[NLA] Leadership for Adult Education and Literacy

[Thomas Sticht]

Adult Education and Literacy: Leadership In Abundance
Tom Sticht

Recently there have been discussions about the need for a new organization
to offer the field of adult education and literacy some leadership. If you
are lost in the forest and thickets of adult literacy education
leadership, consider the following organizations which provide leadership
and voice for adult education and literacy and may help you find your way
to where you want to be. You can locate any of them on the web using
GOOGLE.

1. The National Coalition for Literacy's (NCL) Charter is to serve 
as the
leadership voice for the literacy movement. It has recently been
recommended that the NCL formally incorporate as a non-profit to raise
money so that it can do a better job of leadership, which includes
advocacy for the field.

2. The Commission on Adult Basic Education, Inc. (COABE) provides
leadership in advancing the education of adults in the lifelong learning
process


3. The mission of the American Association for Adult and Continuing
Education (AAACE) is to provide leadership for the field of adult and
continuing education 


4. The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
(NCSALL). Providing Leadership. From its start, NCSALL has been a leader
in bringing a research perspective to improving policy and practice, and
in highlighting adult literacy’s crucial connections to other fields, such
as health, employment, and post-secondary education.

5. The National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium
(NAEPDC) 
will be the leading voice in adult education for the nation.

6. The Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy (CAAL) announced its
formation as an independent new national voice for adult literacy in the
U.S.

7. ProLiteracy America is poised for leadership. According to Marsha L.
Tait, ProLiteracy's Worldwide's senior vice president for programs and
services (and former president of LVA, Inc.) there is an enormous need for
effective leadership in the adult literacy arena because, until now, no
other organization or professional group has effectively represented all
the players in the adult education and literacy system.

If your interest is in family literacy, the following offer leadership for
you:

8. The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) is recognized nationally
and internationally as the leader in family literacy.

9. The mission of the Goodling Institute is to improve family literacy
education
[it] provides national leadership to support and maintain high
quality, integrated programs for families with educational needs.

Do not look for leadership in the federal government, it only supports
your efforts:

10. The National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) used to be "an independent
federal organization leading the national effort toward a fully literate
nation in the 21st century" but today it is a "pipeline" for information,
and does not provide leadership.

11. The U. S. Department of Education’s Office for Vocational and Adult
Education, Division of Adult Education and Literacy (OVAE/DAEL) does not
offer leadership for the nation’s adult education and literacy activities
but, rather, OVAE/DAEL provides support for these activities; support like
the National Reporting System to aid programs in their accountability
activities.



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