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LR/RI produces a bulletin roughly every two weeks in order to inform area practitioners of news, events, and calls for participation and also as a forum for posing questions, issues and discussion topics. The current bulletin is posted below. To read previous bulletins, go to Bulletin Archives.

November 11, 1998

Bulletin #56

Dear Colleagues, 

Notice of upcoming professional development events and meetings, funding and employment opportunities are included in this bulletin. To post information, please contact me at LR/RI or leave a message (863-2839). 

Thanks.

Janet Isserlis 

____________________________________________________________

NOTICES

Sharing/discussion - women's issues in adult education will be held Thursday, Nov. 12th, at 1 PM at the Rochambeau Branch library on Hope St. in Providence. Please join us as we plan for a half-day conference concerning women and learning to be held in March, a smaller workshop for the end of this year, and continue our conversations about women, literacy and learning. On Thursday, November 19th a meeting will be held with Marsha Wise, Director of Community Outreach for the Women's Center of RI, at 1:30, also at the Rochambeau Branch library. Marsha will give an overview of domestic violence and local resources. 

Sharing/discussion group for educators with an interest in ESOL in adult education will meet on Tuesday, November 17th, at 3 PM at the Genesis Center on Potters Avenue in Providence.

Sharing/discussion group for educators with an interest in LD in adult education will meet on Wednesday, November 18th at 2:00 pm at the Swearer Center for Public Service. We'll be discussing the project described below and catching up on other news and concerns from programs and practitioners. 

Improving services for adults with LD: RI is participating in a 3-year grant which has the goals of: collecting information from each of the NE states on needs and assets of service providers working with adults with learning disabilities; disseminating information, through a train the trainer model, on the research and best practices for screening, planning, and providing instruction to adults with learning disabilities, and beginning to build an infrastructure that will support more effective services, including providing diagnostic services and GED accommodations, for adults with learning disabilities. Program directors and teachers are being asked to complete a needs/ assets survey in order to assist in developing strategies for enhancing services to LD learners in RI and those who work with them, and training will be available this winter. 

To learn more about the New England Partnership for Adults with Leaning Disabilities, please contact Judy Titzel, RI liaison to the Partnership, at 245-7326, or Janet Isserlis at LR/RI, 863-2839. Call to obtain a copy of the survey if you are currently working with learners and have not yet completed one, and/or please join us on November 18 for the next LD discussion group, to talk to Judy about this important new project. 

The Governor's Blue Ribbon Adult Literacy Commission will meet on Thursday, November 19 from 8:30 to 10:30 at the Marriott in Providence. This meeting is open to the public. Please call Marsha McDowell, 222-6700, if you plan to attend. 

The Adult Literacy Council will meet on Tuesday, December 1 at IIRI (645 Elmwood Avenue, Providence). Agenda items include planning for changes resulting from the Workforce Investment Act, ongoing advocacy efforts and action steps towards increasing communication between adult educators and the state's legislative body. 

Introduction to Windows98 and Microsoft Word7. The next Saturday afternoon computer class at International Institute of RI starts December 5 and ends on December 27. Class hours: 12:15 - 4:15pm; tuition is $75, all fees and textbook are included; limit 15 people. More info: 461-5940. 

The Walk for Literacy will be held on May 15, 1999, as part of Adult Education Week. Changes to the walk (formerly held in the autumn) include the addition of a paid professional consultant to coordinate corporate solicitations; these contributions will be shared equally among participating agencies. A new participant agreement has been developed, outlining agencies' responsibilities to the walk effort (including a contribution of $100 to defray the consultant's salary). If you would like to participate or need more information, please contact Donna Sherman (861-0815) or Louise Moulton (455-8041). 

Adult Learning: The Essentials of Building Community and Defining Direction: The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education 1998 Conference November 18-22, Phoenix, Arizona. For more information, contact LR/RI, or go to http://www.albany.edu/aaace/ to register online. 

International Conference on Women and Literacy January 24-26, 1999, Atlanta: designed to bring researchers, practitioners and policy makers together to pose problems and develop an understanding of linkages between women's lives and literacies. Issues for discussion include women and literacy as related to: welfare to work, health, ethnicity and domestic violence; research, policy issues, applied practice and learners' perspectives. Registration fees: if postmarked by 11/15- $100; $125 if postmarked by 11/16; $150 on-site. For information, or for an application, please contact Sandy Vaughn at 404-651-1400 or alcsvv@langate.gsu.edu

Technology and Adult Basic Education: The Changing Roles of Teachers - 1999 Winter Institute January 27 -29, 1999, Atlanta. Participants will examine current research and policy in the use of technology in adult education, model programs and assessment. Registration fees: $235, payable by 1/8/99. Information/application, email: mark.johnson@arch.gatech.edu or barbara.christopher@arch.gatech.edu, or Mark Johnson or Barbara Christopher:1(800) 428-7323. Information is also available online at http://www.arch.gatech.edu/crt/learning.htm

Learning Disabilities Association of America - 1999 International Conference Atlanta, February 24-27. Pre-registration deadline ($120 for members, $150 for non-members), January 11, 1999. Strands include adult and vocational/life skills, advocacy, assessment, cultural linguistic diversity, early childhood, instruction, legal/legislative, medical, mental health, parents/ family, principals/administrators, professional preparation and technology. Information: LDA 1999 Conference, 4156 Library Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235-1349. 

The North American Alliance for Popular and Adult Education will hold the CommonFire Conference, Feb. 12-15, 1999, Tucson, Arizona. Educator/Activist Networks will meet in these areas: Participatory Research, Environmental Popular Adult Education, Popular Economics, Feminist Education, Anti-Racist and Multicultural Education, Music, Theater, Visual Arts and Cultural Work, Learning in Social Movements, Labor Education, Youth Organizing, Lesbian/Gay/ Bisexual Organizing, Welfare Reform/Economic Justice, and Community Organizing. Information: Larry Olds, 3322 15th Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55407, 612-722-3442, lolds@mtn.org

resource available: "Integrating Adult Basic Education with Workforce Development and Workplace Change: How National-Level Policy Makers Can Help," a 54-page monograph funded by the US. Dept. of Education, is available from Learning Partnerships, 14 Griffin St., East Brunswick, NJ 08816-4806. Send a check for $8.00 payable to Learning Partnerships, 14 Griffin Street East Brunswick, NJ 08816-4806. Paul Jurmo, the report's author, welcomes feedback and questions, and has been conducting workshops around the country which help adult educators think through where they might "fit" in the emerging policies for Workforce development.

NCSALL Speaker Series: Doing School and Doing School Differently

Dr. Alisa Belzer, a leader of practitioner inquiry groups for Pennsylvania ABE workers, will speak at Harvard Graduate School of Education on Thursday, December 10, from 3:30 to 5:00 PM. In addition to her research into family literacy models and retention, she has worked extensively in the area of authentic assessment, and has also been a volunteer coordinator, teacher and board member of a community-based literacy program. She is the author of Doing School Differently: The Perspectives of Five Adult Learners on their Past and Current Educational Experiences, and is uniquely situated to draw implications from research to practice and from practice to research. Dr. Belzer will speak in the Eliot-Lyman Room, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge. For more information, call (617) 495-4842. Sponsored by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy and the Adult Literacy Resource Institute. 

grant opportunity: Laubach Literacy is seeking applications for its 1998 National Book Scholarship Fund (NBSF), which distributes books and other educational materials to qualified adult literacy and education programs nationwide. NBSF grants help educational groups expand their work or begin new programs among under-served populations. First priority is given to family literacy programs. Grants are also awarded to programs that work with special groups, such as the homeless, refugees, people learning English as a second language, and adults with learning disabilities. For information, or to apply for a NBSF grant, contact: Mara Roberts, Project Administrator, National Book Scholarship Fund, Laubach Literacy PO Box 131, 1320 Jamesville Ave., Syracuse, NY 13210; telephone (315) 422-9121; mroberts@laubach.org. 

Applications accepted until 12/15/98. 

learning opportunity: Teachers, Technology and Leadership: An Institute for Adult Literacy Practitioners - applications available: Join colleagues from literacy programs across the Northeast to explore critical issues in the integration of technology in adult basic education in an institute supported by Nettech. The 16 participants selected for the institute will explore innovative applications of technology in literacy education by visiting 3 hubs of educational technology activity - NY City, Cambridge, MA and Philadelphia, PA. Participants will learn about classroom applications of technology and web-based learning; technology planning and funding; technology-based professional development; and advanced research and development in educational technology. 

The institute will consist of three full-day sessions, scheduled as follows (subject to change): January 22nd at the LAC in New York City, February 5th at NCAL in Philadelphia and March 19th at TERC in Cambridge. Participants will be required to attend all three days and complete a final project. Travel and meals will be covered. Requirements for selection include: current employment as a teacher or program manager in an adult literacy program in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT, or Washington, D.C; basic computer and Internet literacy; Internet and e-mail access from work or home; demonstrated interest in educational technology, and support for participation from applicant's program director. For applications or information, contact Emily Hacker at (212) 803-3348 or emilyh@lacnyc.org. Applications are due by December 1, 1998. Participants will be notified by December 15. 

Funding opportunity: 7-Eleven Stores' People Who Read Achieve grants. Eligible organizations (those having 501 (c) (3) status, public schools, libraries, operating in an area where a 7-Eleven is located) may submit an application for funding through this initiative which supports local reading programs. Grants in the amount of $2,500 are available for projects starting on or after April 1, 1999. For information, call 1-800-711-1329, and request document #904. A copy of the material is also available via LR/RI. Applications must be received by November 30, 1998; email and fax applications will not be accepted. 

NEW ON THE WEBSITE - A new link has been added to the literature and learning page - a tour of the East End Festival, a site through which one community in London has posted its history, ideas, information and opinions. 

The ERIC Clearinghouse has produced four new digests; Transformative Learning in Adulthood, Career Development: A Shared Responsibility, Volunteer-ing and Adult Learning, Family Literacy: Respecting Family Ways (http://ericacve.org/docs/dig203.htm) online at http://ericacve.org If you need access to the web or would like to receive hard copies of any of these digests, contact LR/RI. Also, please check the advocacy page to learn more about local and national participation in advocacy work for the field. http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/advocate.html

As legislative changes begin to be implemented, and as the field is becoming more proactive in advocacting for learner and practitioner rights, access to information becomes increasingly important. Please contact LR/RI if you'd like to learn more about information available electronically, and/or to spend some time online becoming familiar with these resources. 

From Art Ellison, Administrator, Bureau of Adult Education, NH Department of Education on the NLA list 11/11/98: Information on State Plans for Adult Education Required by Workforce Development Act of 1998

The new Workforce Development Act of 1998 requires that each state prepare either a State Plan for Adult Education or a Unified State Plan which includes adult education, vocational rehabilitation, and a variety of job training programs. It appears that most states (33 at last count) will file a single State Plan for Adult Education. These plans are due in Washington by April 3, 1999 unless a state files a one year transition plan, followed by a 4 year plan. In any of the scenarios above a state, in its state plan, must establish specific performance measures and levels for which the state will be held accountable by the U.S. Department of Education. The new law lists specific performance measures by which states will be assessed. These include the following: 

l. Demonstrated improvements in literacy skill levels in reading, writing, and speaking in the English language, numeracy, problem-solving, English language acquisition and other literacy skills. 

2. Placement, retention, or completion of postsecondary education, training, unsubsidized employment, or career development. 

3. Receipt of a high school diploma or its equivalent 

4. Other objective quantifiable measures, as identified by the state agency. (Local providers can have input into the process of identifying other performance measures)

All states, whether they are filing one year transitional plans, or full five year Adult Education or Unified Plans, must address the performance measures above. Since some states are trying to meet the April 3 deadline, they are rapidly moving ahead with the development of assessment strategies and materials that relate to the performance measures. If anyone is interested in participating in that process they should contact their State Office of Adult Education, usually located in the State Department of Education, but in some cases, with the Community College System or a Workforce Development Department There are other elements of the State Plan that will be of interest to adult educators. Information on the general planning process for that document can also be obtained from the State Adult Education Office.

Expressions, a learner-generated, learner-edited journal based at the Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University, seeks to foster students' self confidence by providing adult learners with a wide public forum in which to express themselves. We seek to forge links among students from various programs across the state by encouraging interaction through the written word. 

Expressions runs writing workshops in programs throughout the state. Expressions staff members work closely with classroom teachers and/or tutors to design workshops which serve the needs and interests of the particular students involved. The workshops, designed to help students to begin to think about writing both in the context of their regular class work and, more broadly, in terms of their broader lives, - are dynamic -they seek first and foremost to respond to the needs of individual students, teachers, programs and agencies. After the workshop, and often with the help of their tutors or teachers, students write pieces related to the topic of the workshop, or on a topic of their own choice. In general, teachers compile these pieces and submit them to Expressions. In some cases, we may return to do follow-up work with students. We encourage students to write on and in whatever topics and formats that they find interesting, and we are always thrilled to receive student writings. Please help your students to submit their work to: Expressions, Brown University,Box 1974 Providence RI 02912-1974. For more information, please contact Coordinator Diane Genereux at (401) 863-2338, or by email at Diane_Genereux@brown.edu

GRADUATE SCHOOL TUITION HELP FOR NEW AMERICANS 

November 30 is the deadline to apply for graduate tuition help from the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans (online at http://www.pdsoros.org). Eligible candidates must be between the ages of twenty and thirty (not older than 30 as of November 30, 1998.); candidates must hold a Green Card or have been naturalized as a US citizen or be the child of two parents who are both naturalized citizens. Information is available by contacting Soros Fellowships at: 400 West 59th St., NY, NY10019; Phone: 212/547-6926; Fax: 212/245-8381; email: pdsoros_fellows@sorosny.org. 

relatively new on the website:

- An update on VALUE, the national learner organization, (go to learners), new postings on the links, women and literacy and inquiry pages, as well.

- Research Agenda for Adult ESL The National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education, in collaboration with National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy and with additional sponsorship and support from Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, has published a Research Agenda for Adult ESL. Its objectives are to provide funders with clear priorities for funding; to provide researchers with support for proposing specific projects; and to provide a focus for dis-cussion about how to improve adult ESL programs. The document incorporates feedback from learners, instructors, program administrators, policymakers, and researchers, and is available, free, from NCLE, 4646 40th street NW, Washington, DC 20016; (202) 362-0700 extension 200, or can be downloaded from NCLE at http://www.cal.org/ncle (and is also linked to LR/RI's ESOL page).

- The Key on line - Monthly newspaper for adults in Wisconsin's basic education and ESL programs.  http://www.keynews.org/ (and is linked to LR/RI's learner page).

Making Connections across culture: Critical reflection on a feminist adult education resource - by Arlene Wells. A report on a research project that examines the way in which one feminist literacy resource does and doesn't accommodate the needs, strengths and cultures of women learning and teaching in adult literacy programs. The report moves beyond an analysis of one curriculum document into a careful reflection of the ways that race, class, and gender (among other things) interlock and contribute to helping or hindering women's learning. The welfare reform page has been updated, as have other pages around the site. Please contribute your input and feedback to the site. 

REMINDERS, RESOURCES:

The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy has recently released a set of informative fact sheets outlining for practitioners and others the projects with which NCSALL researchers are currently engaged. Project histories, plans, and implications for practice are all highlighted in the fact sheets. Projects include studies of Learner Motivation, Impact of Literacy Programs on Adult learners, Adult Multiple Intelligences, Home Literacy Uses, Adult Development and Literacy Learning, Staff Development, Assessment, GED Impact, Health and Literacy, and Reading Diagnostics, Anyone interested in reading about one or all of the projects or anyone who may be interested in project participation information may receive copies by contacting David Hayes at (401) 331-9261. (The PDRN bulletin, including a link to the NCSALL fact sheets is also available online.

From a July 13 NIFL press release: New Report Explores Connection Between Low Literacy and Poor Health

Incorporating health education directly into literacy programs could be an important step towards helping low literate adults improve their health. Research has found a close connection between low literacy and poor health.  A key factor is that health education materials are generally written at the 10th grade reading level or beyond, so adults with low literacy levels generally do not benefit from the information.

The report, Empowerment Health Education in Adult Literacy: A Guide for Public Health and Adult Literacy Practitioners, Policy Makers and Funders, identifies ways of incorporating health education into literacy programs and includes suggestions for how to best bring information on early detection of breast, cervical, and testicular cancer into the adult literacy classroom.  Ideas for incorporating family violence issues into the curriculum are also included. The report is the result of a 2-year participatory action research project conducted by Marcia Drew Hohn, Ed.D., SABES Director at Northern Essex Community College in Lawrence, MA, and is available at no cost by calling at 1-800-228-8813. Dr. Hohn conducted the research and produced the report as part of a Literacy Leader Fellowship award from the National Institute for Literacy. 

From Jan Richter, KidsCampaigns Outreach Specialist, Benton Foundation jan@benton.org on the NIFL-family listserv: I am the Outreach Specialist for KidsCampaigns, a comprehensive web site (http://www.kidscampaigns.org) providing information and tools for people to act on behalf of kids, from volunteering to voting. One of my duties is to compile and write the KidsCampaigns Weekly, a weekly email newsletter that briefs kids' advocates on what's in the news about kids' issues and what's new on-line to inform and engage KidsCampaigners -- advocates, concerned citizens, parents, service providers, etc. If you're interested in subscribing to the KidsCampaigns Weekly, you can sign on by sending an email to listserv@cdinet.com, with the message subscribe kids-weekly YourFirstName YourLastName

list servs: 

LEARNER is intended primarily for adult learners. LITERACY is a general list for adult literacy practitioners and others. Information on these electronic lists is below. 

LEARNER To subscribe to LEARNER, send an email message to: listserv@nysernet.org

Skip the message header and in the body of the message, type: subscribe LEARNER Yourfirstname Yourlastname All submissions to LEARNER should be addressed to: LEARNER@nysernet.org Questions regarding the list should be sent to: Beverly Choltco-Devlin Moderator, LEARNER bdevlin@dreamscape.com

LITERACY To subscribe to LITERACY, send an email message to: listserv@nysernet.org

Skip the message header and in the body of the message, type: subscribe LITERACY Yourfirstname Yourlastname All submissions to LITERACY should be addressed to: LITERACY@nysernet.org Questions regarding the LITERACY list should be sent to: Beverly Choltco-Devlin bdevlin@dreamscape.com

Welfare to work listserv: from Glenn Young - For those interested in the subject of welfare reform and learning disabilities, there has been a listserv created through NIFL. To sign up, please send a message to: listproc@literacy.nifl.gov write in the body of the message subscribe nifl-wtwld and your name. Do not write anything in the subject line and do not use any dots or dashes other than between nifl and wtwld. (Click here for more information on listservs). 

Resource available: Teaching and Learning with Internet-based Resources, by Susan Cowles, is available in hard copy or on line at http://www.nifl.gov/susanc/inthome.htm From the on-line introduction: "Literacy students, instructors, program administrators, and other life-long learners are all in the group moving along the information superhighway. Some people have been running for a while; others are just starting down the road. Beginning to use the Internet can sometimes seem as grueling as participating in a marathon. This short course is designed to make the journey as informative and enjoyable as possible." To order a hard copy of the document, please call 1-800-228-8813. Susan Cowles is a Literacy Leader Fellow for 1996-97; this document is her fellowship report to the National Institute for Literacy.

from previous bulletins:

LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION ON-LINE (from Fran Keenan at the Center for Applied Linguistics): http://www.StateServ.hpts.org provides current and exclusive state legislative information on welfare reform & immigrants. The 1996 welfare law rewrote the rules for immigrants, originally cutting $24 billion in cash, medical, and food stamp benefits. Although $12 billion in SSI benefits were restored in 1997, states are still challenged by the cost shifts from federal to state and local safety net programs, and are determining whether and how to serve particularly vulnerable immigrant populations. State legislation is summarized by cash assistance, medical assistance, nutritional assistance, and naturalization. Also available on-line are the Project's popular new series of issue briefs "Welfare Reform & Immigrants." Currently posted are briefs on: State Trends, Nutritional Assistance, and TANF. The website was launched by the Health Policy Tracking Service at NCSL. StateServ also provides information on state policies and legislation in the areas of adolescent health, HIV/AIDS, and youth access to alcohol. The website is supported with grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Ford Foundation. For more information on StateServ, call The Health Policy Tracking Service at 202-624-3567 or e-mail them at: info@hpts.org. 

For more information on Welfare Reform & Immigrants, contact Ann Morse, Immigrant Policy Project, (ann.morse@ncsl.org) or Jeremy Meadows (jeremy.meadows@ncsl.org). We welcome your comments. (The IMMIGRANT-NEWS-L distribution list is a service of NCSLnet, the Electronic Information Network for State Legislatures. National Conference of State Legislatures. For information on NCSLnet services send a blank e-mail message to: NCSLnet-Info@ncsl.org). 

AIDS RESOURCES ONLINE

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention1s national AIDS clearinghouse is located at http://www.cdcnac.org. It's Up to Us: An AIDS Education Curriculum for ESL Students and Other English Language Learners, by Henry Lesnick, is available on line at http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/homepages/lesnick/AIDS. AVERT, AIDS Education and Research Trust, a British site, is at http://www.avert.org/ World AIDS Day is observed on December 1st, but the need to work on appropriate educational strategies around HIV and AIDS prevention education persists year round. 

PROJECT BASED LEARNING AND ACCESS TO THE INTERNET

How is the internet being used in adult education? What are some helpful uses, and how do we sort through the huge amount of material available on line? Susan Gaer is interested in helping programs link to one another, and has been doing so through an email project homepage on-line, at http://www.otan.dni.us/webfarm/emailproject/email.htm. If you have or know of similar learner work on line, please contact Susan at SusanG2@aol.com. As well, David Rosen (who in addition to advocacy work, has done a great deal of work on and research into using the internet) has asked that we have a look at the inquiry maps on the Adult Literacy Resource Institute1s home page. As he explains, "[a]n Inquiry Map is a group participatory research process on a topic of high interest to the group. Participants (in this case, adult learners) make their own questions, and then set about finding answers to them. The Inquiry map is a process which is never finished. Many of the questions go unanswered, are only partially answered, or have only one answer given where other points of view are possible. So, there is room for other participants to join in the process at any time, to add their answers, their comments on the answers already given, and questions which they might also choose to research." Questions, answers and comments can be posted to David Rosen <DJRosen@world.std.com>, and he'll add them to the inquiry map. So, it keeps on being an inquiry process with each new person who reads and adds to it. He welcomes additions of questions and answers; as you may know, many internet sites run threaded conversations on a variety of topics. The ALRI sites are: http://www2.wgbh.org/MBCWEIS/LTC/ALRI/I.M.html and http://www2.wgbh.org/MBCWEIS/LTC/ALRI/IM3.html (How to make inquiry maps). The LR/RI website has added a page about technology and learning as well. The page consists of the beginning of a discussion about the ways in which technology can be used interactively -- is the screen just a big flashy workbook, or is there more to it? Your comments can be sent by email, fax or regular mail, and will be added to the page to continue the conversation.

and also from previous issues:

Workshops available - During the past few years I've worked with a team of women from around Canada, through the Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women, on Making Connections: Literacy and EAL Curriculum from a Feminist Perspective. The curriculum was developed for learners in basic education and English language programs. A series of workshops have been developed and are available to anyone in the area with an interest in learning more about incorporating the curriculum and its approaches into their own work. Please contact me (Janet) at LR/RI for more information and/or to schedule a workshop. Information about the curriculum is also available online at http://www.nald.ca/canorg/cclow/EAL.HTM. While the cost of the curriculum document itself is $20, there is no charge for the workshops.

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.