[NLA] Giving the NIFL funding back....

[George E. Demetrion]

(Short)

I'm in agreement with Marsha on the importance of hearing from quite a
few others.  I also agree that 30 favorable posts do not make a
consensus.  On the basic question: "Can people please explain why they
feel the Institute has lost or ignored it's focus on adult literacy?"

a) I'm not sure I would quite want to put it in those white and black
terms as we're speaking of tendencies, perceptions, and queries.

b)  Though only a couple have responded substantively to Christy's
queries thus far, I do believe that Alice Johnson's questions and my
various comments in the last post which was meant as a direct response to
Christy's questions, do merit public response.

Then (hopefully) as others respond or add additional questions, then the
dialogue can further develop.

Also (finally) it's not simply whether NIFL has lost its focus, but how
sharply it is focused on adult literacy and specifically whether EFF is
its flagship program as the basis for establishing a national consensus. 
In my view, it makes all the difference in the world as to whether EFF is
merely  one of NIFL's programs (and given the USDoE's intellectual
undercurrents against constructvism, the intellectual linchpin of EFF, I
am concerned about its long-range status) or its flagship, as the
integrating framework to shape the sought for common voice.  It is not
simply the common voice that is desired (in my view), but the framework
upon which it is established.

Is NIFL at this time in a position to deal with this?

Yes, emphatically, we need to hear from others, but that does not negate
the appropriateness of responding to the concrete queries and concerns
that have already been expressed.

George Demetrion
sophocles5 at juno.com


On Mon, 15 Jul 2002 16:06:34 -0400 MTAIT <MTAIT at Laubach.org> writes:
>I assure you that members of the National Coalition for Literacy are
>following this debate with great interest.  By my rough estimate, 
>there have been something like 30 postings on the NLA in response to
Andy
>Hartman's proposal.  Some of them have been multiple postings from
>single subscribers.  The trend in these postings appears to be in 
>favor of Andy's proposal.  I'm not convinced that 30 responses from a
>subscriber base of approximately 700, however, can be construed to
>represent the will of the field, even if all 700 subscribers are, in
>fact, a representative body (but that's a debate for another day).  
>
>Since the Coalition has been asked to "lead the charge", it will
certainly take up this issue and Andy's recommendation at its first
opportunity.  However, it will not be in a position to make a decision to
do so until all affected parties have weighed in.  As Christy Gullion
pointed out in her posting the Coalition will need to consider carefully
>the following questions:  Can people please explain why they feel the
Institute has lost or ignored it's focus on adult literacy?

>What exactly has the Institute done/not done that precipitates these
>feelings?  Or, does this concern stem from the Administration's board
>nominees and/or the field's impression that this Administration 
>doesn't care about adult literacy?  In other words, what problem are we
trying to
>solve with Andy's proposal?



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