[NLA] FW: February news from the National Institute for Literacy

Fri Feb 1 17:33:21 EST 2002

Here is the latest edition of e*literacy, a monthly electronic newsletter
from the National Institute for Literacy.

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1.   NAULC Honors Susan Green with Literacy Achievement Award

2.   Institute Cosponsors Workshops for Research Applicants

3.   Equipped for the Future (EFF) Announces Reading Project

4.   Eastern LINCS Offers Regional Practitioners New Online Learning
Opportunity 

5.   "Put Reading First" Tops LINCS Hits List

6.   NEW FEATURE:  Institute Staff on the Road

7.   New Publications:  
·	Research-based Practices for Adult Basic Education Reading
Instruction
·	State Policy Update:  Professional Development for Adult Education
Instructors

8.   Literacy in the News:  
·	Verizon Launches Campaign for NAACP Literacy Initiatives

9.   Legislative Update:  
·	Congress Reconvenes as President Prepares to Release Budget
·	Coalition for Literacy Plans Capitol Hill Policy Forum

10.   Calendar:  February Conferences and Events

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1.   NAULC HONORS SUSAN GREEN WITH LITERACY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Susan Green, who recently retired from the Institute, was honored by the
National Alliance of Urban Literacy Coalitions on January 25 for her
dedication to literacy throughout her career, with special appreciation for
her contribution to the development of Literacy AmeriCorps.  

The award was presented at a banquet of 150 AmeriCorps members from across
the country in Houston, Texas.  June Crawford, the Institute's learning
disabilities specialist, accepted the award on Susan's behalf, and
highlighted Susan's career in literacy, including her years at the White
House working for First Lady Barbara Bush, her work on the Secretary of
Education's Adult Literacy Initiative in the 1980s, her 12 years on the
staff of an early childhood program for low-income Head Start graduates and
their families, and her 10 years at the Institute.

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2.   INSTITUTE COSPONSORS WORKSHOPS FOR RESEARCH APPLICANTS

On January 28, the National Institute for Literacy, the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), and several offices of the U.S. Department of Education
cosponsored the first of a series of technical assistance workshops for
potential applicants for $3.8 million in funds for adult and family literacy
research.  The workshops assist those interested in responding to the
recently published research solicitation, "Research on Adult and Family
Literacy," which is available online at:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HD-02-004.html.  

The research solicitation seeks the development of new knowledge on the
critical instruction factors that influence the development of literacy
competencies and the identification or design of effective program
structures and models of service delivery.   The research priorities are
drawn in part from a series of meetings held by the Institute, the National
Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National
Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), and the U.S.
Department of Education between November 2000 and August 2001.  For more
information and a summary document, go to:
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/crmc/cdb/AFL_workshop.htm

The next workshop will be in San Diego on February 6, followed by one in
Houston on March 15.  For registration information, contact Esther Roberts
at NIH at eroberts at hq.row.com.

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3.   EQUIPPED FOR THE FUTURE ANNOUNCES READING PROJECT

Equipped for the Future (EFF) recently announced the new EFF Reading
Project.  This project will help parents enrolled in family literacy
programs improve their own literacy and employability skills, as well as
support their children's educational development and success.  

The EFF Reading Project will produce and pilot a module-based training
curriculum and supporting classroom materials that integrate
scientifically-based research on the teaching of reading into EFF's
standards-based approach to building adults' capacity to use skills and
knowledge -- including reading -- to accomplish their goals.

Funded by the Partnership for Reading (an Institute project designed to
disseminate scientifically-based reading research through existing networks
to classroom teachers to strengthen reading instruction) the project is part
of the Institute's ongoing efforts to integrate scientifically-based
research into other Institute-funded program improvement efforts.  The
training curriculum will be developed jointly by a team with expertise in
reading and family literacy as well as EFF theory and practice, with
guidance from practitioner and technical advisory committees.  The
curriculum will be piloted during the 2002 school year and revised to
incorporate feedback from participants.  For more information, please
contact Amy Trawick at: artrawick at triad.rr.com.

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4.   EASTERN LINCS OFFERS REGIONAL PRACTITIONERS ONLINE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY

Eastern LINCS is offering a new opportunity for adult education and literacy
practitioners in the Eastern LINCS region to learn more about LINCS -- the
Institute's Literacy Information and Communication System.  "Using LINCS" is
an online course designed for teachers, tutors, administrators and staff who
work in adult literacy and have a need to access a wide-range of important
adult literacy information and resources quickly and easily.

To learn more about the course and to register online, visit the course page
at The Electronic Classroom -- a joint project of Pennsylvania's ABLE Net
project and the West Branch Technology Center.  The Electronic Classroom can
be accessed at:  www.wbtc.ciu10.com/eclass/courses/usinglincssec2.htm.

The above article is reprinted from the Eastern LINCS electronic newsletter,
available at:  www.easternlincs.org/newsletter/winter2002/home.htm

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5.   "PUT READING FIRST" TOPS LINCS HITS LIST

LINCS, the Institute's online information and communication system, was
accessed over 1.6 million times during the month of December.  The three
most accessed files in December were:

1.  Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to
Read.  This booklet by the Partnership for Reading (the National Institute
for Literacy; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and
U.S. Department of Education) summarizes for teachers what researchers have
discovered about how to teach children to read successfully.  It describes
the findings of the National Reading Panel Report and provides analysis and
discussion in five areas of reading instruction: phonemic awareness;
phonics; fluency; vocabulary; and text comprehension. Each section suggests
implications for classroom instruction as well as other information.
Available online at:
http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/partnershipforreading/publications/PFRbooklet.pdf
(Adobe Acrobat PDF file).  

2.  Put Reading First: Helping Your Child Learn to Read. This brochure by
the Partnership for Reading is designed for parents of young children.  It
describes the kinds of early literacy activities that should take place at
school and at home to help children learn to read successfully. It is based
on the findings of the National Reading Panel.  Available online at:
http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/partnershipforreading/publications/PFRbrochure.pdf
(Adobe Acrobat PDF file).  

3.  Learning to Think, Learning to Learn:  What the Science of Thinking and
Learning Has To Offer Adult Education Programs.
This report by Institute fellow Jennifer Cromley reviews learning issues as
applied to teaching GED students -- including memory, critical thinking,
motivation, and transfer of learning from classes to real life.  Each
chapter includes a review of the topic, implications for teachers, and
lesson ideas.  Available online at:
http://www.Institute.gov/Institute/fellowship/cromley_report.pdf.

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6.   NEW FEATURE:  INSTITUTE STAFF ON THE ROAD

A listing of presentations by Institute staff in February and March is
listed below, along with the email address of the staff member(s) who can
provide more information.   

FEBRUARY

Overview of Disability Law, Reading Instruction, Learning Disabilities, and
Reading in Adults
June Crawford
February 28-March 2
American Foundation for the Blind Training Workshop, San Antonio, Texas
jcrawford at nifl.gov

Research on Adult and Family Literacy:  Overview of the Research Funding
Partnership and RFA HD-02-004
Alice Johnson
February 6, 2002, 9:00 AM
Courtyard by Marriott San Diego
Adult and Family Literacy Technical Assistance Workshop, San Diego,
California
ajohnson at nifl.gov

What Family Life Demands - a Purposeful View of Competent Performance
Sondra Stein
February 11-13, 2002
International Conference Center - Geneva, Switzerland
Symposium, Definition and Selection of Key Competencies - jointly sponsored
by OECD, Switzerland's Federal Statistics Office, Statistics Canada, and the
U.S. National Center for Education Statistics.
sstein at nifl.gov

MARCH

Bridges to Practice and Increased Awareness about Learning Disabilities in
the Adult Basic Education Program
June Crawford
March 8, 2002
National Alliance of Urban Literacy Coalitions Annual Meeting, Washington,
DC
jcrawford at nifl.gov

Literacy and Learning Disabilities in Adults
June Crawford 
March 6, 2002
Northern Virginia Literacy Council, Fairfax, Virginia
jcrawford at nifl.gov

Overview of the Research Funding Partnership and RFA HD-02-004-Research on
Adult and Family Literacy
Alice Johnson
March 15, 2002, 9:00 AM
Adult and Family Literacy Technical Assistance Workshop, Houston, Texas
ajohnson at nifl.gov

Policy Panel Discussion
Christy Gullion
March 18, 2002
Correctional Educational Association, Baltimore, Maryland

Public Policy Trends:  What You Should Know and What You Can Do
Christy Gullion and Alice Johnson
March 14, 2002
Washington State Workplace Basic Skills Annual Meeting, Seattle, Washington
cgullion at nifl.gov or ajohnson at nifl.gov

Put Reading First! and Policy Panel Discussion 
Christy Gullion
March 3 and 4, 2002
National Center for Family Literacy annual conference, Albuquerque, New
Mexico
cgullion at nifl.gov 

TO CONTINUE READING E*LITERACY, INCLUDING ARTICLES ON THE INSTITUTE'S NEW
PUBLICATIONS, LITERACY IN THE NEWS, THE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE, AND THE CALENDAR
OF UPCOMING EVENTS, PLEASE CLICK HERE:
http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/eliteracy/01_02_02.html
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