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<DIV>Art is right: "It's killing us, but it's what we must do to retain funding." If the NRS is the product of a group in opposition to adult ed, I wonder if it is time to begin discussing what the alternatives might be to embrace fully the challenge of accountability, construct a quality assurance mechanism, and still grow in responsiveness, retention, etc. It seems to me that if we must take our cues from the business model, we should begin with the assumption that "the customer is always right". After all, we work with adults. In this country adults expect choices and they retain the power to chart their own course. What would be the implications of an accountalibity system based solely on learner enrollment, retention, and learner program evaluation? At the Proliteracy conference in San Diego, I offered the observation that it is ususual that we are a federally-funded program that is NOT required to set up consumer watch groups, like the School Improvment Councils and Title One parent groups in K-12. Those mechanisms are not adequate, but at least represent a beginning to insure that "marketplace forces" impact the program. Of course, to begin discussing this it must be accepted that those who consume adult ed services are capable of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a program. As for testing progress, there are, thankfully, many ways to do this. The NRS attempts to standardize this process to the point where participation is discouraged. There has to be another way. I recognize it is far too early to argue convincingly for changes to a system barely in place, and the decision-makers will no doubt be the last ones to see the need to re-examine the NRS, but I think for those of us at the grass roots, the handwriting is already on the wall. </DIV>
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<DIV>Deborah W. Yoho</DIV>
<DIV>Co-moderator, NIFL-Health and</DIV>
<DIV>Executive Director</DIV>
<DIV>Greater Columbia Literacy Council</DIV>
<DIV>921 Woodrow Street, Columbia, SC 29205</DIV>
<DIV>803-765-2555 Fax 803-779-8417 <A href="mailto:dwyoho@earthlink.net">dwyoho@earthlink.net</A></DIV>
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