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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. July 28, 2006 Bulletin #220 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  ____________________________________________________________ NOTICES ESOL  share - August 22nd at 2:15  pm at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Ave, Providence. What's new, what are your plans for starting the program year?  Project-based learning? literacy? other ideas? Workplace education share  September 12th, at 2:30 pm at the Genesis Center. balancing needs of employers and employees; discussion of Gary Pharness digest: Learner-Centered Worker Education Program. http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/2a/14/f4.pdf Somethings to talk about: The Learning Disabilities discussion list will be conversing about the LD Discrepancy  Model with guest participant, Nancie Payne, August 7-11, To subscribe: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Learningdisabilities Beginning in July, we had a thread being discussed on the List that eventually became the LD Discrepancy Model topic.  That topic is the one that I have asked Nancie to address during her week with us.  I want to ask subscribers to begin thinking about questions they want to propose to Nancie.  Since Nancie  is already a subscriber on this List, she will see each of your suggestions as  they are posted. Please feel free to let your colleagues know of this wonderful opportunity to  hear from and interact with one of the leaders in the field of adults with  Learning Disabilities Nancie Payne, President of Payne & Associates, Inc. and the Northwest Center for the Advancement of Learning, is nationally recognized for 30 years of work in education and workplace-based services for children and adults with learning and cognitive disabilities.  She consults with adult education, literacy, basic skills and GED instruction programs as well as correction facilities, employment and training agencies, human service organizations, and business on ways to create productive learning environments and maximize the potential of those with special learning needs.  She has provided consultation in twenty-nine states and has developed and implemented the Payne Learning Needs Inventory and screening tools, facilitating long-term, system-wide change of service delivery models D.C., Indiana, California, Oregon, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vermont, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Illinois, Mississippi, RI, North Carolina and Washington.  She is a consultant for GED Testing Services. Ms. Payne has written articles and book chapters on facilitating learning, assessment of special needs, transition to employment, and workplace accommodations.  In 2000 a Brookes publication entitled Meeting the Challenge of Learning Disabilities in Adulthood by Arlyn Roffman, Ph.D. features Ms. Payne’s personal insight about the impact of learning disabilities.  Ms. Payne has a B.A. from the Evergreen State College in Liberal Arts, emphasis in Education- Administration and a M.S. from Chapman University School of Business and Economics in Human Resource Management and Organizational Development.  Her civic work includes serving on the President's Committee for Employment of People with Disabilities Taskforce; participating in a National Institute for Literacy National Congress; past member of the National Learning Disabilities Research & Training Center Advisory Board; and serving  her third term as a member of the National Learning Disabilities Association Professional Advisory Board.  She is a member of the National Rehabilitation Association, the National Learning Disabilities Association, and the Commission on Adult Basic Education. She is currently an 18-year board member and past president of the Thurston County Economic Development Board of Directors and she serves on the Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council Board of Directors as Chairperson. I look forward to reading the questions you post for Nancie Payne. - Rochelle Kenyon, Moderator, National Institute for Literacy  Learning Disabilities Discussion List RKenyon721@aol.com To read archived messages: http://www.nifl.gov/linc/discussions/list_archives.html - and - I am happy to announce an upcoming panel discussion on the adult English language list on working with literacy-level adult English language learners.  The discussion will be the week of August 7–11, with further questions, comments, and information-sharing welcome after that. Background Information  Some teachers—especially those new to teaching adult English language learners—express concern about teaching learners who aren’t literate in their native language or never went to school. In many ways, this concern is unwarranted. Having or not having had access to formal education does not correlate to cognitive functioning, interest, and energy. Most literacy-level learners will need explicit instruction in basic literacy skills (e.g., phonological  processing, vocabulary development, syntactical processing). However, these learners bring an array of lifeskills knowledge (often including some oral proficiency and knowledge of American culture) problem-solving skills, and enthusiasm to the process.    Still, teachers and administrators sometimes feel challenged by questions such as: Who are the  literacy-level adult ESL learners? What skills  do literacy-level learners need to develop? How can  programs and administrators effectively support literacy-level adult English  language learners and their teachers? What are  effective instructional practices in the literacy  class? What are  effective needs assessment activities for literacy-level adult English  language learners? What other  approaches and activities are effective with literacy-level  learners? What  resource are helpful for teachers? What  instructional materials are effective for literacy-level learners—to help them  acquire skills they need to reach their personal  goals? Process of the Discussion To address these and other questions, nine adult ESL and refugee content experts have graciously accepted my invitation to answer questions and share ideas on the topic of literacy-level learners in adult ESL. Within this group are teachers, program administrators, cultural orientation specialists, curriculum designers, assessment experts, and authors of teacher resources and literacy-level materials for learners.  Members of the panel have worked extensively as volunteers, teachers, and administrators, in learning labs and online, in general ESL, workplace and work readiness programs, transition programs, family literacy, refugee programs, in the United States and overseas from Mongolia to (the then) Zaire.  I started adding up the panelists’ years of  experience, but stopped when it topped 100 years. To organize this discussion with so many panelists, I will offer a short biography of each panelist, which includes their areas of particular expertise—although each panelist is knowledgeable in many areas related to adult ESL, refugees, and  immigration.  In this way, you can direct a question or comment to a specific panelist (e.g., a question about literacy-level learners in family literacy would be directed to the family literacy expert).  However, all panelists, as well as the very many of you on the list who are also experts, please jump in at any time.  The panelists will be: Sanja Bebic, Director, Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC http://www.culturalorientation.net/  MaryAnn Cunningham Florez, Lead ESL Specialist, Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP),  Debbie Jones, EL/Civics Literacy Coordinator, REEP, Arlington, VA http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/ Sharon McKay, ESL Specialist, Center for Adult English Language Acquisition, Washington, DC http://ww.cal.org/caela   Donna Moss, Family Literacy Coordinator, REEP, Barb Sample, Director of Educational Services, Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning, Denver, Colorado http://www.spring-institute.org/ Kate Singleton, Healthcare Social Worker, Fairfax INOVA Hospital, Fairfax, VA Sharyl Tanck, Program Coordinator, Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC http://www.culturalorientation.net/ Betsy Lindeman Wong, Online facilitator, ESOL Basics, Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center, Richmond, VA http://www.valrc.org/ Pre-Discussion Reading If you are interested in reading more about literacy-level adult English language learners before August 7, here a few selected resources, with more to come later during the discussion: Beginning ESOL Learners' Advice to Their Teachers. http://www.ncsall.net/?id=279  Mental Health and the Adult Refugee: The Role of the ESL Teacher http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/mental.html What Non-readers or Beginning Readers Need to Know: Performance-based ESL Adult Literacy (Brod, 1999, ERIC No. ED 433 730 available from http://www.eric.ed.gov http://www.eric.ed.gov/ ) Working With Literacy-Level Adult English Language Learners http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/litQA.html  - Lynda Terrill, Adult English language discussion list moderator Center for Adult English Language Acquisition Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC  lterrill@cal.org   Summer Programs Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative The Family Literacy Program is a first step, intergenerational English language literacy program that introduces participants to the wealth of educational and economic resources available at their library and in their community.  Adults and their children (3 years of age and older) may attend  classes. Students are divided by ability into small groups led by a volunteer. Learners work on reading, writing, conversational English and computer literacy skills. Classes are free.  For information, unless otherwise indicated, please contact the literacy department at 455-8016. Major funding for these programs comes from Federal LSTA funds through RI Office of Library and Information Services, City of Pawtucket Community Development Block Grant from US HUD, The Nellie Mae Education Foundation, The Bank of America Financial Foundation and the RIDE Education: Literacy, Adult Education Transitions and EL Civics Grants. Providence Public Library Sites      July 10th - August 10th Empire Branch - 150 Empire Street Tuesday & Wednesday  10:00 am - 12:00 pm South Providence Branch - 441 Prairie Ave.  Tuesday & Thursday  5:30 - 7:30 pm Rochambeau Branch - 708 Hope Street Community and the Environment: explore recycling, planting and ways to improve the community Adults Only Tuesday & Wednesday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Mount Pleasant Branch - 315 Academy Ave. Note-taking and Note-booking: Writing for Advance Beginners and Intermediate  Tuesdays & Thursdays 5:30 - 7:30 pm            Cranston Public Library Contact: Chris Bourret 781-6116 or 781-2450 Auburn Branch - 396 Pontiac Ave. (July 18 ˆ August 8) Tuesdays  6:00 ˆ 8:00 pm William Hall - 1825 Broad Street (July 18 ˆ August 8) Thursdays 6:00 ˆ 8:00 pm Pawtucket Public Library - 13 Summer St. Contact: Julie Fischer 725-926 Beginners Ecology and Recycling July 8 ˆ August 12   9:30 am ˆ 12:30 pm Saturdays  Intermediate Book Club July 3 ˆ August 10   6:00 ˆ 8:00 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays Washington County Adult Learning Center is offering ABE/GED/EDP/ ESOL/ computer and distance learning classes July 11-August 24.  Contact 783-0293 for more  information. Providence Assembly of God Learning Center offers beginning literacy on Sunday mornings from 9-10. We have beginning beginners at the pre-literacy level.  Contact Jean  Marrapodi at 461-7210 or email rejoicer@aol.com Professional Development Luncheon  Using Lexia to Drive Reading Achievement July 12, 2006 Noon - 1:30 at The Wolf School, 215 Ferris Ave East Providence.  The Wolf School and Dr. Jean Welsh  present a luncheon seminar for educators interested in understanding how to best implement Lexia reading software for improved academic performance. Lexia's programs are research-based and focus on providing skill practice to strengthen automaticity. Throughout the US, schools are turning to Lexia to help students from kindergarten through adults develop phonemic awareness, sound--ymbol correspondence, decoding, recognition of high frequency sight words and word attack skills. Experimental studies published recently in the Journal of Research on Reading have shown that students who use Lexia in elementary school out-perform students in control groups who do not practice reading skills using Lexia.  Additionally, Dr. Welsh will demonstrate Lexia Cross Trainer - a suite of interactive software programs designed to improve cognitive development in students ages 7 to adult. Lexia Cross Trainer helps students strengthen thinking, memory and problem-solving abilities, thereby improving the foundational skills that impact performance in reading and math. Following the luncheon, a tour of The Wolf School is available. The Wolf School is an independent day school that provides a unique educational environ-ment for students with multiple learning differences in grades K - 8.  Guests will receive free Lexia software to preview with students There is no fee for this luncheon seminar, but space is limited. Please RSVP by June 30 at  (401) 432-9940 Volunteers Needed for Books Beyond Books Beyond is a books-on-tape reading program at the Rhode Island prison in Cranston. Volunteers help inmates choose new, age-appropriate books for their children from a large selection of children‚s books that have been purchased from the program. Under the guidance of the volunteer, the inmates read the books onto audio tape. The volunteer then mails the books and audio tapes home to the children. (At present, only inmates who are literate are being accepted into the program. This program does not require volunteers to teach or tutor basic reading skills.) Purpose: Books Beyond will create a much-needed tie between parent and child.  With the help and supervision of volunteers, inmates will be able to provide messages of love, reassurance and connection to their estranged children.  The children will have a constant reminder of their mothers and fathers, that is, books and tapes that may be re-read and replayed over and over.   We believe that this volunteer operated program will provide a regular and essential link between incarcerated parents and their families, providing an opportunity for healthy and carefully monitored contact. (See below for more discussion) Volunteer Responsibilities After volunteer is trained (see more below) and given first his or her inmate assignment, volunteer is responsible to:  - set up meetings with the assigned inmate via phone with the prison counselors; - help the inmate to choose a book from selections that the volunteer will take from the book collection and show to the inmate; - help the inmate read the book onto audio tape; - supervise recording sessions with the inmate; - label tapes and address envelopes; - hand the addressed envelope to the program coordinator (or leave at the Books closet in Dix) for mailing - check in with program coordinator when an inmate is finished. Personal qualities of volunteers -Desire to help build connections between parents and children in broken families - Love of books and reading - Ability to conduct relaxed conversation and to help people (inmates) feel at ease in a situation in which people are sometimes nervous or self-consciousness - Ability to offer brief, practical suggestions -- not in heavy-handed or pedantic fashion -- to help people achieve the best results in reading aloud - Ability to restrain a desire for perfect results; ability to tolerate less-than-ideal recording situations (background noise, time limits, etc). -conviction that prison inmates and their families are worthy of your attention, respect, time, and patience Time commitment for volunteers: Preparation 1. One full day to attend New Employee Orientation (required by the Department of Corrections for everyone working with inmates). This class is usually offered one Monday a month. (see below for more details) 2. One trip to prison property to have photo taken for computer system that allows access to buildings (photo can be taken weekdays and evenings). 3. One short, one-on-one meeting with Books Beyond program coordinator Mary Lhowe for instruction and preparation (can be evenings or weekend) Doing the work 1. After inmate is assigned, it takes an average of 3 or 4 meetings of 60 to 90 minutes per meeting with inmate to read and record books. (Number of meetings may be higher for longer books -- i.e., young adult novels -- going to older children). These meetings are scheduled by the volunteer and prison counselors. Can be week-days, evenings, or weekends, depending on availability of volunteer and inmate. Meetings are scheduled by phone, working through counselors. Requirements before beginning work To be eligible, volunteers must complete a one-day New Employee Orientation (NEO) provided by the Department of Corrections and receive approval to enter prison facilities. The NEO is offered one Monday a month from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the prison property. Orientations are scheduled on Mondays, July 24, August 21, September 18, October 16, November 20, December 18. The department sometimes offers the training in two evening sessions that take place on two successive Monday evenings. This is the normal full-day session divided into two night sessions, so you must attend both. At the time of this writing (June 24), no dates for evening classes have been set. They are likely to resume in the fall. You must sign up for a New Employee Orientation by calling Donna Kenyon, supervisor of interns and volunteers, at 462-2537 at least 3 days ahead. Also please tell me, Mary Lhowe, when you are ready to sign up for NEO. If you want to volunteer, please contact Mary Lhowe, program coordinator, by phone (401-739-5565) or  email at Lhowe@cox.net Additional Background and discussion:  More than 3,500 children in RI have a father or mother in prison. Despite the problems of maintaining ties between parent and child, the effort proves well worth it.  Children are at increased risk of abuse or neglect as their living situation changes rapidly and perhaps frequently, loss of financial support, feelings of abandonment by the parent, and subjection to social stigma. Over time, these problems may develop into a host of other troubles, ranging from decreased academic performance, delinquency, substance abuse, or psychological disturbances related to trauma.   Maintaining contact with the incarcerated parent may mitigate some of these tragic consequences for the children. Furthermore, there are positive effects on the parents themselves. Research has shown that maintaining family ties during incarceration decreases the risk that the offender will turn to drugs or return to prison.  Studies show that parents with regular contact with their children are more likely to contribute to paying child support. New children‚s books were purchased for the program with funds from the national Reading Is Fundamental program. All labor is volunteer. Fan Zhang is a graduate student looking for someone or some people to volunteer to meet with him throughout the summer so he can improve his English before the Fall semester.  His English is really quite good - but he needs some real life conversations in English this summer.  This is Fan’s request:  Hey, this is Fan, a graduate student from Dept. of Art History. My research focus is East Asian art and archaeology. I would like to find a language partner to practice spoken English and expand my vocabulary to prepare my TA ship. In exchange, I am also glad to tell you things about Asian art and culture if you are interested. My schedule is flexible and I will be available in most afternoons this summer. I am looking forward to meeting you.  If you would like to work with Fan, please send him an email at Fan_Zhang@Brown.edu.  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Quick Guide to Health Literacy Combining evidence and best practice, the new HHS Quick Guide to Health Literacy is a reference for professionals interested in health literacy.  Strategies discussed in the guide reflect the current body of research in health literacy and health communication.  These strategies include: improving the usability of health information; improving the usability of health services;  building knowledge to improve health decision-making; and  advocating for health literacy improvement.  The action-oriented tools can be applied to health care delivery, policy, administration, and public communication and education activities.  (background):  In 2000, HHS released the Healthy People 2010 objectives, based on research that is used to shape policy and programmatic directions, as well as stimulate changes in organizational, professional, and public practices. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) at HHS is the lead agency for Healthy People 2010 and specifically for the Health Communication Objectives that include health literacy improvement. Since 2003, ODPHP has used these objectives to lead an HHS-wide effort to develop the research base, identify organizational and professional barriers, raise awareness, and develop tools for health literacy improvement. The Quick Guide, along with a sample Power Point presentation on health literacy/other resources, is available at: http://www.health.gov/communication/literacy/default.htm.  - Stacy Robison, MPH, CHES, Health Literacy Fellow, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Department of Health and Human Services, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite LL100, Rockville, MD 20852 Phone: 240-453-8271 Email: srobison@osophs.dhhs.gov Financial literacy curriculum for ESL students divided into 3 units: Basic Banking Services, Credit, Planning for the Future, and there is an additional lesson on Identity Theft.  The lessons are most appropriate for Intermediate High students but can be adapted for other levels.  In our district we have used it for a special 30-hour class as well as integrated it into a regular ESL class.  Available for downloaded from the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network at: http://www.adultedteachers.org/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=mini  Search for  Financial Literacy Lessons for ESL Students - Leslie Shimazaki San Diego Community College District Practitioner minigrant projects are underway – read about them at http://www.brown.edu/lrri/minigrant0506.html. The fourth annual RI Adult Educators Conference was held on May 11.  http://www.brown.edu/lrri/conference06.html Thanks to all for your participation in the May 11th conference.  If you have an evaluation to submit, or would like to share ideas from your own action plan, please contact lrri@brown.edu or call 863-2839. ALE Wiki: Katrina - families, literacy, access and community learning opportunities Associate Level Orton-Gillingham training through the Dunn Institute: August 9 -11, 14 - 15 and during three Saturdays during the school year.   http://www.dunninstitute.org/ We are offering the course at a discounted rate of $800 for RI public school teachers and adult literacy teachers. The course includes 45 hours of coursework and is accompanied by a 100 hour practicum.  The cost of the practicum is $1300, and has been covered by establishing an O-G tutorial program and charging students $13 an hour for this intensive intervention...or it is also possible to receive a free practicum if participants work with Dunn Institute students in Providence. The Orton-Gillingham approach is a multisensory explicit phonics method with emphasis on visual and auditory feedback for sounds and the tactile-kinesthetic input of letter formation. This evidence-based treatment is the only method offering complete intervention for struggling readers and has been the forerunner in the field for several decades.  The philosophy and principles of the O-G approach provide the foundation for many commercial reading programs including Alphabetic Phonics, Project Read, the Herman Approach, Slingerland Approach and the Wilson Reading Program. While each of these programs builds on Orton ideology, a strong foundation in Orton-Gillingham provides the best context for teachers to effectively support struggling readers when using these products. For several decades, the O-G approach has been successfully used to teach children and adults to read. Although students who struggle with learning differences and English language learners are particularly well-served by this method, all students can benefit from a methodical approach to reading which incorporates all modalities.  For more information please contact  Cathy Sanford (401-831-7323) or:  sanfordcw@aol.com Other online courses: The Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee, and the Ohio  Literacy Resource Center at Kent State University announce spring 2006 distance learning courses.  Overviews of each course, as well as start dates, are posted at http://www.aeprofessional.org. Providence Public Library events -  http://www.provlib.org/branchout/current.html funding opportunities - large and less large Grants to Improve Family Literacy - The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy's grantmaking program for 2007 seeks to develop or expand projects designed to support the development of literacy skills for adult primary care givers and their children. Maximum Award: $65,000. Eligibility: organizations with current nonprofit or public status that have been in existence for two or more years as of the date of the application. Deadline: September 8.  http://news.publiceducation.org/t/5468/71227/161/0/ Funding opportunities from  PEN Weekly NewsBlast, (from Pen Weekly Newsblast; To view past issues of the PEN Weekly NewsBlast, visit:  http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_past.asp 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.php 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 Substitute teaching: The Genesis Center is interested in adding to its substitute list. If you are an ESOL instructor who is interested in occasional work as a substitute, either day, evening or Saturday hours, please call Nancy Fritz or Pat Clarkin at 781-6110. 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 general 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 The Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki now has 30 topics, a newly designed front page, over 730 pages of content, and more  than 600 subscribers.  Every week adult literacy educators add new content. The ALE Wiki is a community of practice and a professional development treasurehouse.  Check it out -- or visit again -- at: http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page  For some of the topic areas we still need Topic Area Leaders.  To learn more about this, please email David J. Rosen, djrosen@comcast.net Career Voyages – US Dept of Labor website exploring career options in advanced manufacturing, automotive, construction, energy, financial services, health care, hospitality, information technology, retail, and transportation industries, as well as in emerging industries -- biotechnology, geospatial technology, and nanotechnology. Learn which industries are growing, how to qualify for a good job, and where to get started.     http://www.careervoyages.gov/index.cfm  Includes video (with subtitles) illustrating a number of occupations. Study Circle Guide: Adult Student Persistence Newly revised to include the second phase of the NCSALL research on adult student persistence, this guide provides comprehensive instructions for facilitating a 10.5 hour study circle. It explores research about adult student persistence and ideas for how to apply what is learned in classrooms and programs. The guide is based on a review of the NCSALL research on adult student persistence conducted by John Comings and others, summarized in an article entitled Supporting the Persistence of Adult Basic Education Students and other studies on student motivation and retention. It includes articles, resources, and action research reports to help practitioners consider strategies for increasing adult student persistence. The guide provides all necessary materials and clear instructions to plan and facilitate a 3-session study circle with an option for a fourth. Each session lasts 3 and-a-half hours. To download the guide, go to: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=896  - and – The National Institute for Literacy and the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy present Persistence Among Adult Education Students Panel Discussion This 30 minute video focuses on persistence in ABE, ESOL, and GED programs, and features a NCSALL study entitled, "Supporting the Persistence of Adult Basic Education Students." Dr. John Cummings presentation examines student persistence in adult education programs. He presents a working definition of persistence, examines existing research, and describes NCSALL's 3-phase study of the factors that support and inhibit persistence. Other panelists include practition-ers, Kathy Endaya and Ernest Best. Online: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/persistence/persistence_cast.html You may need to cut and paste the whole web address in your browser,   or you could try this shorter version: http://tinyurl.com/s6tcu Macintosh users will need to select the Quicktime format for viewing the presentation. The DVD of the panel will be available within the next two months, for more information, contact info@nifl.gov.  To read the Special Topics list discussion with Dr. Cummings, for more information, go to: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/2006/000088.html Jo Maralit, National Institute for Literacy mmaralit@nifl.gov http://www.nifl.gov/  The OVAE REVIEW  Summer Edition  Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) U.S. Department of Education Angela Desrochers-Editor   “The OVAE Review” is an update from the Office of the Assistant Secretary, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education. Practitioner Research Training Guide: Research-based Adult Reading Instruction - provides comprehensive instructions for facilitating a 31-hour training that guides practitioners through an investigation of a problem related to reading. Practitioners conduct the research in their own classrooms. The guide provides all necessary materials and clear instructions to plan and facilitate a four-session practitioner research training. The sessions vary in length. To download the guide, go to http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1143  - and - Training Guide: Study Circle Facilitators - provides comprehensive instructions for preparing experienced adult education practitioners to facilitate NCSALL study circles. The training focuses on the NCSALL study circle, Research-based Adult Reading Instruction http://www.ncsall.net/?id=892 . However, the training can be adapted to prepare facilitators for NCSALL study circles in general or on another topic. The guide provides all  necessary materials and clear instructions to plan and facilitate a one-day, study circle facilitators training. The training is six hours in length.  To download the guide, go to  http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=1137 Oregon has been engaged in a collaborative 2 year Science and Math professional development initiative for ABE/GED and ESL teachers. We are thrilled to share with other states that two Oregon adult literacy instructors were chosen to go on Teacher at Sea Expeditions to the Mariana Arc and the Antarctic with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. These are amazing opportunities for the field of adult education and for our instructors, many of whom are part time.  Students, instructors, and the general public can follow the second expedition to the Antarctic from July 3 - August 15, and learn about the scientific research at the Polar Science Station website http://literacynet.org/polar; The website includes background information, photos, learning activities, links to other resources about Antarctica, and journal logs sent from the ship during the expedition.  You can write to Marian Tyson or other scientists while they are at sea by using the "Contact Marian" button on the Polar Science Station website, or directly to mtyson@literacyworks.org. This project builds a special connection between a trained ABE instructor and all adult education professionals and their students. For more details and to download a flyer on this initiative, go to http://www.coabe.org Announcing a new website on Learning and Violence  http://www.learningandviolence.net In the aftermath or presence of violence, too many people believe they cannot learn. This innovative interactive site is a resource to support learning. Join us to: Build an Understanding of the scope of the problem and of different forms of violence and their impact on learning;  Explore Possibilities to learn differently, help yourself and others learn, and take care of yourself;  Create  Change by learning about new initiatives in every sector of education and finding others working on this issue;  Imagine a Future by dreaming with us about a world without violence and  inequality.  The website is just beginning. Bookmark it and come back often to watch it evolve.  Help build it. Add your voice: share your knowledge from learning, teaching and research in words and images. Contact Jenny Horsman jenny@learningandviolence.net  This website is an initiative of Spiral Community Resource Group/ and Parkdale Project Read, developed with start up funding from the Adult  Learning Knowledge Centre of the Canadian Council on Learning The International Adult Literacy Study (IALS) is now available in a searchable database, permitting users to retrieve prose, document and quantitative literacy data for each of the countries listed in the table, and for a wide range of combined intermediate variables.  Users can produce estimates of mean performance, and percentages of each proficiency level for each of the IALS literacy scales by any combination of background variables. Each estimate is accompanied by the appropriate measures of statistical reliability.  The IALS database home page:  http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/89-588-XIE/ials-eiaa.htm - access the database from there. teaching resource: No Human is Illegal: An Educator’s Guide for Addressing Immigration In the Classroom; available  at http://www.nycore.org In the recent weeks HR4437 advocates have sought to introduce legislation that will radically change the legal, social, and economic status of immigrant communities in the US. The debate rages on and we have heard opinions ranging from the conservatives to the democrats to the left—and a powerful constituency has emerged stronger than ever before in the 21st century—students. How will educators encourage these acts of critical thinking, civic responsibility, agency, and above all— student leadership in advocating for all human rights? How can educators engage their students in these critical issues in the classroom? How can we serve as the liaison between students andthe mixed messages the media and politicians are sending? This guide is for educators to take on the important issues that teachers and students alike have been tackling in their activism from INSIDE the classroom.  This resource can be best used online as a web resource. – from Sally Lee, Founder, Teachers Unite sally@teachersunite.net 646-206-4160, http://www.teachersunite.net 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. 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 Registration for the 2006 COABE regional Institute by the Bay is now open, and will be accepted on a first come - first served basis. Several of the COABE strands are limited to the first 30 registrants, you will need to make your first and second choice for training strands.  Also, please note that the deadline for early registration is September 15th.  After this date a rather substantial late fee will be charged.  The FINAL deadline for registration is October 2nd.  No late registration will be accepted and there is no registration at the door.  The list of Institute Strand descriptions are available on the web site.  Below is the list of available strands: Administrative Leadership with Kathy Polis and Lennox McLendon, NAEPDC, Adult Learning Disabilities with June Crawford, NIFL, Assessment in the Adult Education Classroom with Ann Marie Barter and Valerie Sullivan, College Transitions Math with Pam Meader, Differentiated Instruction with Donna Lee, USM faculty ESOL: Is it LD or Something Else?  with Robin Schwarz, Public Policy and Advocacy with Bob Bickerton, Art Ellison, Silja Kallenbach and Andy Nash, NELRC, Reading: Vocabulary and Comprehension Instruction with Jane Meyer, STAR trainer, Wilson Reading with Judy Storer, Workplace Literacy with Melissa Dayton, Connecticut, CREC Register and pay online -  using either a Purchase Order or Credit Card (MasterCard or VISA), register and pay using a hard copy of the registration form.  With this option you can pay by Purchase Order, Credit Card, or Check.  If using a check you must mail in your registration form and payment. Each registrant MUST include an e-mail address on the registration form.   Confirmation of registration will be sent by e-mail only! To get information and/or register for the conference go to http://www.maineadulted.org/conferences.html If you have any questions please contact your COABE Regional Institute co-chairs: Connie Patton, COABE Region 1 representative, cpatton@msad35.net; or Evelyn Beaulieu, COABE Institute co-chair, evelyn.beaulieu@umit.maine.edu - Evelyn Beaulieu, Director Center for Adult Learning and Literacy, 5749 Merrill Hall, UM Orono, ME  04469 (207) 581-2413 http://www.umaine.edu/call/ October 27th and 28th : Bridges to Opportunity conference at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens, NY. Sponsored by the Center for Immigrant Education and Training and the Center for Teaching and Learning of LaGuardia Community College, the conference offers professionals from around the US an opportunity to come together to strategize how to develop effective systems to support workforce development for English Language Learners, share lessons we have learned from our work, and build a knowledge base that can serve as a resource in this field, and identify what works in workforce development for English Language Learners and make recommendations for next steps.  The conference is partially funded through the US DOL-ETA High Growth Initiatives and the keynote speaker, Heide Spruck Wrigley, Ph.D., is president of Literacy Work International, a small social science research firm, specializing in issues affecting language minority adults. She is currently key in two national literacy projects in the U S and in Canada dealing with youth and adults who are struggling readers. Dr. Wrigley is primary author of The Language of Opportunity: Expanding the Employment Prospects of Adults with Limited English Skills, a publication of the Center for Law and Social Policy. For more information: http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/ace/bridges/  - Suma Kurien, Director, Center for Immigrant Education and Training, LaGuardia Community College Fall SCALE Conference, November 3-4: Each year SCALE – Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education - hosts the Read. Write. Act. National Conference, the only national conference devoted to the interests and concerns of campus-based literacy programs. Participants come to share information, learn new skills, challenge assumptions, and develop ideas to create more participatory literacy programs. Learn more at: http://www.readwriteact.org/rwa/conference.html  From Erik Jacobson, Chair, J. Michael Parker Award Committee - The National Reading Conference's  (NRC) 56th Annual Meeting will take place in Los Angeles, from November 29 to December 2. The  conference covers a range of literacy related topics, including adult literacy. Information is available at http://www.nrconline.org/. I encourage adult literacy researchers to join the dialogue  at the meeting and to consider submitting proposals. In addition, to encourage research on adult literacy, NRC has established the J. Michael Parker Award,  given to graduate students and  untenured professors who present research on adult learning or education at the annual meeting.  Information and submission guidelines at http://www.nrconline.org/pdf/2006callforproposals.pdf SAVE the DATES:  November 30-December 2,  2006 A MEETING OF THE MINDS II SYMPOSIUM The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, the California Department of Education Adult Education Office, and the California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project of the American Institutes for Research announce a Meeting of the Minds II: A National Adult Education Practitioner-Researcher Symposium.   Scheduled for November 30-December 2, at the Sheraton Grand hotel in Sacramento, California, the symposium is designed to provide opportunities for adult education practitioners and researchers to share and discuss current research findings and practitioner wisdom. It will engage practitioners and researchers with questions related to goals, accountability, and efficacy and efficiency in policy, practice, and research. The ultimate goals of the symposium are to highlight systemic changes that can enhance literacy practice and increase student learning gains. The theme of this symposium is Systemic Change and Student Success: What Does Research Tell Us?  As in the first Meeting of the Minds Symposium that was held in 2004, each session of the 2006 Symposium will be structured so that the research presentation is followed by a panel of practitioners who will discuss implications for practice or policy. In addition, conference attendees will have opportunities for small group interaction and networking with researcher-presenters to discuss not only how research can inform practice and policy, but also how practice and policy can inform and suggest a research agenda.      More information will be available soon at http://www.researchtopractice.org. (This Web site currently lists presenters' PowerPoints and abstracts of sessions held at the 2004 Meeting of the Minds symposium as well as thoughts generated by attendees regarding implications of the research findings.) We are updating this site to house information about online registration for the 2006 symposium as well as information about hotel registration. We will send out another notice after the Web site has been updated. -Mary Ann Corley, Ph.D., Symposium Coordinator and CALPRO Director, American Institutes for Research 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. please submit  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