[AAACE-NLA] Save NIFL, acquiesce or act?

[David Rosen]

AAACE-NLA Colleagues,

I would like to highlight three points about the Save NIFL campaign 
that may help some subscribers to understand it better and to act.

1. Decisions about NIFL will be made, possibly this month, by a 
Congressional conference committee. Conference Committee members will 
take the House and Senate versions of WIA reauthorization and will work 
out something which both branches can approve. So it's important that 
we ask our Senators and Representatives to contact the two chairmen of 
the conference committee. For more information on who the chairmen are, 
go to http://savenifl.org/tp.html

2. The Senate version of WIA Title II -- for those who care about 
NIFL's adult focus at least -- is better than the House version because 
it preserves the original focus on adult and family literacy, and uses 
as its starting point the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act 
(AEFLA) . (To see the details on this, go to 
http://www.savenifl.org/tp.html and choose "AEFL Reauthorization".  A 
side-by-side .pdf will download.  Open the document and scroll down to 
the National Institute for Literacy section under the Topic column, or 
do a "find" for National Institute for Literacy)

3. When you write or talk with your Senators and Representative, 
emphasize that you are interested in saving NIFL's adult-focused 
initiatives, for example: EFF, LINCS, and Bridges to Practice.  For 
talking points on these initiatives, go to 
http://www.savenifl.org/tp.html

What's at stake?  A lot.  NIFL has provided national leadership in 
adult and family literacy. Some of NIFL's programs -- many of you may 
agree -- are very important to the staff and program development of our 
field.  But, there's more.  A weak response from the field on this 
issue may help to support arguments of  those who do not care about 
adult literacy, those who would like to see adult literacy resources 
used  to support  children's literacy.  Should we sacrifice adult 
literacy to children's literacy?  Should we acquiesce? If you don't 
think so, do something about it now.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net