 |
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
From the Trenches: Nearly 10 years after the National Literacy Act was passed by Congress, the leader of the national literacy movement and the sponsor of the Act in the U.S. Senate, Paul Simon, hosted a National Forum on Literacy. In Simon's invitation to participants he stated that:
"The purpose of this national literacy forum is to dream again. By dreaming, we set high goals. We think creatively to find new solutions to old problems. We don't look at the past and talk about what went wrong. Rather, we look to the future and talk about what can be done right." To assist in carrying out the mission, Simon, now the executive director of the Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, invited national stakeholders representing various organizations heavily involved in literacy to a two-day intensive retreat in Carbondale March 26-27, 1999, to discuss the mission and determine where we've come in literacy and where we need to go. In addition to national stakeholders key participants included students who have become spokespeople for adult students involved in literacy efforts. Twenty-four people gladly accepted his challenge to serve on a working group draft "Literacy Recommendations for the Next Century." The opening session was introduced and led by Simon who continues to be the national cheerleader for literacy. The first of two panels providing testimony consisted of four adult learners who spoke eloquently about what it meant to be adult learners. They also responded well to Simon's questions about why they entered literacy programs, what kept them attending programs to meet their goals, and what was it that programs did to help them achieve their goals. The panel's message was clear and powerfulthere are many adults like them who need to be touched by literacy, and there was no doubt that their experiences had significantly changed their lives. As a part of the forum, SIU President Ted Sanders and his wife hosted a luncheon for Barbara Bush at Stone Center where guests were treated to her wonderful warmth and continuing support for literacy since leaving the White House. The Barbara Bush Foundation raises funds to support family literacy activities throughout the country with special emphasis on Massachusetts and Texas, home states for the Bushes. (NOTE: On April 29, this year's Barbara Bush Foundation grants were announced and four of the 13 awards went to Illinois family literacy projects, which have been funded by the Secretary of State Literacy Office/Illinois State Library, and participated in an extensive evaluation project with the Literacy Office. All four projects: Blue Gargoyle Youth Service Center, Chicago; National Lekotek Center with Chicago Commons Employment Training Center, Chicago; Tolton Center/De La Salle Institute, Chicago; and Common Place, Peoria, have strong library components, a requirement for funding through that office). Following Mrs. Bush's speech to a full house at Shryock Auditorium on the SIU campus, Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian, facilitated the second panel of experts, which included Ohio Congressman Tom Sawyer, House sponsor of the National Literacy Act; Peter Waite, executive director of Laubach Literacy; Andy Hartman, director of the National Institute for Literacy; and Sharon Darling, president of the National Center for Family Literacy. Panelists outlined key components of literacy and offered suggestions on steps to bring literacy to the attention of all concerned citizens. The real work of the conference then began for those invited to be on the working group. Working group sessions began at 6 a.m. and went until 9 p.m., and then reconvened the next day from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. The goal
* Judith Rake, Director, Literacy Office, Illinois State Library/Office of the Secretary of State, Springfield 152 of the working group was to reach consensus on a course of action, which would be recommended to the nation through a press conference to be held at the end of the meeting. In preparation for the conference, working group members had forwarded to the Public Policy Institute their "dreams" about moving the literacy agenda onto the national scene once again. These statements became the starting draft. The tone at working group sessions was set by Simon, who skillfully listened to all who offered suggestions and opinions, and then after each session carefully summarized what he had heard. I was especially impressed by the wide range of suggestions and the tolerance and respect with which all were heard and their opinions acknowledged. Three such sessions of dialogue and synthesis finally provided Simon with the recommendations, which were released at a press conference as the forum ended on Saturday afternoon. The final recommendations of the forum appear at the end of this article as well as a list of participants. The forum has strong implications for libraries in general and Illinois libraries in particular. The recommendations are a strong statement about the significant role libraries can play in bringing literacy issues to the forefront of the national agenda. The first two recommendations put libraries in a key organizational role: Increase the number of people interested in literacy and organize their efforts more effectively. Library directors in the largest community in each county, working with groups already in the literacy field, should call a small meeting of leading educators, religious leaders, welfare officials, community college representatives, adult education leaders, officers of groups with community social concerns and representatives of business and labor. Strengthen and clarify the role of libraries in providing literacy programs and services. While many libraries have played very active roles in local literacy efforts here in Illinois, these recommendations would call for a recommitment of local libraries to literacy efforts and a fresh look at how those libraries not as active can play a role. During the next two years, the Literacy Office of the Illinois State Library will be piloting some local efforts where libraries will act on the recommendations from the forum. A task force of librarians and adult educators will be formed to develop a series of programming options for library literacy efforts and then seek to involve all Illinois libraries in some level of literacy partnership in their local communities. The kickoff for our efforts will be a National Libraries and Literacy: Partners and Perspectives Conference, sponsored by Secretary of State Jesse White and the Illinois State Library. The conference will be held September 7-9, 1999, in Chicago and will feature presenters from across the country to share their expertise and vision for the most effective library/literacy partnerships. A conference Web site provides up-to-date information on conference sessions, presenters and registration information. Following the conference, the Web site will summarize the activities and key outcomes of those partnership discussions. If you are interested in working with us or in finding out more about our efforts for increasing library literacy partnerships, go to http://www.library. sos.state.il.us/literacy/Llppindx.htm. Senator Simon and the working group have issued a very real challenge to libraries and librarians as leaders in their communities poised to bring together all those agencies and people who will work in partnership to serve the local literacy needs. It is those local partnerships that can make the real difference. In her usual quiet but strong way, Barbara Bush summarized what these local partnerships can mean for students in her speech at the forum:
"Another reason why literacy matters is because I believe, and the experts will tell you, that if more people could read, write and comprehend, we'd be much closer to solving many of the serious problems that we face today, such as teen pregnancies, drug abuse and violent crime. You've heard of "crime of passion"; but when you think about it, the problems I just cited are more like "crimes of hopelessness," and literacy can help fill that void, giving people more hope in their future. Literacy can change lives. I know this is true. Like many of you, I've seen it happen." The Recommendations (The first two recommendations are mentioned previously in this article.) Recognize literacy training as an effective anti-crime tool. Every prison should have a required literacy program, with incentives for prisoners to improve their skills. Launch a major campaign to encourage people who have skill deficiencies to seek help. Offer significant tax incentives to employers to foster greater work-place literacy and educational opportunities. 153 Escalate and expand efforts to identify and analyze learning disabilities, particularly in early childhood. Incorporate the opportunity to obtain basic literacy skills into all human service activities, particularly at welfare offices and employment offices, which deal with huge numbers of our citizens, many in great need of these skills. Expand family literacy and recognize parents are central to increasing the focus and quality of education services, particularly those in the preschool and early elementary years. Encourage public schools to support high school completion beyond the established age restriction by working with GED, adult literacy and other community agencies to ensure access to needed educational services for adult students. Encourage more volunteers and at the same time develop a greater cadre of well-trained professionals in the field of higher education. Make the field of adult education and literacy training more professional by implementing certified courses of study and regular training opportunities for teachers and volunteers. Interview those who have dropped out from literacy programs to determine what changes are needed to retain students. Explore the disparity between where adult education is most urgently needed and where such programs are made available. Provide more assistance, such as day care and transportation, to adult learners while they are being trained. Expand efforts to measure the progress of literacy efforts. A National Literacy Report Card should be published at least every two or three years. Implore communities and the corporate sector to expand literacy instruction beyond traditional program settings to a continuum of literacy and training services in settings such as the work place, home, libraries and other community sites. Participants:
Michelle Calabaza, adult learner 154 |
|
|