[NLA] a proposal to "save" the NIFL

[Eileen Eckert]

I, for one, appreciated the sincerity that rang through in Alice's previous 
message. Someone else (Deborah Yoho?) asked whether removing the Partnership 
for Reading money would cause NIFL to sink or let it come up for air and 
breathe.

Here's another related question: Why is NIFL not handling the money 
earmarked for LFF, Partnerships for Community, or whatever they've re-named 
it now? There was some discussion of this LFF contract with a private 
(for-profit?) contractor a few months ago, but what's going on? How is it 
that an effort that is intended to impact adult literacy is not going 
through NIFL while NIFL is responsible for an effort having to do with 
children's reading? If NIFL did not have the responsibility for the 
child-focused work, would it have the partnership-building money instead? If 
it did, what would it do with it? What about the part about faith-based 
organizations (some of which already do receive public monies for literacy 
work)?

Do the answers to the above questions contribute to an understanding of 
whether the kid-focused money is keeping NIFL afloat or drowning it?


>From: "Alice Cain" <alicejohnsoncain at hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
>To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
>Subject: RE: [NLA] a proposal to "save" the NIFL
>Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2002 22:25:58 +0000
>
>NLA Colleagues,
>
>It appears that more of my frustration at NIFL's situation came through in
>my last posting than I intended (which I made the mistake of writing when I
>was pressed for time) so for that I apologize.
>
>I continue to think Christy asked a very good question:  *why* do some of 
>us
>feel that the Institute has lost it's focus on adult literacy?  What is the
>problem here that needs solving?
>
>In trying to answer Christy's questions, I came up with the following
>projects/initiatives that NIFL has supported in the past that seemed to 
>make
>a difference for adult literacy.  As far as I know, these activities are 
>not
>currently happening at NIFL.  My hope is that they are either:  a)
>continuing quietly and just have not been publicized, b) have been replaced
>by other, better activities to help adults, or c) can be revived.  My
>concern is that we are facing d) they have been replaced by children's
>literacy activities.
>
>Some of the adult literacy activities that I thought made a difference 
>were:
>
>- funding for VALUE
>- literacy leader fellowships program
>- annual policy retreat on adult literacy with Congressional staff
>- outreach to other federal agencies about adult literacy, including
>Commerce, Small Business Administration, the White House (re: adult 
>literacy
>radio address), etc.
>- outreach to businesses about adult literacy (GTE, Verizon, AOL-Time
>Warner)
>- outreach to foundations (Lila-Wallace, Pew, and others) about adult
>literacy
>- regular state policy updates about adult literacy issues
>- regular federal policy updates about adult literacy issues
>- NIFL testimony before Congress about adult literacy
>- NIFL finding and bringing in adult learners to testify at Congressional
>hearings related to adult literacy
>- arranging for adult literacy students to meet with and tell their stories
>to the President and Vice President
>- major adult literacy public awareness campaign
>
>I hope that these or similar adult-focused activites are continuing, and it
>may well be the case that they are.  But if they are not, I think it is a
>serious problem.  And I think Andy's proposal could solve the problem
>because it would free up NIFL staff time and more of NIFL's financial
>resources for these types of activities, as well as potentially solving the
>Board problem too.
>
>Alice Johnson
>
>
>
>
>
>
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