[NLA] Re: NIFL Letter/One or Two Choices?

[Jon Randall]

Last Sunday evening, George Demetrion suggested that our efforts to
recommend that the next NIFL Director have some background in adult
education begs a question about his/her direction-setting based on
theoretical underpinnings (for lack of a better way to sum it up). While I
do not disagree with the importance of this issue, in his posting George
assumes the current programs will still exist in an Institute run by one of
the folks on the Administration's short list. That may not be the case --
things may become as different as day and night at the Institute when a
permanent director is installed.

We have heard that both candidates may focus exclusively on reading, as the
Department seems to be doing now. The possible candidates could phase out
existing programs, like EFF and Bridges to Practice or they could terminate
them on Day 1. I must emphasize though that this is a worst-case scenario
based on conjecture. They could simply refocus them.

This letter writing effort sends a message to the Administration and to the
Congress. The adult literacy field values the Institute and wants to ensure
that the agency continue its important work in adult literacy. In the worst
of all possible worlds, the "consensus framework" as George describes EFF,
may soon become irrelevant - unless we all send this message.

I should point out that George (and possibly others in Hartford) delivered
Rep. John Larson as a co-signer of the letter in the House. Way to go
George!

Folks in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, and Rhode Island can help us get a
letter started in the Senate.  If just one  Republican Senator -- Specter,
DeWine, Frist or Chafee - agrees to join Senator Breaux in taking the lead
on the Senate letter we'll be good to go.

If your Congressperson hasn't agreed to sign the Sawyer-Walsh letter, speak
with his/her education LA (legislative assistant) and urge that his/her boss
do so.

Hang onto the letter to your Congressperson. As soon as we have lead
sponsors for a Senate letter, you can readdress it and send it to both your
Senators.

Stay tuned and keep up the good work!


Jon Randall
Public Policy Committee Chair
National Coalition for Literacy
www.natcoalitionliteracy.org

NCL policy efforts are supported in part by funding from ProLiteracy
Worldwide

FedStrategics, LLC
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to charitable organizations
www.FedStrategics.com

8413 Park Crest Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Tel: (301) 588-5304   Fax: (301) 588-5353
jrandall at FedStrategics.com



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