[NLA] Are You Being Served?

[Lloyd David]

Tom,
The CEI Adult Diploma Program at Polaroid was one of the programs studied by
the Harvard Team of investigators led by Bob Kegan. This was a massive study
resulting in a 739 page report on adult learning development. An article did
appear in the NCSALL's review. In the CAAL list of research projects this is
called NCSALL Reports No.19. The title is "Toward a new Pluralism in
ABE/ESOL Classrooms:Teaching to Multiple Cultures of the Mind." I do not
know if the research team has had any inquiries but since the study has been
published I have not received one call, letter or email. It was funded by
the US Department of Education.
In the past CEI has had 3 National Workplace Literacy Projects also funded
by USDOE. At the  end of the final round of projects we had to petition the
Department to publicize the results of these "model demonstration projects".
This study by the Conference Board of Canada was later published.
 It seems to me no thought is given to publicizing the results of these
studies even though many cost a great deal of money. I think that there
should be a marketing plan developed around every project which in essence
advertises the results so those in the field can benefit.
Lloyd David, EdD.
President/Executive Director
Continuing Education Institute/CEI
108 Water Street
Watertown, MA 02472
617-926-1864>
-----Original Message-----
From: Thomas Sticht <tsticht at znet.com>
To: nla at lists.literacytent.org <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Date: Monday, December 09, 2002 8:24 PM
Subject: [NLA] Are You Being Served?


>Are You Being Served? *
>
>A new report from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and
>Literacy is available (NCSALL Report No. 23). Entitled "The First Five
>Years," the report summarizes the research projects, major findings, and
>recommendations for the years 1996 – 2001 (copies of the report are
>available at http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu). According to the report,
>total funding for the NCSALL for the first five years was around
>$13,500,000. Funding for the next five years is anticipated to be about
>$16,500,000.
>
>The report says that "The mission of the National Center for the Study of
>Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) is to conduct and disseminate
>research that helps build effective, cost-efficient adult education and
>literacy programs." (p. 3)  Regarding how the NCSALL determines whether or
>not it has achieved these goals, the last page and last sentence of the
>body of the report states that, over the next five years,  "Its
>measurement of success remains the same as well: Practitioners can cite
>ways that NCSALL has helped them to improve practice."  (p.100)
>
>Unfortunately, as I looked through the report, I could find no evidence
>presented to suggest that practitioners had thought that the research of
>the first five years had helped them improve their practice.  I’m
>wondering if any of the NLA list members can cite ways that they or their
>program or someone they know has been helped by the first five years of
>the NCSALL work. And if so, in what specific ways.
>
>I’d also be interested in knowing if NLA list members feel that anecdotal
>reports by practitioners is a suitable way to evaluate the success of our
>only federally funded, national adult education and literacy research
>center in achieving its stated mission of helping to "build effective,
>cost-efficient adult education and literacy programs."
>
>And parenthetically, does anyone recall how the previous national research
>center, the National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL) whose work for five
>years before the NCSALL took the federal R& D center contract must have
>cost over $10,000,000, helped improve their practice and/or the operations
>of the AELS?
>
>All this is to say, I wonder just how we might go about deciding how well
>our national R & D center research funds are serving the needs of the
>field? What do NLA list members think?
>
>Tom Sticht
>* With a nod of thanks to Brit Night on the Public Broadcasting System
(PBS)
>
>
>
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