[NLA] Discussion: A Local or urban model system of adult educ ation and literacy services- longish
Boston Adult Literacy Fund
balf at balf.net
Mon Jun 24 19:48:12 EDT 2002
In response of Kevin O'Connor's message:
The Boston Adult Literacy Fund (BALF) works with community-based,
learner-centered literacy programs in 6 communities of Greater Boston to
help adults achieve their educational goals.
While "continuous access to education" for all adult learners is not a
reality in Boston, BALF does provides scholarships and mentors for some
adults who are continuing on to higher education. Also, several cbo's that
are developing 'bridge programs' with private funding are pooling and
disseminating their experiences to help other programs assist adults in
making this transition.
BALF has a strong community advisory council who as learners, teachers,
support staff or administrators are all part of the literacy community in
their neighborhoods. This group and our board guide BALF's literacy efforts.
We provide grants to literacy programs on an open and competitive basis and
give free technical assistance to any literacy program in Greater Boston.
Our ability to effect change flows from our close links to our urban area.
Although a state model can do a great deal, the heart of an effective adult
educational system can only be at the local level, with learners and
teachers.
Nationally, BALF has benefited from being part of the National Coalition of
Urban Literacy Coalitions (NAULC), a growing coalition of over 40 urban
areas. As some of the previous messages indicate, NAULC offers a variety of
services and supports for urban coalitions. If Framingham is interested in
forming its own urban coalition, BALF would be pleased to meet with you.
Joanne Appleton Arnaud
Executive Director
Boston Adult Literacy Fund
(617) 720-0178
BOSTON ADULT LITERACY FUND...read between the lives...www.balf.net
--
From: Kevin O'Connor <koconnor at framingham.k12.ma.us>
Reply-To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 10:54:30 -0400
To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
Subject: RE: [NLA] Discussion: A Local or urban model system of adult educ
ation and literacy services- longish
David and All,
An integrated local system for ABE would ideally be able to give
people continuous access to education. Right now, at least here in
Massachusetts, there are great CBOs and LEAs that provide survival ESL,
Beginning Literacy and even GED instruction. There are also very good
community colleges that are reasonably affordable for those who meet the
"residency" requirements ("have to have proof of legal residence,
citizenship, or a student visa"... See Andres Muro's thread on NIFL's ESL
list "Immigration Policy and ABE/ESL students about this).
At the top of my wish list is a program that BRIDGES THE GAP between
them. The Mass Department of Education cannot focus funding on advanced
students with so many lower-level students on waiting lists everywhere, and
these High ESL and GED Only students; many of them at least, are not yet
ready for college. It is more than a Reading/Writing and Speaking/Listening
SPL issue, as well. There are the issues of Residency, Financial Aid,
difficulty, academic culture and non-credit, expensive ESL courses that
people are often shuffled into based on their accent. I am tutoring a
couple of Brazilian ladies- H.S. graduates in their own country and advanced
ESL learners, but they cannot follow a professor's casual references to
Thoreau or Huck Finn. There is so much of the Dead White Male canon taken
for granted at colleges. College prep for non-traditional students would be
nice, to help people access the world of education that is "valued" in our
society.
In addition, an International Student Office that is helpful, not
adversarial. I often say how much I would like to be in charge of both
International Student Admissions and the INS- at some institutions they seem
to perform similar "gatekeeper" functions and they could both really benefit
from a sympathetic touch. There are some excellent people at some of our
community colleges and my thanks and congratulations go out to them.
I guess they are the answer. Like so many other times in Adult
Education, the answer is in connecting to those people who are willing to
help. Bridges are often not between programs, departments, or agencies but
between people who care enough to work together.
Thanks for a Great Topic. I look forward to hearing from some of
these people.
Kevin O'Connor
Framingham Adult ESL
-----Original Message-----
From: David J. Rosen [mailto:DJRosen at theworld.com]
Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2002 9:40 AM
To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
Subject: [NLA] Discussion: A Local or urban model system of adult
education and literacy services
Thank you, Margery, for reminding us that an education and literacy
system must be local, in a community or city, as well as state or
national. I agree that the local system -- and programs within it -- is
the level which matters most to students.
Perhaps you, or others, might like to describe a model system at the
community or urban level. What would a system of adult education and
literacy services at this level look like if it met adult learner needs
well? What kinds of programs and services should be included in the
local system, and why? CBO's? Volunteer programs? LEA's? Community
colleges? Jails? Others? What are the advantages or disadvantages of
having a diverse provider system at the local level? How does a planned
community system increase resources for all programs -- or does it?
Where is such urban or community planning for adult education and
literacy taking place in the U.S.. or elsewhere? I hope to hear from my
Massachusetts Colleagues who are involved in adult education community
planning. Let's also hear from adult learners. What would a model
system of adult education and literacy look like in your community?.
David J. Rosen, Director
Adult Literacy Resource Institute
Boston, MA and
NLA List Moderator
<DJRosen at the world.com>
Margery Freeman wrote:
>Dear All,
>
> I've enjoyed the extensive discussions about the scope and location of
>our adult education and literacy system. It seems to me that we might begin
>with the student, who cares not a whit about what funding stream supports
>the class/program s/he is in. I think that when we put the student in the
>center of this discussion, then we can create a comprehensive, interactive
>system that allows the student to choose the program that best suits
>him/her.
>
> In New Orleans, for the past year, we have been working on a literacy
>initiative that is going to emerge as a new Literacy Alliance of Greater New
>Orleans. We've met monthly, with lots of sub-group discussions as well, to
>figure out what's in place, what best practices we might want to adopt, what
>the market (student, business, community) needs are. I mention this
>initiative because we have rooted it in a belief that all the players need
>to be part of
> this Alliance. The great thing about this experience is that
>all of the players ARE participating: School systems, community/technical
>colleges, prison/parole programs, Even Start, CBOs, workplace programs, etc.
> We did some research and discovered that if our new Alliance actually
>combines resources and experience, there are untapped millions of dollars of
>both public and private monies that could come into the literacy community.
> Our experience - the close relationships we've formed with one another
>and the knowledge we've gained about our various systems, programs,
>funding - convinces us that only when we build a comprehensive system can
>our voice be loud and strong enough to change the prevailing attitudes about
>adult education and literacy.
> Finally, my experience with a local community-based literacy program
>tells me that there are lots of programs like ours: We have a million
>dollar budget, that includes $$ from the
>DOE (Tom's Title II money), DOL
>(workplace ed), DSS (TANF $$), AmeriCorps, private businesses (fee for
>service contracts), United Way, foundations and donations from
>individuals/businesses. We dream of the day when we will have a
>comprehensive adult education and literacy system in which these various
>funding sources are so well connected that we don't have to prepare a dozen
>different statistical reports each year!
> Margery Freeman
>YMCA Educational Services
>833 Howard Avenue, Suite 300
>New Orleans, LA 70113
>(504) 482-0334; 504-566-7323
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Debbie Yoho" <dwyoho at earthlink.net>
>To: "NLA LIST" <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
>Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 1:34 PM
>Subject: [NLA] On David Rosen's Model
>
>
>>On the whole, I think the organizational model David Rosen proposes is a
>>good one.
>>
>>But in what way could we insure that in such a model, the local community
>>is actively and substantially involved in the suggested processes?
>>
>>I believe the strength of the CBO's (which I would view as complementary,
>>not supplementary, to the AELS) is their direct ties to the local
>>community, including, for example, the role of volunteer boards of
>>directors who raise money and set policy for program implementation. I
>>
>have
>
>>seen precious little attention by our state's school district adult ed
>>programs to what might be called the "public relations" necessary for our
>>work. Most think of public relations as advertisements and posters. I do
>>think it is possible to create a system that blends professional
>>
>leadership
>
>>with grass roots support and leadership, although I wonder on how big a
>>scale.
>>
>>
>>Deborah W. Yoho
>>Co-moderator, NIFL-Health and
>>Executive Director
>>Greater Columbia Literacy Council
>>921 Woodrow Street, Columbia, SC 29205
>>803-765-2555 Fax 803-779-8417 dwyoho at earthlink.net
>>
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
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>>http://literacytent.org
>>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
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>
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