Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id f0I1I9903793; Wed, 17 Jan 2001 20:18:09 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2001 20:18:09 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <20010117.201042.6382.0.GDEMETRION@juno.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "GEORGE E. DEMETRION" <gdemetrion@juno.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:361] Searching for national models X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Juno 1.49 Status: O Content-Length: 7789 Lines: 158 Hello Colleagues: I wanted to share with you some information about a program concept we = have been implementing in Hartford, CT and also to seek input on how we = can strengthen and/or refine the model. First, an overview of Literacy = Volunteers of Greater Hartford's (LVGH) Community Literacy Initiative: __________________________________________________________________ Overview of Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford's Community Literacy Initiative Beginning on July 1, 2000, through the support of a three-year grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford (LVGH) has established the Community Literacy Initiative (CLI) to develop partnerships with ten city agencies over a two-year period. According to the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS), 41% of the adult population in Hartford functions at the lowest levels of literacy. This represents an enormous challenge to the ABE and adult literacy community in the city. Building institutional and organizational capacity to more effectively serve this population is one of the most important tasks facing provider agencies. The CLI is a response to this challenge. The goal of the CLI is to enhance community-based tutoring in ESOL and Basic Literacy throughout Hartford by creating custom-tailored programs responsive to the needs and unique opportunities available at each of the sites. A true partnership emerges between LVGH and the participating agencies, as both parties bring vital resources to the relationship. As a result, the network of collaborating agencies in taking on the vital work of providing adult basic education is both expanded and strengthened through the CLI. In the collaboration between LVGH and the community-based agencies: LVGH provides: a.. Custom-designed tutor training (pre-service and in-service support). b.. Guidance with curriculum development and materials selection. c.. On-going site supervision. d.. Program management consultation. e.. Assistance with student assessment. f.. Annual program review and evaluation The participating agency: a.. Recruits students either directly from the agency or from the surrounding neighborhood. b.. Recruits tutors or teachers from agency staff, clients or supportive volunteers. c.. Provides on-site space for small group tutoring. d. Maintains an on-going relationship with LVGH through an institutional agreement to sustain the relationship beyond specific staff changes at the program level. The values of the CLI both to the community and to LVGH are many: a.. Programming becomes increasingly accessible to students in highly supportive learning environments. b.. The project expands the city's capacity to serve more adults at the lowest literacy level. c.. The project expands the pool of organizations committed to adult literacy, thereby strengthening the cause of literacy in Hartford. d.. The project strengthens volunteerism in the community. The Community Literacy Initiative is a capacity-building project designed to meet the basic learning needs of adults within and through diverse communities in Hartford through a powerful network of collaborative partnerships. _________________________________________________________________ In Hartford we are working largely, though not exclusively with volunteers. One of the major goals of the Community Literacy Initiative is institutional capacity building where we identify agencies that have an intrinsic interest in integrating adult literacy or ESOL instruction within their organizations. A related objective is to establish sites in neighborhood and community centers throughout Hartford that are more accessible to residents than our single centralized center which serves about 125 students on a regular basis and to shift the ownership of the instructional program from the single provider (us) to the participating agency. On the model of the Community Literacy Initiative, the sites provide students, tutors, space for group instruction, support to the students either in case management, referrals, day care, counseling, or in other related areas. The sites also provide a staff liaison from the agency to coordinate the program with our staff. Beyond that we ask for an institutional letter of support from the agency so that the relationship is not based simply on program staff to program staff relationships, but institution to institution. We, in turn, provide tutor training and ongoing in-service support, oversight in curriculum design and materials development and acquisition, support with student assessment and annual program evaluation, along with continuous consultation. We're working with family resource centers, senior citizen centers, and other social service agencies. We are also cultivating a relationship with the city's Public Library to develop a program in one of theirbranches, and also in one of the city's major health clinics. In this first year we're experiencing some qualified successes, but still feel quite a distance from the goals of the project where the sites become autonomous literacy/ESOL centers incorporated into *their* agency's mission, vision, and organizational culture. In fact, many of the sites, though formally acknowledging the model, still seem to be waiting for our program to provide the impetus for their own program expansion, or so it seems to me. That is, for the most, the agencies we're working with still have not made the psychological and organizational commitment to the program in a manner that would reflect their ownership of the program, even though sites have come to us asking for programming rather than us seeking to recruit them. Though this is a matter of degree rather than an either/or phenomenon. Let's say things are "in process," though a distance to go before any critical mass reflective of the project's visoion is attained. I think, in part, what may be playing out within the psychology of the agencies is the prevelance of the more traditional provider-client relationship where the literacy agency is responsible for all the key aspects of the program, even though at least the new agencies where we've started programs this year, have *formally* accepted the equal partner relationship between the literacy and the participating agency. The fact that we're building this model largely on a volunteer tutor model is, perhaps, one of the formidable challenges. However, we believe that the model we've created is essential for any institutional capacity building in a city like Hartford where requests for services will always outstrip capacity and in providing services in neighborhoods and in settings more readily easily accessible to students who reside in proximity to these agencies. I would appeciate any reflections or questions about this model that anyone may have and particularly any suggestions as to how we might better grapple with the ownership issue. Also, perhaps others have worked with similar models. If so, you're insights would be greatly appreciated. Since this issue is germane to the focus of this list, public discussion may be best, though some may prefer to express certain comments privately. Either way. For those who are seeking to develop similar programs or have them underway, I would be more than happy to be a dialogue partner. The list may also be interested in instructional materials we have compiled or created on a wide array of topics related to the life application focus of the project. These can be downloaded at http://www.crec.org/atdn/teacher_resources/lvalifeapp.shtml Thanks for your interest. George Demetrion Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford Gdemetrion@juno.com Gdemetrion@msn.com Gdemetrion@lvgh.org
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