the Future, September 13 -15, 2001, in Milwaukee, WI. DUE to 9/11 events, this conference was canceled. Check its website to learn when/if it will be rescheduled. Visit http://www.naasln.org for an up-to-date listing of sessions and conference information. Center for Popular Education and Participatory Research - 2nd annual conference; February 1 - 3 , 2002. 4501 Tolman Hall #1670, UC Berkeley Berkeley, CA 94720-1670 phone: (510) 642-2856, fax: (510) 642-3425 mailto:cpepr@yahoo.com website: http://www-gse.berkeley.edu/research/pepr The PRO-NET2000 National Professional Development Conference will be held on February 21 - 22, 2002 in Washington, DC. http://www.pro-net2000.org/ ; email: Renne Sherman rsherman@air.org TESOL 2002 ? April 9 ? 13, Salt Lake City Utah http://www.tesol.org COABE May 6 - 11, 2002, Charleston, South Carolina- http://www.coabe2002.org/ Laubach Literacy Action Biennial Conference will be held in San Diego May 30 - June 1, 2002. http://www.laubach.org/USProgram/biennial.html http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/CASAE/cnf2002/call2002i.html 21st Annual Conference May 30-31 & June 1, 2002 Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto Adult Education and the contested terrain of public policy: Heritage Languages in America: Second National Conference Washington, D.C. October 18-20, 2002 The first day of the conference will be an invitational research symposium at the University of Maryland,. The final 2 days will be a public meeting in Tysons Corner, VA. http://www.cal.org/heritage Joshua Fishman, Yeshiva and Stanford Universities from previous bulletins: REMINDERS, RESOURCES: The ERIC File, newsletter of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, is available at http://ericacve.org/docs/ericfile-fall01.htm and in paper copy. If you are not already on our mailing list and would like a paper copy, send your request to ericacve@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu (include your mailing address). This issue includes articles on ALADIN, ERIC's 35th birthday, trends in adult, career, and vocational education, and tips on searching the ericacve.org website. Judy Wagner / wagner.6@osu.edu ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education 1900 Kenny Road / Columbus OH 43210-1090 USA 614/292-8625; 800/848-4815 (ext 2-8625); FAX: 614/292-1260 TTY/TDD: 614/688-8734 Stop the Hate, http://www.stopthehate.net/index1.htm - provides numerous resources of value to anyone working in adult education, community development and/or hoping to consider viable ways in which to approach social change. Language and Literacy is a Canadian on-line journal for educators interested in a broad range of literacy issues encompassing research and teaching in multimedia, print, and oracy. Available at http://educ.queensu.ca/~landl/ From Taylor L. Willingham: Help me make the voices of Adult Literacy Students Heard! The literacy community has been invited to participate in developing a discussion guide on health. This guide is being developed by a network of people who participate in National Issues Forums (NIF), which bring together citizens to discuss important public matters. The NIF network wants to hear your thoughts on health so that we can write a discussion guide that reflects how you and your friends and family are experiencing health-related issues. We will produce a discussion guide that will be written at an easy-to-read level that teachers and tutors can use in lessons and that adult learners and students can use in their study and personal growth. Please copy these questions, share with learners and return your response to the email address below. If access to email is a problem, a regular mail address is also included: 1. What do you value (or what really matters to you) about your own
health and health care?
Please send your responses to me at taylor@austin-pacific.com .Thank
you! Taylor L. Willingham Austin-Pacific Consulting Co. PO Box 1255 Salado,
TX 76571 254.947.3793
list servs: LR/RI listserv: As some of you know, Literacy Resources has a list serv - an email discussion group available to anyone with access to email in the state (or beyond, as interest warrants). To learn more about the list, or to subscribe, please send an email message to janet_isserlis@brown.edu. To date, about 30 people have joined the list. Its purpose is to provide a forum for local educators to discuss policy, practice, resources, issues and news related to our work with one another. Unlike the bulletin, which arrives as email, the list is interactive - when you respond to message from the discussion list, everyone else on the list receives your message -- and the conversation, we hope, continues and grows. VALUE e-list: VALUE has established a valuelearners mailing for email users, hosted by the Western/Pacific Literacy Network, part of the National Institute for Literacy Information and Communication Network System (LINCS). This "e-list" is a way for adult learners who are members of VALUE to communicate with each other. Only adult learners who are members of VALUE can subscribe to this e-list. VALUE is the national organization for adult learners (current or former participants in adult basic skills programs) in the United States. VALUE provides training and other supports to adult learners who want to be more effective leaders in their education programs, communities, and states. This e-list is being managed by members of VALUE's Communications Committee. Subscribers are encouraged to communicate about information, ideas, questions, or problems of interest to them. If you are a member of VALUE and need help subscribing, please contact LR/RI. If you're not a member, but would like to become one, contact LR/RI or visit the VALUE website at http://literacynet.org/value.
LEARNER is intended primarily for adult learners. LITERACY is a general list for adult literacy practitioners and others. Information on these electronic lists is below. LEARNER To subscribe to LEARNER, send an email message to: listserv@nysernet.org Skip the message header and in the body of the message, type: subscribe LEARNER Yourfirstname Yourlastname All submissions to LEARNER should be addressed to: LEARNER@nysernet.org Questions regarding the list should be sent to: Beverly Choltco-Devlin Moderator, LEARNER bdevlin@dreamscape.com LITERACY To subscribe to LITERACY, send an email message to: listserv@nysernet.org Skip the message header and in the body of the message, type: subscribe LITERACY Yourfirstname Yourlastname All submissions to LITERACY should be addressed to: LITERACY@nysernet.org Questions regarding the LITERACY list should be sent to: Beverly Choltco-Devlin bdevlin@dreamscape.com
Professional development initiative: In 1998, I spent time at the RI Dislocated Worker Program, facilitating classes for teachers there so that they could have an opportunity to observe one another's classes and to reflect on their learning and teaching. (The full text of their reflections is available on the LR/RI web site at Writing from the Field - or contact LR/RI for a hard copy). Please let me know if you would like to participate in this process of professional development. All that's required is your willingness to share your reflections about the observation/learning process for others. I hope to build a block of writing and thinking about this and other forms of our own professional development both through the bulletin and the web site.
Please contact LR/RI if you have information, questions or announcements to share with adult educators in Rhode Island. Bulletins go out at least twice a month; more frequently when there's more to share. To submit information for the next bulletin, please contact LR/RI by phone (401-863-2839), mail (PO Box 1974, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912) or email. back to LR/RI home |
