[AAACE-NLA] Recruiting low-literate adults

Wed Nov 8 10:08:42 EST 2006

David,
The surveys were conducted by two male adults who speak English and
Spanish.  We did try to get adult learners to conduct the surveys but
that fell through, probably for the very reasons adult learners often do
not follow through.  The surveyors were paid.  The surveys were
explicitly about work and the barriers to employment or improved
employment, but with a deeper agenda of learning about literacy.  I have
requested the survey results, including the methodology, and will send
them to the list when these are completed.
Barbara Arguedas
Director of ABE
Santa Fe Community College
Santa Fe, NM

-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of David
Rosen
Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 5:32 AM
To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Recruiting low-literate adults

Hello Barbara, Tom and others,

Barbara, when they are available, the results of this survey would be  
very interesting to me, and no doubt to others on this list.  I  
wonder if you could tell me who conducted the surveys, and how they  
were conducted.  For example, were the surveyors themselves adult  
learners?  Were the surveys explicitly and only about the need for  
adult literacy/ESOL, or was this one of several education, training  
and or other issues?

Within the population of low-literate adults, some are unemployed,  
some are working poor, and some are working and making a good  
living.  I wonder if the recruitment (and service) strategies need to  
be different for the three groups, if some of  the Situational,  
Dispositional and Institutional barriers  -- thanks to Tom Sticht for  
reminding us of the Cross (1981) research -- may be different for  
each group.

I wonder if anyone has examples of those differences among  
unemployed, working poor and self-sufficient groups of low-literate  
adults  -- from your experience recruiting low-literate adults or  
from research.  And since we are discussing this on the AAACE-NLA  
list, does anyone have suggestions about program or government  
policies which need to be changed to make it easier for low-literate  
adults to enroll in programs?

David J. Rosen
Adult Literacy Advocate
DJRosen at theworld.org

On Nov 6, 2006, at 11:33 AM, Barbara Arguedas wrote:

> I agree with all of the reasons listed.  Our volunteer literacy  
> program,
> Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe (LVSF), is affiliated with our ABE
> program.  Though we refer low literate students to LVSF, there are  
> still
> very few total students.  We know they are out there and your
> suggestions are excellent.
>
> Recently, we engaged in a project with the civic housing authority in
> which two surveyors went door-to-door to ask about the issues that  
> kept
> adults from finding work that pays a living wage.  Integrated into the
> survey were questions about their level of education and the goal  
> was to
> determine the need for literacy level instruction.  We also held one
> basic literacy class in the neighborhood as a result of the  
> project. The
> door-to-door method is critical to learning more about these hidden
> populations.  The surveys were conducted in low-income, mostly public
> housing, neighborhoods.  The results of these surveys are still being
> tallied, so I don't have the specific outcomes as yet.  We are  
> holding a
> forum to share the results of this project with city officials,  
> business
> leaders, and other community members so that more funding can be  
> secured
> to hold literacy level instruction right in the neighborhoods.
>
> Thank you for raising this issue.  It is definitely one that we are
> challenged by.
>
> Barbara Arguedas
> Director of Adult Basic Education
> Santa Fe Community College
> Santa Fe, New Mexico
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
> [mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of David
> Rosen
> Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2006 3:15 AM
> To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
> Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Recruiting low-literate adults
>
> Janet and others,
>
> The person who asked me this question was only interested in the
> problem of attracting native speakers of English, in a country where
> the first language is English. This is difficult for many reasons,
> some of which are listed below.  I hope others will add to this list
> of reasons from their experience or research.
>
> =========================================================
> Reasons why it is difficult to attract low-literate adults to adult
> literacy programs
>
> 1. Previous experiences in school -- and sometimes also in adult
> education programs -- which are painful and/or futile
> 2. Not wanting to take the chance that anyone -- employer, co-
> workers, friends, neighbors, or family members -- will know they have
> great difficulty reading and writing
> 3. Not knowing what programs are available in their community, what
> they offer, and if they are effective
> 4. Not wanting to go to a program in a school building or other place
> which is identified as school-related (the privacy issue, the
> reminder of past shame or frustration in school)
> 5. Not believing that it is possible for them to learn to read and  
> write
> 6. Not having family support needed to take the risk of enrolling,
> then to persist (indeed, in some cases having a powerful family
> member who discourages them from participating in any education)
> ===========================================================
>
> Some of your suggestions, Janet, reminded me that some of the
> solutions to attracting low-literate adults might include:
>
> 1. Literacy programs located in or designed to serve people in
> women's shelters, substance abuse halfway houses, or community re-
> entry programs for ex-offenders.
>
> 2. The importance, sometimes, of matching a learner and (one-on-one)
> tutor by gender, cultural, color, religious faith and/or class
> background.  Sometimes these are important in helping learners to
> have trust in their tutor.  Of course, having a teacher who is well-
> trained in teaching adults to read and write, and in addressing
> specific reading disabilities as well, is also essential.
>
> I know there are people on this list who have wrestled with how to
> attract and enroll low-literate adults in adult literacy programs.
> You teach in or manage programs whose primary purpose is serving low-
> literate adults.  Maybe you have some answers, not all of them.
> Maybe you know what does not work and should be avoided.  And since
> this is the public policy list, maybe you also have some thoughts
> about how changes is local, state or national policy might make this
> task easier.
>
> Some of the teachers on this list might be willing to take this
> question to their students, or to graduates of their programs -- as a
> simple kind of action research project.
>
> Some of the adult learner leaders on this list might have some good
> ideas.
>
> I would prefer that you post your thoughts to the list so we can all
> learn more about this, but if you prefer to email them privately to
> me I would still be grateful.
>
> Finally, Is anyone aware of any research on this question?  If so,
> could you provide a citation?  Thanks.
>
> David J. Rosen
> Adult Literacy Advocate
> DJRosen at theworld.com
>
> On Nov 4, 2006, at 10:17 PM, Janet Isserlis wrote:
>
>> David and all
>>
>> A timely question.  Just back from the two-day LESLLA conference - an
>> international conference examining approaches to language and  
>> literacy
>> education for basic level learners, including learnings from
>> practice and
>> research and implications for policy.
>>
>> The recommendations you mention seem geared towards people wanting
>> access to
>> literacy learning in their own first language.  I think another
>> piece to
>> consider has to do with making literacy and language learning
>> available
>> through other venues -- formally and informally, e.g. through faith
>> based
>> organizations, health centers, women's groups and the like.  We
>> need to be
>> working across disciplines to make ourselves available to help
>> people doing
>> other work (folks in community centers, for example) become more
>> aware of
>> the embedded literacy and numeracy practices in everyday life and
>> help them
>> either learn to help others on an ongoing basis as well as make
>> information
>> about learning centers and literacy programs more widely available.
>>
>> Basic information about LESLLA is on line at http://www.leslla.org
>>
>> Wonder if others at the LESLLA conference could add to this
>> discussion?
>>
>> Janet Isserlis
>>
>>
>>>
>>> AAACE Colleagues,
>>>
>>> Someone recently e-mailed me:  what do we know from research and
>>> professional wisdom about successful ways to attract and enroll low-
>>> literate adults in adult literacy programs? I am posting the  
>>> question
>>> here because there is no e-list that I am aware of which is
>>> particularly suited to it and, because although I am looking for
>>> research and professional wisdom,  what I learn may have  
>>> implications
>>> for policy. Do we have experts in this area, people who have studied
>>> how to attract and enroll low-literate adults in a variety  of
>>> contexts, who know what strategies work?  If so, who are they?
>>>
>>> Here's what I have so far.  Any additions?  Any research you would
>>> recommend?
>>>
>>> 1. Assure complete privacy so that no one will know that a  
>>> learner is
>>> enrolled.
>>> 2.  Use "literacy ambassadors," adult learners enrolled in programs,
>>> who can meet privately with groups of job seekers, welfare  
>>> recipients
>>> or other groups where there may be a high incidence of adults with
>>> low literacy skills, and who can tell them about their own
>>> experiences as adults with reading difficulties/disabilities, how
>>> enrolling in a program was helpful to them, and how their lives have
>>> been changed as a result.
>>> 3. Provide one-on-one basic literacy tutoring by well-trained tutors
>>> with a background in specific reading disabilities.
>>>
>>> Thanks for your advice.
>>>
>>> David J.  Rosen
>>> DJRosen at theworld.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
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