[AAACE-NLA] Re: AAACE-NLA New Orleans

[Lou C. Johnson]

I write to give an "amen" to John's point!

As the Director of what was the largest non local education agency (school district) in New Orleans and a founding member of the Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans I am able to attest firsthand as to the nature of the problem of adult illiteracy John has described. Additionally, I have an idea as to a possible solution.

I am trying to mount a literacy assistance program for the New Orleans area evacuees wherever they have ended up. There was a report on the Tom Joyner program regarding the fact that many of the evacuees were/are too illiterate to complete various forms and related documents required for them to receive assistance.

The Louisiana Dept of Education’s Adult Ed. Division was to allocate some $800,000++ for Adult Ed. Services in the New Orleans area, primarily via the New Orleans Public School’s Adult Ed. Department. Since there is no one in the Greater New Orleans area to serve, those $$$$ should be used to provide services to the evacuees.

Said services could/should be tied to vocational training so as to prepare evacuees to return home and participate in the rebuilding of the City of New Orleans and make a living while doing so. A process that will not start anytime soon, thereby giving the program at least 12 to 18 months to work with folks preparing them for their return home..

My vision is the formation of an alliance between Proliteracy America & the YMCA of Greater New Orleans, who have been partners for nearly 30 years, which establishes a program to provide literacy services for the evacuees.

Peter Waite, of ProLiteracy America, is on board with the concept as are the folks at the “Y”.  The issue is “where would the money come from to support the program?”. I say LA Adult Ed, & FEMA.

If my idea makes sense to you help me to create synergy for the program.

Lou C. Johnson
--
Lou C. Johnson, Executive Director
YMCA Educational Services (YES!)
2525 Canal Street
New Orleans LA 70119
504-566-READ(7323)
504-568-1938(FAX)

National Faculty-YMCA of the USA
Member, Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans Board of Directiors
Member, Louisiana Coalition for Literacy Board of Directors
Member, South Central Literacy Action Board of Directors
Member, ProLiteracy Worldwide Board of Directors

Literacy And Justice For All!

"We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and
prosperity for our community...Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and our own."
--- César E. Chávez

John Comings <comingjo at gse.harvard.edu> wrote:

The following letter appears in today NYTimes:

Literacy in New Orleans

Published: September 15, 2005

To the Editor:

"In Reviving New Orleans, a Challenge of Many Tiers" (news article, Sept. 
12) describes the large-scale task of rebuilding infrastructure, housing, 
businesses and services.
The people of New Orleans need help to make them strong enough to overcome 
the cycle of poverty that the storm revealed.

One component must be educational opportunities for adults to improve their 
literacy and math skills, gain a high school credential, and move on to 
postsecondary education or training for skilled, well-paying jobs.

Before the storm, almost 50 percent of the city's working-age adults had 
low literacy and math skills or lacked a high school diploma. Providing 
them with an opportunity to improve themselves is also a big task, but one 
that is just as important as the effort you outlined.

John Comings
Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 12, 2005
The writer is director of the National Center for the Study of Adult 
Learning and Literacy, Harvard Graduate School of Education.


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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