[NLA] Policies for "Double Duty Dollars" in the UK and US

[Thomas Sticht]

Research Note			January 29, 2003

The Use of the "Double Duty Dollars" Strategy in Policy and Practice of
Adult Literacy Education in the United Kingdom and the United States in
2003

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

In a 1983 report entitled "Literacy and Human Resources Development at
Work: Investing in the Education of Adults to Improve the Educability of
Children" (ERIC number ED262201) I pointed out that literacy could be
developed in the context of teaching job-related skills and this would
provide a more cost-effective approach to training and education. It would
be useful in interesting employers in becoming involved in providing basic
skills training to employees or potential employees, and it could help
motivate adults to engage in basic skills education because they could
perceive a functional use for what they learn.  Additionally, I noted that
there was reason to believe that if adult’s basic skills were improved,
this might lead to improvements in the literacy of the adult’s children
through the intergenerational transfer of literacy from parents to their
children.

Through these approaches to adult literacy education, I argued that we
could get "double rewards" for our adult education money. Over time I
wrote other papers and gave talks in the United States, Canada, the United
Kingdom, and New Zealand calling for getting "double duty dollars" for
adult education monies through the use of (1) the intergenerational
transfer strategy and (2) the functional context strategy of teaching
basic skills in the functional context of relevant, meaningful content for
adults.

The year 2003 marks 20 years since the 1983 report on Literacy and Human
Resources Development and the call for getting "double duty dollars" when
investing in adult literacy/basic skills education. Interestingly, two
examples of the use of the "double duty dollar" strategies of functional
context education and intergenerational transfer of literacy from parents
to their children have recently appeared in policy and practice projects
in the United Kingdom and the United States. Adult education and literacy
development specialists may find these projects of use in their advocacy
for and practice of adult literacy education. Following are brief
summaries and links to further information for these two examples of the
use of the "double duty dollar" strategy in adult basic skills education
in 2003.

THE "DEVELOPING EMBEDDED BASIC SKILLS" PROJECT IN THE UK

In 2002 the central government in the United Kingdom initiated the
Developing Embedded Basic Skills (DEBS) project, an action research
program funded jointly by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the
Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit in the Department for Education and
Skills (DfES), and managed by the Basic Skills team at the National
Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) (online information about
the DEBS project is available online at:
http://www.niace.org.uk/Research/BasicSkills/Projects/DEBS.htm)

The December 2002 newsletter of the DEBS project explains that, "embedded
language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) refers to courses, experiences and
activities which develop the learning of these skills in the context of
another course, experience or activity. The course, experience or activity
must include appropriate teaching and learning to develop sustainable,
transferable skills (not just use them within the course or assess them)."
The newsletter also points out that previous terminology for ‘embedded’
includes "contextualised" and "integrated."

The policy context for the DEBS project is stated in the newsletter and
points out that :
"It seems pretty obvious that embedded basic skills need to be an
important part of basic skills provision over the next few years. The
current targets – 750,000 learners improving their skills by 2004 – are
tough, and the next set of targets for 2004-2007 – another 750,000
learners improving their reading and writing skills by one level – is even
tougher. This second set of learners, the ones who haven’t come forward
for basic skills courses so far, is likely to be the harder to reach. They
can’t or won’t come to discrete basic skills courses, so we are going to
have to embed literacy, numeracy and language in the courses they do want
to attend."

The DEBS project is currently running a total of 37 embedded basic skills
courses. It began in July 2002 and will end in March 2003, culminating in
a National Dissemination Conference on13 March 2003.

NATIONAL COALITION FOR LITERACY APPROPRIATIONS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FISCAL
YEAR 2004

In January 2003, the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL), consisting of
over 30 organizations concerned with literacy education,  released  a
white paper for FY'04 with its recommendations for appropriations for key
adult education, language, and literacy programs. The paper includes the
"double duty dollars" investment strategies. The following is an extract
from the NCL white paper. (available online at
http://www.nifl.gov/coalition/reports/ncl_fy04_approp_recs.pdf)

Begin Extract:
"A Legislative Position Paper on Adult Education & Literacy