NLA Info: Questions for NLA Guest, Lennox McLendon

[David J Rosen]

NLA Colleagues,

Below are two more questions I have received for Lennox McLendon.  If
other NLA subscribers have questions they can send them to me today or
tomorrow. Lennox will join us the week of May 7th, and will respond to
your questions and be available for further discussion. The theme, you
will recall, is the world of public policy from the perspective of state
ABE Directors.

Finally, for those of you who may be eager to discuss some of these
questions -- please hold your thoughts until the week of May 7th.  

Thanks,

David J. Rosen
NLA List Moderator


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Dr. McLendon,

Thank you for taking the time and energy to respond to the many questions
that I suspect you will receive from the field.  I will limit my curiosity
to three.

1) Having seen the literacy world from the context of classroom
instructor, program manager and state director, where do you see the
"blind spots" to be in each of these professional cultures?

2) Do you feel there is an articulated and research-based set of best
practices in the field of adult education, and if so, do you feel there is
a mismatch between that set and NRS outcomes and reporting standards?

3) How much autonomy do states have in actualizing and implementing
accountability standards under Title II, and in that regard, how much
freedom do states have in defining what "standardized" will mean in their
particular state?

Thank you for participating.

David Heath
Odessa College
dheath at apex2000.net

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Hello Lennox:

Thank you for attending our forum.

On this list we have been discussing at length long-term
efforts to move adult literacy and education "from the margins
to the mainstream."    Briefly, we have connected literacy with
the basic tenets of civilization, and shown how both literacy
and education are no luxury, but are absolutely essential
for maintaining a healthy democracy, where the Constitution
is grounded in the wisdom and self-direction of the people--
**all** of the people.

We have also argued that a good portion of our adults are,
in fact and by default, functionally disenfranchised by virtue
of their literacy and educational situations.

These adults and their situations are all different, but bear
this common thread:  they are marginalized from participation
in the political process--an ability to participate that would not
be stated, but is implied in all of our formative documents as
a prior necessary condition for their fulfillment.    The ability to
participate is even more crucial when we consider the
importance of understanding education's part in
"uncloistering" exclusive groups in multi-cultural arenas, and
in the dialogue surrounding national and international affairs
for a democratic citizen in today's world.

My questions, then, are these:  (1)  Do you understand and/or
agree with the general arguments above?, and (2) what long
and short-term steps would you suggest will be necessary
to begin the long process of change towards legislation of
public institutions for adult literacy and ongoing education,
perhaps in unison with community library development?

Catherine King 
<cb.king at verizon.net>

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