[NLA] From the Margins to the Mainstream of Education (very long)

[KSmith1@aol.com]

BRAVO!

Decades of misinformation have created an environment that does not believe, 
support or encourage the personal, social or economic benefits of or the 
capacity for adult learning.  Tom Sticht gives us the knowledge to fight this 
politically convenient perception.  Our focus should be to develop our 
supporters in federal, state and local policy making positions and give them 
this knowledge so they can refute the spin driving us to K-3 exclusive 
programming.  

During the Secretary's Reading Leadership Academy held by the Department of 
Education in February, 20-22 '02 Dr. Edward Kame'enui, Director, Institute 
for the Development of Education, University of Oregon stated "If we do not 
teach children to read by the end of the third grade they are LOST FOREVER."  
While the hyperbole was, no doubt, intended to stimulate a desired urgency, 
such statements must raise questions about what we do with children who 
'haven't learned to read' in the fourth grade and beyond.  Clearly, the all 
or nothing rhetoric, that is, children have either learned to read or they 
haven't, is also very problematic.  

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) implementation is also taking a very interesting 
path guided by the very strong arm of the federal government.  The entire 
focus is on school instruction and intervention even though we know a great 
deal about the essential importance of what happens or doesn't at home.  
Simple math tells us that a child is alive for 96 months from birth until 
their 8th birthday; the traditional time when they are in the third grade.  
They attend K-3 school for approximately 27 months.  Even with pre-K, Head 
Start or Even Start, the time on task is pretty limited given the stakes the 
current policy makers would have us believe.  Why such limited attention to 
the parents and the home when the vast majority of this critical time (59 
months, not to mention nights and weekends) is spent there?  Why the blank 
stares when we present the simple fact that parents with low basic skills are 
not able to support their children's school readiness and achievement?  Why 
isn't this a compelling enough reason to support adult and family literacy? 

We must be the iconoclasts to this tidal wave of misinformation.  We should 
bombard the new Congress with the information Tom Sticht has given us and 
demand that the research centers do more to corroborate the truth about adult 
learning. 

Kevin Smith 
LVA-NYS 
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