AleFamilyLiteracyKatrinaAction
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New York Times Letter on Adult Literacy in New Orleans
From: comingjo@gse.harvard.edu
Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] New Orleans
Date: September 15, 2005 7:51:32 AM EDT
To: aaace-nla@lists.literacytent.org
The following letter appears in today NYTimes:
Literacy in New Orleans
Published: September 15, 2005
To the Editor:
"In Reviving New Orleans, a Challenge of Many Tiers" (news article, Sept. 12) describes the large-scale task of rebuilding infrastructure, housing, businesses and services.
The people of New Orleans need help to make them strong enough to overcome the cycle of poverty that the storm revealed.
One component must be educational opportunities for adults to improve their literacy and math skills, gain a high school credential, and move on to postsecondary education or training for skilled, well-paying jobs.
Before the storm, almost 50 percent of the city's working-age adults had low literacy and math skills or lacked a high school diploma. Providing them with an opportunity to improve themselves is also a big task, but one that is just as important as the effort you outlined.
John Comings
Cambridge, Mass., Sept. 12, 2005
The writer is director of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, Harvard Graduate School of Education.
John Comings, Director
National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy
Harvard Graduate School of Education
7 Appian Way
Cambridge MA 02138
(617) 496-0516, voice
(617) 495-4811, fax
(617) 335-9839, mobile
john_comings@harvard.edu
http://ncsall.gse.harvard.edu
From: loujyesnola@netscape.net
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Re: AAACE-NLA New Orleans
Date: September 15, 2005 9:49:34 AM EDT
To: aaace-nla@lists.literacytent.org
I write to give an "amen" to John's point!
As the Director of what was the largest non local education agency (school district) in New Orleans and a founding member of the Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans I am able to attest firsthand as to the nature of the problem of adult illiteracy John has described. Additionally, I have an idea as to a possible solution.
I am trying to mount a literacy assistance program for the New Orleans area evacuees wherever they have ended up. There was a report on the Tom Joyner program regarding the fact that many of the evacuees were/are too illiterate to complete various forms and related documents required for them to receive assistance.
The Louisiana Dept of Education’s Adult Ed. Division was to allocate some $800,000++ for Adult Ed. Services in the New Orleans area, primarily via the New Orleans Public School’s Adult Ed. Department. Since there is no one in the Greater New Orleans area to serve, those $$$$ should be used to provide services to the evacuees.
Said services could/should be tied to vocational training so as to prepare evacuees to return home and participate in the rebuilding of the City of New Orleans and make a living while doing so. A process that will not start anytime soon, thereby giving the program at least 12 to 18 months to work with folks preparing them for their return home..
My vision is the formation of an alliance between Proliteracy America & the YMCA of Greater New Orleans, who have been partners for nearly 30 years, which establishes a program to provide literacy services for the evacuees.
Peter Waite, of ProLiteracy America, is on board with the concept as are the folks at the “Y”. The issue is “where would the money come from to support the program?”. I say LA Adult Ed, & FEMA.
If my idea makes sense to you help me to create synergy for the program.
Lou C. Johnson, Executive Director
YMCA Educational Services (YES!)
2525 Canal Street
New Orleans LA 70119
504-566-READ(7323)
504-568-1938(FAX)
National Faculty-YMCA of the USA
Member, Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans Board of Directors
Member, Louisiana Coalition for Literacy Board of Directors
Member, South Central Literacy Action Board of Directors
Member, ProLiteracy Worldwide Board of Directors
Literacy And Justice For All!
"We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community...Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and our own." --- César E. Chávez
From: cbrown5@jefferson.k12.ky.us
Subject: RE: [AAACE-NLA] Re: AAACE-NLA New Orleans
Date: September 15, 2005 11:48:49 AM EDT
To: aaace-nla@lists.literacytent.org
Here in Louisville, we adult educators are helping out the Salvation Army to assist with such things for the Katrina folks. Our ABE Program also has a cooperative relationship with the local employment office and will be helping them there. In fact, the last report I had was that area employers and service agencies are "fighting" (in a friendly way of course) over who gets to help first and how much.
What a great city I live in!
Charlene Brown,
ABE Coordinator
Jefferson County Public Schools
Adult and Continuing Education
Jacob Annex
3670 Wheeler Avenue
Louisville, KY 40215
502-485-3797
From: edith.gower@literacyusa.org
Subject: RE: [AAACE-NLA] Re: AAACE-NLA New Orleans
Date: September 15, 2005 1:17:03 PM EDT
To: aaace-nla@lists.literacytent.org
Hi Lou et al,
Literacy USA is engaged in supporting the new literacy coalition in Baton Rouge and helping the Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans to get back on its feet, likely in partnership with Baton Rouge. The network of literacy coalitions across the country is reporting assisting those displaced by the hurricane. Those feeling the greatest impact nearest the hardest hit areas are especially eager to coordinate efforts to help victims improve their basic literacy skills in the context of employment skills necessary for rebuilding. I applaud an alliance between the YMCA and ProLiteracy and see a far larger coordinated effort as well.
Best,
Edith
Edith Gower, Executive Director
Literacy USA
5433 Westheimer Road, Suite 215
Houston, TX 77056
713-961-7475
FAX: 713-961-4775
edith.gower@literacyusa.org <mailto:edith.gower@literacyusa.org>
www.literacyusa.org <http://www.literacyusa.org>
From: david@collings.com
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Fwd: Katrina Statement from NCL
Date: September 15, 2005 5:43:47 PM EDT
To: aaace-nla@lists.literacytent.org
The message below and the attached Word document are courtesy of Dale Lipschultz.
David C.
Forwarded message from dlipschu@ala.org -----
Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 15:25:28 -0500
From: Dale Lipschultz <dlipschu@ala.org>
Reply-To: Dale Lipschultz <dlipschu@ala.org>
Subject: Katrina Statement
Press Release
Dale Lipschultz, president of the National Coalition for Literacy (NCL), said
today that the National Coalition for Literacy and its member organizations
wish to express their deepest concern and sympathy for their fellow Americans
struggling with enormous personal loss from the Gulf Coast disaster. Those
left homeless and jobless by the storm and its aftermath will need materials,
assistance, and access to information, and some may need help managing the
system to rebuild their lives. The NCL is encouraging its member organizations
and local literacy programs across the country to help as they can to relieve
some of the critical needs. For example, they can assist those victims whose
lack of literacy and health literacy skills may be a barrier to filling out
FEMA and other benefit forms. We encourage Congress, in allocating emergency
funding, to acknowledge the relationship between poverty and low literacy and
to take into consideration the role of adult education in helping adults and
families to establish long-term security in their jobs, lives and communities.
Dale Lipschultz
Literacy Officer, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services
American Library Association
50 East Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 800-545-2433, ext. 3275
Fax: 312-280-3256
Build Literacy @ Your Library
www.buildliteracy.org
From: loujyesnola@netscape.net
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Re: AAACE-NLA New Orleans
Date: September 16, 2005 6:04:38 AM EDT
To: aaace-nla@lists.literacytent.org
Sandra, et al...
In as much as New Orleans area evacuees are now, reportedly, in every state in “The Union” calls, emails and other forms of contact with local, state and federal level elected politicians regarding this particular problem would go a long way to garnering the kind of broad based support need to bring my idea to fruition.
Across America there must be a “ground-swell” as well as a “hue & cry” that basic literacy skills development assistance coupled with vocational skills training be provided to every New Orleans area evacuee who is found in need of them. That is the only way they will stand a chance of living a better life than the one they had the day before Hurricane Katrina ripped the lid off on America’s <dirty big secret>! As someone noted in an earlier posting, “Nearly every major city in America has a similar population of “invisible, poorly educated citizens, living at the margin.”
The Hurricane Katrina disaster makes it possible for America to truly become “The Land of the Free” as well as “The Home of the Brave”.
This means that YOU must be "Brave" and utilize every ounce of influence you have in your community to shine the light of attention on getting the aforementioned literacy and training assistance effort underway if the New Orleans area evacuees are to have a chance of forever being "Free" of the oppression of poverty begat largely by illiteracy.
If not YOU! WHO?
If not NOW! WHEN?
UNITED BY OUR ENDEAVORS
Lou C.
--
Lou C. Johnson, Executive Director
YMCA Educational Services (YES!)
2525 Canal Street
New Orleans LA 70119
504-566-READ(7323)
504-568-1938(FAX)
