[AAACE-NLA] "Success" thresholds revisited

[Debbie Yoho]

Dear Friends, I want to thank everyone who graciously offered comments in
regard to my posting where I put out some data and then asked if you could
judge the "success" of the program.

Seveal people offered very helpful expansions on the many factors affecting
adult learners and their progress.  However, I am still struggling with my
problem.

The data that I offered were in the exact same format that the funder asks
for.  Increasingly, funders of all kinds are asking for "outcome
indicators" that are fully quantified, and there is less and less
opportunity to express the ifs, ands, ors or buts.  We all know the reasons
for this.  The issue is how to deal with the situation.  I was interested
in how professionals in the field would interpret the data.  The net result
from your comments can be summarized as "seems okay if...." this or that
condition was at work in the instruction.  Your responses were very much
what I expected and hoped for from the members of this list.  

But how different your informed, involved voices are from those who provide
the money to do these programs!  The challenge for me is how to answer the
question:  "Here is a certain amount of money.  What can you promise to
deliver for that amount?"

I cannot say "I'm not sure."  They expect me to be sure.  I cannot say "It
depends."  Their eyes glaze over when I try to explain the contingencies,
and they limit written information to a few pages, sometimes a few
paragraphs.   In the end, over and over again as I write grants and talk to
various funders, I end up making a guess that is often based on very
little.  Then I am held accountable to my guess, and so far I haven't done
a very good job of guessing. I am satisfied that we are doing all we can
and will continue to do even more in the search for effective practices to
help the greatest number of learners achieve as much as they can.  Now I am
striving to improve my "guesses".

Any suggestions?


For the Cause of Literacy for All!  Debbie

Deborah W. Yoho
Co-moderator, NIFL-Health Listserv
Executive Director, Greater Columbia Literacy Council
Past President, SC Adult Literacy Educators
2728 Devine Street,  Columbia, SC  29205
803-765-2555   Fax  803-799-8417   dwyoho at earthlink.net