[NLA] support for advocacy

[John Comings]

Building a Level Playing Field does address the debate about the NALS 
levels on page 7.

The report describes three populations that could benefit from AELS 
services.  6.5 million adults who need ESOL services, 23 million who 
need ASE/GED services, and 64 million who speak English well, have a 
high school diploma or GED but who scored in NALS Level 1 or 2.  All 
of this third group are employed and all three groups are working 
age (18-64). The estimate for the first two groups, 29.5 million does 
not use NALS data.

The reason we identified the third group using NALS data is that 
people who scored in Levels 1 and 2 (their numerical score on the 500 
point scale) have reading and math skills below that of the average 
high school graduate.  The bottom score of NALS Level 3 is the mean 
for high school graduates and a few points above the mean for GED
holders. They are not illiterate but their basic skills put them at a 
disadvantage in the workplace.  We could have drawn the line lower, 
midway between the bottom and top of NALS Level 2, for example, but 
our report is setting the bar higher. We believe the standard that the
AELS should shoot for is strong English skills, a GED and basic 
skills sufficient to be successful in a community college program of 
study or technical training. That level of basic skills is very close 
to the score that separates NALS Level 2 and 3.

The present WIA-funded programs and the nonWIA-funded programs that 
have sufficient resources are doing a good job serving the adults who 
need ESOL and ASE/GED services, a population of at least 30 million 
working-age adults. The third group, what the report refers to as the 
new literacy challenge, probably need a new approach to services that 
is based in their places of employment, their homes, and their 
communities. That approach to services might also help adults who 
need ESOL and ASE/GED services, not as a replacement for existing 
programs but as an additional resource.  

I'm not an economist, but I have friends who are, and they all say 
that education leads to higher income.  If there is eventually a 
glut of well educated workers, they will have to organize into 
unions and bargain for their piece of the pie. They will be better 
able to do so because they will have higher basic skills.

This is also an issue of equity. Everyone in our country should have 
access to a basic education that prepares them for post-secondary 
education and training programs. None of us would suggest to your 
children, nieces or nephews that they not go to college. People of 
color, immigrants, and whites from low income families are much more 
likely to be in one of the three challenges outlined in Building a 
Level Playing Field. We have some history to overcome here. They 
deserve their chance. 

I hope this discussion leads to more people reading Building a Level 
Playing Field.  It's less than 25 pages long.  It is built on the 
MassINC report, which has been incredibly successful here, as Bob 
Bickerton said. I don't mind taking the credit, but I don't deserve 
it. MassINC knows how to organize public opinion, and they helped 
Andy, Johan and I to craft the report in a way that would make it 
successful. And, of course, Bob and the people working in ABE in 
this state have worked hard for almost 15 years to improve program 
services. At a statewide summit last week, the Governor, the Mayor of 
Boston, and representatives from business, labor, education, and the 
philanthropy all made very strong statements in support of ABE 
services.

John Comings
----------------------------------------
John Comings                     Phone: 617.496.0516
NCSALL -- 106 Nichols House      Fax:   617.495.4811
7 Appian Way                     Email: john_comings at harvard.edu
Graduate School of Education     Web:   http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu
Harvard University
Cambridge MA 02138

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