[AAACE-NLA] evidence based research

[Deborah Stedman]

John,
I've been following the persistence study with great interest.  I'm
wondering if NCSALL has considered looking at the adult education component
of family literacy as it studies student persistence.  Many of us who are
involved with family literacy are aware of the persistence of parents, and
particularly mothers, in the program and the high level of participation of
those mothers in the adult education program.  In Texas, at least, most Even
Start family literacy programs receive a significant proportion of their
cost share from the federal and state adult education program and the
significant differences in attendance and persistence are evident.

Deborah

Deborah Stedman, Ph.D.
Director, Texas State Family Literacy Resource Center
Assistant Professor, Developmental and Adult Education
Texas State University-San Marcos
601 University Drive
San Marcos, TX 78666
Office Telephone: 512-245-9757
Office Fax: 512-245-9393
e-mail: ds43 at txstate.edu


----- Original Message -----
From: "John Comings" <comingjo at gse.harvard.edu>
To: "National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE"
<aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2005 12:15 PM
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] evidence based research


> The findings from the NCSALL Persistence study are exploratory, that is we
> are trying to understand this critical issue and then suggest a way to
> address it. Once we get to that point, later this year, we will suggest a
> series of experiments that would test these approaches to supporting
> persistence. At that time our advice would move from "things for you to
> try" to "practices that we have evidence for."
>
> On quality, the measure is per-student cost that manifests itself as
> trained teachers, smaller class size, class grouping based on  student
> needs and goals, managed enrollment, and other instructional components
> that only become possible when per-student cost is high enough. We found
> that persistence can increase when programs are improved and provided with
> sufficient funding, but they also need to provide support services, such
as
> counseling and referral to social services.  However, there is a limit to
> what increasing quality can do for persistence. We found that sometimes
> increasing quality inputs leads to greater intensity (hours per month) but
> not duration (months of engagement). So we will suggest two experiments.
> One that adds a specific set of support services to programs and one that
> redesigns the approach to participation.  That is, our research suggests
> that a program that allows students to put together episodes of program
> participation and facilitated self-study might lead to greater persistence
> and greater learning gains.
>
> Once these experiments are completed (or even now since that will take
many
> years), programs can look at this advice (the best available empirical
> evidence) and employ their professional wisdom to make this advice work in
> their program.  NCSALL would like to have a way to document and share that
> professional wisdom.  Rather than thinking about the medical model as a
> pill, I feel the way for our field to think about is as surgery.  Two
> surgeons using the same evidence-based practice can have two very
different
> outcomes (a patient who is dead rather than alive, for example).  Good
> surgeons get together with their peers and share experiences of putting
> research evidence into practice, and this sharing of experience has led to
> improved patient outcomes.
>
> Unfortunately, I'm not sure the Department of Education or any of the
> National Foundations are willing to spend the money to implement the
> experimental studies that could benefit our field nor to spend the
> additional funds needed to train practitioners to use that research.
> However, I think the DOE would be willing to support a limited number of
> experiments, and a good discussion on this list might be what questions
are
> most important to answer.
>
> John Comings, Director
> National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
> Harvard Graduate School of Education
> 7 Appian Way
> Cambridge MA 02138
> (617) 496-0516, voice
> (617) 495-4811, fax
> (617) 335-9839, mobile
> john_comings at harvard.edu
> http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu
>
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