[NLA] building policy vision

[David J. Rosen]

George and others,

I think the National Coalition for Literacy is focusing on 1. and has 
also gone a long way in addressing 2. with the National Literacy Summit 
documents.  I understand that within a day or two, on the NCL Website, 
there will be two important documents which focus on national adult 
literacy policy across a range of federal legislation -- an omnibus 
literacy legislation concept.

When these are issued, I am sure Jon Randall will let us know.  I think 
it will be useful for us all to read them.  I have read preliminary 
versions and believe they address many of the key issues which have been 
raised here, and in other adult literacy policy forums.  The National 
Coalition for Literacy is a representative national organization, a 
coalition of national adult literacy organizations which many in our 
field are members of.  This agenda was arrived at with a representative 
process, imperfect, to be sure, but representative nonetheless.

This is the time for advocates to grab an oar and help keep the adult 
literacy ship from taking on water, possibly going down.  If we row hard 
enough, we can get out of the storm of the next few years with minimal 
damage and then sail toward sunnier skies.

And, just for the record, I am not part of the National Coalition for 
Literacy (although I am an active participant in one of the national 
organizations which is a member.) I have not attended any of their 
meetings, including the National Summit. But I believe, from what I have 
seen, that the agenda they have arrived at is sensible, and that it 
represents most of the key national public policy issues we need to try 
to address now.

Thanks, George, and others who have already faxed and called your 
Senators and Representatives. For those who haven't yet, now is the 
time. We have a lot at stake. If not now, when ?

David J. Rosen
NLA List Moderator



George E. Demetrion wrote:
> My sense is that a two-pronged strategy is needed:
> 
> 1.  Continuation and strengthening of the on-going work of operating
> year-to-year, without which the field could lose a great deal
> 
> 2.  Long-term envisioning/planning that may or may not be directly
> correlated to the first objective.
> 
> I agree with you, Sissy, that with all the important work of putting out
> fires and saving the field from imminent demise, year-after year, there's
> little time or energy for longer-term focusing and positioning.  And
> given all the energy needed to accomplish objective # 1, it's easy for a
> sense of unreality and skepticism to overwhelm serious efforts at long
> term, out of the box thinking.
> 
> I think that part of the answer is that a different set of folks need to
> be in the leadership front for objective # 2, but there has to be a good
> deal of synergy and trust between those in leadership positions for both
> efforts and a need for a lot of bridge building.
> 
> Other comments?
> 
> George Demetrion
> sophocles5 at juno.com
> 
> 
> On Sun, 26 Jan 2003 14:46:33 -0500 "sissy kegley" <skegley at us.net>
> writes:
> 
>>Eileen,
>>I can appreciate your inquiry. 
>>Personally, my response would be that advocacy cannot be sustained or
>>effective without the bigger picture. I suppose that goes for the 
>>range
>>of adult ed & literacy & many other issues as well.
>>
>>As far as adult education and advocacy is concerned, I see 2 things:
>>One is, as someone intensively involved with
>>'on-the-job-learning-as-we-go' advocacy, I CRAVE more insight on the
>>themes and principles underlying policy issues in adult education,
>>across the board.
>>
>>Secondly, I get the sense (but I do not have the whole picture) that 
>>the
>>folks who do represent the leadership in terms of advocacy in adult
>>education, are so stretched and limited (and, undoubtedly, frustrated)
>>by the continuous need to 'put out fires' that there's seldom the
>>opportunity to engage in bigger-policy-issue planning. 
>>
>>Granted, I'm not part of any group of behind-the-scenes strategizing;
>>I'm speaking as an individual who, for lack of a better image, feels a
>>bit like the little rubber ball bouncing around the pinball machine
>>randomly crashing into local-then-state-then-national-on-and-on 
>>advocacy
>>issues.
>>
>>I assume part of this is the result of the economy crashing at all
>>three, local state and national, levels.
>>
>>Speaking of that, I would think the Chisman report could be a starting
>>point in a discussion about identifying unifying themes and 
>>principles.
>>
>>Sissy Kegley
>>skegley at us.net
>>301-588-4333
> 
> 
> 
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