[NLA] NIFL Board Nominees

[Adult Education Center]

Great proposal and one that can make a difference in the long run.

Paulette Church
Durango, CO
----- Original Message -----
From: Gail Spangenberg <gspangenberg at caalusa.org>
To: <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 9:43 AM
Subject: Re: [NLA] NIFL Board Nominees


> Colleagues,
>
> I'm surprised that folks are surprised that the NIFL board has been
> stacked against us.  But now that it has, I don't think opposing
> nominees will achieve anything or "getting the inside scoop on the
> choices" will, not just for the reasons cited but because it'll seem
> like an attack on individuals who've done nothing to deserve it.  But
> we can't just stand silent, either.   And I don't think we can keep
> our "skeptical distance" no matter how skeptical we are.
>
> Here's a short-run idea:  Apparently John Comings has suggested
> advocating for a group to represent the interests of adult literacy.
> Why not actually organize a small group of very knowledgeable and
> articulate adult literacy leaders--including a couple of adult
> student learners and some older pros who were in on the early stages
> of the modern adult literacy movement--to go down to an early NIFL
> board meeting and express views and concerns and expectations.  The
> group might also call on one or more high officials at the Department
> of Education, and could do this even before the NIFL board is in
> place if the timing works out that way.  (Incidentally, I believe all
> NIFL board meetings are open.)  A small contingent that subsequently
> appears at NIFL meetings, even without having any vote, might make a
> difference, too.  Perhaps the group could somehow be positioned to
> advise the NIFL advisory group -- rather than cast as a force
> opposing stuff for kids (which isn't the case anyway).  I don't know
> how far off the confirmations are and how soon the board will
> actually be seated; we'd need to know this.  Someone would need to
> organize the group and serve as the chair.  I'm sure there are other
> ways to protect our base, our future, and our interests, too --
> including direct and ongoing communications with members of Congress
> and our colleagues at the Departments of Education, Labor, and HHS.
>
> Some thoughts regarding the longer-term.  Whenever politics puts
> school literacy/reform in direct competition with adult literacy --
> making it an either/or proposition instead of pursuing equally
> important goals on parallel tracks  -- adult literacy loses out.  In
> my view, this is partly because we haven't yet made a good enough
> case for adult literacy as an important national priority (i.e.
> produced the evidence that achieving adult literacy matters as much
> as achieving other social and educational goals in the  U.S.?).  To
> many of us, this seems self-evident; but others, it isn't.  It's also
> because much of the responsibility for adult education and literacy
> has shifted over the past few years to the states, where the record
> and commitment is uneven at best.  Yet, we have a poor understanding
> of the state role and no comparable or meaningful data across the
> states (which severely impedes effective planning and advocacy).
> These are only two large challenges we face as we try to move into
> the future.   My point is that I'm convinced we need to take fuller
> stock of where we're at as a field, and then plan accordingly.
> That's the reason I devoted nearly a year trying to establish a
> blue-ribbon commission on adult literacy, and  why CAAL (though
> hardly a substitute for a commission) was ultimately founded.
>
> Gail Spangenberg
> Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy
>
>
>
>
> >On Sun, 20 Jan 2002 13:33:41 EST KathleenBombach at aol.com writes:
> >>
> >>So we are left with the question: what do we do now? Oppose nominees
> >>and earn the wrath of the Bush administration, which clearly takes no
> >>prisoners? As Comings suggests, advocate to form an advisory committee
> >to ensure that adults remain at the forefront? That sounds like a good
> >strategy to
> >>me.
> >
> >I think a principled and well thought-out opposition can be mounted along
> >with a suggested alternative slate.  I am skeptical that the field has
> >energy or the will for that, though.
> >
> >Agreed NCSALLresearchers  could have (and perhaps did)  suggested other
> >potential nominees.  Of course, in the Bush administration there is never
> >any interest politics going on, for example, Enron corporate executives
> >influencing energy policy, or anything like that.
> >
> >Also, whatever happened with VALUE?  Back in December we had a spirited
> >discussion about the prospect of a VALUE nominee and an informal
> >consensus agreeing that was a good idea.  One or two students also
> >suported  that proposition.  Yet, we never heard from VALUE.  Did
> >anything come of that?
> >
> >Finally, inquiring minds want to know something about the background of
> >how these nominations were made, who made them, were there some that were
> >rejected, etc. as well as something about the future status and direction
> >of NIFL.  Like what's the inside scoop?  Perhaps David Speight will help
> >us find out.
> >
> >Assuming "the field" puts together another slate (nominees welcome from
> >the NLA floor!) and Congress decides to stay with the original choices,
> >that slate then might serve as the advisory committee.
> >
> >I will be keeping my more skeptical distance.
> >
> >George Demetrion
> >Sophocles5 at juno.com
> >
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