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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. March 8, 2007 Bulletin #238 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 RI Adult Educators’ conference: save the date. The fifth state conference will be held on May 17th, at the Airport Radisson.  Call for participation here. ESOL  share -  Wednesday, March 14 at 2:15 pm  at 2:30 at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Ave, Providence.  Open focus – please bring an idea that’s working, a question, a challenge, materials. student support, informing legislators: As we know, programs receiving federal funds are not to lobby or advocate for political causes.  However, programs (learners, practitioners, interested others) can inform elected officials of the value and importance of adult learning.  One group did that - think about writing to them, sharing your stories, inviting learners to do the same. On March 2, the State Directors' Council sponsored a visit by Hill authorization staff members to the Bryant Adult Education  Center in Fairfax County Virginia, (near DC).  From Senator Kennedy's (D-MA) office, J.D. LaRock is the lead staffer on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee  responsible for reauthorization of the adult education legislation. Crystal Bridgeman from Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) attended.   Senator Murray serves on the HELP committee as well as Senate Budget and  Appropriations.  From the House Education and Labor Committee Staff, Theda Zawaiza  the  lead staff person (D) responsible for reauthorization and Brad  Thomas  the lead Republican staff person.  In addition, Jennifer Maloney, the new Executive Director of the  National Coalition on Literacy participated.   Upon arrival around 9, they went into the learning lab and sat down to talk with individual ABE and GED students and teachers for about 20 minutes.  Then we broke them into two smaller groups so they could visit a beginning, intermediate and advanced ESOL classes.  In each  class they observed the class for ten minutes, and then sat at tables and talked with the students for ten minutes. We prepared the students by telling them that "These are the people who write our the adult education laws and they are coming to learn  from you."  The students and teachers were ecstatic at this  opportunity to meet and talk with the staff members. So the students  not only had a chance to introduce themselves and tell their stories, but also to ask questions about how Congress works.  It was a great learning experience.   The students are writing thank you letters to the staff people they  talked with.  They are also writing the Senators and Representatives telling them of the visit and asking them to talk with their staff  about what they learned.  I will collect the student letters and  deliver them so we do not have to worry about the Anthrax screening. The Hill staff are really good people, but they tell us right up front that they are not familiar with adult education programs and issues. As a result, Lynn has been pushing us to take them on a visit. Our goal was to give them the opportunity to see quality instruction and see our students and hear their stories.  We have no greater  ambassadors than our students.   The students and teachers at the Bryant Center were representing all adult education teachers and students across the  country.  You would have been proud of how well they represented  your program. If it is possible, could you and some of your local teachers and  students write to the Bryant Center students and staff and thank  them for preparing so thoroughly and representing you so well.  They have 100 languages there, so beginning ESOL folks can write in their native language.  The staff members at Bryant have made this visit a meaningful  learning  experience for their students and your notes of gratitude would cap  their experience.   If you can, send letters to:   Students and staff of the Bryant Center Bryant Adult Center, 2709 Popkins Lane  Alexandria, VA  22306 - from the  National Council of State Directors of Adult Education 202.624.5250 think about how you, your colleagues, students, community can inform and educate  others about adult learning. Registration Form for the 2007 Reading Across RI May Breakfast Tickets, Saturday, May  5th at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet from 9:30 am to 12 noon, is now available at http://www.readingacrossri.org/ Our guest speaker that morning is the author of The Memory of Running, Ron McLarty. Tickets are $25 for the traditional Rhode Island May breakfast. Copies of the book will be available for purchase that day. A Penny Social (with a Rhode Island theme!) will take place that morning to benefit Reading Across Rhode Island. Deadline for ticket sales: April 1. http://www.readingacrossri.org/documents/maybreakfast2006.pdf   http://www.readingacrossri.org/documents/RARIBreakfastRegForm.pdf   Is your school or library interested in joining the 2007 Videoconference with Ron McLarty on the morning of May 4th?  Please email or call me with your interest or to register for one of the twelve available slots (455-8134). -Louise B. Moulton, 150 Empire Street, Providence, RI  02903 401.455.8134; lmoulton@provib.org Independent Man Awards - Accepting Nominations The Genesis Center is proud to host the first annual Independent Man Awards (IMA) at The Providence Hilton on April 27.   Through the assistance of an award selection committee, chaired by Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, we will present five miniature bronze Independent Man Awards to three Rhode Island immigrants (male or female), one Rhode Island company that embraces diversity and the immigrant population, and one national leader (male or female) who has made a significant positive impact on immigrant issues.  The process starts with you. Please take a moment to nominate those individuals and organizations you feel embody the traits worthy of The Independent Man. Nominate online at http://www.gencenter.org/IMA.htm or contact Mike Ritz at 401-781-6110 x28.  Independent Man Award (IMA) Descriptions: The Emerging Leader IMA recognizes an outstanding young immigrant destined to contribute to a better tomorrow. The recipient of this award must be under 21 years of age at the time of his/her nomination. The Community Service IMA recipient is a proven immigrant leader who has demonstrated a selfless commitment to serve his/her community, responding to its needs by contributing time, talent, and/or treasure. The Entrepreneur IMA recognizes an enthusiastic Rhode Island immigrant who developed the necessary strategies, know-how, and determination to manifest his/her vision. This award will be presented to a positive thinker who has owned a successful business for more than 5 years. The National Impact IMA is presented to a passionate leader who has demonstrated a commitment to the United States immigrant through thought, action, example, and impact. The Corporate IMA was created to honor those private enterprises that have made significant contributions, which have directly impacted the immigrant population of Rhode Island. This award will be presented to a business that recognizes Rhode Island’s diverse community, welcomes it into the workplace, and provides equal opportunities for career advancement and professional growth. - Mike Ritz Development Director Office: 401-781-6110 x28 Cell: 401-261-1900 Email: mike@gencenter.org Special Call for Student Writings on Voting For The Change Agent We are interested in hearing from adult learners who voted in the November 2006 elections.   Write to us about your experience with voting in the recent elections.  The writings will be considered for the March 2008 issue of The Change Agent  journal. It will be a special edition on Voting and Advocacy that aims to help adult educators and learners to become active advocates and informed voters. Questions: What was your voting experience like? If you voted for the first time, what motivated you to vote? Why do you think voting is important? All articles must be received by March 31. All articles will be considered. They must be typed. Suggested length is 500-1,200 words. Final decisions are made by The Change Agent editorial board. A stipend of $50 will be paid to each adult education student whose work is accepted for publication in this issue. Please send material (by email or PC disk) to: Angela Orlando, Editor New England Literacy Resource Center/World Education 44 Farnsworth St., Boston, MA 02210 Phone: 617-482-9485 fax: 617-482-0617 email: aorlando@worlded.org The summer issue of Field Notes offers a chance for teachers to write about their work in a personal way.  The topic teaching from the heart is open to interpretation. Write about your most heartening classroom stories, your heartbreaks and heart-healing tales about teaching.  Write about a book you've used that has plenty of heart, or even has heart in the title. Submit a lesson about Valentine's Day. Or even send in a lesson plan on keeping the heart healthy, in more ways than one.  We welcome book reviews, movie reviews (500-700 words), personal stories (c.1000 words or less), lesson plans,  heart-filled photos (with captions), an ESOL lesson on idioms related to the heart, or other ideas you may have. Deadline for submission is April 1. Go to http://www.sabes.org for complete submission guidelines, found under the Field Notes click. To talk to a real person about real ideas, call  Lenore Balliro, editor, at 617-482-9485, or email her at lballiro@worlded.org. 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. learning opportunities The National College Transition Network has the Collegetrans list that I hope you will  consider joining.  The CollegeTrans Listserv, is designed to provide a forum for discussion about practices, policies, and research that supports effective transition programs for learners moving from adult education to postsecondary education.  These programs may be formal or informal and located in schools, colleges, prisons, workplaces or community-based organizations.  The CollegeTrans List is intended as a place to: converse with colleagues about transition for adult learners and related themes; pose questions to your colleagues on transition policy and practice; share relevant experiences and resources, and make available expertise on promising practices in the field of adult transition through discussions with guest moderators. To sign up,  go to http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/collegetrans  All are welcome and I hope you will consider joining in on the discussion. Sincerely, Cynthia Zafft, Director, National College Transition Network (NCTN), World Education, Inc., 44 Farnsworth St, Boston, MA 02210 http://www.collegetransition.org 2007 Parent Workshop Series Brochure - (for full schedule, please contact lrri@brown.edu) Entrance to all workshops is $5.  Workshops will take place at the CVS-Highlander Charter School in Providence on designated evenings from 7 - 9 PM. The program includes 13 workshops for parents, including: Understanding Learning Styles, Organized for Learning, Orton-Gillingham for Parents, Transitions to Higher Education, The Journey of Parenting: Connections to the Evolving Brains of  Children Ages 4 - 14, Self-Esteem, Quirky Kids, Understanding the Impact of Early Reflexes on Sensory and Academic   Development., Parenting a Child with Learning Differences, Homework, Using Evaluation Data to Advocate for Your Child,  Cultivating Collaborations:  Creating a Team to Support Your Child Attention Pre-registration is required.  Seating is limited.   Feel free to contact me with any questions. -  Cathy Sanford, Director, Hasbro Center for Teaching Excellence c/o The Dunn Institute for  Learning Differences 401-831-7323 Providence Public Library events -  http://www.provlib.org/branchout/current.html funding opportunities - large and less large Grants to Support Job Skills & Education for Disadvantaged Youth -Staples Foundation for Learning Grants provide funding to programs that support or provide job skills and/or education for all people, with a special emphasis on disadvantaged youth. Maximum Award: varies. Eligibility: 501(c)3 organizations. Deadline: April 6.  http://www.staplesfoundation.org/foundapplication.html 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 Grants for Community Improvement Programs - Hamburger Helper is looking to lend a helping hand to neighborhoods nationwide with its "My Hometown Helper" grant program. Individuals from communities and organizations across America can submit a written essay of 250 words or less describing how the "My Hometown Helper" grant would help improve their community project. Maximum Award: $15,000. Eligibility: Requests for funding must be sponsored by a municipal or civic organization or public school. Deadline: May 31, 2007.  http://www.myhometownhelper.com/ 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 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 Employment opportunity: English for Action seeks an executive director. (more about EFA: http://www.englishforaction.org/en/Home.php) For a word doc of the position announcement, please contact LR/RI. 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 ED.GOV has a new look... updated DAEL home page at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/index.html New topic page  Health Literacy in Adult Education http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/health.html  Updated topic pages:  English Literacy and Civics Education http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/elctopic.html   Mathematics in Adult Education and Literacy http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/math.html  Resources from EdChange family of Web sites: A new Classism and Poverty Awareness Quiz http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/quizzes.html ; Newly designed Social Justice News Service site http://mail.socialjusticenews.net/mailman/listinfo/news_socialjusticenews.net- email-based news service, periodic email digests of links to articles related to equity, social justice, and multiculturalism from sources all over the world.  New essays and links to essays http://www.edchange.org/publications.html New essays in the Multicultural Education Research Room  http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers.html from Thursday notes,  2/22/07: DAS Stanley toRaise Colleges‚ National Profile New Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) Pat Stanley told college leaders here last week that one of her top priorities is to raise the national profile of two-year colleges.  Speaking to the American Association of Community Colleges and Association of Community College Trustees, Stanley described her three-pronged plan.  It also includes boosting community colleges‚ profile inside the Department and developing an online database of best practices and key information to help colleges succeed.  Dr. Stanley is a former president of Frederick Community College in MD.   NRS: Nearly Four in Ten Complete Levels If you're wondering how your programs stack up to other programs nationwide, here is the latest take - the 2005-2006 national performance from the National Reporting System (NRS).  Nearly four in ten learners completed levels nationwide across all NRS academic performance measures.  Each educational level is roughly equivalent to two grade levels.  A measure-by-measure review shows that nearly 38% of adult basic education (ABE) beginning literacy, and more than 40% of ABE beginning basic learners, completed a level that year.  In ABE intermediate low and high classes, more than 40% and 36% of learners completed each level respectively.  Almost 42% of adult secondary education (ASE) learners completed low, and more than 44% completed high, secondary levels.  English language learners turned in similar performance, with more than 37% completing each of the ESL beginning literacy and ESL beginning levels.  Two of every five ESL learners completed intermediate low, and intermediate high, levels respectively.  At ESL low advanced and high advanced levels, about one fourth of enrollees completed the level within a year.  Can Location Help Students Graduate? Location, location, location˜it‚s not just for real estate.  Students attending four-year public colleges in six States are two or three times as likely to graduate than students in other places.  To aim at a 60-79% graduation rate, attend college in DE, IA, MD, NH, NJ, WA, or VA.  Those less likely to graduate go to four-year institutions in AK, AR, ID, LA, NV, NM and UT where the graduation rate is 20-39%.  Last on the list is DC with a rate of less than one in five.  In the other 36 States, there‚s a fairly even chance of graduating, with a rate of 40-59%.  See map at http://www2.edweek.org/rc/edcounts/ Thursday notes, March 1, 2007 New National Study Marks Firsts Adult Education in America, a new study funded by OVAE, was released by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) February 27, providing a comprehensive picture of federally supported adult education activities in the U.S.  Data from more than 6,000 adult learners in 1,200 programs nationwide revealed that a large share of learners demonstrated skills in the lowest level on proficiency scales.  This is the first nationally representative study of learners and programs using comparable measures to assess participants‚ literacy and numeracy skills.  The survey is the first allowing researchers to compare adult education students‚ skills to those of the general adult population.  The study also marks the first time a large-scale measure of literacy skills was conducted in both Spanish and English.  An interactive data tool also is available.  Get the study and tool at  http://www.ets.org Hospitals Urged to Tackle Health Literacy The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals, recently released 35 recommendations to address effects of poor literacy on health care that cost taxpayers $58M annually.  Some recommendations include dropping medical jargon, simplifying forms, and using pictures on hospital signs recognizable to non-English speakers.  The Commission may include such items in new standards for accrediting medical facilities because low literacy impairs patient safety.  The Commission identified two communication techniques showing promise.  These include Ask Me, key questions in downloadable brochures for patients, and photo novellas for specific groups or diseases.  Find these and other downloadable materials in English, Spanish, and French at http://www.askme3.org and http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/healthliteracy/  Math Anxiety: All in Learners'  Heads Do your students have problems with math?  Research on math anxiety shows that all those worries about math take up working memory students need to do math.  Simple math tasks, such as addition, do not use much memory, but complex functions require much more.  While the causes of learners‚ math anxiety are unknown, the good news is that people can unclog anxiety to free up gray matter and do just fine in math. http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/02/19/math.anxiety.reut/index.html from a bulletin sent by Rhonda Sussman, of The Work & Lifelong Learning Research Network (WALL) - http://www.wallnetwork.ca/  Centre for the Study of Education & Work (CSEW) - http://www.learningwork.ca FREE ADULT ED BOOKS ONLINE - Three new adult education books available: Maeler's Regard: Images of Adult Learning Defining the Enemy: Adult Education in Social Action The Third Contract: Theory and Practice in Trade Union Training Available at http://www.michaelnewman.info/ NEW PUBLICATION ON LIFELONG LEARNING- Unequal Chances to Participate in Adult Learning: International Perspectives  by Richard Desjardins, Kjell Rubenson (WALL  International Advisory Group member), Marcella Milana As the promotion of and investment in lifelong learning expands it is important to monitor how adult learning opportunities are distributed among different groups within societies. Otherwise, there is an increased risk of exacerbating socio-economic divisions and of marginalizing segments of the population. In this book, the authors use existing and available data to present an internationally comparative overview of adult learning patterns. Emphasis is placed on who is participating in adult learning and in particular the observed unequal chances to participate. For ordering or free downloading go to:  http://www.unesco.org/iiep/eng/publications/recent/rec18.htm CAELA's newest online resource collection,Working with Literacy-Level Adult English Language Learners. is now available at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/collections/literacy.html    The collection includes links and annotations to many resources related to working with adult English language learners, who have had limited access to formal education. - Lynda Terrill, Center for Adult English Language Acquisition, Center for Applied Linguistics, 4646 40th St, NW, Washington, DC 20016  lterrill@cal.org As referenced during the December Leadership Institute, please be advised that all services on WordChamp are being made available to RIDE funded programs for the 2006-2007 program year. The program is designed to provide support to classroom language learning and can also function as an independent study tool for students at high intermediate to fairly advanced levels.  With guidance, this could also be a useful tool for more basic level learners. Find out more at http://www.wordchamp.com.  (Please note that this is not an endorsement of the site, but is being disseminated for information purposes only). from Daphne Greenberg: The UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on December 13, 2006.  This was a tremendous achievement for all who had worked over the past 5 years and even before that, to put disability on the human rights agenda.   It is expected that the U.S. disability movement will campaign for the United States to sign and ratify the Convention.  While the U.S. had announced at the beginning of the process that they would never sign, this appears to have changed and they are considering a signature.  See the Convention in its final form at   http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/convtexte.htm   this is not a sales pitch: Earth from the Air is a "presentation of large-scale photographs of astonishing natural landscapes. Created by world-famous photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, every stunning aerial photograph tells a story about our changing planet. Seen together, they are an outstanding visual testimony to the world we live in today. A world with a growing population, shrinking biodiversity, polluted lands and oceans, a changing climate and a shortage of drinking water. A world, nevertheless, of beauty and of wonder.” Photos online for discussion, as well as  facts about the world (developing and overdeveloped), visuals to spark discussion and resources  to keep it going. http://www.earthfromtheair.com/  (with thanks to Miranda Shaw)   and (from the Rethinking Schools list serv)10 fantastic color photographs taken by the Hubble space telescope.?  Please left click on the URL below... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/galleries/index.html?in_image_id=302567&in_gallery_id=9139&in_page_id=1055>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/ galleries/index.html?in_image_id=302567&in_gallery_id=9139&in_page_id=1055 Reflect 6, the magazine of the UK’s National Research and Development Centre is now on-line. http://www.nrdc.org.uk/publications_details.asp?ID=71  Articles of interest address numeracy, ESOL, work force learning and practitioner-research. Immigration's Impact on the Workforce   Volume 4, Issue 3   Commonwealth Corporation announces the release of its Research and Evaluation Brief, Immigration's Impact on the Workforce.,  which looks at the impact of new foreign immigration on the population and labor force of Massachusetts, by examining their demographic characteristics, educational attainment levels, and English Language proficiency. It also discusses the potential implications for workforce development in the state. To view the brief please visit the CommCorp website at http://www.commcorp.org/researchandevaluation/briefs.html Radical Math is a resource for educators interested in integrating issues of social, political, and economic justice into math curriculum and classes… RadicalMath.org has the goals of raising mathematic literacy and simultaneously developing ways to address a range of community issues. The website supports educators to teach many different types of math within the context of studying social, political, and economic justice issues. RadicalMath.org also contains teaching materials on important financial topics for youth such as owning a credit card, paying for college, and avoiding subprime lenders, as well as materials on Ethnomathematics. Visit http://www.radicalmath.org/ for more or email info@radicalmath.org Google Scholar enables searches for scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from broad areas of research. Use Google Scholar to find articles from a variety of academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities, as well as articles available across the web.  Google Scholar orders search results by how relevant they are to your query, so the most useful references should appear at the top of the page. This relevance ranking takes into account the full text of each article as well as the article's author, the publication in which the article appeared and how often it has been cited in scholarly literature. Google Scholar automatically analyzes and extracts citations and presents them as separate results, even if the documents they refer to are not online. This means your search results may include citations of older works and seminal articles that appear only in books or other offline publications. http://scholar.google.com/ Living in Poverty slideshow does the math: what does it take to live at the poverty level. http://www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/povertyusa/tour2.htm RI Foundation online scholarship directory - searchable by city/town, intended field of study, current high school, and more. http://scholarship.rifoundation.org/ YouthBuild USA Learning Network has links to Web sites and full-text documents, and  includes a section on "Authentic Materials/Engaged Learning/Constructivism/Contextual Learning/Project-based Learning." http://www.youthbuild.org/learningnetwork/professionaldev.html Providence Community Resource Network (PCRN) http://www.provplan.org/pcrn Spanish language version of PCRN is up and running.  You can access the site from the PCRN home page, http://www.provplan.org/pcrn, or go to http://www.provplan.org/pcrnespa. The Web pages, online instructions, and the content of the database have all been translated. conferences and workshops - conferences and workshops are listed chronologically and are updated with each bulletin Rhode Island - Training/events around employment issues for people with disabilities http://www.ric.edu/uap/training.html call for proposals: MATSOL 2007 Conference - http://www.matsol.org/ - Click on Conference 2007; conference will be held March 8-9; proposals are due on December 15. The National Center for Family Literacy 16th Annual National Conference on Family Literacy, March 4 - 6, 2007,  Orlando, Florida.   For further information, please visit http://www.famlit.org/Conference/index.cfm  4th Annual (Net)Working Conference on Women & Literacy March 9 – March 10, 2007  Northeastern University  Boston. The conference theme for this year is Threads of Experience: Creative Spaces for Women's Learning.    Keynote Speaker: Antonia Darder  Pre-Conference Seminar  The Impact of Violence on Learning: Building Connections to Deepen Understanding  March 8, 2007  9:30 – 4:30  Co-Sponsored by WE LEARN & Northeastern University School of Professional and Continuing Studies.  If you have questions or need more information, please contact:   Mev Miller  welearn@litwomen.org   401-383-4374. http://www.litwomen.org/conference.html For seminar details, and availability visit the website or contact jenny@learningandviolence.net Announcing a second training for Preparing for Work:  An EFF Work Readiness Curriculum March 8 and 9, at the University of Tennessee Conference Center Knoxville, TN To register online,: http://utkcls.ra.utk.edu/register/eff_register.asp?event_id=EFF0607+++&Submit=Continue+-%3E For more information on the training and for registration details, please refer to the attached brochure, or call Anna Bogle at (865) 974-8426. The EFF Work Readiness Curriculum aligns with the National Work Readiness Credential (NWRC) Profile which was developed in collaboration with the EFF Assessment Consortium and hundreds of front-line supervisors from businesses across the country. The profile uses The EFF Worker Role Map and integrates the Secretary1s Commission on Achieving Basic Skills (SCANS skills) with the EFF Content Standards.  Each of the instructional modules that comprise the EFF Work Readiness Curriculum take a blended approach, focusing on specific SCANS tasks from the credential1s profile while highlighting two or three of the EFF Standards, reinforcing the acquisition and application of basic skills.  - Anna Bogle Professional Development Coordinator, Equipped for the Future 600 Henley St, Suite 312 Knoxville, TN 37996 Commonwealth Workforce Coalition: 4th Annual Sharing Skills~Building Connections Conference March 14th, DCU Center, Worcester, MA This year's conference focuses on working effectively with the dual customers of the public workforce development system—employers and program participants. New workshops and a post-conference reception have been added. Register by February 14th for the early-bird special. For more information: http://cwc.cedac.org/ Facing Race: A National Conference March 22-24, City University of New York http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=288732541&url_num=4&url=http://www.arc.org/content/view/487/111/ EARLY REGISTRATION CLOSES THIS FRIDAY FEB. 23.     The Future of Racial Justice  Winona LaDuke, Juan Gonzales, Angela Glover Blackwell and our own Rinku Sen will be on hand to debate the pressing issues confronting communities of color.  From rebuilding in the Gulf to the fight for affirmative action, these experts will take up the questions you want answered. And today, you decide!  What are those critical issues?  What questions should the panel take up?    Go to the FACING RACE site and answer the poll http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=288732541&url_num=6&url=http://www.arc.org/content/view/487/111/ to tell us what you think (find it in the sidebar): OR Visit our blog RaceWire.org http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=288732541&url_num=7&url=http://www.racewire.org  and let us know what you want to hear in this important plenary session.  And while you're there, read up on our latest news commentary. http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?key=288732541&url_num=16&url=http://www.arc.org/content/view/490/111/ The Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE) and the Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education invite you to submit a proposal for presentation at the 2007 COABE National Conference to be held in Philadelphia March 25-28, 2007.  ANN Teaching and Learning Principles: A Map for Implementing Effective Math Instruction for Adult Learners - The Adult Numeracy Network (ANN) will hold a full day Math Institute as part of the COABE Pre Conference on March 25. The Institute will address four strands (Number, Geometry, Data, and Algebra) for all adult learner levels. Attendees will participate in group learning activities which will increase understanding of concepts and emphasize the importance of an activity based curriculum. Individuals can register through the COABE07 website for the one-day Pre-Conference Session. - Esther Leonelli Moderator, ANN Numeracy list Creating Balance in an Unjust World Conference on Math Education and Social Justice Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY, April 27 - April 29 http://www.radicalmath.org/conference  We are looking for people to register as a participant, volunteer for planning or at the conference, table as an organization or vendor, donate financially or in-kind.  Registration - sliding scale $25-125 and free for session facilitators   To present/facilitate a session download the application at http://www.radicalmath.org/conference         Conference Overview:  Join educators, parents, students, activists, and community members from around the country to explore the connections between math education and social justice.  We invite you to share your thoughts, lesson plans, questions and be a facilitator for a workshop, interest group, or presentation. Facilitators may also choose to present on topics related to math and social justice i.e. equity in education, literacy and social justice, etc. Sessions need not be entirely polished presentations as we hope to share ideas in order to build together. Goals of the conference: Bring together educators, researchers, parents, activists, and students to collectively discuss social justice and math education;  Foster new and innovative partnerships and collaborations; Create a space to share resources, lesson plans, best practices, and other classroom materials; Develop structures for ongoing discussion and working groups about math and social justice; Organize a national voice in the ongoing debate over math education reform; Plan actions, advocacy, future meetings, etc. Session Formats - Workshops, Interest Group Gatherings, or Presentations.  All sessions will be one hour and 30 minutes in length. Workshops are interactive sessions intended for 15-40 participants that may utilize a variety of formats including small group work, open discussion, and break-out sessions.  Interest Group Gatherings are informal sessions bringing together 15-40 participants with similar interests for more casual conversations to engage in network building, and collective thinking around common issues, and do not require the facilitator to present information. They are brain-storming sessions where the facilitator helps guide a discussion around a common interest.  Presentations are lecture style sessions that may have one speaker or a panel of speakers.  Contact: Taeko Onishi ktaeko@gmail.com (646)259-5602 Call for Papers for WiAOC 2007: CONNECT, a free global online conference for teachers and education professionals, May 18-20 Webheads in Action (http://webheads.info), a world-wide cross-cultural online community of several hundred ESL/EFL educators and other professionals, invites your participation in CONNECT: Conversations on Networking, Education, Communities, and Technology, a unique conference to be held entirely online May 18ˆ20, 2007. The conference is called a convergence because it is intended to be a fair or festival in which many communities of colleagues converge to celebrate with us by presenting their work in a wide variety of formats. Participation is free and open to all who are interested. Keynote speakers include Stephen Downes, George Siemens, Etienne Wenger, Barbara Ganley, Teemu Leinonen, and Leigh Blackall. More information is available at http://wiaoc.org WiAOC 2007 follows on the success of our first completely free online global convergence, http://2005.wiaoc.org Proposals for presentations at WiAOC 2007 will be accepted through April 7, 2007. Proposals are invited for synchronous events, asynchronous events, or combinations of the two. Session topics can be pedagogical or technical, and might include examples of practical work with students, training sessions, reports of research or research in progress, demonstrations of new media, or descriptions or explorations of how interaction takes place over the Internet˜e.g., how online communities form as a result of computer-mediated communication. Synchronous events (including, but not limited to presentations, demonstrations, panel / roundtable discussions, chats and conversations) can be held at any of our partners' voice-enabled presentation portals, or one of your own choosing. Training and assistance will be available for presenters wishing to use our partners' venues. Asynchronous events might include bulletin board discussions, online poster sessions, integration with content management systems, or other formats.  To create a proposal, first register at the convergence proposal site http://wiaoc.prof2000.pt/  Remember your ID and password there, because once you have registered, you may, until the deadline, revisit the site as often as you like to edit or add to your proposal, or create new ones.   Tagged artifacts will be aggregated during and around the time of this conference. Please tag any artifacts you create wiaoc2007.  You may direct questions to WiAOC Coordinator Vance Stevens at vstevens@emirates.net.ae  - The WiAOC 2007 Organization Team This  free online conference is organised by Webheads in Action, a spin-off from Webheads, an informal group of language teachers and learners interested in language learning and technology. .. it's been fascinating watching an online community grow and evolve over that time. A fundamental principle of Webheads and WIA is that all its activities require nothing more than access to the technology, i.e you never have to pay for software etc. I'd encourage anyone with an interest in learning with technology, and in particular, electronically-mediated learning communities, to sign up to this conference...  -  James Simpson , list moderator, ESOL-Research, http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html 5th biennial National Adult Learner Leadership Institute, July 5-7, Hartford, CT.    Come meet and network with adult learner leaders and supporters from around the country; take part in leadership training workshops; and discuss what is going on in adult literacy nationally. Come early and spend Independence Day in Hartford! Register online  or send in the form by regular mail. http://www.valueusa.org/2007LeadershipInstitute.htm coming in May: How Community Colleges Contribute to Equity in Education and the Workforce (ETS-sponsored) May 21- May 22, 2007 Princeton, New Jersey Community colleges enroll almost half of the undergraduate students in America’s colleges and universities, and they are the postsecondary institutions of choice for a higher proportion of minority, immigrant, low-income, and first-generation students. For these students, the colleges serve as portals for entry to the workplace or to baccalaureate degree programs. Because community colleges are open admissions institutions that serve students who are highly diverse in age, race, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, they tend to be flexible and prepared to support students at all levels to succeed. As with all colleges and universities, students arrive with varied experiences and learning styles; many of them have either struggled in high school or have logged many years out of school before enrolling in a community college. The symposium will focus on research devoted to addressing the challenges and opportunities offered by community colleges. Scholars and practitioners will discuss the latest data, analyses, and innovative ideas for policies and practices for community colleges as they seek to close achievement gaps. Among the topics planned for the conference are:  Historical Perspectives on Community Colleges and Achievement Gaps, Enrollments and Attendance Patterns at Community Colleges, Closing Gaps in Mathematics, Literacy, English as a Second Language, How Do Two-Year Minority-Serving Institutions Fare in Closing Gaps? Community Colleges Preparing Students for the Workforce, Barriers to Transfer and Retention, Placement, Remediation Approaches,  Defending the Community College Equity Agenda Participants may include community college leaders, faculty, administrators, researchers from various institutions, the general public, and representatives of community college organizations.  To learn more: http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.c988ba0e5dd572bada20bc47c3921509/?vgnextoid=1c10a7f45d410110VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=19e5be3a864f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD 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