Community Literacy2
From LiteracyTentWiki
From: djrosen@comcast.net
Subject: [SpecialTopics 342] Re: Defining Community Literacy
Date: June 25, 2007 8:13:16 PM EDT
Carl, Jeff, Kathy, Margaret, and others
We are all familiar with adult literacy education at the individual (student) level, and many of us know it at the program (or school) level. We also know it at the state level, that is, we know the state as funder, standards setter and policy-maker, monitor and evaluator, and perhaps in some states as a leader in promoting literacy. But please say more about what adult and family literacy means at the community level. Is this just a collection of all the providers of literacy to children and adults? Does it require that these providers -- and other stake holders -- come together to assess, plan, collaborate in some way? Is this -- at least in some cases -- a "system" of adult and family literacy at the community level? Some people are wondering, for example, how community literacy might be different from family literacy.
David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion Moderator
From: djrosen@comcast.net
Subject: [SpecialTopics 343] Re: Community Literacy
Date: June 25, 2007 11:32:52 PM EDT
Hello Darlene,
I wonder if you have some examples of how literacy coalitions are doing this -- positioning literacy at the top of the community's agenda.
Thanks,
David
David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion Moderator
From: Janet_Isserlis@brown.edu
Subject: [SpecialTopics 344] clarification? Community Literacy
Date: June 25, 2007 9:27:24 PM EDT
Are we talking about what community literacy is, as viewed through a provider's lens, and/or are we exploring what it is that community literacy - however broadly it may be defined - does for people in communities?
It seems that the key - or a key - to the conversation has to do with access - to information, understandings of systems, decision making and power.
Janet Isserlis
From: yohogclc@earthlink.net
Subject: [SpecialTopics 345] Partnerships in an era of competition
Date: June 25, 2007 8:21:44 PM EDT
Securing federal funds for literacy services is a competitive process, as is the private grant process. In light of this, what needs to happen in a community so that partnerships can flourish? Perhaps concentrate on developing projects that either don't cost money or that are funded by various sources pooled together?
Debbie Yoho
From: DoughtyHRC@aol.com
Subject: [SpecialTopics 346] Re: Community Literacy
Date: June 26, 2007 12:04:02 AM EDT
Hi All - If we believe in educational equity the concept of 100 percent literacy is critical to our vision for the future. In many communities I hear benchmark discussion taking place leading incrementally toward a community wide vision. The idea of setting community benchmarks to increase literacy levels by 5% or 25% is very commendable but what happens to those who fall outside that target? When does literacy get raised to a top priority where the value of education is elevated throughout all neighborhoods because individuals and families have evidence that it does make a difference? Margery, I think this is where community power dynamics are so important. We can help raise literacy levels for those we can cream from the top, look as if we are doing a good job, but still not impact those who would most benefit.
This is where community literacy can make its mark. Community literacy cannot just be a collection of providers if it to make substantive change. It must be a ‘system’ as you suggest David. The cities that have developed community literacy plans have involved all sectors and stakeholders in the planning process, have included learners of all ages, and have embraced the concept of community wide literacy infusion. With a blueprint to guide progress there is also a framework to move away from reliance on vertical silos and collaborate horizontally across program types and funding streams. This includes all levels from block clubs to neighborhood centers, zip code projects to city halls and business board rooms. Where each stakeholder endorses and implements a part of the plan and funders align their giving to support specific goals in the plan ownership can begin to belong to the community at large. In the early 1990’s there were only a dozen or so literacy coalitions. There are currently over 75 that I know of and probably many more that are working to position literacy as a top community priority, some very successfully.
Margaret
From: djrosen@comcast.net
Subject: [SpecialTopics 347] Day Two: Developing and Sustaining Community Literacy Coalitions
Date: June 26, 2007 12:05:55 AM EDT
Community Literacy Discussion Colleagues,
Welcome to those who have joined the discussion after it began. The message below tells you where you can see the archived messages so you can quickly catch up.
Our question for Tuesday is: How are Community Literacy Coalitions Developed and Sustained?
This is a big question with a lot of parts:
• How do providers approach potential partners (other providers, businesses, social services, local government)?
• How do local partnerships generate the financial support they need to meet the literacy needs of their communities?
• What resources are needed for effective community literacy collaboration?
• How do providers sustain partnerships over the long haul?
• How do community-based literacy efforts survive transitions in leadership?
• What are some good examples of community literacy coalitions?
• What are some incentives and strategies for strengthening community literacy?
• How do community literacy coalitions or partnerships assure the quality of instruction? Is this an issue? If so, what are some ways quality gets addressed?
• Are there performance measures for community literacy? If so what are they?
• How can we learn from the experiences of other countries, particularly those that have built successful literacy movements?
• What steps can we take to ensure that adult learners and other residents in the learners' communities are providing leadership to community literacy initiatives?
I invite our guests, and everyone with experience in community literacy, to respond to any of these parts. There may be lots of responses so we'll probably stay on this question at least through Wednesday. It's also fine to continue to discuss the definition question from Monday. As we will be discussing many things, however, please be careful that the Subject line of your posting reflects the actual content of your message.
Two other things:
1) Mac users, if you had trouble downloading or viewing the presentations from the National Institute for Literacy Community Literacy Summit, try using a browser other than Safari, for example Firefox or Internet Explorer. http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/community/communityliteracy.html
2) The Web Address for the Build Literacy Web site is: http://www.buildliteracy.org/
David J. Rosen
Special Topics Discussion Moderator
djrosen@comcast.net
From: heide@literacywork.com
Subject: [SpecialTopics 348] models of successful collaboration?
Date: June 25, 2007 8:20:53 PM EDT
Hi, Kathy! Nice to see you on-line.
Kathy is there a particular community that stands out in your study as having a particularly successful collaboration? I'm knee deep in issues around immigrant integration and I wonder what particular approaches create a win-win situation for all community partners.
I'm aware of partnerships that are in name only, as everyone gets together ostensibly to collaborate but then nothing much happens beyond talk. As a panelist at the Spokane conference on transitions mentioned (and I paraphrase)"agencies often want others to collaborate but are unwilling to give on turf issues. The message sent is - we'll be happy to use your money to do something special, but we need all of our monies to do what we are already doing. Partners need to realize that on some issues you come out ahead in a collaboration and in others you don't."
The question is of course for the entire list: What does it take to build successful partnerships around a common goal and what are examples of partnerships that work because there is significant "value added" through the collaboration that results in better opportunities for community members.
Cheers
Heide
Heide Spruck Wrigley
LiteracyWork International
Mesilla, New Mexico
From: DSKostrub@aol.com
Subject: [SpecialTopics 349] Sustaining Community Literacy Partnerships
Date: June 26, 2007 9:06:03 AM EDT
The Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition has been in existence since 1989. It credits its sustainability to several key components such as 150 literacy collaborative partnerships, a strong board, skilled staff and diverse funding. However, the top two ingredients for long-term success have been putting business partners in the leadership of the board and involving major media in every aspect of promoting the coalition's work. The very strong engagement of business and the media in all aspects of coalition work has helped to spread tremendous awareness of literacy need and literacy solutions.
Darlene Kostrub
From: andy_nash@worlded.org
Subject: [SpecialTopics 350] Re: clarification? Community Literacy
Date: June 26, 2007 9:11:27 AM EDT
I think I share this confusion. So far, it seems that we’re defining community literacy as partnerships that focus on building a shared priority of literacy development. Another way to view it is literacy in service to the community. Years ago, we experimented with partnerships between individual classes and community organizations doing work on issues of interest to the students. These included partner organizations working on housing discrimination and day labor issues. The classes developed their language and literacy skills as they learned about and worked on those issues (resulting in a bilingual video about housing discrimination and a community survey on labor issues – data used to supplement policy papers). Is there a connection between this approach and the kinds of community literacy you’re discussing?
Andy Nash
World Education
From: s.cuban@lancaster.ac.uk
Subject: [SpecialTopics 351] Re: Sustaining Community Literacy Partnerships
Date: June 26, 2007 9:35:54 AM EDT
hi all,
I've been following the last couple strands of the conversation, and thought I'd use this as an opportunity to tell you about my two new books on this topic. one is partners in literacy: schools and libraries building communities through technology (co-authored) http://www.amazon.com/Partners-Literacy-Sondra-Cuban/dp/0807747963. the other one is: libraries serving new immigrant communities http://www.amazon.co.uk/Serving-New-Immigrant-Communities-Library/dp/1591582970/ref=sr_1_3/203-6931350-3907950?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182864801&sr=1-3
Both deal with adult literacy, ESOL, technologies, sustaining community-based education and making literacy links across institutions.
Thanks and take care,
Sondra
From: kbyrnes@unitedway-cny.org
Subject: [SpecialTopics 352] Re: Sustaining Community Literacy Partnerships
Date: June 26, 2007 10:20:13 AM EDT
I am impressed Darlene with all that you are doing in Palm Beach.
Please discuss sustainability as it applies to your Coalition in terms of the diverse funding.
Are you the LEA (Lead Educational Agency) for all Literacy funding? Do you disburse literacy funds to partners? Are you the convener when there is a grant opportunity? If so, tell us how you built that trust level with other providers.
Do you provide the leadership for writing grants? Can you identify some of your primary funding streams. Thanks.
Kathy Byrnes
Katherine Byrnes
Coordinator
Family Literacy Alliance of Greater Syracuse FLAGS
United Way of Central New York
From: joan@ipns.com
Subject: [SpecialTopics 353] Defining Community Literacy to include people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Date: June 26, 2007 11:24:11 AM EDT
Hi,
My name is Joan Guthrie Medlen. I'm a registered dietitian working primarily with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the area of health promotion. I am thrilled to see a topic of "Community Literacy." I have been involved in "health literacy" for a couple of years. This is my first exposure to the notion of community literacy, which is something I work with daily in supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their network of direct support pro9viders and family members.
Based on my experiences with health literacy, I suspect that issues for including this population in the discussion about community literacy is are similar to the including them in health literacy.
There is a body of literature regarding teaching literacy skills to people
with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but it is limited to the
classroom. The vast majority of adults living in the community did not
benefit from an effective literacy program, though they are interested in,
and able to continue to learn literacy skills. There is a great
community-based book club for people with I/DD that is showing the
interest in books, reading, and litearcy skills is common, but access and
support is very limited (www.nextchapterbookclub.org).
I am wondering if anyone has any experience with tools that improve community literacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). This is especially important as there is a push (a good one) to move away from institutional,group living situations to more community situations. However, community living makes literacy issues - of all types (symobl-based, sign language, computer assisted litearcy) - a very important piece of being able to navigate life successfully.
In addition, special educators have broadened the definition of "literacy" to include symbol-based literacy and computer assisted literacy. In health litearcy, the definition has been broadened to include the ability to use the information avaialble - thus including actions based on what the person understands. (Health literacy is the ability to find, understand, and use health information to improve health).
Is there any research or practice in a) basic issues of community literacy for people with I/DD, b) use of the typical supports for literacy for people with I/DD as found with AAC and special education in efforts of community literacy? c) use of positive behavior supports as a way to improve community literacy?
And last, what are your thoughts and feelings about including the issues related to this group? Many of the issues they face are similar to those faced by the elderly (with increasing dementia and need for caregivers), people learning English as a second language, and those with low literacy skills.
I'm excited to hear this special topics discussion. Thank you for your good work!
Sincerely,
Joan
Joan Guthrie Medlen, RD, LD
Healthy Lifestyle Coaching for All Ages and Stages
www.DownSyndromeNutrition.com
Clinical Advisor for Health Literacy and Communications,
Special Olympics, Inc.
From: jcarter@dclearns.org
Subject: [SpecialTopics 354] Re: clarification? Community Literacy
Date: June 26, 2007 10:52:23 AM EDT
From my perspective, the phrase "community literacy" is most useful
if it's used as a way to get people thinking about the role/impact of
their literacy work in their respective communities, and for
communities to think about how literacy impacts their community.
I don't think I would recommend employing the phrase as a term to simply describe all the available venues for literacy services in a given community beyond those provided by the school system or community college systems. At least that wouldn't be useful to us here in D.C.
Jeff Carter
Executive Director
DC LEARNs
From: jcarter@dclearns.org
Subject: [SpecialTopics 355] Re: clarification? Community Literacy
Date: June 26, 2007 12:22:58 PM EDT
Is it possible to come up with a useful definition that encompasses
both of these things: shared priority of literacy development within
communities and literacy in service to the community?
What they might have in common is that they both suggest some kind of relationship between literacy development and community needs and goals.
Jeff Carter
Executive Director
DC LEARNs
From: literacyworksmer@ameritech.net
Subject: [SpecialTopics 356] Re: Community Literacy
Date: June 26, 2007 12:33:31 PM EDT
>The cities that have developed community literacy plans have involved all sectors and stakeholders in the planning >process, have included learners of all ages, and have embraced the concept of community wide literacy infusion.
Margaret,
Hello, thanks for mentioning the importance of systemic change. I'd like to learn more about what's happening now and would be eager to hear details. Could you (or any listserv subscriber) share examples of some cities that have implemented comprehensive community literacy plans? Do you know of URLs to web resources describing any of these cities and their plans? How do such plans determine that literacy levels are increasing? If these plans have the goal of 100% literacy, how soon are they expected to achieve that, and are there benchmarks along the way? Thanks!
Betsy Rubin
Literacy Works
Chicago, IL
From: rene@brchamber.org
Subject: [SpecialTopics 357] Re: Community Literacy
Date: June 26, 2007 11:53:09 AM EDT
Jose',
I am very new to the literacy issue in terms of leading the effort for our community as Interim Executive Director for about two months, although I served on the Board of Directors previously. On top of that, our Literacy Coalition just launched officially in the last year. One of the big challenges we face is answering the question for community leaders "why should I care?" We really do need proof that this will indeed impact crime, families, businesses, etc. Most of them recognize the need to invest in K-12 education and even at the community college and university level, but their attitude towards adult education is not so warm. How can I say it best...there tends to be a tendency for them to "judge" adults who lack basic and workplace skills as lazy, etc. and there is more resistence to the idea of supporting adults who seek improved literacy skills. Our literacy levels are staggering...with an estimated 35% of our population in the Greater Baton Rouge area functioning at the below basic level.
The positive is that our community has embarked on a real effort to become a "learning community." Our chamber and industry alliance recently released a workplace report that shows there is a hidden workforce in our community of about 100,000 people -- many who need some type of training to enter the workplace or be promoted. Our community is facing a labor shortage in terms of qualified workers.
We have an opportunity to tie this to literacy. You say there is "data to prove this is true" ...I'm assuming this is national data? I'm sure this is obvious the rest of you who have been doing this for a while. Please excuse my learning curve.
From: Sandra.Grant@schools.utah.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 358] Re: Partnerships in an era of competition
Date: June 26, 2007 11:54:32 AM EDT
Maybe what communities need is training in community mobilization – how to get things done. It’s a training that the Southwest Center located in Oklahoma used to do to help communities look at their needs and how to work together to get them in place. I don’t know if the center is still in existence but we do have a trainer in Utah that used to work for them and it has helped a number of communities work together.
Sandra grant
Utah State Office of Education
From: carole.a.scholl@co.multnomah.or.us
Subject: [SpecialTopics 359] Re: models of successful collaboration?
Date: June 26, 2007 12:01:33 PM EDT
Hello from the Londer Learning Center--we're one of the centers profiled in the Community Partnerships in Adult Learning study. We're a center that works exclusively with adults who have been released from prison or jail (and who are on parole/probation), as well as with adults engaged in substance abuse treatment or under court supervision of some sort. Heidi is correct in mentioning a common goal. In our case, we've had very successful partnerships due to a common goal--re-entry and rehabilitation.
We are fully funded by county-operated community corrections, so our partners are judges and POs, but also all the local drug/alcohol treatment centers. Improving their education is a way for our high-risk adults in transition to change their lives--not only in developing skills, but also due to the "pro-social" involvement that a school setting provides, and all the interpersonal skills gained in such a setting. The community colleges and local one-stops also support our work as they cannot provide the services we do to such clientele.
Unfortunately, it is often difficult for our county to see our unique "public safety" role. Every year when budgets are drawn, we are on a list of programs to be cut. However, it is the support of our community partners that ultimately saves us (so far) from the budgetary axe. The treatment centers and one-stops are exceptionally vocal in saying that this educational service is vital to the re-entry and rehabilitation efforts that everyone is engaged in.
Carole Scholl
Manager, Londer Learning Center
Multnomah County Dept. of Community Justice
Portland, Oregon
From: jcarter@dclearns.org
Subject: [SpecialTopics 360] Re: Day Two: Developing and Sustaining Community Literacy Coalitions
Date: June 26, 2007 1:07:01 PM EDT
On Jun 26, 2007, at 12:05 AM, David J. Rosen wrote:
>Our question for Tuesday is: How are Community Literacy Coalitions Developed and Sustained?
D.C. LEARNs was created over ten years ago in response to drastic budget cuts made to adult literacy in the District at that time. A crisis is a great way to bring people together, although surely not the most desirable method. Nonetheless, my guess is that we are not the only coalition that came together in this way.
The trick for a coalition formed in this way is to figure out how to keep going after the crisis is over. I think D.C. LEARNs suffered for a period because they had not really defined a role for the coalition post-crisis. About two years ago, after I had come on board, our board and our coalition members developed a new strategic plan that has been essential tool in defining who we are to the community and in keeping us focused. For those who are interested, you can take a look at it here:
http://www.dclearns.org/documents/spfinal.pdf
1) Mac users, if you had trouble downloading or viewing the presentations from the National Institute for Literacy Community Literacy Summit, try using a browser other than Safari, for example Firefox or Internet Explorer. http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/community/communityliteracy.html
Or, using Safari, you can control-click the link and select "Save Linked File As..." to download the file and then open it in PowerPoint (Safari will want to append ".txt" to the file. Make sure that the file name ends in ".pps" or the Mac won't recognize it as a PowerPoint file.) In any case, whether you use Safari or Firefox, you'll need PowerPoint to open the files.
Jeff Carter
Executive Director
DC LEARNs
From: amandaleslie-spinks@islandnet.com
Subject: [SpecialTopics 361] Community literacy
Date: June 26, 2007 1:40:29 PM EDT
Hello everyone.
I think that grasping community literacy can be a question of grasping all those intangibles in the word "community" first. In other words, "community literacy" must be more that an inventory of all the services and/or providers in a given area, although those inventories are important. (They can be the first step in finding the cracks that so many learners fall through, if they are not the right age, don't live in an accessible area, don't have the right employment or health status etc.--all the barriers that come up as a result of discreet public funding "pockets", competitive grant policies etc.)
In trying to think through the specificity of "community literacy", it helps me to start from broad ideas of community. For instance, I think community is something sustained--something that provides an ongoing context for work. Even when funding is short-term, community seems to be an ongoing resource pool of ideas and energy and values. "Community" also seems to be about things like participation, awareness, quality of life, non-commercial values. From this starting point, "blue sky" thinking about what community literacy could look like includes seeing learners (a group that includes everyone) in the context of community. Designing literacy support services for people in a human context should work better than designing services for people who are being fitted into rigid and changeable funding contexts, or into competitive provider-driven definitions of services.
A little idealism can be a good thing!
Amanda Leslie-Spinks
Regional Literacy Coordinator;
Victoria Region, B.C.
Canada
From: williamsk@readingworks.net
Subject: [SpecialTopics 362] Re: Community Literacy
Date: June 26, 2007 2:10:08 PM EDT
This has been an interesting discussion for me because I have been invited to the table of our Workforce Investment Board and another Workforce Collaborative in our community. I am able to bring the issue of literacy to the table and integrate it in the decisions that are made about developing and training our workforce. In fact, they are looking to our organization to direct the development of a new workforce training academy they want to open in the coming year. When I approached my board today with the idea, they wanted to make sure we stayed focused on our goal of being about literacy but at the same time be open to being used for the greater goal of workforce preparedness. I think the arena of workforce preparedness is a great one for community literacy and there is money which can be put toward it. Our organization has positioned itself to receive referrals from our welfare department and employment department whenever there is a reading or math assessment given for all those scoring in the remedial levels. I see us as the gatekeeper watching over those who would be "cast aside" because they lacked sufficient literacy and math skills and helping them feel empowered to learn and succeed in passing in the future.
Karen Williams, Director
Stanislaus Literacy Center
1224 I Street
Modesto, CA 95354
From: kchernus@mprinc.com
Subject: [SpecialTopics 363] Re: models of successful collaboration?
Date: June 26, 2007 3:13:40 PM EDT
Hi Heide and everyone.
You’ve clearly articulated some of the challenges of partnering we found when we visited twelve communities that have come together to support adult and family literacy a few years ago (Darlene’s Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition was one of the partnerships we visited). I’ll respond to David’s question about what community literacy means separately, but I think true partnerships mean real collaboration and these types of partnerships have the potential to create a system of adult and family literacy within a community.
When we began searching for promising partnerships, we looked to the literature to identify characteristics of successful partnerships and expanded these after the site visits. Examples of these include: -Strong leadership -Putting the needs of the community first -Broad participation from the community (including adult learners) -Mutual respect and trust among the partners -A willingness to give up turf issues -Open and frequent communication among the partners -Flexibility to meet the changing needs of their communities -Collaboration on many levels, among the leadership and staff -A diverse funding base
In addition, the partners recognized that the partnerships have to serve the partners as well as the community (one partner described it as “mutual self-interest”).
One result of many of partnerships we studied was increased community awareness of and support for adult literacy. For more details about how and why these partnerships work, you might want to look at Commitment Comes in All Shapes and Sizes, a report that summarizes our findings http://www.c-pal.net/profiles/synthesis.html.
It would be hard to select just one example from these partnerships. They’re all so different. Some focus on the needs of immigrant and refugees (Heide you might be particularly interested in the Juntos partnership and the Cedar Riverside Adult Education Collaborative), some are part of a statewide initiative, one is library-based, some are business-driven, some focus on correctional education, and some offer family literacy programs. Some include one provider and others include several (publicly funded as well as community-based non-profits). Some are the hub of multiple partnerships (like Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition), and others involve a single partnership.
To view a list of the partnerships that includes brief descriptions and links to the full reports see http://www.c-pal.net/profiles/index.html
Thanks.
Kathy
Go back to Community_Literacy 1
Go on to Community_Literacy 3
Go back to Community_Literacy
