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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.

March 16, 1999

Bulletin #64

Dear Colleagues,

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

Thanks.

Janet Isserlis

____________________________________________________________

NOTICES

The Adult Education Commission will meet on Monday March 22, from 9 to 11 AM in Room 211 at the State House.

Discussion/sharing session for educators with an interest in ESOL in adult education will be held on Tuesday, April 6th from 3 - 5 at the Genesis Center, 620 Potters Avenue, Providence. Local practitioners will report on sessions from TESOL '99; all are invited to share feedback/ideas from the conference and/or other workshops, articles, conferences.

The Governor's blue ribbon panel on adult literacy will not meet on March 18th; the meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 22, at 8:30 AM at the International Institute of RI, 645 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, and will focus on a continued review and discussion of the commission's goals and objectives. Please call Marsha McDowell, 222-6700, if you plan to attend.

An open meeting of practitioners undertaking inquiry projects will be held on Wednesday, March 24th at 1:30 PM at the Genesis Center. Practitioners will be discussing their projects as they reach the mid-point of their inquiry work, and invite your participation in this reporting/progress/discussion session.

Disussion/sharing session for educators with an interest in intergenerational learning and adult education will be held on Friday, March 5, at 1:30 PM at the International Institute of RI, 645 Elmwood Avenue, Providence. Genesis program staff will be sharing resources and materials they have developed and utilize in their intergenerational literacy programming

Discussion/sharing session for educators with an interest in women's issues in adult education will be held on Thursday, April 8th at 1:00 PM at the Rochambeau Branch library, Hope Street, Providence. Please join us to follow-up on information presented at Jenny Horsman's workshop on violence and literacy and to help us formulate ongoing plans for the spring and fall. Because of the snow, many people were unable to attend Jenny's workshop; those who were present have agreed to share their own responses to the information presented and handouts from the workshop will also be available at the meeting (and/or can be sent to you, by contacting LR/RI).

Preparing Students to Pass the US Citizenship Exam: Westerly Public Library, Tuesday, March 23rd, from 9 to 12. Presenters: Anne Preuss, Rita Deane, Literacy Volunteers of Washington Country. (401) 596-9411.

Presentation/Meeting: Recognizing and Assisting Learning Disabled Students. Wednesday, March 31, 5-7:30 p.m. at the Providence Public Library, 225 Washington Street, downtown Providence (Family Place Room). Lisa Roseman Beade is an academic reading tutor, ESL/GED teacher, writer, and a teacher who has worked with both adults and children with learning differences. She will offer ways to recognize and aid LD ESL learners. RSVP to Denise DiMarzio, Literacy Coordinator, 455-8041 by March 26. Do you have questions you'd like addressed? Call them in beforehand (by March 25) to the above number so that Lisa can best direct her talk. Refreshments served!

You are invited to LVA-RI's annual statewide conference "Steppingstones to Literacy" on Saturday, April 10, 9-4 at the Feinstein Center, Providence College. The keynote speaker is Jeanne Donato: "Storytelling: A Steppingstone to Literacy". There will be 3 series of concurrent workshops, with 6-8 choices within each series. Registration begins at 8:30 AM. Cost is $5 for LVA students and $25 for all others. This year a special feature is an Open House for persons who are interested in learning more about LVA. They are invited to attend the opening session and a workshop entitled "Welcome to LVA". After that they can stay for other workshops or leave. There is no charge for guests who are interested in volunteering in the program.

The Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative-East Bay announces 10-week Spring Literacy classes, starting April 13, in Warren and East Providence. The RIFLI offers classes in beginner to intermediate English reading, writing, speaking and computer skills. The classes are held in the library to create life-long learners who use the library's many resources. This is a family reading program therefore parents are encouraged to bring their children, ages 3-12 for age appropriate literacy classes while parents learn. Learners are grouped according to abilities into small groups. In the groups; students work with volunteer tutors. Volunteers are essential to the success of this program. Volunteers do not need experience, just a willingness to commit to 4 hours per week in a worthwhile program. East Providence classes are 6:30-8:00, Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Weaver Branch of the library. In Warren they are held in the George Hail Library, 10:30-12:00. To get more information about the class or volunteering, please call Kristen McKenna at 434-2719 or 245-7686. Summer Conversation Classes for intermediate to advanced ESL adults start the week of July 12, 1999, for 8 weeks East Providence, Weaver Branch, 6-8:00 on Tuesday evenings Warren, George Hail Library, 6-8:00 pm on Wednesdays

New on the website:

a link to a Mask project created at Roger Williams Middle School at LR/RI's literature and learning page.

Arizona's Adult Education Five Year Plan is linked to http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/1385.html

From the National Center for Family Literacy: "Family Literacy Legislation and Initiatives in Eleven States" is available in PDF format on our website. This publication examines seven states that have passed or attempted to pass state family literacy legislation and four states that have state-funded family literacy initiatives. If you have any questions regarding this publication, please contact Tony Peyton at tpeyton@famlit.org or at (502) 584-1133 x.126.

Your input is still needed: LR/RI has drafted the professional development component of the larger state plan for adult education in Rhode Island. So that this plan reflects needs, strengths and interests of adult education workers across the state, it is being circulated in hard copy and posted on LR/RI's web site. To make your views known about professional development, please call me at (401) 863-2839 or via email janet_isserlis@brown.edu If your program staff wishes to meet together with me at your site, please let me know. Bob Mason is writing the larger state plan; for information about that, please contact Bob directly at 222-4600, X 12180. The professional development plan, in draft form is online at http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/prod.html

resources available

The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) announces the availability of two new research papers:

-- NCSALL Reports #4, Practitioners Speak: Contributing to a Research Agenda for Adult Basic Education by NCSALL's Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network

-- NCSALL Reports #6, The Outcomes and Impacts of Adult Literacy Education in the United States by Hal Beder.

NCSALL is committed to conducting research that can be used to improve the quality of ABE, ESOL, and GED programs in the US and to disseminating findings in formats that teachers, program administrators, and policy makers can use. As part of this effort, NCSALL has formed the Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network (PDRN), a network of practitioner leaders serving as a liaison between practitioners and NCSALL researchers. In 1997, the PDRN's practitioner leaders conducted focus groups with teachers in their states to find out what issues were of concern to them and how these concerns might be addressed by current and future research. NCSALL Reports #4 summarizes the results of these nine focus groups and provides an opportunity to hear directly from practitioners about the realities of their work.

The Outcomes and Impacts of Adult Literacy in the US is part of a set of studies examining the impact of participation in adult learning and literacy programs on adults' lives and communities. This paper assesses the strengths and weaknesses of recent outcomes and impacts research. The goals of this paper are to make reasoned inferences about the effectiveness of adult literacy education in the US; to identify common conceptual, design, and methodological problems inherent in previous studies; to raise and discuss issues for policy; and to make recommendations for the design and conduct of future studies. Copies of NCSALL Reports are available for purchase through World Education ($5 for Reports #4, $10 for Reports #6). For a publications list and an order form, email NCSALL@WorldEd.org or call Kim French at 617-482-9485, ext. 491. Copies of the reports' executive summaries reports, called Research Briefs, are available on the NCSALL web site: http://hugse1.harvard.edu/~ncsall. Information about the Adult Literacy and Technology conference, (July, in Minnesota) is available online at http://www.mlrc.stthomas.edu/alt1999/home.htm Print materials should be available in April, and/or contact LR/RI for more information.

Grant resource information, from the NLA listserv: The GRANTSEEKER TIPS disseminates bi-weekly tips and ideas for people wanting to successfully pursue grants from foundations, corporations, and government agencies. Tips cover all aspects of planning and writing proposals: identifying funding sources, electronic information sources, making pre-proposal contacts, technical writing tips, constructing budgets, and document design. To join free, send e-mail to MinerL@mu.edu and enter "Subscribe" in subject line.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

Substitute instructor needed: 20 hours per week (M-F), 8:30 - 12:30) fopr all of May 1998 and possibly two weeks to be arranged. Academic, computer, and job-readiness preparation program for AFDC recipients in Pawtucket; case management support provided. Contact Lisa Egan, Project Opportunity, 723-9962

Staff Associate for Publication Layout and Distribution World Education, a non-profit organization based in Boston, is looking for a Staff Associate for Publication Layout and Distribution. The Staff Associate's primary responsibilities are to design, lay out and distribute publications of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL).

Responsibilities: Layout of quarterly, 24-page newsletter Focus on Basics using QuarkXpress on a Macintosh computer and other software; work with artists to generate art work for the newsletter Focus on Basics; work with printers to finalize print materials; fulfill Focus on Basics subscriptions, NCSALL Reports mailings, and other publication orders; hire and supervise a temporary worker to send out bulk mailings as needed; manage reprints; design and layout other NCSALL publications; manage database and mailing list; general maintenance of the NCSALL Web site; generate reports, track spending, and other responsibilities as necessary. Qualifications: Experience with desktop publishing; strong design and layout skills and strong QuarkXpress skills on the Macintosh; word processing on IBM, and Microsoft Access (preferred). Experience designing and/or managing a Web site, including basic knowledge of HTML; ability to juggle priorities and meet deadlines; ability to work without supervision. Detail-oriented. Excellent follow-through skills. Able to work with a wide variety of people. Strong oral communication skills. Ability to work as part of a team. Familiarity with issues of adult learning and literacy requested but not required. This is a full-time job. Salary in mid-twenties, with excellent benefits. To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter by March 26, 1999 to: Barbara Garner, World Education, 44 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210-1211. Principals only. No phone calls, faxes, or e-mail, please. World Education is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. People of Color are strongly encouraged to apply. (This description also appears online at http://www.sabes.org/ncsal5.htm)

-> share information at meetings, through the bulletin or web site. If you have reflections about your work, information to announce or information you'd like to receive, please contact LR/RI so that we can work to expand the networks of practitioners in touch with one another and with one another's work.

Currently, LR/RI's hard copy mailing list is still lost in cyberspace. If you know of someone not receiving the bulletin, please ask that person to contact LR/RI so that we can reconstruct the mailing list while waiting for it to be retrieved from the data base into which it disappeared. thanks

conferences

Trapped by Abuse Conference: April 16 - 18, 1999. At the University of Michigan League, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Participants will have an opportunity to: share information about the relationship of domestic violence, work, and welfare; learn about new research data; discuss innovative service delivery approaches; determine policy implications; and envision a new research agenda. Jill Nelson, author, is the featured speaker: "Everyday Violence: Gender and Race, Poverty and Abuse." Call Taylor Institute for more information: 773-342-5510

Workplace Learning Conference - Milwaukee, May 16-18. Bringing together teachers, program planners, funders, union representatives, business people, and governmental agency representatives, sessions will be offered across four tracks: Partnerships and Linkages; Program Design and Evaluation; Resources and Technologies; and Trends Affecting the Workplace and Workers.Information: http://www.cew.wisc.edu/workplace or call 608-265-3542.

5th Annual International Conference June 3­5, 1999, New York: "Re-inventing Freire and Boal from São Paulo to St. Paul" Proposals due Feb 1/99. - Proposals invited on all aspects of emanci-patory education and theatre including power relations in learning environments, systems of structural privilege and oppression, subversive challenge, and that relate to any oppressed group. Proposals must relate in some manner to Paulo Freire's model of liberatory education or Augusto Boal's approach to interactive theatre. Organizers seek proposals from teachers, theatre artists, and community activists who employ in their work or research the ideas of Freire and/or Boal. Please make this connection clear in your proposal; interactive presentations are strongly encouraged.The Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to challenge oppressive systems by promoting critical thinking and social justice. For more information, please go to: http://www.unomaha.edu/~pto/call.htm or contact LR/RI

"A Woman's Place Is...in the Curriculum" conference, August 1- 5, 1999, Rohnet Park, California, focusing on multicultural approaches to incorporating women's history into the k-12 curriculum. Contact: National Women's History Project, 717-838-6000 or nwhp@aol.com .

relatively new on the website:

- Policy update, January/99 , from Alice Johnson, at NIFL (go to LR/RI's advocacy page).

- 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).

from previous bulletins: 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.

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).

women and literacy listserv.

To participate, subscribe by sending an email message to: LISTPROC@LITERACY.NIFL.GOV with the following request in the body of the message: subscribe NIFL-Womenlit firstname lastname Substitute your first and last name spelled exactly as you would like it to appear. For example, to subscribe to the NIFL-Womenlit list Sue Smith would type: subscribe NIFL-womenlit Sue Smith There should be no other text in the message (e.g., your signature block). It is recommended that the subject line be left blank if possible.

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.

David Rosen has asked that we have a look at the inquiry maps on the Adult Literacy Resource Institute's 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).