[AAACE-NLA] Challenges for Adult Literacy Education Advocacy

Fri Sep 26 17:59:30 EDT 2003

I'm sorry to say this, but I think your last line explains exactly why more money isn't directed toward adult education.  It's functional to have people who are NOT literate (I don't believe in the binary "literate/illiterate" but in this case it serves a useful polemical purpose).  Elsa Auerbach

> ----------
> From: 	Catherine B. King
> Reply To: 	National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
> Sent: 	Friday, September 26, 2003 3:59 PM
> To: 	National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
> Subject: 	Re: [AAACE-NLA] Challenges for Adult Literacy Education Advocacy
> 
> 
> Hello Tom et al:
> 
> In his recent note, Tom says:  "Despite more adults than
> ever going back to school to improve their basic skills,
> tutoring has not improved, government inspectors reported.
> They claimed that tutors themselves needed basic literacy
> and skills training."
> 
> If this is true, it seems that efforts to train tutors and teachers
> is needed; and that would infer in other programs, like DOD
> for instance, a funding INCREASE for programs that offer
> good training, rather than a decrease of funding (underscored by
> a punitive attitude hinted at by covert communicators within the
> government).
> 
> Instead, Tom's note relates the following:
> 
> "It seems to me that adult literacy advocates are likely to find little
> enthusiasm among funding agencies for increasing resources for
> the AELS until we are able to convince policy makers that the
> AELS is providing valuable educational experiences for the
> millions of adults who present themselves for services each year."
> 
> What is wrong with this picture?  That is, if those who are
> responsible for funding adult education here and in the U.K. really
> understand that there is a serious problem; if they think the
> serious problem is rooted in poor training; and if they are really
> committed to making things better, as virtually all of our people
> are; then what else do we need to do besides what we are
> already trying to do with LESS funding than it would take to do
> an adequate job.
> 
> Do they really think all of these folks who are volunteering, or who
> are working for much less than others, do not want to be better
> trained and are doing their work with adults because they are lazy
> and want to fail?  Puleeeze.
> 
> Or are the powers-that-be really looking for a way to divert even
> more funds away from educational services while playing the
> blame-game with teachers and program directors--who are much
> too willing to take the blame for a set of much more complex
> and comprehensive problems because they happen to be on
> the front lines?
> 
> By the way, education is the best long-term defense (as in DOD)
> against both anarchy and fascism.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Catherine King
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Thomas Sticht <tsticht at znet.com>
> To: <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>; <alanw at basic-skills.co.uk>;
> <annabelh at basic-skills.co.uk>
> Sent: Friday, September 26, 2003 10:34 AM
> Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Challenges for Adult Literacy Education Advocacy
> 
> 
> > September 26, 2003
> >
> > Challenges for Adult Literacy Education Advocacy
> >
> >   Tom Sticht
> >   International Consultant in Adult Education
> >
> > The web site for the  U. S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational
> > and Adult Education (OVAE) includes a report entitled " A Blueprint for
> > Preparing America's Future: The Adult Basic and Literacy Education Act of
> > 2003:Summary of Major Provisions."  The report makes it clear that the
> > administration does not think the present federally funded Adult Education
> > and Literacy System (AELS), the set of programs funded by the Adult
> > Education and Family Literacy Act state grants,  is a very effective
> > education system.  It argues that further action is needed to improve the
> > quality of service because, based on State performance data, Quote: "it> 
> > does not appear that publicly supported programs are adequately meeting
> > students' needs". End Quote
> >
> > Now reports from the United Kingdom suggest that adult literacy is not
> > regarded by government inspectors as very effective there, either. In a
> > Friday September 26, 2003  article on the internet at
> > http://education.guardian.co.uk/further/story/0,5500,1050306,00.html
> > entitled "Poor teaching blocking adult literacy, say inspectors " the
> > authors state that
> > Quote: "Efforts to rescue millions of adults from "the greatest single
> > failure of the education system" - their inability to read, write or add
> > up properly - are being stymied by poor teaching, inspectors warned today.
> >
> > Despite more adults than ever going back to school to improve their basic
> > skills, tutoring has not improved, government inspectors reported. They
> > claimed that tutors themselves needed basic literacy and skills training..
> >
> > Six-hundred inspections by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted)
> > and the Adult Learning Inspectorate of post-16 provision in literacy,
> > numeracy and English for speakers of other languages found a serious
> > shortage of qualified and experienced teachers.
> >
> > Learners with the greatest need were often found to be facing the worst
> > provision with the least qualified staff, fewest resources and lowest
> > budget for staff training..
> >
> > Teaching of English as a second language was failing to pay sufficient
> > attention to developing learners' listening comprehension and speaking
> > skills.
> >
> > The report recommends more training for staff working in life skills,
> > Entry to Employment programmes, JobCentre provision and prison education,
> > where many staff are unqualified and the most disengaged but needy
> > learners are to be found. Staff particularly needed to improve their own
> > levels of literacy and numeracy and as well as teaching skills." End Quote
> >
> > The perception that adult literacy education is largely ineffective in
> > both the UK and US poses challenges for adult literacy education advocates
> > in both nations. In the US we have seen that the negative beliefs about
> > the efficacy of adult literacy education in both the Executive and
> > Legislative branches of the federal government have been accompanied by a
> > lack of increases in funding for the Adult Education and Literacy System
> > (AELS) of the United States.
> >
> > It seems to me that adult literacy advocates are likely to find little
> > enthusiasm among funding agencies for increasing resources for the AELS
> > until we are able to convince policy makers that the AELS is providing
> > valuable educational experiences for the millions of adults who present
> > themselves for services each year. This challenge is magnified by the fact
> > that we must now seek additional funding resources in a time of deficit
> > budgets at the federal level and in many states.
> >
> > It was in the climate of federal deficit budgets that I first formulated
> > the "double duty dollars" strategy for advocating for adult literacy
> > education. My approach was to show how investments in adult literacy
> > education produces multiple returns to investment (ROI) beyond the
> > literacy knowledge and skills that adults achieved.
> >
> > The approach to increased ROI includes two strategies: (1) focus upon the
> > intergenerational transfer of literacy from adults to children and (2)
> > focus upon the use of functional context education in which literacy
> > education is embedded in occupational, health, parenting or other
> > important content areas. These strategies focus upon demonstrating that
> > adult literacy education produces immediate returns to investments in
> > areas beyond the literacy learning itself thereby producing "double duty
> > dollars."  For more on this approach see the paper at> 
> > http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/roi/front.htm
> >
> > It seems to me that given the present concerns for the effectiveness of
> > adult literacy education and the need to advocate in a period of deficit
> > federal and state budgets the adult literacy field needs to find an
> > approach to advocacy that addresses these concerns. I have not found any
> > indication this is happening at the present time.
> >
> > Thomas G. Sticht
> >   International Consultant in Adult Education
> >   2062 Valley View Blvd.
> >   El Cajon, CA 92019-2059
> >   Tel/Fax: (619) 444-9133
> >   Email: tsticht at aznet.net
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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