[AAACE-NLA] Changing the Terms of the Debate and Finding Champions
Charlene Lutes
CLUTES at message.nmc.edu
Thu Jul 22 12:37:17 EDT 2004
David, I think finding "champions" in each state is a great idea. In
your state, your Congress people have been representatives for quite
some time, and so they are already familiar and are stakeholders (or
could be) in the process. In my state of Michigan, many our
representatives and senators---both state and federal---have changed.
However, our Governor Jennifer Granholm holds the most promise to date.
She is committed to improving our workforce because many jobs have gone
overseas. To do that she has to address literacy on many levels.
(She's new too.)
Charlene A. Lutes, ABD
Transition Coordinator---Bridge
Northwestern Michigan College
1701 E. Front Street
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 995-1971 FAX (231) 995-1972
________________________________
>>> djrosen at comcast.net 7/21/2004 5:45:50 PM >>>
Allan, Charlene and other AAACE-NLA Colleagues,
I agree that we need to change the terms of the debate, to raise the
national priority of adult education and literacy and, as an important
part of that process, that we need more national champions.
Let's talk about this here, on our field's advocacy discussion list:
1. What Congresspeople would support adult education and literacy from
your state?
2. Which of these supporters could become national champions?
3. How can we raise the priority of their support, get them to carry
the adult education and literacy flag higher?
4. From your perspective, who are our national champions now?
>From my state, Massachusetts, we have a small but promising
Congressional delegation. I think Congressman John Tierney, for
example, is a strong supporter of adult education and workforce
development, a champion. My own Congressman, Michael Capuano, is a
supporter, and possibly could become a champion. Senator Kennedy has
been a strong supporter. There may be others.
What's it look like from your state? (Others from Massachusetts, chime
in, too.)
Champions usually don't just appear. They may become aware of an
issue, and want to do something about it, but if they aren't cultivated
-- by advocates such as many of us here -- their interest doesn't
result in policy change. The partnership of policy maker interest --
from a legislator or an aide -- and well-informed, passionate,
relentless advocates is what changes the terms of the debate, and makes
champions. Let's also remember that students and graduates are an
important part of the partnership, often are the most effective in
getting legislators interested, and in raising their commitment.
So, let's here from you -- how would you answer the four questions for
national policy makers from your state?
David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net
On Wednesday, July 21, 2004, at 04:50 PM, Brown, Charlene wrote:
> I agree. We need a champion from outside the field to advocate for
> improved educational attainment for all ages.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: French, Allan [mailto:afrench at sccd.ctc.edu]
> Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 10:36 AM
> To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
> Subject: RE: [BULK] - Re: [AAACE-NLA] Public Understanding of
Literacy
> plus grade level
>
>
>
> With all due respect to the articulators of these positions, I am
> afraid that all this talk of the meaning of literacy and grade-level
> equivalents and who to blame is, in effect, nothing more than just
> spinning our wheels! We are constantly being asked to do more just
so
> we can hope to maintain the SAME funding levels! What we need to
> strive for is a change in the road surface we are driving on. We
need
> to change the agenda of the public debate on education IN GENERAL.
As
> Tom Sticht often points out, the AELS had its start in the 1960s
under
> the Johnson administration. That beginning did not happen in
> isolation. It was part of the Great Society which had so many other
> facets, and could be accepted and funded because Johnson was able to
> set the agenda for public discussion.
>
>
>
> This latter is very different now. Ever since 1980, the right wing
> has set the agenda and moderates (which I consider myself to be) and
> liberals have only been willing or able to respond defensively. Of
> course the right wing is not homogenous, but different parts of it
> have been able to get their voices and ideas across very effectively.
> Some talk of a cultural war in which public schools and teachers are
> considered the enemy. When many school boards have to consider
> whether creationism is to be given the same stress as evolution, then
> we know that the cultural right is having an effective impact. What
> is most prominent is the success at getting most people to insist on
> lower taxes without any consideration of the relationship between
> taxes and services. The movement to vouchers and home schooling and
> support for faith-based educational institutions are other
indications
> that the right wing has succeeded in pursuading the public not to be
> concerned about good education for all, and for all to be prepared
for
> the 21st century, and to be, at minimum, quiescent towards the
> movement for an education that is ideologically correct and which
> favors those who have the most to spend for their own children.
>
>
>
> We need to change the terms of this debate. We need to find public
> figures who will eloquently and forcefully take on the above
positions
> and show the public a vision of America where high quality public
> education for all is not only vitally important but worth more local
> and federal funding. ONLY after this debate is changed can we think
> realistically of getting public officials and other funders to
provide
> more money for Adult Basic Education, and with accountability
measures
> that are truly useful and complementary to instruction and learning.
>
>
>
> Allan French
>
> ESL Instructor and Faculty Coordinator for Assessment
>
> South Seattle Community College
>
> afrench at sccd.ctc.edu
>
>
>
>
>
> ----Original Message-----
> From: AndresMuro at aol.com [mailto:AndresMuro at aol.com]
> Sent: Tue 7/20/2004 8:39 PM
> To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
> Cc:
> Subject: [BULK] - Re: [AAACE-NLA] Public Understanding of Literacy
> plus grade level
>
> I am not sure that I know what grade levels mean, but I tell you all
a
> story that has emerged in every single community. A definition of
> literacy that is accepted and has been used by EFF is that literacy
is
> having the language communication skills to be able to fully
> participate in all aspects of family, education, vocation and
> community life.
>
> A long time ago I was discussing with people from NCSAL the
> characteristics of some literacy students attending programs in
> Tennessee (sp?). I remember that they had obtained the profiles of
> several students and one was a fifty something year old woman who had
> dropped out of school in the 8th grade, worked all her life, and had
> two children with college degrees. There were students with similar
> profiles. By the definition of EFF, ie, participation in various
> aspects of community life, these people were very literate. So, what
> does this all mean?
>
> tom has argued that definitions of literacy are alwyas changing.
Early
> in the 20th century, literacy was established by a person's ability
to
> sign their name, whereas nowadays, everyone can do this and we don't
> consider them literate.
>
> In the 70s Freire argued, and we talked about this, that literacy was
> an instrument to make capitalism more productive. IE. we can sell
more
> tvs, if people can read advertisements.
>
> Nowadays, I feel that literacy eliminates the need for people to give
> out information that can be disseminated through various media. So,
it
> is cheaper to have a brochure about hypertension in the doctors
office
> than to have a human being explaining symptoms to patients. This
> example applies to every aspect of life.
>
> What does this mean? To me, it implies that the fiftysomething year
> old woman who worked all her life and had sent her children to
> college, and may have been considered literate several years ago, has
> stopped being literate in a certain context, ie, the health care
> world. Problem is that the demand for us to become more and more
> literate to save monies, goes against our cultural characteristics,
> and the literacy demand is changing faster than we can adapt to it.
>
> I have argued that we are mostly an oral society. Even though we can
> read, we procure a lot of information orally, and we need human
> contact to explain and clarify things for us. We need the bus driver
> to tell us where to put the money the first time, and the subway dude
> to show us how to purchase a subway fare the first time. We also need
> help operating the self serving cashiers at grocery stores, etc. Many
> of us can navigate these environments with our skills and a little
bit
> of human contact. However, some contexts, especially the health care
> context, has move towards a very high literacy requirements w/o
> regards for people to be able to catch up with it.
>
> Anyways, sorry that I shifted topics and rambled all over.
>
> Andres
>
> In a message dated 7/20/2004 7:21:39 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
"Norene
> Peterson" <petersonnh at billings.k12.mt.us> writes:
>
> >The discussion about grade levels has triggered a question from me.
> So the public "thinks" it understands grade level, and this is the
> mode in which we have been explaining TABE results to our students.
> However, now in Montana we are being encouraged not to use grade
> level terminology when we explain scores to students. What are the
> rest of you doing out there? Just curious -- how are you
> communicating TABE results to your students? Thanks! NP =)
> >
> >Norene Peterson
> >Adult Education Center
> >415 N. 30th
> >Billings, MT 59101
> >petersonnh at billings.k12.mt.us
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: gdemetrion at msn.com
> > To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
> > Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 7:43 AM
> > Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Public Understanding of Literacy
> >
> >
> > Hi Fran
> >
> > The Diagnosis Assessment of Reading, which was developed, in part,
> on the work of reading specialist Jeanne Chall, is based on a grade
> 1-12 level. The vast majority of our students fall within the first
> few levels with many in levels 1 and 2. The components of its
> measurements, word recognition, oral reading, word meaning, spelling,
> and silent reading are straight forward and linked to k-12 as well as
> adult literacy. What is missing is an appreciation of the contextual
> aspects of adult literacy learning as identified in the new literacy
> studies, including EFF.
> >
> > So, in terms of grade level comparison DAR ratings could
> communicate a lot. In terms of how adult literacy learners process
> the realm of print within the various domains of their lives and how
> print works as an intervening variable with a host of other factors
is
> clearly beyond what the DAR can convey. On a national level EFF gets
> at some of that, though for EFF to have the visibility it needs it
> would have to be accepted much more extensively than it is as a
common
> standard.
> >
> > Here's a link to the DAR
> http://www.riverpub.com/products/group/dartts/home.html
> >
> > George Demetrion
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Fran Tracy-Mumford
> > Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 8:45 AM
> > To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
> > Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Public Understanding of Literacy
> >
> > Advocacy Folks --
> >
> > I have a question about the NALS definitions and descriptions of
> a literacy framework for adult literacy. My question is "what would
> an understandable literacy framework look like?" Let me describe the
> issue as I see it.
> >
> > Personally, I find it difficult to convey understanding of the
> 1990 NALS literacy framework (Levels 1-5) to the public. There is no
> connection of the Levels 1-5 to an existing system that the general
> public understands; so I believe it is next to impossible to get the
> public to buy into the fact that our country has a literacy problem.
> We saw how Congress dismissed it. One of the first questions we
> heard was, where would most high school graduates be placed.
> >
> > I want us to get beyond the issue that Tom Sticht has pointed
> out. Tom has told us on numerous occasions that the benchmarking
> system was flawed Looking beyond the benchmarking process, it seems
> to me that how literacy levels are conveyed to the general public in
> isolation of any framework that has understanding to them creates a
> constant stumbling block. If the public cannot relate
> meaning/understanding to the framework, then I believe that Congress
> will dismiss the 2000 report when it is released in the same way they
> dismissed the 1990 report.
> >
> > I know that we in adult education have attempted to divorce
> ourselves from the K-12 framework, but the general public understands
> skills acquision by "grade levels," "high school diploma," "AA
> degree," "Bachelors degree" and "Advanced Degree". The census
gathers
> and reports this information and we use it to describe who is
eligible
> for our programs. Could we not provide some sense of equivalence in
> our definitions/descriptions? We could say, "A person who has high
> school skills would usually fit this category." Would this help or
> hurt the field? Would it help or hurt understanding and ultimate
> acceptance beyond the field?
> >
> > Dr. Fran Tracy-Mumford
> > State Director of Adult Education
> > DE
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------
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> >
> >
> >
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > http://literacytent.org
> >
>
>
> --
> Please take a look at my artwork:
www.geocities.com/andresmuro/art.html
>
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