[NLA] Re: News About Massachusetts (and its Advocacy Infrastructure)

[Jon Randall]

Re: David's list of eight elements of preparedness for state-level advocacy
...

This is an excellent list for use by every state literacy organization. Each
should use it to formulate an advocacy infrastructure building plan in their
state.

It is important to note that in the last one, number 8, a new norm, an
expectation, must be accepted and acted upon by every teacher, tutor, adult
learner, volunteer, board member, and program administrator in the state. As
David puts it:

"... we never are allowed to "just go back to teaching and learning," that
for practitioners and students alike, advocacy for adult literacy is as much
as part of the work -- the vocation -- as teaching, and that there is
overlap, that in a democratic society this is how students and teachers
learn -- first hand -- about democracy and how it works."

I will discuss this list with national literacy leaders at the face-to-face
meeting of the Public Policy Committee of the National Coalition for
Literacy tomorrow morning, Thursday.

I urge all fellow NLA subscribers not to wait for your state organization to
make a plan, but to begin enhancing the advocacy infrastructure in your
literacy program starting today.

Again, David's list ...

What does it mean to be prepared:

1. There is an active statewide adult education advocacy organization (or
advocacy committee of a statewide professional organization)
2. This group is organized: It has a membership list with phone, address,
and e-mail addresses for every member.  It has a telephone and fax tree to
get the word out fast.  It has a list of effective short-term and long-term
strategies.
3. There are well-developed alliances and collaborations with other
organizations: statewide job training organizations, Local Workforce
Investment Boards (LWIBS), and collaborations at the community level
4. There are good relationships with Mayors' Offices -- with City leaders
ready to advocate for adult education if needed.
5. There is a champion in the Legislature -- ideally one in the House and
one in the Senate for adult education and literacy
6. There are student activists who are part of all these planning and action
activities.
7. Ideally there is a statewide adult learner organization which sees
advocacy as part of its role.
8. There are leaders -- people from the field who are ready to dig in and
hold on for victory regardless of what it takes.  These are people in for
the long haul -- who understand that these battles are part of the work of
adult education and literacy - that the battles never go away, that we never
are allowed to "just go back to teaching and learning," that for
practitioners and students alike, advocacy for adult literacy is as much as
part of the work -- the vocation -- as teaching, and that there is overlap,
that in a democratic society this is how students and teachers learn --
first hand -- about democracy and how it works.

Jon

*   *   *   *   *
Jon Randall, Public Policy Committee Chair
National Coalition for Literacy
www.natcoalitionliteracy.org

FedStrategics, LLC
strategic advocacy & public affairs consulting
to charitable organizations
www.FedStrategics.com

8413 Park Crest Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: (301) 588-5304   Fax: (301) 588-5353
jrandall at FedStrategics.com


_______________________________________________
NLA mailing list: NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org