[NLA] NIFL Director Letters to Congreesspeople -- update as of 9/22/02

[Eileen Eckert]

I ended up drafting a very simple message to my representative, but as I 
composed it in my head I gave some thought to the role NIFL has played in my 
learning and professional development. I share my thoughts because there may 
be others who haven't identified a compelling reason to write that letter.

NIFL has contributed to my development mainly through maintaining discussion 
lists (and archives) that I have used to develop my own thinking, get ideas, 
and get a sense of the thinking and practices of others in the field; and 
through support for research and publications such as Jennifer Cromley's 
"Learning to Think, Learning to Learn" (great resource!) and the EFF Content 
Standards. I don't know exactly what the connection is between NIFL, NCSALL, 
Focus on Basics, World Ed, and other adult literacy entities that have 
contributed to my learning. If someone could outline any relationship that 
would help me and maybe others define NIFL's part in their own learning.

Having identified the positive role of NIFL in my learning, I'd also like to 
say that my recognition and support is not an unambiguous endorsement of the 
status quo. I'd like NIFL to be more open and engage in more dialogue with 
the field; for example, George Demetrion has asked several times about 
NIFL's thinking about the role of EFF and not really gotten an informative 
response. Sometimes I feel there's an inner circle that is in the know and 
priveleged to participate in NIFL projects; maybe that's not really the 
case, but I know I'm not the only one who's felt it.

If I were at NIFL, I think I'd be wondering about the apparent lack of 
support from the field, and thinking maybe this is a wake-up call. I hope 
the staff of NIFL will use the EFF approach and evaluate the institute's 
relationship with the adult and family literacy community. In the meantime, 
I have sent a letter to my representative and I will follow up with a phone 
call this week. NIFL's not perfect, but it does some very valuable work, and 
I believe its focus on adults should not be lost.


>From: "David J. Rosen" <DJRosen at theworld.com>
>Reply-To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
>To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
>Subject: [NLA] NIFL Director Letters to Congreesspeople  -- update as of 
>9/22/02
>Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 09:27:36 -0400
>
>NLA Colleagues,
>
>From e-mail messages I received last week, at least the following
>Congresspeople were sent letters urging them to sign on to the NIFL
>Director "Dear Colleague" letter (and the Secretaries of Labor Education
>and HHS were mailed copies.)
>
>Mark Kirk, 10th district in Illinois (2 faxes)
>Michael Capuano, Massachusetts (2 faxes)
>Barney Frank,    Massachusetts (1 fax)
>Ron Simmons, 2nd District, Connecticut (1 e-mail).
>David Price, North Carolina (1 fax)
>Anthony Wiener, Brooklyn, NY (1 fax)
>Langevin, RI (Letter and call)
>Patrick Kennedy, RI (letter and call)
>Steve Rothman, NJ (Letter)
>
>Total: 11
>
>Thanks to these 11 people -- I hope others have sent their faxes but just 
>have not e-mailed me yet.  Or are the only people who contact their 
>Congresspeople about important adult literacy issues from the East and 
>Midwest?  Where is the deep south? (Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana 
>and Texas all have NLA list members.) Where are the northwest and 
>southwest. (California, Washington, Oregon -- there are NLA list members in 
>those states.) Where are the other midwestern states? (Indiana, Iowa.) It's 
>not too late.
>
>Can you spare 15 minutes for a good cause?
>
>David J Rosen
>NLA List Moderator
>
>
>
>
>
>
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