[AAACE-NLA] TX Dept of Education closes adult education offic e

[Bickerton, Robert P]

Andres, Harriet, et al,
 
As long as ABE (literacy, ESOL, adult secondary, etc) is not an entitlement,
i.e., a civil/human "right" for all under-educated and limited English
proficient adults, we remain at risk of being diminished in one form or
another.  As many of you know, I believe that risk can be minimized by the
very aggressive promotion (and advocacy on behalf of) the needs of our
current and future students and what can/must be gained by meeting these
needs.  This includes constantly being in the field of view (a.k.a., "in the
face of") policy leaders.  This can rarely happen when state staff don't
have adequate access to and leverage with policy leaders -- and that
position/access must be a JOINT ENTERPRISE of the state staff and the field
-- in many ways, more the latter since the field has less constraints.
Hence, despite the many tensions between "funders" and "providers," it's
extraordinarily important to our field and the populations we serve that
there be a strong bond between them.  ABE is at risk when this is not the
case.  I am deeply saddened by what happened to my colleagues in Texas.  In
the long run, tenacity and solidarity are an even more important response.
 
take care,
bob bickerton, MA director of adult ed
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Harriet Smith [mailto:hsmith at coe.tamu.edu]
Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2003 2:30 PM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] TX Dept of Education closes adult education office


At 01:22 PM 8/7/2003 -0400, Andres Muro wrote:


You may or may not know that the Texas department of Education, known as TEA
or Texas Education Agency closed its adult education office. Last Thursday
all ABE staff were told to vacate their offices by the follwing day at noon.
Aparently nobody anticipated this and were in shock. The reason for the
closure, as I understand it, is because of a reduction in force type
reorganization. The funcitons of the ABE office of TEA will be moved form
Austin to Houston. State ABE recipients have been told that everything will
continue to operate smoothly and that our awards are on the way. 

I am sure that the other state directors must know about this. My questions
are, particularly for other State Directors: How do you all feel about this?
What do you think that the consequences may be for Adult Ed? Do you fear
similar reorganizations in your state?

Andres  




For more information on this development in Texas, go to TCALL's website --
www-tcall.tamu.edu -- and check out the "What's New" box.

It wasn't only the Division of Adult & Community Education at the state
education agency that had staff laid off and/or functions contracted outside
the agency. Here's a news article from last Saturday's Austin American
Statesman about the restructuring at TEA. 
http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/auto/epaper/editions/saturday/me
tro_state_f3b2166dc30d81290022.html
<http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/auto/epaper/editions/saturday/m
etro_state_f3b2166dc30d81290022.html> 



___________________________________
Harriet Vardiman Smith
Librarian
Adult Literacy Clearinghouse
Texas Center for Adult Literacy & Learning
Texas A&M University
800-441-READ
website:  www-tcall.tamu.edu
main office email:  tcall at coe.tamu.edu


All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be
well. 
T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets, quoting Julian of Norwich, 14th century mystic.