[AAACE-NLA] the final list

[Andrea Wilder]

George,

I read the list over, and I think you and the "team" covered the major  
points--good going!

Andrea


On Jul 11, 2006, at 11:48 AM, Dale Lipschultz wrote:

> Thanks, George, for pulling this together, whatever the initial reason.
> I think it will prove to be a very useful document in many arenas.
> sincerely,
> Dale
>
> Dale Lipschultz
> Literacy Officer, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services
> American Library Association
> 50 East Huron St.
> Chicago, IL 60611
> Phone:  800-545-2433, ext. 3275
> Fax:       312-280-3256
> Build Literacy @ Your Library
> www.buildliteracy.org
>
>>>> george.demetrion at lvgh.org 07/11/06 8:46 AM >>>
> Hello colleagues,
>
> Thank you fore all your participation (and forbearance).  The list (at
> least forever now) is complete.  It is available on WIKI ALE (Thank
> you
> David R.).  I may also make it available elsewhere.  Again, while this
> is neither definitive nor authoritative it is indicative of a decent
> dialogue amongst the field and an example of an on-line collaborative
> project.
>
> Of course, I never used it for my 6-25 presentation, which stimulated
> this exercise in the first place, but I am used to many ironies and
> unintended consequences.  Hopefully this one was for the good.
>
> Thanks again,
>
> George Demetrion
> _______________________________________________________________________ 
> _
> ____
>
>
>  Contributory Causes of Low Adult English Literacy in the United
> States
> George Demetrion in Collaboration with the Field
> July 12, 2006
>
> Contributors
> John Benseman
> Cyndy Colletti
> Martha Jean
> Anne Murr
> David Rosen
> Jon Steinberg
> Debbie Yoho
> Glenn Young
>
> The following factors were distilled from various reports and on and
> off-line feedback from practitioners and other adult literacy
> education
> specialists. It is neither a definitive nor an authoritative statement
> on the interactive causes of low level adult literacy, but it is an
> informed one.  Also, the points discussed present a correlational
> rather
> than strictly causal explanation.  As a work in progress the list,
> while
> hopefully useful, remains incomplete.  It is useful to keep in mind,
> as
> well, that the points identified are invariably generalized and are
> not,
> therefore, characteristic of all adults with low levels of English
> literacy.
>
> Definition: Literacy is not a single skill or quality that one either
> possesses or lacks.  Rather, it encompasses various types of skills
> that
> different individuals possess to varying degrees. There are different
> levels and types of literacy, which reflect the ability to perform a
> wide variety of tasks using written materials that differ in nature
> and
> complexity. A common thread across all literacy tasks is that each has
> a
> purpose-whether that purpose is to pay the telephone bill or to
> understand a piece of poetry.  (Modified from Key Concepts and
> Features
> of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy p. 13
> http://tinyurl.com/k6mkl).
> l
>
> *	The enduring reality of poverty. Many adult learners were
> children who were not well-fed, well-nurtured, healthy, nor ready to
> learn when they went to school (if they made it to school that day).
> Physical and mental trauma at home due to poverty, or unemployment or
> transient employment, or ill health causes many children to miss
> school
> entirely or to come to school sleepy, ill or anxious.  Divorce,
> chronic
> diseases, and disabilities are adult problems that children face while
> also trying to learn in school.  Families with financial resources
> will
> be able to ameliorate these problems for their children with tutoring
> and counseling.  Many schools do not have the flexibility to offer
> make
> up help with lessons, to change the way in which they are "tracking"
> the
> children, or to intervene when they see a problem that is les severe
> than actual abuse or neglect.
>
> *	Historical and current failed educational policy.  (A)
> Particularly with older adults, the legacy of segregation is still a
> factor.  Many people don't realize that it wasn't until the early
> 1970s
> that some districts integrated, followed by years of turmoil and
> disruption.  (B)  Many districts have still not developed adequate
> educational alternatives for high schoolers who need a different
> structure.  (C) States that have an exit exam requirement may have
> added
> to the drop-out problem.  Teens who are already behind flunk the test,
> and even though there are multiple chances to re-take it, the
> resulting
> discouragement often causes them to give up.  The point is remediation
> strategies for those who do fail are often ineffective or are just not
> even used.   Even more problematically, in some schools, particularly
> those under scrutiny for low performance, teachers or counselors
> implicitly and sometimes explicitly encourage students to drop out
> when
> they are far from close to passing the high stakes test.  In many
> cases
> this is an admission that the resources are not in place to help the
> student, or worse, it is fed by the pernicious incentive that the
> school's performance scores will improve when students with low scores
> drop out.  Schools are rewarded for high and passing test scores,
> sanctioned for low and failing scores, but often there is no
> consequence
> for an increased drop out rate, or this phenomenon is hidden. (D)
> Programs that break the cycle of low literacy from one generation to
> the
> next are few and far between, and so parents can't equip themselves to
> help their children.  Unfortunately, the trend is now to slash funding
> for family and intergenerational programs.
>
> *	Increasing standards for what counts as literacy.  Literacy is
> not something that can be defined by a static grade level, but is
> measured against the perceived literacy needs of individuals as shaped
> by society and culture.  For the basic literacy population, the higher
> end achievement is high school equivalency.  Also important is
> mastering
> the print-based needs of obtaining and keeping a sustainable job,
> understanding and filling out forms of various types, basic math,
> capacity to write a basic letter, rudimentary computer-based mastery,
> and knowing how to access information from various print sources in
> home, work, community, and commercial environments.  All of these
> pertain to the ESOL population.  The higher end here would be entrance
> into college and obtaining a professional or entry level
> administrative
> position.  None of this is meant to dispel the notion that each
> individual determines what his or her "appropriate" level of literacy
> may be.  It is to point out that as print-based demands in a society
> increase, the floor of what counts as literacy is invariably raised.
>
> *	Increasing immigrant population.  31.4 million immigrants were
> identified in 2000 census.  Immigrant groups possess among the lowest
> levels of English literacy even though they may be highly literate in
> their native language or another language. The U.S.-based immigrant
> population includes the subgroup of refugees from African nations such
> as Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan, and also Afghanistan that have been
> war-torn for years, in which schooling was not an option for many in
> those countries.  This also pertains to immigrants from English
> speaking
> countries, particularly the Caribbean Islands where those who sign up
> for literacy classes have often attained a much lower literacy level
> than U.S. born adults who sign up for literacy classes.
>
> *	Student mobility.  About 60% of students in the US make
> unscheduled school changes between grades 1 and 12.  Students who move
> may miss key pieces of instruction in reading and never catch up, a
> problem which gets compounded in the higher grades, particularly when
> students are passed through "social promotion." Students with high
> mobility rates are particularly susceptible to getting more and more
> behind with each year of school and reading below grade level. In
> areas
> of high rent, poor housing and economic hardship, school populations
> changing as much as 100% per year are increasingly common.
>
> *	Undiagnosed learning disabilities. These include a broad range
> of disabilities which impact the ability to read, have been identified
> as an important cause of adult illiteracy.  Based on research in the
> neurosciences from various countries, the critical factor which
> affects
> the persons ability to read is the neurologically-based damage that
> impacts the brains ability to processes the smallest bits of cut
> language sound, i.e., phonemes.**  Other areas impacted by LD may
> include recall, sequencing, and rapidity of processing, all areas
> designated as significant tools needed to effectively read by the
> National Reading Panel.
>
> The result of these impacts, in most cases, are deep deficits in
> receptive or receptive verbal processing in reading, writing,
> comprehension, and/or speech. As a result of these impacts, research
> has
> shown the most adult with LD will never learn to read or read well
> enough to function in an advanced educational setting.  Part of this
> is
> due simply due to the damage to the brain.  Other factors also include
> that people, who may benefit from literacy training, simple do not
> have
> the time and dedication needed for remediation to be effective.
>
>  It is estimated that at least 600 hours of highly structured and
> sequenced instruction (often one on one) with a great deal of
> intensity
> is needed to have major impact on adults with LD when they start with
> limited phonemic and phonic skills.  Few persons have that time and
> few
> agencies have the resources and skilled teachers to offer these levels
> of service.  In addition, few agencies have persons trained in the
> appropriate instructional approaches that have had the most success
> for
> persons with LD in increasing reading skills.
>
> This need for intensive training and limited literacy skills should
> not
> be confused with not having "intelligence" or the ability to learn
> effectively by means other then reading.  The same research indicates
> the persons with LD are able to learn knowledge and gain skills if the
> information is provided through media that they can process well in
> areas of the brain not impacted by the LD.  (Often auditory and visual
> learning and combinations of the two seem to work best.) Therefore,
> for
> adults with LD, the use of "accommodated education" and assistive
> technology seems to have greater impact in increasing the skills of
> the
> person with LD then traditional literacy instruction.
>
> *	Learning difficulties.  Whether one can always point to the
> highly technical term learning disabilities, it is indisputable that
> millions of adults have various learning difficulties in relation to
> reading and writing.  For many, those difficulties were pervasive
> throughout their public schooling, which acted to keep them back in
> their learning, and in any event, impacts on their ability to learn as
> adults even if they have enrolled in an adult literacy or adult basic
> education programs.
>
> *	 Modest progress. What we typically see in adult literacy, even
> among the most dedicated students, is modest progress, which, except
> for
> the most advanced students is still a far cry from fluent, independent
> literacy.  Such "modest progress" in adult literacy is often due to a
> lack of time to study. For example, in New York State, 47% of adult
> education students are employed full-time or part-time. Many of them,
> particularly those who are women (60 percent of the student population
> in New York), have extensive family responsibilities. Adult learners
> who
> get children ready for school in the morning, rush to a job, work all
> day, then do the shopping, fix dinner, do the laundry, and put the
> children to bed, have to be highly motivated to enroll in a literacy
> class. Thousands are. Even so, family emergencies and other
> responsibilities may prevent them from attending every lesson. When
> they
> stay up late to read an article or write an essay, they sacrifice
> sleep.
> Limited time and sheer exhaustion can slow progress as easily as weak
> preparation, low self-expectations, or a learning disability.
> Regardless
> as to the reasons, one of the causes of adult illiteracy is the
> current
> rate of low literacy, and the difficulty of students for reasons cited
> and others, of moving substantially beyond current levels of mastery.
> One might say that, for whatever sets of reasons, illiteracy is
> self-perpetuating even as people can and do make progress in ways that
> matter to them as reflected in various ethnographic studies of adult
> literacy.  One might say, then, that there is a progression from
> illiteracy to literacy and that students are at various places within
> the continuum which they themselves may deem more or less
> unsatisfactory
> or satisfactory.
>
> *	Low self expectations.  In addition, students who have had
> trouble specifically in reading during school not only struggle to
> learn
> to read but often suffer from poor self- efficacy and self-respect.
> They
> learn early that they must be "dumb" since they have trouble learning
> to
> read. This perception follows them through adulthood, regardless of
> their gains in reading skill.  One of the major outcomes in adult
> literacy programs is student self-perception.  For example, often
> learners go into programs with a goal of say, achieving their driver's
> license, but when you talk to them post-program, they almost always
> talk
> about their new-found levels of confidence even before they mention
> any
> achievements like passing their tests.  It's important to keep in mind
> that enhanced self-perception and self-efficacy, while related, are
> not
> the same.  Learners can achieve changes in self-confidence, but not
> necessarily their self-efficacy; it is rare however to achieve greater
> self-efficacy without a corresponding positive change in
> self-confidence. This distinction is important perhaps in
> understanding
> how some evaluations show no/minimal changes in learners' literacy
> skills and yet the learners themselves report that the programs have
> been a success for them. Thus even among students with minimally
> improved literacy, positive impact accrues in greater self-confidence,
> which can open up opportunities which might not otherwise be tapped.
>
> *	Lack of use. The literacy skills that students might have had
> at
> one point in their lives diminish if not used on a regular basis.
> Many
> adults who enter programs in their 30s, 40s and 50s have read little
> or
> nothing since they attended school as children or teenagers.  Whatever
> literacy skills adults possessed in their youth, however modest, the
> use
> it or lose it saying has much applicability here.  The positive point
> is
> as students participate in adult literacy programs skills they once
> have
> are regained, and often enhanced upon.
>
> ** Alternative statement on learning disabilities:  A learning
> disability is not due to a damaged brain (as in head trauma or drug
> use), but it a brain with different ways of sending and receiving
> information. If a child does not receive the appropriate teaching
> method
> (for example, those with dyslexia must have an explicit multisensory
> structured language approach) then that disability will interfere with
> them learning at a normal pace. If not addresses in childhood with the
> adaptation and accommodations that learner needs (minimal to severe),
> then the disability will continue to have serious impact on the adult
> learner.
>
>
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