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LR/RI produces a bulletin roughly every two to three 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.  To receive the bulletin via email, contact LR/RI.

October 28, 2005

Bulletin #205

Dear Colleagues, 

Calls for participation, employment, funding, and conference and workshop opportunities, online and other resources.  To post information,  and/or to receive the bulletin via email, please contact LR/RI or leave a message at (401-863-2839). 

Janet Isserlis signature

Janet Isserlis 
____________________________________________________________

NOTICES


ESOL  shareTuesday,  November 29th, at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence, at 2:30 p.m.  We’re talking about participatory practice.  More information soon -  Please join us.

Please save the date: The fourth annual RI Adult Educators Conference will be held on May 11, 2006.  Calls for proposals and participation out soon.

Professional development minigrants:

In 2004, adult educators undertook a process whereby a group of practitioners responded to an invitation to draw criteria for professional development minigrants, after which a call for participation was issued.  Those criteria have been slightly amended, and appear below, along with a brief review of the process we undertook.

We discussed various kinds of professional development activity- and how or why such activity has been helpful (or not) to us in our various roles (teachers, program administrators, professional development providers). We also brainstormed qualities of good professional development as well as possible professional development activities we could undertake. Qualities named included professional development that has depth, occurs over an extended period of time, is ongoing and supported (by program directors, grants themselves and within a culture that promotes continued learning).

Possible activities include peer mentoring/master teacher exchanges, observation of one another's classes (within and across programs), manager shares - to discuss programmatic issues), and professional development days, such as those provided to public school practitioners; We also talked about inquiry and mini-grant projects, program-wide shares, book/article discussion groups and study circles. Johan Uvin has recently mentioned the importance of professional development that focuses on adult learning – how do adults learn? How can we work to optimize learning? – as a powerful topic, along with examinations of learner persistence and learner retention.

Other ideas discussed for possible professional development activity:
- integration of technology into adult learning
- workplace education
- a virtual PD center (see, for example: http://www.brown.edu/lrri)
- me to substitute teach at your program so that staff can use the time to observe one another's classes (you don’t have to pay me to sub; you may, however, wish to pay a substitute teacher if you'd like a particular teacher to come to your program)
- use some funding to enable program staff to meet and share ideas/ discussion regularly - possibly while simultaneously encouraging learners to meet to develop learner leadership within programs) and/or use funding to pay for substitute teachers in order to not disrupt classes.  (Note - this is a chronic and critical issue. Many practitioners dislike using class time for PD, feeling that it cheats students of time they need. Others feel that this investment in PD ultimately serves students well as it strengthens our ability to provide quality instruction.
Yet others consider middle ground - use the time for students to meet together to share ideas, work on learner leadership, view/discuss videos, peer- tutor, etc.)

-  offer minigrant/stipends for programs and /or individuals to pursue program shares (some funding for meals, teacher time)
While LR/RI disseminates information about conferences and professional development activities, and also helps coordinate and facilitate practitioner sharing sessions, it had, until 2004, also facilitated practitioner-based research projects;  Given the relatively low number of practitioners working on research projects (in 2004) and the opportunity here to broaden the scope to include different sorts of professional development activity, it seems to make sense to open this piece of the process to the field, and to look to you to determine how you/your program could best make use of these relatively limited funds (see below).  In many instances, professional development is occurring within programs, but not always across them, nor do we have sufficient opportunities to learn from one another.

In order to allocate the funding productively (a total of $5,000), LR/RI is beginning a process whereby some smaller and larger (up to $500) stipends can be disbursed for the range of activities listed above.  Some (such as observation within programs) are low or no cost; other require food, materials, and all require (either to reflect and write, meet and share) time.  As we consider the transitions ahead of us in terms of adult ed as a system, this is one opportunity to develop our ideas and see where they take us.

To apply for funding to undertake professional development activity, please send by fax, email or snail mail, a proposal outlining

 your purposes, goals and intentions in undertaking the work – What do you hope to accomplish?  What will be positively affected by your/your progam's participation in such an undertaking?

planned timeline/process - What will you do?  What;s the timeline?

 anticipated outcomes - Will you write a report, host a sharing session or workshop to let others know about the work you did and its possible applications to their work?

collaboration/resource utilization - How/will you combine funding/ resources with existing program resources and/or funding for professional development to maximize the usefulness of your time and funding  Will you be working with another program or other programs or individuals?

so what?  Why do you care about this project/undertaking and what do you believe it will contribute to the field?
Written reports will be posted to the LR/RI website; workshops, materials that might be developed, or processes that are otherwise documented will also be shared through the website. If you have questions, please contact LR/RI.  If you are not pursuing funding for a project, and would like to be a reader to help select proposals, please contact LR/RI as well. Please send completed proposals to LR/RI November 28th. Decisions will be made and participants notified by December 5th.  Work should be completed by June 30th.

Finally: these notes were shared as part of a handout during the October meeting, for your information.
Goals: to support existing knowledge, build new knowledge, communicate across programs and areas
Qualities  - ongoing, supported ? a culture of learning; collaborative
How  - online, face-to-face, reading, print/web resources    What  - themes, content areas, approaches
Options:
Inquiry/research
Mini grant/projects
In-house,  across programs
Funding; program levels, individual/small group projects
existing PD plan[s]? Ongoing meetings?
 Substitute/observation
 Mentoring
 Involving learners:
 Staff meetings concurrent with learner meetings?
 Other options for learner/practitioner interaction?  Learner leadership?
 
Review resources:  video viewing; software, online course trials,  articles - face to face and email discussions; study circles/book/article groups
theme: meet [x] times, convene study circle/facilitated process (Wrigley)
Shares: EL Civics, ESOL; revive GED? External diploma? Other topic areas?
Technology drop in/collaboration (skills/resource sharing?)
GED as project:  http://web.jmu.edu/gedproject/  The Right Question Project: http://www.rightquestion.org/
Learner persistence and retention http://www.calpro-online.org/pubs/100719LearnerPersistenceNewsletterPress.pdf
Calpro-online: http://www.calpro-online.org/pubs.asp

Scheduled activity/events:
ongoing shares
Annual conference, May 11, 2006
Other conferences (as participant and/or presenter) – see calendar at http://www.brown.edu/lrri/bulletin.html

resources
http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/
tutor resources, inquiry projects Professional Development Kit http://www.literacy.org/pdk/

Resources for teacher learning and reflection on line
Local/national list servs (see, for example, http://www.nifl.gov/lincs - click on Discussions button
New teacher orientation: http://www.brown.edu/lrri/teacherorient.html


Congressman Langevin's office will be staffing a Neighborhood Office at The Genesis Center each month, alternating day and evening hours. The first office hours will be on Monday, September 19th from 10:30 AM to 12:00 noon. Congressman Langevin's office may be able to assist constituents with issues such as immigration, Social Security, Welfare, Unemployment, Veteran's Issues, housing and others. Please come and take the opportunity to sit and speak with one of YOUR Congressional staff.

ALE Wiki: Katrina - families, literacy, access and community

Call for articles for the next issue of The Change Agent, a resource for teaching about social justice issues and ideas.
Theme: Social Values  - from Andy Nash, New England Literacy Resource Center

When we think of the basis of American democratic ideals we often think of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Yet, American democracy could not survive without a strong basis of social values that support community, tolerance, and cooperation. Social values form the common bonds of society, but are not always agreed upon by everyone. Social values grow out of our own personal values but they are broader. The more we agree on the values for our society, the stronger it will be. Right now, in the US there is tension about our values. This issue will explore what we can do to bridge that tension and discover values we may all be able to support.  Questions for students and teachers to think about:

What three or four values are most important to you personally? Are the values that are most important to you found in American society? Where?
Write about a time when you made a difficult decision to do something that was not in line with your values.
How would you describe American values? Give examples of how you seem them in action.
If you were to develop a social program (health care, education, public assistance) based on your values, what would it look like?  When people have different values conflict can arise. What are some ways to talk about values when we disagree about them? How can we act on values that we disagree about?  What does the term "family values" mean to you? How does this compare with "family values" that politicians talk about?

All articles will be considered and must be received by November 14, 2005. Suggested length is 500-1,200 words. Final decisions are made by The Change Agent editorial board. A stipend of $50 will be paid to each adult education student whose work is accepted for publication in this issue.

Please send material (by email or PC disk) to: Angela Orlando, Editor, New England Literacy Resource Center/World Education, 44 Farnsworth St., Boston, MA 02210 Phone: 617-482-9485 fax: 617-482-0617 email: aorlando@worlded.org


WE LEARN / Women Expanding: Literacy Education Action Resource Network
Women's Perspectives: A Health and Wellness Initiative  Call for Writings by Adult Literacy/Basic Education Students DEADLINE to send in writings for consideration: December 23, 2005

Women’s Perspectives: A Health and Wellness Initiative will showcase writings by adult literacy/basic education students across all levels. This collection will continue to empower women across the country to consider and further their knowledge about the important health issues that continue to impact their lives.

Student writers are encouraged to reflect and to write on the theme of women's health/well-being. The writings should highlight and personalize the struggles women face with health and wellness issues. They can be in the form of personal stories, poems, opinion essays, advice, or other forms of writing. Topics for this writing can cover the broad spectrum of issues related to women's health and well-being: education/literacy, healthcare systems, social issues, specific illnesses, media images, gender-specific issues such as reproductive health, as well as many other topics. The published collection of student writings will provide a catalyst for change in support of women's literacy for health and well-being.

Writers must be adult literacy/basic education students attending classes or working with a tutor.  Writings will be reviewed by WE LEARN members (including students & teachers) and will be selected for recognition on the basis of originality, creativity, and clarity.  Selected writings will be showcased on the WE LEARN website. Student writers and their programs will receive a printed copy of the selected writings.  Special recognition will be awarded to two students who will receive a cash award and a partial scholarship to attend the 3rd Annual WE LEARN (Net)Working Conference on March 10-11, 2006 in New Haven, CT. The announcement and the presentation of the awards will take place at the conference, and the writers will be invited to read their writing at the ceremony.  Awards will be administered through the Elizabeth Morrish Memorial Student Scholarship Fund, a fund supported by designated donations. Writings should be sent to WE LEARN at 182 Riverside Ave., Cranston, RI 02910, or welearn@litwomen.org  Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged. TEACHERS: A pre-writing lesson plan for this initiative is also available.  To download an entry form and lesson plan, and for more information: http://www.litwomen.org/perspectives.html  For more information about the the Elizabeth Morrish Memorial Student Scholarship Fund and to make donations: http://www.litwomen.org/morrish.html  or contact: Mev Miller, Ed.D., Director, 401-3834374,  welearn@litwomen.org  at the address above.

The Literacy Assistance Center announces a call for papers for the 2006 issue of our peer-reviewed annual journal, Literacy Harvest. The theme of this issue is Supporting Immigrants' Success. Please see our website at
http://www.lacnyc.org/resources/publications/harvest/LitHarv06_call.htm for a complete description and submission guidelines, including a PDF you can download for posting in your organization or department. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. - Jan Gallagher. Director of Communication, Literacy Assistance Center, 32 Broadway, 10th floor, New York, NY 10004, 212-803-3332

learning opportunities

TRANSITION TO COLLEGE, Project RIRAL's ABE-to-college transition project, in collaboration with  NELRC is currently accepting applications for January 2006.  This free sixteen-week program  assists non-traditional adult students to upgrade their academic skills, to receive support on their college and financial aid applications, and to receive academic counseling to transition more smoothly into college.  Students who enter TTC will also enroll in a College Reading course at CCRI in Providence.  Students are required to have a GED, EDP (External Diploma), or high school diploma and meet program criteria.  TTC meets 3 – 4 evenings during the week at netWORKri 175
Main Street, Pawtucket. Anyone interested in upgrading their skills before entering college should contact Marie Crecca-Romero at 722-9800, or email her (creccaromero@cox.net) to arrange for a placement test.  Space is limited.  Volunteer Mentors and/or Tutors needed.  If you are interested in mentoring and/or tutoring one of our adult students, please contact Marie.  For more  information about our program, visit our website a www.transitiontocollege.org

Author Mem Fox to visit the Providence Public Library - Saturday, October 29, 2005, 150 Washington Street ~ Auditorium (3rd fl)
Best-selling children's author and internationally respected literacy expert, Mem Fox, will fly in to town from her native Australia this October to present two talk - one for adults and one for children. Many of her books will be available for purchase.  Mem Fox is the author of many popular books for children and adults, including Hunwick's Egg, Time for Bed, Possum Magic , Wombat Divine, Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to out Children Will Change Their Lives Forever, and Radical Reflections: Passionate Opinions on Teaching, Learning, and Living. A former professor of literacy education, Mem lives in Adelaide South Australia.
This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required : please call the Library's children's room: (401) 455-8025. 

http://www.provlib.org/community/events/authorevent.htm


9:30 - 11:00 AM (talk for adults)
Love, Laughter and Reading Aloud
This talk explores the delights of reading to babies and young children and explains why reading aloud daily from birth to five is so essential for bonding, brain development and educational advantage.

11-12 Book Sale & Signing

1:30 - 2:30 PM (talk for families)
Australia, My Home, and Other Places in My Heart.

2:30 - 3:30 Book Sale & Signing

For more information on PPL events, see http://www.provlib.org/branchout/current.html

funding opportunities - large and less large
Funding opportunities from  PEN Weekly NewsBlast,

Hasbro Children Foundation grants to support the development and/or expansion of programs for children. Maximum Award: $500-$35,000. Eligibility: Programs must provide direct services to children under age 13. They must serve children and families who are economically disadvantaged. They must be innovative and provide a model from whichothers can learn.
Deadline: N/A.  http://www.hasbro.org

The Allen Foundation supports educational nutrition programs, with priority given to training programs for children and young adults to improve their health and development. Maximum Award: Past grants haveranged from $2,000 to $1 million. Eligibility: Schools and schooldistricts should partner with local nonprofits to form nutrition education programs. Deadline: Ongoing.
http://www.allenfoundation.org/

The UPS Foundation funds volunteer management, hunger and literacy efforts.
http://www.community.ups.com/community/philanthropy/focus/main.html.

The federal government's new one stop grant site: http://www.grants.gov/


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

Funding Solutions for Small Nonprofit Organizations
A collection of resources to help small nonprofit organizations fundraise including ways to motivate your board, sample fundraising letters, phonathon advice, and tips to improve your direct mail solicitation. http://www.nonprofit-innovations.com/


employment opportunities
Adult Educator needed part-time to help establish College Readiness Program for post high school/GED clients and to teach the Writing/Reading component. Preference given to those with experience teaching writing to adults and college freshmen.  Expect to develop the program during November and December and begin instruction no later than January.   Please send resumes to and/or inquire at info@wcalc.org or call/fax 401-783-0293


Jobs in Literacy – nation wide postings on the National Institute for Literacy’s LINCS site: http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/lincs/jobs/jobs.cgi

Substitute list: if you would like your name added to the list, please see contact LR/RI.  The list needs to be updated so that it can function more usefully for teachers and programs hoping to work with them. (http://www.brown.edu/lrri/sub.html)

Rhode Island Community Jobs (RICOMJOB) is a public e-mail announcement list that seeks to raise the profile of meaningful work in Rhode Island by helping non-profit and public interest employers publicize openings effectively. Anyone seeking a job that makes a difference in Rhode Island can join the list.  Any non-profit, government or private sector employer advertising a paid position related to the public interest or community concerns can post a free job listing.  Positions must be paid but may be part-time, full-time or temporary.

To join the list as a job seeker or to post a job as an employer go to: http://www.ricommunityjobs.org

Rhode Island Community Jobs is supported by the Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University and the Rhode Island Campus Compact.  If you have questions about this service, please contact us at ricomjob@brown.edu 


online / resources available

Using the Web in Instruction – read reports and view websites developed by New England area practitioners – including three from Rhode Island at http://www.nelrc.org/expertise/comp2005.html

Building Pathways to Success for Low-Skill Adult Students: Lessons for Community College Policy and Practice from a Statewide Longitudinal Tracking Study By: David Prince & Davis Jenkins -- April 2005. New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia  University http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/Publication.asp?UID=204 

Office of Vocational and Adult Education – OVAE Review, 9/29: news, updates and information across a range of topics http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/ovaereview/orev092905.html

A brief, written by Cristine Smith, Kathryn Harris, and Steve Reder of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, entitled Applying Research Findings to Instruction for Adult English Language Students, is available at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/research.html. The brief describes why research is important to the instruction of adult English language learners, defines scientifically based research and evidence-based instruction, explains what we know about how to help teachers use research, gives an example of teachers using research to improve their practice, and lists places where research-based resources can be accessed.

Online professional development resource: The Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers created the Professional Development Registry: an online resource for sharing PD tools, obtaining feedback, or seeing the actual professional development activities that others have created -- facilitator guides, workshop agendas and outlines, and manuals that describe how
to conduct training for adult education practitioners.  http://www.aalpd.org/ (Click on PD Registry in the left-hand toolbar)

The PD Registry evolved from an idea suggested by NIFL-AALPD subscribers who were looking for a way to share files and obtain feedback from colleagues.   Materials posted to the PD Registry can be as simple as an agenda or steps for facilitating a short activity, or it can be fully-developed training guides and how to manuals you have designed and written. The AALPD does not assess or judge the quality of any resources that are registered, we only ask that the resources posted  meet the simple criteria listed below.

Best Regards, Executive Board, Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers

Acceptance Criteria: AALPD provides the PD registry for access purposes only. AALPD will post all professional development materials submitted to the PD registry if they meet the following criteria:
- All submissions to the PD Registry must be "how to" manuals or guides for facilitating professional development, not just descriptions of resources about teaching or PD.
- Only professional development resources that are free for downloading will be posted.  Professional development activities that are fee-based or dependent upon a particular facilitator will not be accepted.
- All the resources must be available electronically, either on another website or on the AALPD website. If you do not have the means to make your resource available on a website but it is available electronically, you can upload your file for submission to the PD Registry using the online submissions form.

Life Success For Students With Learning Disabilities: - A Parent Guide http://www.ldsuccess.org/parent_guide.html - This guide is based on over 20 years of research conducted by the Frostig Center in Pasadena, California. The research traced the lives of individuals with learning disabilities in an attempt to identify factors predicting successful life outcomes. The guide was developed by Dr. Marshall H. Raskind, Dr. Roberta J. Goldberg,  with research associates Dr. Eleanor L. Higgins and Dr. Kenneth L. Herman.

(of particular interest to GED prep and related programs) An Invitation to Review and Comment:
The Rhode Island Office of Higher Education (RIOHE) invites stakeholders  and interested others in the public to review and comment upon public higher  education’s entry-level reading and writing expectations, which appear below. Comments should be directed in writing  to the Rhode Island Office of Higher Education (RIOHE) at the following  e-mail address: Deanna@etal.uri.edu. To be considered, written comments must be received no later than Wednesday,  October 12. http://www.ribghe.org/entry_level_expectations.htm

Two LINCS Special Collections have recently collaborated on a self-paced tutorial called Learning Disabilities and Work Issues. This resource is  especially useful for anyone serving as an instructor or coach for adults  with learning disabilities who are engaged in looking for satisfying work  and being successful in the workplace.  Online at http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/ld_work_issues.htm or at the Workforce Education  website at http://worklink.coe.utk.edu/ld_work_issues.htm . In addition to  the tutorial, you will find a set of Resources that are searchable by topic  or audience

From David Rosen and Susan Gaer
The International Classroom Virtual Visit project will begin  again this September and October, linking classrooms across the world to enable students to meet  each other virtually, share information about their cultures, their classrooms, and their  communities, and to build cultural understanding. Classes can include English as a Second or  Other Language (ESOL/ESL), Adult Basic Education (ABE, GED),  elementary or secondary education, or family literacy.  Students can be from age seven to adults.

As in past years, we hope classes will share student-to-student   questions and answers, and possibly choose a film, book or current event to discuss. This year we also hope some sites will use blogs, wikis, free Internet telephony and m-learning (using mobile phones to access Web pages). If you would like to participate in this year's project, sign up on the I.C.V.V. e-list  by going to: http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/icvv

Scroll down the page to choose an ID and password.  That's it, easy and free. If you are already on  the I.C.V.V. e-list, send an e-mail to: icvv@lists.literacytent.org indicating your interest in participating this year.  Be sure to   describe your class, when it starts, and what age group or nationality, if any, you   would prefer to partner with.

To see classroom visit projects from previous years go to:
http://www.otan.us/webfarm/emailproject/school.htm and then choose http://www.otan.us/webfarm/emailproject/school2003.htm. We look forward to your joining the project. David J. Rosen djrosen@comcast.net  amd Susan Gaer sgaer@yahoo.com


From EdInfoConstitution Resources tools for learning about the U.S. Constitution.  Meet the 55 delegates who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 to rewrite the Articles of Confederation, read essays printed in  NYC papers urging ratification of their proposal.  Explore a 200-year timeline showing the impact  of the Constitution on our history.  Search the Constitution, see explanations of 300 topics.   http://www.ed.gov/free/constitution/index.html.  Also available at this URL:
United States Constitution - includes notes Washington wrote on his copy of the Constitution, his
diary at the Constitutional Convention, an essay on Madison's role in the Constitutional
Convention, Madison's notes on the debates, Jefferson's letter to Madison expressing his opinions  on the new Constitution & his belief that a Bill of Rights was needed, & more.     
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Constitution.html

To subscribe to EDInfo, address an email message to:  listserv@listserv.ed.gov  Then write  SUBSCRIBE EDINFO YOURFIRSTNAME YOURLASTNAME in the message,  (if you have a signature  block, please turn it off)  Then send it!        
Past messages: http://listserv.ed.gov/archives/edinfo.html
Other math resources at http://www.nwt.literacy.ca/northernedge/ - check Issue 3 (consumer math) and see other editions as well for interesting ideas on incorporating numeracy learning.

Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners  - provides support and resources to adult education and family literacy instructors who are new to serving adults and families learning English and provides a variety of materials to help practitioners meet the language and literacy development needs of the ELL students they serve. These include responses to Frequently Asked Questions, a first-day orientation guide, lesson plans, research-to-practice papers on English language and literacy learning, and an annotated list of English and Spanish language assessments in use.  On the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition Web site, the Index page at http://www.cal.org/caela/elltoolkit allows you to select and download the entire document or to select and download topics of interest as needed.  The toolkit is made possible by a grant from the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, US Department of Education,
through DTI Associates, and is a collaborative effort between the National Center for Family Literacy and the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) http://www.cal.org. If you have comments or questions about the Practitioner Toolkit, please contact Lynda Terrill at lterrill@cal.org.

Google Scholar enables searches for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from broad areas of research. Use Google Scholar to find articles from a variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as articles available across the web.  Google Scholar orders search results by how relevant they are to your query, so the most useful references should appear at the top of the page. This relevance ranking takes into account the full text of each article as well as the article's author, the publication in which the article appeared and how often it has
been cited in scholarly literature. Google Scholar automatically analyzes and extracts citations and presents them as separate results, even if the documents they refer to are not online. This means your search results may include citations of older works and seminal articles that
appear only in books or other offline publications. http://scholar.google.com/
Living in Poverty slideshow does the math: what does it take to live at the poverty level.
http://www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/povertyusa/tour2.htm

RI Foundation online scholarship directory - searchable by city/town, intended field of study, current high school, and more. http://scholarship.rifoundation.org/
YouthBuild USA Learning Network has links to Web sites and full-text documents, and  includes a section on "Authentic Materials/Engaged Learning/Constructivism/Contextual Learning/Project-based Learning." http://www.youthbuild.org/learningnetwork/professionaldev.html

Providence Community Resource Network (PCRN) http://www.provplan.org/pcrn
Spanish language version of PCRN is up and running.  You can access the site from the PCRN home page, http://www.provplan.org/pcrn, or go to http://www.provplan.org/pcrnespa. The Web pages, online instructions, and the content of the database have all been translated.

Civics 101 -  website of the RI Secretary of State, at http://www.rules.state.ri.us/civics_101/; a high school curriculum that may be adaptable for adult learners and/or useful for initiating critical
reflection about citizenship and communities.
conferences and workshops - conferences and workshops are listed chronologically and are updated with each bulletin
Rhode Island - Training/events around employment issues for people with disabilities http://www.ric.edu/uap/training.html

CALL FOR PRESENTERS 3rd Annual (Net)Working Conference on Women & Literacy - Moving to  Power & Participation  Sponsored by: WE LEARN / Women Expanding—Literacy Education Action Resource Network Co-Sponsored by Yale University Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies  Program and literacytent.org March 10 - 11, 2006 Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

Proposals for presentations are invited from learners, teachers,  tutors, administrators, professional developers, researchers,  activists, and policymakers in ABE, GED, ESOL, Family literacy, Health  literacy, Citizenship, Prison literacy, Workplace literacy and other  alternative educational programs that serve women in adult literacy/  basic education. The conference seeks Interactive Workshops, Demonstrations, Performance, Theatre and Creative Art, Poster Sessions, Panels, Roundtables, Papers, and Readings Proposals will be selected based on their relevance to women's issues  in adult basic literacy/education, and reflection of the theme of the  conference. We are especially interested in presentations that  recognize or address how adult basic literacies/ education supports and  moves women to fuller personal and political power and  socioeconomic/civic participation.  Deadline December 2.  For more information, and an application form please contact  Mev Miller, Ed.D., Director,182 Riverside Ave., Cranston, RI 02910 401-383-4374 welearn@litwomen.org or LR/RI

Skill Building for Social Enterprise - A Conference for Nonprofits, Academics and Funders http://www.rifoundation.org/svpri/conference.asp 
This conference is for you, if you have ever: thought about diversifying your funding base; tried to generate revenue to support your social
mission,  or operated an earned-income venture or social enterprise. Hosted by Social Venture Partners of RI in collaboration with The Rhode Island Foundation and Brown University, the conference will be held on Saturday November 5th, 8am-6pm, Brown University Barus and Holley Building 182 Hope St. Providence, RI 02912 To qualify for the early registration fee you must register by 10/21. For any questions, please contact: Deborah Schimberg, Executive Director of SVPRI Email: info@svpri.org | Phone: 401.274.4564  x3399

AAACE Annual Conference  November 6 - 11, 2005 - Early registration deadline has been  extended to October 14,  Register at http://AAACE.ORG  The Hilton Pittsburgh conference rate  has  been extended to October 14, 2005.  Reservations: 412-391-4600 or  http://www.hilton.com   Conference code - ACE
CALL FOR PRESENTERS
3rd Annual (Net)Working Conference on Women & Literacy - Moving to Power & Participation  Sponsored by: WE LEARN / Women Expanding—Literacy Education Action  Resource Network Co-Sponsored by Yale University Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies   Program and literacytent.org
March 10 - 11, 2006 Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

Proposals for presentations are invited from learners, teachers,  tutors, administrators, professional developers, researchers,  activists, and policymakers in ABE, GED, ESOL, Family literacy, Health  literacy, Citizenship, Prison literacy, Workplace literacy and other  alternative
educational programs that serve women in adult literacy/  basic education. The conference seeks Interactive Workshops, Demonstrations, Performance Theater & Creative Art, Poster Sessions, Panels, Roundtables, Papers, and Readings Proposals will be selected based on their relevance to women's issues  in adult basic literacy/education, and reflection of the theme of the  conference.
We are especially interested in presentations that  recognize or address how adult basic literacies/ education supports and  moves women to fuller personal and political power and  socioeconomic/civic participation.  Deadline December 2.  For more information, and an application form please contact  Mev Miller, Ed.D., Director,182  Riverside Ave., Cranston, RI 02910 401-383-4374 welearn@litwomen.org or contact LR/RI

EFF Institute! December 14 & 15, 2005 Trump Plaza Hotel Atlantic City, New Jersey
The institute will feature practical strategies and  techniques at the state and local levels for implementing standards-based  instruction.  Complete registration information will be forthcoming in the near future.  Based on our conversations with many of you, we have some  ideas on what the institute should include, but we want to make sure we are right on target. 
We want to ensure that the institute includes the topics that you need the most. Please take just 10 minutes of your time and complete our online survey by  September 21.  It's quick and simple, but it will really help us  design an institute that's right for you.  If you are unable to complete the survey, please ask a staff member who works with professional development and/or curriculum and instruction to respond. You may respond to the survey  at:  http://www.AdvancedSurvey.com/default.asp?SurveyID=29840

Thank you for your cooperation, and don't forget….We want to hear from you  because WE ARE LISTENING! The EFF Institute is supported in part by funding from The UPS Foundation. - Diane P. Gardner, EFF Center The University of Tennessee Center for Literacy Studies 600 Henley Street, Suite 312 Knoxville, TN 37996-4135 865-974-9949 dgardner@utk.edu

COABE and the Texas Association for Literacy and Adult Education invite proposals for
presentation at the 2006 COABE National Conference, Houston April 26-29, 2006. While some of website is under construction, [http://www.coabe06.org ] the Call for Presentations is complete  and can be downloaded. Proposals are due Friday, November 18. The conference committee is  interested in outstanding and innovative practices in all aspects of adult education including: basic  literacy, workforce development, family literacy, ESOL, volunteer/ community-based literacy, and  correctional education. Proposals in other areas of adult education will  also be considered.
The  program committee seeks presentations based on successful implementation, current research,  and sound practice. In addition to general adult education interest areas, this conference has five  special tracks.  Improving Teaching and Learning Outcomes, Integrating Technology and  Instruction, Linking Research to Practice, Promoting Adult Educators as Leaders, and Advancing  Change Through Education
NAASLN (the National Association for Adults with Special Learning Needs) 2005 Conference, November 12 - 15, the  Grand Hyatt Hotel, Denver, CO. This dynamic conference is being co-sponsored by  NAEPDC and the CO. Department of Education, Adult Education.  Review the  conference flier at http://www.naasln.org/

The Technology, Reading & Learning Difficulties (TRLD)  annual conference January 26 - 28, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco, Embarcadero Center.  http://www.trld.com/.

other events and conferences http://www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/Calendar/calendar_world.cgi

TESOL worldwide calendar of events http://www.tesol.org/isaffil/calendar/index.html



from previous bulletins: REMINDERS, RESOURCES
SABES Resource Lists Available.  From Carey Reid [full message here]:
As you might know, Massachusetts now has a rigorous, stand-alone ABE teacher's license.  SABES, the System for Adult Basic Education Support, is a state-wide staff development system funded by MassDOE. 
Ö[S]months ago I asked if NLA subscribers were interested in helping SABES build resource lists, by standard, in support of teachers seeking the new license here in Massachusetts.  Many of you helped out, thank you, and we've also worked with small groups of people locally to build these 29 lists, now with over 150 resources--books, articles, websites, and videos.  The lists are now available on SABES's  license support website at http://www.sabes.org/license.  You can get quickly to the lists by clicking on the "new resources added" link under What's New, or at any time by using the resources link on the bottom of every webpage.  When you arrive at the chart listing the 29 standards, click on any standard to go to the resource list we've compiled for it.   The lists are annotated; with the annotations, teachers who wish to improve their knowledge and skills in respect to a particular standard can be more assured they're getting the resource they want or need.  If the resource can be viewed or downloaded on the Net, we've provided a link. 

Additionally, we want to improve these lists, so please email me if you'd like to suggest additions or changes.  BTW, the full list of resources is also collected in a ProCite bibliography file, so if you use that software and would like to have your own "instant" database, let me know and I'll email you the file. As stated earlier, SABES is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education.  To avoid confusion, the website is not an official DOE site but rather one of SABES's means of supporting license-seeking teachers in our state.  Links to Massachusetts DOE webpages, however, are provided on the site.



breathe - everyday yoga at your desk. http://www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/everyday_yoga.html


what do you think? LR/RI has had an online survey on its site forever.  Previously, those who may have come across the survey were asked to copy and paste it into an email message, or to print it and complete it.  Thanks to the brilliant technical support and inservice learning provided by Brown University, the survey can now be completed on line.  I'd be grateful if you could please take the time to complete it.  While occasional word comes back about the work LR/RI has done, this survey attempts to be somewhat more systematic in considering the work that's done and the work that needs to be accomplished.  Please complete the survey at http://www.brown.edu/lrri - scroll down and click on the link to the survey.  If you lack web access and wish to complete the survey, please contact LR/RI to receive one via snail mail or fax.

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