[AAACE-NLA] FW: Reports

[David Collings]

Colleagues,

The message below is sent on behalf of Carl Guerriere
(carl.guerriere at po.state.ct.us).

David C.

-----Original Message-----
From: Carl Guerriere
To: 'National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE'
Subject: RE: [AAACE-NLA] Reports

Daphne,
As a result of advocacy efforts and more focused reports of potential economic
doom in Connecticut, the legislature approved a study of adult education in the
state.

The Program Review and Investigations Committee of Connecticut's General
Assembly recently conducted the report on the Coordination of Adult Literacy in
Connecticut.  As a result, the legislature approved the creation of a statewide
Adult Leadership Board that will investigate how to improve service delivery
among the various organizations, state departments, etc.
that are involved in adult education.

I think they did an excellent job and am hopeful that meaningful legislation
will result from the literacy leadership board. I think other states can learn
from this report and process.  Also know that many adult literacy organizations
were against the creation of the literacy leadership board because they saw it
as a duplication of effort, another layer of government, etc. OR was it because
it was a threat to their powerbase? 

The following is from the scope of the report:
Area of Focus
The study will focus on: 1) examining how adult literacy programs and services
are funded, delivered, and overseen in Connecticut; and 2) determining if the
state's current system for providing adult literacy services through adult basic
education, secondary school completion, workplace education, family literacy,
and English as a Second Language programs is efficient and effective.

Areas of Analysis
I. Describe Purpose of Adult Literacy Programs 

. How is adult literacy defined and measured? 

. What are the federal and state mandates regarding adult literacy?

. What are the primary goals and intended outcomes of adult literacy services
(e.g., gains in literacy skills, English fluency, employability,
self-sufficiency)?

. What is the need for services and who are the target populations? 

II. Assess Coordination of Programs and Funding 

. What adult literacy services are available in Connecticut?

. What are the major sources of funding and trends in expenditures (e.g.,
funding in total, by source, by program, costs per program, per student, at
present and over time)?

. Who are the program providers and how are services delivered?

. Who is receiving services and what are the trends in participation and demand?

. What is the process for overseeing and coordinating services in terms of
content, access, quality, and costs? 

. How does Connecticut's system compare to systems in other states in terms of
structure, programs, students, and costs?

. Are program standards, goals, and eligibility requirements clear to providers
and students?

. Are there gaps or duplication in services available, by type of program,
target population, or geographic region?

. What, if any, changes to the current structure and coordinating procedures for
adult literacy services in Connecticut are needed to improve system efficiency?

III. Assess System Performance 

. What are the generally accepted outcome measures for adult literacy services?

. What performance data are available for Connecticut's adult literacy service
system and how are outcome measures compiled, analyzed, reported, and reviewed?

. How is the system performing, in terms of available outcome measures, overall,
and by type of program, provider, student category, and in comparison to similar
states? 

. What information is available regarding student experiences (e.g., program
completion and other "success" rates, time to complete programs, waiting lists,
extent of repeated courses) and what are the trends in any student-related
performance measures?

. Based on available research, what factors about state adult literacy systems
contribute to, and what factors detract from, good performance and effective
service delivery? 

. What, if any, changes to the current structure and coordinating procedures for
adult literacy services in Connecticut are needed to improve system
effectiveness?  

The following link will provide access to the scope of the review, the final
report and addenda:
http://www.cga.ct.gov/pri/year2006studies.htm#06Coordination_of_Adult_Literacy_P
rograms_


-----Original Message-----
From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of Daphne Greenberg
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 7:24 PM
To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Reports

Someone asked me a question, and I thought that I would post it on this list. Do
any of you know of any reports done by state and/or federal government entities,
or adult literacy organizations that evaluated a state's adult literacy program?
Thanks,
Daphne Greenberg
Georgia State University

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