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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.

August 27, 1999

Bulletin #77

Dear Colleagues,

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

Thanks.

Janet Isserlis

____________________________________________________________

NOTICES

fall programs:

Registration for ESL classes at Progreso Latino will take place on September 7 and 8. Students interested in attending classes in the morning, registrations are from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, for afternoon and evening classes from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on both days. The schedule of classes are; Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 11:30 am, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 to 8:00 pm.. Classes are for fifteen (15) weeks at a cost of $65.00 for the entire trimester and include a textbook. Also, we are currently registering students for Citizenship classes during the week and on Saturdays. Registration for GED classes in Spanish are currently open, classes are held afternoons and evenings. We have a few spaces available for our Project Opportunity program, which serves people receiving public assistance. Classes are held every day from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. We provide ESL, GED, Job Skills, Basic and Advance computer classes. For more information, contact Carlos, Sandra or Gloria at Progreso Latino: 728-5920.

Eight-week Introduction to Microsoft Word 97 at International Institute of RI, 645 Elmwood Ave., Providence, RI 02907. The class will start on Sept. 18. Registration will be held both in the morning: 9am-2pm and evening: 6pm-7pm from Sept. 7 to Sept. 15, 1999. Class hours: Saturday, 12:30 - 3:30pm Tuition: $100 (textbook is not included, students can purchase when they register. It's about $20) For further information: 784-4612

Passing the US Citizenship exam: New series starts Saturdays, 9 to 11 AM, September 11 in the LVA Center (Literacy Volunteers of Washington County, Westerly Public Library, 44 Broad Street). Call (401) 596-9411 to register or come to a class.

The Workforce Literacy Collaborative's Workforce Education Conference - October 7 and 8.

New on-line

New discussion groups on Alphaplus: Learning, work and gender equity. Six discussions have been started on these topics: A future for women's literacy? impacts of trauma on learning; Technology and women's learning; Supporting women's learning and Older women learning and changing. To register for the discussions please go to http://alphaplus.ca: Follow the steps to register. After you have registered, choose "AlphaCom discussions". Click on "English Public" for a list of all the English-language, public discussions. Choose the title of the discussion you want to join. (These instructions also appear on LR/RI's women and literacy page).

Report - Beverly Chase's 1998 minigrant project, Staff Development at the Providence Public Library Literacy Department, is now online. In it, Bev reports on a project exploring approaches to professional development within the context of Providence Public Library literacy programming.

Reports from most of the 1998-99 inquiry projects are now online at LR/RI inquiry page. As well, the links page has been updated. Additionally, there are now two supplemental documents available on line (or from the Centre for Literacy of Quebec) which focus on using Making Connections: Literacy and EAL Curriculum from a Feminist Curriculum (CCLOW, 1996), These supplemental documents were produced following a meeting of facilitators in 1998 - after they had delivered workshops focused on using the curriculum, and reflect some of the thinking about and issues that arose from using the curriculum. The two documents, Anti-racist/Culture-Based Approaches and Guided Reflections are at http://www.nald.ca/canorg/cclow/eal.htm (scroll down towards the bottom of the page for the links. Ordering information for Making Connections is also available).

Laubach Literacy's 1999 National Book Scholarship Fund (NBSF) distributes books and educational materials to qualified adult literacy and education programs nationwide. Grants are designed to help local educational groups expand their work or to begin new programs among under-served populations. First priority is given to family literacy programs working to improve literacy skills of parents and their children. For information or to receive an application package in September, contact Mara Roberts, Project Administrator, National Book Scholarship Fund, Laubach Literacy, PO Box 131, 1320 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210. Ms. Roberts can also be reached by telephone at 315-422-9121, x345 and via e-mail at mroberts@laubach.org. Grant applications will be accepted until December 8, 1999. More information -- http://www.laubach.org/NBSF/indexnbs.htm.

from THURSDAY NOTES From the Desk of Ronald S. Pugsley, Director, DAEL, Office of Vocational and Adult Education Editor: Sarah Newcomb Production: Rose Tilghman, August 19, 1999.

- More GED Earners Plan on Higher Ed A new report from the GED Testing Service, Who Took the GED? shows that more people who took the test plan to go on to higher education. The 1998 data show that two out of three test-takers reported college plans, nearly double the one in three planning on college 20 years ago. 5% more test-takers earned the high school credential in 1998 than in 1997 when requirements for passing first were raised. Special accommodations for disabilities increased 7%. To purchase the report, contact Lisa Richards Hone at 202/939-9490. Download highlights from http://www.gedtest.org/

from THURSDAY NOTES - August 12, 1999

Boom Boosts Workforce Model - Our long economic expansion may be pushing workplace programs as a high-impact choice for adult education service delivery. The US Department of Labor reports our economy created more than 300,000 new jobs in July- about 3 times the expected number-while workers benefited from solid wage increases. July's overall unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, suggesting more people are working. While most workers can find jobs, many also cannot squeeze in travel time, transportation and child care costs required for learning in off hours. Delivery of basic skills services at work in partnership with employers and unions may be a promising venue. DOL/WIA Title I Regs DOL is sponsoring regional Town Hall meetings this month to get public reaction on its proposed Title I regulations as well as other aspects of WIA Title I implementation. Interested? See http://workforce.org/whatsnew -- "August WIA Town Hall Meetings."

Urban Institute Study Tracks Welfare Leavers A new Urban Institute study "Families Who Left Welfare: Who Are They and How Are They Doing? offers the first national picture of welfare leavers and how they fared in 1997, shortly after enactment of the 1996 federal welfare reform law. See http://newfederalism.urban.org/html/discussion99-02.html and www.urbaninstitute.org Key findings include: Most women who leave welfare work in the low-wage service jobs; Welfare leavers have jobs similar to those of other low-income mothers, but they are less likely to have employer-sponsored health insurance; One-third to one-half of leavers report serious economic struggles in providing food; Almost one fifth report problems paying rent; More welfare leavers report these struggles than do other low-income mothers.

Two recent papers by Tom Sticht are available online at http://www.nald.ca One reports the decline in federal funding for adult education using constant 1995 dollars (and appears under Headline News at NALD), and the other, at the Full Text documents NALD, is entitled Adult Basic Education: Strategies to Increase Returns on Investment (ROI). It argues that there are opportunities to get greater returns on investment in adult education by following two investment strategies for adult basic education: invest in programs that increase the intergenerational transfer of cognitive skills from adults to children (this surveys a lot or research on women and literacy) and teach using a functional context education approach to instructional design that integrates basic skills education with other important education and training, such as workplace training, vocational skills, health education, parenting education, etc. Tom Sticht, 2062 Valley View Blvd. El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 tel/fax (619) 444-9595, email: tsticht@aznet.net

Employment opportunity - Teachers Experienced in ABE, ESOL, GED, part-time, afternoons, and early mornings, please send resumes to the Institute for Labor Studies and Research, 99 Baldhill Road, Cranston RI 02920. Classes begin in September.

ESOL Specialist (Half-time): Adult Literacy Resource Institute -full details available online at http://www.sabes.org/alrijob2.htm .

Development assistant - IIRI, open September 1999. Send cover letter, resume and writing sample by September 1 to Development Directory, International Institute of RI, 645 Elmwood Ave., Prov., RI 02907. The Development Assistant works with and reports to the Director of Development. Responsibilities include work on special events, writing/production of newsletters, annual report/ brochure, program brochures, annual campaign and grant proposals. Bachelors degree with experience working/studying in a multicultural setting, excelling writing skills, ability to organize and prioritize multiple tasks, etc. Compensation: $18,000 - 20,000 for 30 to 35 hrs/week, plus benefits. Will consider slightly reduced salary for 25 hr/wk if candidate has considerable experience. For a full description of the position, contact IIRI at 461-5940 or call LR/RI.

PROVIDENCE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS, INC.Under supervision of the Preventive Medicine Coordinator (PMC), and in collaboration with the Clinical Nurse Managers, the AmeriCorps Program Manager will be responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring the AmeriCorps Community HealthCorps project. The AmeriCorps Program Manager will oversee HealthCorps Member (partici-pant) recruitment, retention, training and support activities; implement programs at the community levels and collaborate with the Clinical Nurse Managers to implement programs at the clinical level; develop and maintain data collection and tracking systems; conduct project monitoring and reporting; promote local and national project identity; and develop and implement plans for project sustainability. Contact: Juan DelPrado, AmeriCorps Program Manager or Mary Jean Francis, Preventive Medicine Coordinator The Providence Community Health Centers, Inc. 375 Allens Ave. Providence, RI 02905 Ph: (401) 444-0400 Fax: (401) 444-0421 Deadline September 1. Healthcorps@ids.net http://users.ids.net/~hlthcrps

VALUE - Voices for Adult Literacy United for Education - is offering a free, one-year membership to individuals and organizations who sign up by September 1, 1999. To take advantage of this offer, print out the membership form on the VALUE webiste, complete it, and mail it by September 1, 1999 to: VALUE c/o Learning Partnerships, 14 Griffin Street, East Brunswick, NJ 08816-4806. If you can not access the web, but would like a hard copy of the application, please contact LR/RI. VALUE WEBSITE: [http://literacynet.org/value/application.html]

Individual Learner Member: Any individual who has learned, or is learning, to read, write, and speak English as an adult is eligible to join VALUE as an Individual Learner Member. Individual Learner Members will have a voice and a vote in VALUE affairs.

Learner Organizations: Any organization run by adult learners can join as a Learner Organization Member, including statewide adult learner organizations, local learner organizations, or adult learner committees or groups within individual literacy programs. Learner Organization Members will have a voice and a vote in VALUE affairs.

Individual Supporters: Individuals who don't fall into the Adult Learner category can join as Individual Supporters, and might include learners' teachers, employers, family members, or friends. By joining, Individual Supporters show their support for VALUE's mission of promoting leadership among adult learners. Individual Supporters get access to information about supporting adult learner leadership within their states, communities, and programs. Individual Supporters have a voice in VALUE affairs, but no vote.

Supporting Organizations: Organizations which don't qualify as Learner Organizations can become Supporting Organizations, and might include local, state, or national literacy organizations, companies, unions, learners' religious congregations, or any other entity wanting to show its support for adult learners and adult education. Supporting Organizations have a voice in VALUE affairs, but no vote.

-> On June 3rd through the 6th Frank Symonds, Harry R, and Paul Arcand went to the VALUE Conference in Indianapolis. We want to spread the word about VALUE. We were three students out of 110 students attending. We had a blast there. We learned a lot from students all over the country. We learned to help out the state and local literacy groups. We are asking all the students if theyÕd like to join VALUE. Membership it will be free till Sept. 1, 1999 of this year. Call Paul at 861-0815 for more information. The point of the conference was to bring together new readers to organize groups in each state. The groups would bring more new readers together for support and to have a stronger voice. We participated in workshops about dyslexia and other matters relating to new readers. It was comfortable being there together and seeing that we all face the same problems. Harry R brought back a candle to represent VALUE's effort to bring new readers together across the country. By Harry R and Paul Arcand, reprinted with permission from Between the Lines, Newsletter of Literacy Volunteers of America - RI, August, 1999.

from Glenn Young: The National Institute for Literacy and the Office of Vocational and Adult Education recently published a report on what states, the District of Columbia and 3 territories were doing in the areas of disability and adult educational programs. States were asked to submit information on their work including: pilot projects, especially in the areas of welfare reform, workforce development, and school to work; staff development; training on the Americans with Disabilities Act;, support for self-evaluation and interdepartmental collaboration. The report entitled How States are Improving Literacy Services for Adults with Disabilitiesis now available through the NIFL home page (http://www.nifl.gov) under NIFL publications and then under state policy update. In addition, you can get hard copies by calling 877-433-7827. The report gives background on efforts in several states, and features in depth the work in Oklahoma, Illinois and Connecticut. The findings show an expanding interest in the area of disability, especially in the field of staff development, but somewhat limited support to local programs in linking disability issues to ADA and looking at access (programmatic) and accommodation issues through the self-evaluation process.

Professional development suggestions? I'm in the process of developing a survey to assess LR/RI's usefulness to the field - what's working, where should changes be made, wha'Õs been useful to practitioners and learners? The survey will go out early next month; however, in the meantime, if you have suggestions or comments, please contact me by phone or email at the address above.

Volunteers needed: 10th Annual RI Labor & Ethnic Heritage Festival, Sunday, Sept. 5, from noon to 5 pm at Slater Mill Historic Site in Pawtucket, RI. You can volunteer for as long as you want (up to 2 1/2 hours).To volunteer, call Carolina Bernal or Emily Jones at 401-463-9900. The festival is a free, family-oriented day, including labor and ethnic performances, children's stage and activities, ethnic foods, folk arts and crafts, labor exhibits, free historic site tour of Slater Mill, and more -- all free and open to the public. Performers include Elvis and La Banda Loca (merengue band) Bill Harley (Grammy nominated children's storyteller) All Children's Theater performing "Mill Girls," Pendragon (Celtic music) Len Cabral (storyteller) Rebel Voices (labor and social justice musicians) Elise Bryant (labor singer & educator from George Meany Center, AFL-CIO) Peru Mestizo (Peruvian dancers) Claude LeBoeuf (juggler) Arthur Medeiros Portuguese Band (traditional Portuguese music) Lao Lan Sang (Laotian folk dancing) Conrad Depot (French Canadian music). Directions: From 1-95 North take exit 28. From 1-95 south take exit 29 More information: 401-725-8638 (Slater Mill) or 463-9900 (Institute for Labor Studies). 

call for participation

Through funding from a National Institute for Literacy Fellowship, a year long project will begin next month with the goal of assisting literacy / adult education practitioners in recognizing the effects of trauma and violence on learning and in using this awareness to develop learning strategies that are useful in lowering barriers to learning for survivors and victims of trauma in particular and for all adult learners generally. Along with Anson Green (in San Antonio), I will review research on the impact of domestic violence on students' learning in the classroom, develop a teacher's guide and catalogue of resources. A large piece of this work entails a ten month study group comprised of ten practitioners in the state who will participate in monthly meetings and develop their own inquiry projects into the effects of trauma on learning in adult education settings. If you are interested in participating in this project, please send a letter outlining your interest (and responding to the criteria below)to me at LR/RI by September 25th.

Participation in the project includes:

- meeting monthly, beginning October 1st;

- attending the state's annual conference on domestic violence, Friday, October 13

- participating in a full day workshop with staff of the Women's Center of RI on Saturday, Nov. 6

- meeting monthly with me and other speakers/facilitators through June, 2000

- participating in a workshop in June where you will present your findings/share information with others. Participants will receive a stipend of $500. Registration for the October workshop will be paid by the project.

eligibility Participation in the project is open to adult educators with a minimum of two years classroom experience, who: are reasonably sure of continuing within the field of adult education beyond the year 200; have or can get access to email and the internet, and are committed to following through on the project and in seriously contemplating what it means to address issues of violence and learning. Participation is not limited to classroom teachers, but is also open to program directors who are able to make the same commitment of time outlined above. Working with or being a victim or survivor of trauma (domestic violence, political violence) bring particular challenges to learning processes. This project is designed to enable its participants to heighten their awareness of the ways in which violence act as a barrier to learning through exploring through their own practice and ways in which learning occurs. Participants will undertake an inquiry approach to the project, meeting monthly in focused workshops and open sharing sessions. Participants will have the option of having their names and writing incorporated in the final product, a process guide/training guide to be developed for and disseminated by the National Institute for Literacy. If classroom teachers wish to participate, agreement from program directors will be required. An informational meeting about the project will be held on Friday, September 17 at 3 PM at the Swearer Center for Public Service, 25 George Street, Providence. Please consider joining in this work. For information, contact LR/RI, and for a description of the NIFL fellowships for the coming year, please go to http://www.nifl.gov/activities/fllw99pr.htm

ALSO ONLINE: New report: INTERNET USE BY TEACHERS: Conditions of Professional Use and Teacher-Directed Student Use answers questions such as :How often do teachers and students use the Internet, andhow do they use it? How accessible is the Internet to teachers? The full report is posted at: http://www.crito.uci.edu/TLC/findings/Internet-Use/startpage.htm ["Internet Use by Teachers: Conditions of Professional Use & Teacher-Directed Student Use." By Henry Jay Becker. Teaching, Learning, & Computing: 1998 National Survey, Report #1. Center for Research on Information Technology andOrganizations. The University of California, Irvine, The University of Minnesota February 1999]. Although dealing with K-12 issues, the report could be of interest to adult educators hoping to learn more about intergenerational use of technology and also to gain a sense of how our K - 12 colleagues are working to integrate technology into learning.

Professional development suggestions? I'm in the process of developing a survey to assess LR/RI's usefulness to the field - what's working, where should changes be made, what's been useful to practitioners and learners? The survey will probably go out early next month; however, in the meantime, if you have suggestions or comments, please contact me by phone or email at the address above.

Many thanks.

conferences

Galaxy II Conference -- Action Strategies for Lifelong Learning October 12-17, San Antonio, TX -- to share opinions/views about lifelong learning and develop action strategies for the future. The first Galaxy Conference was convened in 1969, to determine 6 imperatives for action:

1.prepare each person to understand and cope with the issues of the day; 2.remedy educational deficiencies; 3.provide for equal opportunity; 4. enable learners to function more effectively as workers, parents, neighbors, and citizens; 5. improve the quality of life; and 6.share the meaning, values, purpose, and power for ourselves and others around the world.

Galaxy II would strive to address the following questions: 1.In the past 30 years, has the field achieved these imperatives? 2.How has the field changed? 3.Are there new imperatives to be addressed? 4.What are the implications of lifelong learning on the family, education, the workplace, economic development, and the community? 5.As the new millennium arrives, what issues face adult education? 6.What are the priorities for the country and the field? 7.What role will adult education organizations play? 8.What strategies will require collaborative action by these organizations? 9.How do these compare with a global perspective? 10.What will be the role of adult education leadership and what strategies, skills, and collaborative actions will be essential? Information: http://www.albany.edu/aaace/conferences/annual.html

From October 21 - 23, the Learning Disabilities Association of California will host its annual state conference, in Concord, California at the Concord Hilton. Featured speakers include Glenn Young, Reed Martin, top US special education rights attorney, John Corcoran (author of "The Teacher Who Couldn't Read") and Stanford student Sam Ogami. Full Conference Programs are available by calling (916)486-5580 or at http://www.ldaca.org

- A positive parenting seminar for parents of kids with AD/HD and learning disabilities is among the 20 plus sessions offering information for parents, adults with learning disabilities, educators and other professionals. Adults with learning disabilities and/or ADD can participate in their own Adult Issues Strand facilitated by Jonathan Scott Halverstadt. Special sessions on literacy issues, medical aspects of LD, workshops for educators, parents and professionals and more. The Learning Disabilities Association of California (LDA-CA) is a state organization devoted to defining and finding solutions for a broad spectrum of learning problems. Originally formed by a group of concerned parents, LDA-CA does crucial work on behalf of children and adults with learning disabilities.

Literacy Volunteers of America annual conference, Nashville, TN November 10-13, 1999.Information available online at http://www.literacyvolunteers.org/conference/index.htm

relatively new on the website:

- 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).