[NLA] Discussion: AELS and Higher Ed

[Carl Guerriere]

David,
There are some pearls in your post, but they can be missed in your
deliberation.

Although you supposedly state with an "emphatic no" that AELS should not be
placed under higher ed., you also say
	I do not want to be misunderstood, however, as arguing against funding
	community college or other higher education institutions as providers of
	adult education and literacy services.  Some of the best programs are
	located in these institutions, just as some of the best are located in
	CBO's, public schools, faith-based organizations, and volunteer
	organizations. Campus-based programs also offer adult education and
	literacy students the motivation to go on to higher education, an
	important added value.

Most of the reasons you give for not locating services with higher education
can also apply for not locating services with the state department of
education.

AELS can be the neglected stepchild in either area.  And we see that all
across the country.

You then go to give a good framework that an effective and equitable AELS
system should use:
	My point is that the state agency responsible for adult education and
	literacy must demonstrate a commitment to provide the best services, to
	a wide range of provider agencies, to an open and competitive grant
	process, and to reaching a broad range of individuals with a wide
	variety of learning goals.

The real big pearl you offer is the following:
	Sustained pressure from the adult education and literacy field demanded,
and has supported, 	this kind of leadership from the Department of
Education.  In states where the State
	Education Department does not show this kind of leadership the field can
	rise up and change this.

I would like to see more conversation on this listserv about how to best
organize ourselves to have meaningful impact on local, state, and national
levels.  We cannot sit and hope that the leadership in state higher ed,
state department of ed, the white house, etc. will be responsive.  We must
effectively organize to convince policy makers at all levels with quality
data and research, not "you should do this because it's the right thing to
do...".

I have been inspired by the letter writing campaign regarding NIFL
leadership. Let's keep the process going.  And our national literacy
organizations need to disseminate and organize best practices for impacting
public policy.

Carl Guerriere
Executive Director/Literacy Advocate
Greater Hartford Literacy Council
99 Pratt Street
Hartford, CT  06103
(860) 522-7323 (522-READ) NEW NUMBER!
www.greaterhartfordreads.org
Fax: (860) 722-2486


-----Original Message-----
From: nla-admin at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:nla-admin at lists.literacytent.org]On Behalf Of David J. Rosen
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 11:10 PM
To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
Subject: [NLA] Discussion: AELS and Higher Ed


NLA Colleagues,

Debbie Yoho wrote:

 >So I put it to the list:  What do y'all think?  Would those of us who
 >are not already working alongside higher ed be better off if the AELS
 > >money flowed through them, instead of K-12?

I have worked in adult education and literacy for a community college
and/or a university since 1986,  but I would answer Debbie's question
with an emphatic "no."  Here are my reasons:

1.  If public adult education and literacy funding is administered by
state higher education, in all the cases I am familiar with, the funds
go exclusively to higher education institutions, usually to community
colleges.  This means that community-based organizations, public
schools, volunteer organizations, faith-based organizations, and
union-sponsored programs, among others, may not be eligible for funds.
And this may mean that only people who are able or willing to go to a
campus or a campus-sponsored agency can get adult education and literacy
services.  That may leave out a lot of folks.

2.  Sometimes this means that the funds are not awarded competitively,
that they are distributed to campuses in a state system as an
entitlement, so the best programs may not be funded.

3.  Sometimes this means that adult education and literacy is focused on
only work-related basic skills when, for example, community colleges
only see adult basic education as part of a workforce development
commitment.

4.  When push comes to shove in a state budget process, and higher
education leadership must decide which line items to fight for, they may
fight harder for services for enrolled college students.  Higher
education is not likely to put the needs of "pre-college" before
enrolled college students.  This means that at times of budget cutbacks
-- now, for example -- higher education may not be a vigorous advocate
for adult education and literacy services.

I do not want to be misunderstood, however, as arguing against funding
community college or other higher education institutions as providers of
adult education and literacy services.  Some of the best programs are
located in these institutions, just as some of the best are located in
CBO's, public schools, faith-based organizations, and volunteer
organizations. Campus-based programs also offer adult education and
literacy students the motivation to go on to higher education, an
important added value.

My point is that the state agency responsible for adult education and
literacy must demonstrate a commitment to provide the best services, to
a wide range of provider agencies, to an open and competitive grant
process, and to reaching a broad range of individuals with a wide
variety of learning goals.

In my state, the only organization which has shown commitment to a broad
range of adult students' goals and kinds of adult education and literacy
providers is the State Department of Education.  Its mission is basic
skills, through the high school level for children -- AND adults.  It
funds adult education and literacy programs in higher education,
community-based agencies, public schools, volunteer agencies, labor and
workplace organizations and faith-based programs, among others.  But
this was not always the case.  Sustained pressure from the adult
education and literacy field demanded, and has supported, this kind of
leadership from the Department of Education.  In states where the State
Education Department does not show this kind of leadership the field can
rise up and change this.

David J. Rosen
DJRosen at theworld.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
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.literacytent.org/pipermail/nla-nifl-archive/attachments/20021204/1dc814c3/attachment.htm