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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. August 29, 2006 Bulletin #223 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 - Tuesday, September 26 at 2:15  pm at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Ave, Providence. Goal setting and orientation - what;s working?  what are the challenges? 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 Literacy Volunteers of Rhode Island to host Best Plus training: Monday September 25, 2006 8am-4pm (Space is limited to 15 participants 260 West Exchange St. Suite 109 (conference room) Providence, RI 02905 Cost $50.00 per person  Please bring a laptop computer to this training session To register please contact Saaron@lvari.org or by calling 861-0815. reminder:  Invitation to Rhode Island ABE/ESOL/ASE Math Teachers to be part of Project TIAN Teachers Investigating Adult Numeracy The Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee, in coordination with TERC (a not-for-profit education research and development organization based in Cambridge, MA), and the RI Department of Education is forming a statewide team of 20 Rhode Island ABE/ESOL/GED math teachers committed to providing innovative and effective mathematics and numeracy instruction in their classrooms. Project TIAN is a year-long pilot of a model course for professional development. Funded by the National Science Foundation, this research and development model will eventually be disseminated nationally. Project leaders are Beth Bingman, Donna Curry, and Mary Jane Schmitt. Project TIAN provides substantial resources and support •    Initial two-day Institute (October 26 and 27, 2006) •    Interim two-day Institute (February 1 and 2, 2007) •    Final Institute (April 26 and 27, 2007)  (Institute site yet to be determined) •    Ongoing collaborative support via local meetings and website •    Curricular materials in the areas of Algebra and Data and Statistics (two of the most challenging areas for many students) •    Stipend for a final project •    Reimbursement for time spent on the project, for part time teachers You are eligible to apply for Project TIAN if you •    Are actively teaching an ABE, ESOL or ASE math class during the 2006-2007 school year •    Have any level of math background or math teaching experience (from none to a lot) •    Are committed to share and learn with participants over the course of the year •    Have regular access to email Teacher expectations •    Attend all institutes and local meetings •    Share classroom experiences with participants and project staff •    Support for your participation from your program director •    Complete a teacher pre and post questionnaire •    Participate in visitations and/or phone interviews by project staff •    Collect and submit student data and classroom examples •    Complete a final project supporting the revised content standards Applications (attached) are due no later than September 15, 2006. Save Smart DVD Do you want to help adult learners acquire the math and  literacy skills they need to plan their financial future? With the TV411 Save Smart DVD, a free multimedia toolkit, adults can learn the basic reading and math skills behind saving and investing. Produced by the creators of TV411, the Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA), the TV411 Save Smart DVD offers an engaging video, print, and web-based curriculum that includes four units Unit 1: Planning for Retirement; Unit 2: Tax-deferred Savings and Investing for Retirement; Unit 3: Mutual Funds: The Ups & Downs, Ins & Outs; and Unit 4: Mutual Funds: Calculating the Cost. Each unit includes... A video segment, featuring TV411's math-minded Calculating Woman, that highlights key literacy and math concepts about saving and investing strategies in real-life, adult contexts; A step-by-step teacher’s guide with discussion questions and classroom activities that extend and deepen the lessons introduced in the video; Student handouts that encourage learners to practice what they’ve learned; and links to interactive lessons on the TV411 web site at http://www.tv411.org.   To Get Your FREE Copy of the TV411 Save Smart DVD: ASK programmers at your local public television or community cable station if they are airing TV411. If not, encourage them to do so. TELL us the name and contact information of the person you spoke to at the station. (Call or e-mail National Partnerships Coordinator Edith Love at ALMA at 212-807-4243 or elove@edc.org) by September 30, 2006. THAT’S IT! Once we've heard from you, we’ll send you a free copy of the TV411 Save Smart DVD. TV411 Save Smart was funded by a generous grant from the NASD Investor Education Foundation. 96 Morton Street, 7th Floor New York, NY 10014 Volunteers needed:  Federal Hill House needs literacy volunteers/reading coaches to help parents that need to learn to read or need to improve their reading skills.  Duties will include: using assessment tools to determine reading level and using beginning reading materials to bring clients to a fifth grade reading level.  Requirements: Good reading/writing skills, ability to communicate ideas in an uncomplicated manner, and a desire to help others.  If interested, please call Sandra Perez at 421-4722. 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.   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 Practitioner minigrant projects are underway – read about them at http://www.brown.edu/lrri/minigrant0506.html. ALE Wiki: Katrina - families, literacy, access and community learning opportunities interesting article online: The new article in the on-line adult literacy journal Exploring Adult Literacy is titled Locating Adult Literacy Programs In Regular Schools and Adult Education Centers: What the Learners Have to Say and is written by Marion Terry. Take a few minutes to read what adult literacy students have to say about where their classes are held.  http://literacy.kent.edu/cra/new.html  - Dianna Baycich, Ohio Literacy Resource Center, Research 1 - 1100 Summit Street,, P.O. Box 5190, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-0001, 330.672.7841  330.672.4841 (fax) Providence Public Library events -  http://www.provlib.org/branchout/current.html funding opportunities - large and less large Juanita Sanchez Community Fund Grants from the Juanita Sanchez Community Fund may support human service organizations, community centers, art institutions—any nonprofit that works toward enriching or improving the lives of Latinos in Rhode Island. Several grants will be awarded each year in the range of $500 to $1,500.  due: October 2, 2006.  http://www.rifoundation.org/matriarch/documents/sanchezrfp.pdf 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/ UPS Foundation Education Grants fund high impact philanthropic programs that raise the level of educational instruction, family learning opportunities, and school involvement projects. Maximum Award: varies. Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations. http://www.community.ups.com/philanthropy/grant.html - other grants from the Public Education Network: http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp - 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 SABES SE Staff Associate – Technology Education and Support (part-time position)   SABES SE at Bristol Community College is receiving funds to support a part-time (.50 FTE) Staff Associate to provide technical assistance and training to Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs and practitioners in the southeast region.  S/he is responsible for training and help desk support for the Massachusetts DOE MIS system (SMARTT) and the data analysis system (Cognos); responsible for providing support  for practitioners in adult basic education programs in the integration of technology; respond to questions and resolve problems related to basic computer operations; provide training and support for basic office and educational software. SUPERVISION RECEIVED:  Reports to SABES SE Director. RESPONSIBILITIES:  Provide basic help desk support for the SMARTT system via email and phone contact for designated ABE programs in SE region; provide training and produce support resources for the Massachusetts DOE MIS system (SMARTT), and data analysis system (COGNOS); perform basic Window PC set-up and maintenance routines in a networked or stand alone environment; troubleshoot MS Windows technical problems; be able to communicate clearly on issues and procedures for program capacity building; provide support and facilitate training in the integration of technology in adult education programs for practitioners in the SE Massachusetts region; coordinate with four other Tech Associates on statewide team to plan and coordinate support and training in the region and across the state; complete other duties as assigned by the SABES SE Director. QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor's degree required; education/experience integrating technology and education; sound understanding of previous and current versions of Windows, Internet, spreadsheets, and data base principles; demonstrated communication and presentation skills;  ability to communicate technical information orally and in writing; commitment to customer service; access to reliable transportation and willingness to travel (within Massachusetts). PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:  Two years experience in IT Help Desk support capacity; experience with Windows NT operating and environments and local area networks; experience working in an adult education environment, particularly involving teaching and support of adult basic education students; experience with the SMARTT system preferred, or similar data base systems; knowledge of the COGNOS data analysis system or similar systems; technical certification such as MCSE or MOUS or A+. POSITION STATUS:  Part-time, non-unit, grant-funded, 52-week position with pro-rated benefits.  Anticipated starting date:  December 1, 2006 SALARY/BENEFITS:  .50 FTE (full-time equivalent position - $25,000 annualized with benefits) Screening will begin with applications emailed, faxed, or received by September 22, and will continue until the position is filled.  Please send a letter of intent, resume, and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of three references to Mr. Tafa Awolaju, Director of Human Resources/ Affirmative Action, at the address listed above or visit our web site at www.bristol.mass.edu for detailed information about the college. BRISTOL COMMUNITY COLLEGE, 777 Elsbree Street Fall River, MA 02720  IS COMMITTED TO A POLICY OF NONDISCRIMINATION AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN ITS EDUCATION PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES AND EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES.  IN AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE ETHNIC DIVERSITY, BRISTOL COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENCOURAGES MINORITIES AND WOMEN TO APPLY.  ACCREDITED BY THE NEW ENGLAND ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES BCC changes the world by changing lives, learner by learner. 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 from the PEN Weekly News blast, August 25/06: Parent guides for non-English speakers: Read early and read often. The early years are critical to developing a lifelong love of reading. It's never too early to begin reading to your child! The tips offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child. NEA’s Read Across America partners Reading Rockets and Colorín Colorado have created parent guides for non-English speakers in Spanish, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Russian, Traditional Chinese, Hmong, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Korean. Download these free guides and share them in your communities. Other parent tip sheets are also available for parents of Kindergartners, First Graders, Second Graders and Third Graders. http://www.readingrockets.org/article/7833 (ed. note - adults may wish to engage in critical conversation about what works, what doesn’t and what assumptions may inform these tips). - from the moderator of the NIFL Content Standards list: From Monday, August 28 thru Friday, September 1, the Content Standards Discussion List will host a guest discussion on the CASAS Basic Skills Content Standards Project.  Our guests will be Jane Eguez, Jim Harrison, and Linda Taylor from CASAS. To participate, sign up for the list at: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards Since its inception, CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System) has focused on teaching and assessing basic skills in contexts that are relevant and important to adult learners. CASAS has developed and continues to refine a highly formalized hierarchy of competencies, the application of basic skills that adults need to be fully functional and productive members of society.  In the past few years, at the request of the CASAS National Consortium, representing approximately 30 states, CASAS has begun development of basic skills content standards as a formal part of the CASAS system. This enhancement of the CASAS system is intended to assist and encourage teachers to more fully integrate basic skills content standards and functional competencies in instruction. The basic skills content standards for Reading and Listening contain simple, clearly stated, detailed statements that are leveled accordingto the NRS Educational Functioning Levels, and are also related to CASAS test items in several CASAS test series. The statements are divided into Categories to assist teachers to navigate through the standards.  In the past two years, CASAS has worked with Iowa and California to pilot these standards with teachers in a variety of adult educationprograms. A number of useful teacher worksheets and other tools have emerged from these efforts. We invite you to learn more about the CASAS basic skills Content Standards Project and to ask questions about it during the listserv discussion. To prepare for this discussion, we refer you to the CASAS bsite for more detailed information about the development of the standards, the standards themselves, worksheets for teachers, and information about the pilot project in Iowa. Go to http://www.casas.org/DirctDwnlds.cfm?mfile_id=4504&selected_id=1720&wtarget=body We look forward to engaging with you in this discussion next week. - Jane Eguez (jeguez@casas.org) , Jim Harrison (jharrison@casas.org ) and Linda Taylor (ltaylor@casas.org ), CASAS and, from the moderator of the Family Literacy list: On September 11th through the 13th, Cyndy Colletti, Literacy Program Manager at the Illinois State Library,  will join us as a guest speaker/discussion leader. Cyndy's topic will be "Implementing Interactive Parent Child Activities"-- a topic of much interest to those working with families.. Before she begins her discussion on September 11, I will post some questions for your consideration. They will be the questions that will guide Cyndy's discussion. I very much look forward to having Cyndy join us and know that you will make her time with us rewarding and valuable by responding to her comments and questions. I will remind you of this discussion again as we get closer to the date. Cyndy Colletti, currently the Literacy Program Manager at the Illinois State Library (ISL), worked as the Family Literacy Coordinator at ISL for nine years.  In that position, she was responsible for comprehensive grant administration including developing and implementing the Family Literacy Grant Program, a comprehensive five component program including library services as the fifth component. The Illinois State Library has consistently funded between 40 and 55 family literacy projects annually since 1991.  She has worked cooperatively with the practitioners in Illinois to develop programmatic resources for the Family Literacy projects such as parent-child activities (The Story Kits, online at  http://leep.lis.uiuc.edu/publish/ccollett/storykit/sitemap.html are an example.) and workshops on other issues vital to family literacy. She has a master’s degree from the University of Illinois and more than 20 years experience in the field of adult education and literacy and social service. Her current responsibility as Literacy Program Manager includes grants management and facilitating the effectiveness of program implementation on the local level by providing resource materials, training and support for local adult education and family literacy providers throughout Illinois. To subscribe: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/familyliteracy POV documentary (from PBS):  The term working poor should be an oxymoron. If you work full time, you should not be poor, but more than 30 million Americans  -  1 in 4 workers  - are stuck in jobs that do not pay the basics for a decent life. Waging a Living  chronicles the day-to-day battles of four low-wage earners fighting to lift their families out of poverty. Shot over a 3-year period in the northeast and California, this observational documentary captures the dreams, frustrations, and accomplishments of a diverse group of people who struggle to live from paycheck to paycheck. By presenting an unvarnished look at the barriers that workers must overcome to lift their families out of poverty, Waging a Living offers a sobering view of the elusive American Dream. http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2006/wagingaliving/  Broadcast Date: August 29 at 10 PM (90 minutes)            The International Classroom and School Virtual Visit (Virtual School)  project is beginning its eighth year, linking classrooms across the world to enable students to meet each other virtually, share  information about their cultures, classrooms, and 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 from age 7 to adult. As in past years, we hope classes will engage in lively written  discussion, and possibly choose a film, book or current event to  discuss. This year we have set up a free wiki, so classes don't have  to create their own web pages, and we will help teachers to use free  Internet telephony so their classes can talk to each other if they  can find a time that works to do that. If you would like to participate in this year's project, 1. 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. 2. Once you receive confirmation that you are on the ICVV 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 will begin, and what age group or  nationality you would prefer to partner with. If you would like to look at classroom virtual 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.  Let one of us know if  you have questions. All the best, David J. Rosen djrosen@comcast.net and Susan Gaer sgaer@yahoo.com  [and] ....for those interested in the International Classroom Virtual Visit Project.  One of the new project features this year is that participants in one class, matched with participants in another class (usually in a different country) can use Wikimapia.  Each class could label the important buildings and geographic features of their community on a wikimap -- including writing about each feature in the wikimap label window, and maybe linking to a digital photograph they take of that feature. (They could in some cases label their own house, and in the window include a link to a photo of their family, although not everyone will want to put a family photo on the web.  In other cases they could label an historical feature which is important to their community, and include a photo and even an historical essay.)    The 2 matched classes will then share their community maps and talk about their communities.  The community maps -- especially if bilingual -- could also be used for other education-related purposes.  The ICVV project includes in-school classes, too,  so there could be a cross-generational match.  It will be interesting to see what adults think is important and what kids think is  important in their communities.  To see - and, if you like, label -your neighborhood, go to  http://www.wikimapia.org Zoom in to your community, and add labels. 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/ call for participation: The National Center for Family Literacy invites you to submit a proposal for presentation at the 16th Annual National Conference on Family Literacy, March 4 - 6, 2007, in Orlando, Florida. NCFL is especially interested in session presentations that share successful, specific outcomes and strategies that work well for the diverse populations family literacy serves. Proposals are welcome from literacy practitioners and are encouraged from professionals in administration, policy and research. Deadline for submission of proposals is September 29. For further information and to access the Call for Conference Proposals form, please visit http://www.famlit.org/Conference/index.cfm  The 2006 National Even Start Association Annual Conference, entitled Even Start Family Literacy: Learning from the Past, Creating the Future, will be held October 15-17 at the Holiday Inn on the Bay in San Diego, CA. There will be one day of pre-conference sessions and two days of general conference sessions. Additional information will be available soon. http://www.evenstart.org/ 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