[NLA] Access for ABLE students to Postsecondary Education

[resctr2@ix.netcom.com]

Ohio Has.
The Ohio Literacy Resource Center has received a substantial grant to do just
that.
Contact M. Ropog   www.literacy.kent.edu

g. gillette

On Fri, 13 Sep 2002 12:58:30 -0400 RoyceSJ at netscape.net wrote:

> When we consider the problem of "access", we
> must consider not only access to ABLE programs
> but access of our graduates to post-secondary
> education. In my recent study of 70 successful
> ABLE graduates, I discovered that the 20 that
> attained higher education degrees had immediate
> financial assistance (loans, scholarship,
> disability checks) or two working family
> members.  Another 10 are still enrolled in
> higher education taking course after course,
> year after year as time and money allow. Access
> to ABLE programs must not be a dead end. 
> 
> My question is:  Has any state formed an
> alliance between their ABLE programs and
> postsecondary institutions to provide financial
> assistance or even referral to funding sources
> for "qualifying" GED/Adult High School
> graduates?   
> 
> Our concern for access must be both coming and
> going.  If you have an answer to my question
> (and David does not consider it a policy issue)
> please contact me at the address below.
> 
> Sherry Royce
> 
> Dr. Sherry Royce
> Royce & Royce, Inc.
> 1938 Crooked Oak Drive
> Lancaster, PA 17601
> email: sjroyce at comcast.net
> tel: 717-569-1663
> 
> 
> Thomas Sticht  wrote:
> 
> >Research Note
> >12 September 2002
> >
> >Year 2 of The National Literacy Summit of 2000
> Has Passed:
> >Has There Been Any Action on the Action
> Agenda?
> >
> >Thomas G. Sticht
> >International Consultant in Adult Education
> >
> >In September of 2000 the National Literacy
> Summit 2000 steering committee
> >launched An Action Agenda for Literacy
> entitled "From the Margins to the
> >Mainstream". The Action Agenda called for an
> education system of QUALITY
> >services for adult students with ease of
> ACCESS to these services and
> >sufficient RESOURCES to support quality and
> access. This adult education
> >and literacy system was set as the national
> goal to be achieved by the
> >year 2010. Unfortunately, after the first two
> years into the Action
> >Agenda, results in these aspects of the system
> are not encouraging.
> >
> >QUALITY: I have found no information to form a
> basis for a judgment as to
> >whether or not in the last two years there has
> been an increase or
> >improvement in the quality of services for
> adult students in the programs
> >of the Adult Education and Literacy System
> (AELS) of the United States,
> >i.e., those programs funded in part by State
> Grants from the WIA/AEFLA act
> >of 1998, or any other programs such as those
> of ProLiteracy Worldwide,
> >libraries, corrections, workplace, etc.
> >
> >ACCESS: From the peak of 4.1 million in 1997
> enrollments in the AELS
> >dropped to around 2.9 million in program year
> 1999-2000, the last year for
> >which I have data. This is a drop of almost 30
> percent, some 1.2 million
> >enrollments.  At 2.9 million, we are nearly
> back to the 1985 figure of
> >around 2.879 million enrollments. This is a
> loss of over a decade of
> >progress in getting adults to access the Adult
> Education and Literacy
> >System of the United States of America.
> Presumably the programs that
> >served the 1.2 million adults who are no
> longer in the AELS are sill
> >operating, but outside the framework and
> funding of he AELS. Indeed, there
> >have been news stories about long waiting
> lists for adult literacy and
> >language programs. At the present time,
> though, it looks like the Action
> >Agenda item of ACCESS is failing with respect
> to increasing access to and
> >enrollments in the AELS, and there are no data
> of which I am aware to
> >suggest it is succeeding outside the AELS. I
> do not know if the DAEL,
> >NIFL, NCSALL, NCL or any other organization is
> looking into the issue of
> >ACCESS.
> >
> >RESOURCES:  In September 2000 the National
> Literacy Summit 2000 Action
> >Agenda included  Action Agenda Priority 1:
> Resources, Outcome B: Action 2:
> >"Persuade Congress to appropriate $1 billion
> annually to the adult
> >education, language, and literacy system." In
> 2002 both the President and
> >Senate have requested $575 million for FY 2003
> for the AELS. This is the
> >same as for FY 2002.
> >
> >The Action Agenda Commitments: Is the Field
> Uncommitted?
> >
> >In a year 1 report of progress in the Action
> Agenda,  some 163 commitments
> >were made by 69 organizations for action they
> were going to take in future
> >years to further the National Literacy Summit
> 2000 Action Agenda. In year
> >2, however, I have checked the National
> Literacy Coalition’s web pages for
> >the Action Agenda and found only three
> commitments by the NCL for year 2,
> >and these are the same as in year 1. There is
> no year 2 report of
> >commitments like that of year 1. Further, the
> NIFL has dropped a link to
> >the Action Agenda from its web site and no
> loner refers to it on its home
> >page, suggesting a drop in the NIFL’s
> commitment to the Action Agenda. 
> >Likewise, there is no link to or discussion of
> the Action Agenda at the
> >NCSALL web page to the Action Agenda.
> >
> >At the present time, then, it seems to me that
> during 2002, the National
> >Literacy Summit 2000 has not had much action
> from the field or from any
> >national leadership that would help achieve
> the Action Agenda’s goal of
> >moving the adult education, language, and
> literacy system, however
> >defined, from the margins to the mainstream of
> education in the United
> >States. Instead, it appears that since the
> Action Agenda was released at
> >the Literacy Summit of 2000, there has been a
> downhill decline in action.
> >
> >This leads me to wonder if there is actually
> much interest anymore in the
> >Action Agenda among either the original
> sponsors and formulators of the
> >Agenda, or the rest of the adult literacy
> education field, either?
> >
> >Well, we are at the start of year 3, and there
> are still several years to
> >go before we reach 2010. Perhaps things will
> pick-up in these out years.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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> >
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