From [LIBRARY-LIT:2635] News Release from CAAL
The Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy released a new publication, LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE: The State Role In Adult Education & Literacy. This 37-page report is written by Forrest P. Chisman, Vice President for Special Projects at CAAL (formerly past president of the Southport Institute for Policy Analysis and author of Jump Start (blueprint for the National Literacy Act of 1991). http://www.nifl.gov/library-lit/2002/0124.html

To subscribe to any NIFL discussion list go to: http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html

From the U.S. Department of Education : Paige Announces $132.9 Million Reading First Grant for California

From the U.S. Department of Education : Paige Kicks Off New School Year in Detroit

The Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers television series is making its debut on WETA/Channel 26 in Washington, DC, this September, and will air on many other PBS stations later this fall. http://www.readingrockets.org/series.php

Health Literacy Month is almost here. Celebrated in October, this annual event is a time for health literacy advocates everywhere to raise awareness about the need for understandable health information. To learn about Health Literacy TeleClasses visit http://www.healthliteracy.com/ and click on “TeleClasses.”

Literacy & Education News of Interest

From the Christian Science Monitor : Immigrants' first stop: the line for English classes, August 27, 2002
The Tower of Babel has relocated – to the beginning class in English as a Second Language (ESL) at Jewish Vocational Service.

From the Detroit Free Press : New literacy plan to target teens, adults, August 26, 2002
ABCs for success will include reading stations for tri-county students, tutors

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette : A late bloomer learns to read, August 25, 2002
With the help of tutors from the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, a woman overcomes her obstacles one word at a time

From entertainmentnewsdaily : The Verve Music Group Announces Al Jarreau As the First National Literacy Champion for Verizon, August 28, 2002
GRP/Verve recording artist and Grammy(R) Award-winning vocalist Al Jarreau has been named as the first national Verizon Literacy Champion, donating his time and image to help bring attention to the critical problem of low literacy and to raise funds for the issue.

From WorldNetDaily : Defining whole language, August 27, 2002
The other day, I received an e-mail from a lady in California who asked, "What on earth is the whole-language system?"

From Arab News : Why don’t we read?, August 26, 2002
Several years ago when I was trying to get a job here, I discovered that what I had studied for my master’s degree was a largely unknown subject.

From the Daily Yomiuri : Bookworms endangered, August 24, 2002
As I walk down the street, I quite often get the blues. This is because the stores lining the road are on the decline and bookstores, particularly, are folding one after another.

From Canada NewsWire : The Value of Literacy... Canada Post Announces the Winners of the 2002 Literacy Awards, August 27, 2002
How valuable is the ability to transform signs and characters into words and sentences? While many Canadians take these skills for granted, the winners of this year's Canada Post Literacy Awards know first-hand the personal and economic value of literacy.

From PRNewswire : Verizon Commemorates 9/11 By Supporting the First Annual United Day of Service, August 26, 2002
On Sept. 11, thousands of youth in all 50 States and the District of Columbia will begin to perform volunteer service projects in honor of those lost in last year's terrorist attacks.

From the Jakarta Post : Readers today, leaders tomorrow, August 27, 2002
It is often said that the children of today will be the leaders of tomorrow. However, hardly do we hear one say that the readers of today will be the leaders of tomorrow!

From the Daily Yomiuri : Japan perspective / Reading needs of young unmet, August 27, 2002
Young people's lack of interest in reading books has been causing concern in Japan since the end of the World War II.

From the Sacramento Bee : California gets $133 million to fund reading programs, August 24, 2002
The state will receive nearly $133 million from the federal government over the next year to pump up literary programs for grades one through three, according to U.S. Department of Education officials.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette : Word is out on how schools can get funding for reading, August 26, 2002
Which reading program for kids works best? It's not a rhetorical question anymore.

From the Washington Post : Opinion: It's Not Easy To Exaggerate D.C. Illiteracy, August 28, 2002
Take the results of the 2002 Stanford 9 Achievement Tests for District high school students, those people preparing to head off to college or into the world of work: Of 16 high schools, only one, Banneker, reported that more than half of its students had received a score of "proficient" in reading.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch : Required summer reading helps teens learn art of procrastination, August 26, 2002
"Summer homework" is an oxymoron that only barely complies with the laws of the universe.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer : Summer reading program spurs second graders, August 26, 2002
When Loveland students return to school Tuesday, at least one group of second-graders will be ahead of the curve, thanks to their first-grade teacher who ran a book club over the summer.

From the Honolulu Advertiser : Schools face foreign language: English, August 26, 2002
Ask a teacher at Ala Wai Elementary how many languages are spoken on campus and she'll smile indulgently.

From the Boston Globe : Struggle rages over bilingual education law, August 25, 2002
Two months before Massachusetts voters decide whether to dismantle bilingual education, groups on both sides of the issue have begun girding for the final push in what is expected to be an acrimonious battle for support.

From the Las Vegas Review-Journal : School lessons big on Spanish, August 29, 2002
Walker Elementary in Henderson uses immersion method for bilingual learning

From the Guardian : Mouth mirrors language brainwaves, August 30, 2002
Researchers have solved the mystery of a baby's babble.

From the China Daily : Doctor urges sex-literacy drive, August 28, 2002
The sex lives of many Chinese couples are tainted by ignorance and fear, according to the results of a recent nationwide survey.

From allAfrica.com : Closing the Gender Gap in an Era of Digital Divide, August 23, 2002
Women and rural communities in all parts of the world are waking up to the reality of information communication technologies, including computer technologies like Internet and email.

From the Plain Dealer : Eulogies for e-books premature, August 26, 2002
When several publishers closed their electronic book operations last year, industry pundits were quick to proclaim the end of the e-book, essentially burying the trend before it ever had a chance to get started.

From the Chronicle of Higher Education : Students Complain About Devices for Reading E-Books, Study Finds, August 26, 2002
E-book technology needs some improvement before students will be willing to use e-books instead of textbooks, according to a report on a study conducted at Ball State University.

August 17 - August 23

From [NIFL-FAMILY:1249] FW: Celebrating Labor and Literacy Days
On September 2nd, our nation honors America’s workforce and celebrates Labor Day. Later that week, on September 8th, the U. S. and the rest of the world celebrates International Literacy Day. Labor and literacy have a close, historical connection in adult literacy education in the United States. http://www.nifl.gov/nifl-family/2002/0676.html

From [NIFL-WOMENLIT:2235] Women and Literacy (posting from Tom Sticht)
Celebrating International Literacy Day, September 8, 2002
Traditionally, nations have emphasized the education and literacy development of boys and men. The failure to focus resources on girls and women shows itself in the international literacy statistics compiled by UNESCO. http://www.nifl.gov/nifl-womenlit/2002/0392.html

To subscribe to any NIFL discussion list go to: http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html

From the U.S. Department of Education : Paige Announces $132.9 Million Reading First Grant for California

From the National Center for Education Statistics : Projections of Education Statistics to 2012

The Adult Literacy Media Alliance (ALMA) Web site, www.TV411.org, brings basic skills education directly to adults anytime, anywhere, free-of-charge - just by logging on to the Internet. TV411.org is filled with hands-on lessons and activities in reading, writing, and math that learners can use with or without the assistance of an instructor. Each lesson is truly interactive, utilizing a variety of game-like formats.

Literacy & Education News of Interest

From the Christian Science Monitor : Opinion : The GED at 60, August 22, 2002
The battery of five exams known as the General Educational Development Tests – or GED – was introduced in 1942 to give veterans an opportunity to finish high school. Sixty years later, the American Council on Education reports that in 2001 the number of test-takers surpassed 1 million for the first time.

From the Financial Times : Literacy drive pays political dividend in India experiment, August 20, 2002
Gokul Bai was until recently just one of India's 350m army of illiterates. As a member of India's Dalit - untouchable - caste, as well as a woman, Ms Bai's illiteracy was almost a given.

From allAfrica.com : Illiteracy Hampering Fight Against HIV/Aids, August 20, 2002
HIV-AIDS and sex education in Namibia are rendered ineffective by a high illiteracy rate and an inability by the majority of people to grasp the English language, say some community leaders.

From the Scotsman : Adults urged to improve basic skills, August 18, 2002
The Education Secretary is urging adults who have difficulty reading, writing and adding up to sign up for basic skills courses.

From the Washington Post : Learning the New Language of Labor, August 20, 2002
As Latino immigration transforms parts of the U.S. labor, religious and political landscape, a growing number of workers are tackling classes in at least "survival Spanish."

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer : Nursing home fires employee for speaking Spanish on the job, August 20, 2002
A nursing home has fired a nursing assistant here, accusing her of speaking Spanish at work and violating its English-only rules.

From Michigan Live : Phonics finds favor in Michigan schools, August 19, 2002
Michigan's 31,000 teachers in public kindergarten to third-grade and special education classes are in line to be trained in a traditional phonics method to help get kids reading by age 9.

From the Baltimore Sun : Phonics-based curriculum could be in trouble in city, August 17, 2002
As a deadline approaches for selecting literature textbooks for Baltimore schools, there are signs that a highly successful phonics-based reading curriculum may be in trouble.

From the New York Times (free registration required) : Mayor Bloomberg's Test: Teaching the Teachers How to Teach Reading, August 23, 2002
The real measure of a school district is how well it deals with the 4 in 10 children who have difficulty learning to read and are at risk of never learning at all. In New York City the answer has been: Not very well.

From the SchoolDaily : The Cooper Column: The debate on reading, August 19, 2002
Our educational debates and controversies tend to be single strands rather than wholes. This leads to simplistic solutions. The debate about reading is an example of this.

From the Christian Science Monitor : Tips for motivating children to read, August 21, 2002
Good reading skills are important. But how do you get your child to pick up a book?

From the San Antonio Express-News : Third-graders must pass reading test or stay back, August 19, 2002
Half of the third-grade class at Pershing Elementary School failed a statewide reading test last year.

From swissinfo : School structure blamed for poor literacy, August 16, 2002
To improve poor literacy among pupils, Switzerland should abandon its policy of separating children according to their academic ability.

From the Detroit News : Literacy camp enriches kids, August 19, 2002
Students involved in summer camps may be more ready to plunge into the traditional school year.

From the Chicago Sun-Times : It's summer, but they still hit books, August 19, 2002
One week after classes ended for the school year, Alyssa Bartolini dived into the first of five books all incoming Morgan Park Academy eighth-graders must read over the summer.

From the Rocky Mountain News : Students back in class, August 20, 2002
The students in Antwan Jefferson's classroom at Montbello High School are years past Sesame Street and singalongs, but they share at least one big trait with their younger peers. They are still learning to read.

From the Arizona Republic : School tells teachers to speak English only, August 19, 2002
Teachers at PT Coe Elementary are shocked by Principal Lesa Thomas' request to keep Spanish out of their playground, cafeteria and hallways.

From the Arizona Republic : Molera backs district on its Spanish ban, August 20, 2002
Arizona schools chief Jaime Molera says he still backs a Phoenix school district's plans to ban Spanish from its campuses, even though the Isaac Elementary School District made a hasty retreat Monday from its initial proposal.

From the Arizona Republic : Opinion : Banning Spanish only closes doors, August 22, 2002
Let us first agree that learning English is a very good and necessary thing. It does not follow, however, that knowing and speaking Spanish is a bad thing.

From the Santa Fe New Mexican : Bilingual import, August 19, 2002
Amalia Francisco Mendaña of Madrid, Spain, was busy last week making a voice meter, a construction-paper reminder for students to use their inside voices.

From the News and Observer : Dual-language program gets under way this week, August 21, 2002
Josephine Harris spearheaded the district's English as a Second Language program as well as its new dual-language immersion program, which begins this week.

From the Mercury News : Parents in Palo Alto school district want choices for children's language training beyond Spanish, August 22, 2002
Carrie and Philippe LeRoy wanted their 7-year-old son, Eric, to start this school year in a French-language immersion class, where he would learn about geography and gravity primarily in French and a little in English.

From the Sacramento Bee : Charter school a boon to immigrant families, August 20, 2002
Vladimir and Zinaida Chern-enko tried to be involved in their children's education, but the Ukrainian immigrants said something was missing.

From the Indianapolis Star : School is designed for kids with language learning needs, August 19, 2002
As the parent of a special-needs child, Kathy Hoskins grew frustrated with the educational services provided at her son's public elementary school.

From the Christian Science Monitor : Homeless kids steered into regular schools, August 20, 2002
Everyone agrees it is of paramount importance that the nearly 1 million homeless children in the United States have access to public schooling. But when it comes to the question of what kind of school they should attend, consensus disappears.

From the Seattle Times : Opinion : Teaching parents how to help children learn, August 20, 2002
Dorothy Rich has rescued me again.

August 10 - August 16

From the U.S. Department of Education : Paige Announces $9.8 Million Reading First Grant for Arkansas

From the National Center for Education Statistics : Public High School Dropouts and Completers: 1998-99 and 1999-2000

Literacy & Education News of Interest

From the Boston Globe : English language classes in short supply, August 15, 2002
Desperate to decipher the customs and curiosities of American life, immigrants to the United States have flooded into schools, local learning groups, and community colleges nationwide in their efforts to learn English. The problem is, there are not enough classes to satisfy the crowds.

From the Houston Chronicle : Health chief focuses on Hispanic disparities, August 15, 2002
The Texas commissioner of health says education is the key to overcoming the glaring disparities in health care among Hispanics and whites in Texas.

From the Des Moines Register : Iowa tops in nation in GED passage rate, August 12, 2002
Iowa leads the nation in the percentage of adults who passed a battery of tests last year to earn a high school equivalency diploma, a new report shows.

From Dawn : 'Women literacy to help check population growth', August 10, 2002
The government can check the population growth rate by adopting participatory approach and enhancing literacy among women.

From Associated Press : Swedish crown princess reveals she has dyslexia, August 13, 2002
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has revealed publicly that she suffers from dyslexia, a reading and writing problem long associated with the royal family but rarely mentioned by the court.

From the Arizona Republic : Ready, set, read, August 13, 2002
A child. A book. A connection.

From BBC News : Book drive targets children, August 10, 2002
Parents are being encouraged to take the time to read to their children as part of a new drive to educate Scotland's youngsters in their leisure time.

From the Boston Globe : Plotting a strategy to get your children to enjoy reading, August 15, 2002
OK, so ''Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space'' by Dav Pilkey is not the book you (or the teacher) imagined your third-grader reading over the summer.

From the Baltimore Sun : Reading program favored in survey, August 13, 2002
Most sixth-grader parents give initiative high marks; lack of feedback criticized

From the Washington Post : Differing Reactions to Mixed Scores, August 15, 2002
A controversial reading program boosted reading levels last spring, increasing the number of students in high and above-average reading groups.

From Business Wire : WWE, Weekly Reader, and KB Toys Team Up to Encourage Kids to Read; Free Posters for Public and School Libraries, August 13, 2002
World Wrestling Entertainment's(TM) Get R.E.A.L. (Respect, Education, Achievement, Leadership)(TM) program is partnering with Weekly Reader and KB Toys to encourage young people to read.

From PR Newswire : Adopt An Author - Free Teen Reading Program by NYT Bestselling Author, August 15, 2002
A prehistoric shark the size of an 18-wheeler, doomsday predictions from the ancient Mayans, and now...a futuristic nuclear-powered submarine with a "brain" that's becoming self-aware -- how could any teenager (or adult) resist these themes?

From the Christian Science Monitor : Bilingual Schooling, August 13, 2002
Here's a statistic that should grab the attention of everyone pushing for more effective public schools: Over the past decade, the number of students in the United States with limited ability to speak English has doubled, to 5 million.

From the Miami Herald : Broward parents see problema with lack of bilingual education, August 13, 2002
Karen Toulon checks up on her children's progress in Spanish every so often by dropping in a phrase from her own limited Spanish vocabulary.

From the Seattle Times : State to help Seattle adjust bilingual plan, August 15, 2002
The state schools superintendent will work with the Seattle School District to develop a plan on how to better acclimate immigrants into the classroom.

From the Denver Post : English-immersion measure OK'd for Nov. ballot, August 16, 2002
Petitions for a measure on the November ballot that would virtually abolish bilingual education in Colorado schools received the required number of signatures, Secretary of State Donetta Davidson announced Thursday.

From the Boston Globe : Officials to review bilingual initiative, August 15, 2002
In a setback to anti-bilingual education crusader Ron Unz's campaign, state officials are mulling whether to mention the Legislature's recent bilingual education reforms on the same November ballot carrying Unz's proposal in favor of English immersion.

From the Arizona Republic : Palomino drops its bilingual program, August 16, 2002
Palomino Elementary School teachers spent part of Thursday taking down the bilingual bulletin boards they'd so carefully created.

From the Indianapolis Star : District takes classes in English to new level, August 15, 2002
In Westfield, English as a second language programs mix academics, technology, and socialization to serve students throughout the globe.

From the Salt Lake Tribune : Education Gap Appears to Be Generational, August 13, 2002
While most Utah adults are becoming better educated, there are signs the state's two largest minority groups are losing ground.

From the News Journal : Opinion : Poor parents see education as rejection, August 14, 2002
As the debate about what causes the so-called achievement gap among students of various ethnicities goes forward, it is becoming evident that some of the old rationalizations do not hold water.

From the Washington Post : Exit Tests Hurt At-Risk Students, August 14, 2002
As more states adopt high school graduation tests, an increasing number of poor, black and Latino students are at risk of being denied diplomas because schools do a bad job of preparing them for the high-stakes exams, according to a report.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution : Early learning starts by teaching parents, August 15, 2002
A federal program born out of welfare-to-work and the need for better child care is addressing one of the most vexing problems in public education.

From T.H.E. Journal : Certification of Computer Literacy, August 2002
In Europe, job seekers can prove their mastery of many basic computer skills by showing employers their "computer driving license." Although new to the United States, the European Computer Driving License has created a recognizable computer literacy standard for employers and job seekers throughout Europe.

From the Plain Dealer : College on welfare: A tough subject that stokes debate, August 12, 2002
Life hasn't been smooth for John Case. When he was in eighth grade, he dropped out of school. When he grew up, he had to take any jobs he could get.

From Thursday Notes (Division of Adult Education and Literacy, U.S. Department of Education), August 15, 2001

Carol D’Amico at UN for International Literacy Day Assistant Secretary Carol D'Amico will celebrate International Literacy Day September 5 by participating in a Leaders' Roundtable on literacy at the United Nations. Joining her will be the Mongolian Ambassador to the UN, the managing Director of the World Bank, New York’s Mayor Bloomberg, and an adult learner. The UN Under Secretary General is slated to moderate the session. In addition to providing the learner for the panel, New York’s Literacy Assistance Center partners with UNESCO and the International Literacy Network to celebrate the success of adult learners and literacy practice that day. It’s not too late to plan your celebration. Contact ron.pugsley@ed.gov

CA Listening Session In the Works OVAE is planning a listening session on reauthorization issues this fall at California’s College of the Canyons campus near Valencia. This is just a “heads up” since the session slated for late October is still in the planning stages. The official announcement with all the details is expected in the Federal Register in a few weeks. Contact amie.amiot@ed.gov

AL: Doing Business In a New Location Alabama just announced it intends to transfer adult education and its supervision to the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, the administrative entity for the Alabama State Board. The transfer is to be completed by October 1, including moving several folks from Alabama’s state department of education to the postsecondary agency, says Bob Romine, Assistant to the Chancellor. Contact romine@acs.cc.al.us

The Science of Problem-Solving Skills: The Lighter Side Just what kind of skill is problem solving? Scientists at Oxford University's Behavioural Ecology Research Group recently got a glimpse of the problem-solving skills we all need. “Betty” the crow astonished them by bending a straight wire into a hook and using it to get food from a container, they told Science Magazine. Unsuccessful with the straight wire provided, Betty pushed the tip of the wire into a crack and bent it into a hook to get her goodies. She was able to repeat this skill nine out of ten times, using different techniques and making adjustments if her hook didn’t work. May all our problem-solving efforts be that successful. See http://www.sciencemag.org/ or http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/08/09/crow.betty/index.html

A Fact Sheet from the Division of Adult Education and Literacy Office of Vocational and Adult Education OVAE Homepage http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/

August 3 - August 9

From [NIFL-HEALTH:3753] Health Literacy TeleClasses
Health Literacy TeleClasses are live, interactive, telephone training sessions designed specifically for health professionals or those in health-related fields. Classes are scheduled now through September. Of note, one class each month focuses on Health Literacy Month. http://www.nifl.gov/nifl-health/2002/0256.html

To subscribe to any NIFL discussion list go to: http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html

From the U.S. Department of Education : Paige Announces Support for Reading First In Arizona, Michigan, And Utah

Literacy & Education News of Interest

From Education Update : Reading's New Rules, August 2002
This school year, under the reauthorization of the U.S. Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), states will receive $900 million in federal money to support reading instruction—three times the amount given to states last year. Despite this increase, however, some educators are concerned about the law's enhanced focus on scientifically based reading programs.

From Canada NewsWire : UNESCO literacy prize crosses high tech threshold of 21st Century Laureate Canada's National Adult Literacy Database, August 2, 2002
The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) earned exceptionally high recognition from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for its world-class production quality, content and service to the literacy community in Canada and abroad. NALD is the first Internet site to receive such a mark of distinction from UNESCO.

From the Dallas Morning News : Centers make it easier to compute, August 9, 2002
When Israel Barrera gets off work, he often settles in for an afternoon of actividades and ejercicios as he learns in Spanish the universal concepts of technology.

From PR Newswire : Verizon Foundation to Award $100,000 This Year to Link Literacy and Workforce Development in West Virginia, August 7, 2002
Verizon Foundation and West Virginia's seven regional workforce investment boards are teaming up to help improve literacy in the Mountain State.

From the Jersey City Reporter : After rough childhood, Learning to r-e-a-d at 50, August 4, 2002
Local woman finally achieves literacy, wins statewide award

From the Scotsman : Minister in bid to boost home reading, August 9, 2002
Parents are to be encouraged to read to their children more under a new nationwide scheme.

From the Baltimore Sun : Reading First puts 'scientific' mode first, August 4, 2002
This federal program's insistence on structured methods to teach reading pleases some educators and concerns others.

From the Salt Lake Tribune : Utah Lands $4.6 MillionTo Improve Reading Skills, August 8, 2002
In an announcement Wednesday, U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige said Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Michigan were the first states to receive grants under President Bush's education-reform initiative called No Child Left Behind.

From PR Newswire : Audio Recordings of NAA Foundation's 2002 NIE Conference Available for Download at No Charge on Verizon Reads Web Site, August 8, 2002
Verizon has posted the complete audio recordings of the Newspaper Association of America Foundation's 2002 Newspaper In Education (NIE) Conference on its Web site, http://www.verizonreads.net/nieconference2002 . Access to the streaming audio segments is free and can be heard using Real Player, which also is available free online.

From the Christian Science Monitor : Book bonding, August 6, 2002
Why aren't children forging stronger connections with literature, despite a national emphasis on reading?

From the Orlando Sentinel : Vital skills, August 4, 2002
Zahra Rashid starts kindergarten Monday, ready and eager to tackle a crucial task of her young life: learning to read.

From the Independent : Children's speaking skills in decline, August 3, 2002
Some would blame the parents, others the Teletubbies. Either way, children arriving at nursery school have apparently shown a marked deterioration in their speaking and listening skills in the past five years.

From the Baltimore Sun : 6th-grade reading program praised, August 8, 2002
The Anne Arundel County school board heard its staff deliver a glowing report yesterday on the first-year success of the expanded sixth-grade reading program - then heard parents call it a load of hooey.

From the Baltimore Sun : 14 schools going back to math, reading basics, August 8, 2002
Anne Arundel County Superintendent Eric J. Smith is implementing back-to-basics reading and math programs in 14 sub-par elementary schools - and he says that's just the beginning.

From the Miami Herald : Reading plan targets 16 struggling inner-city schools, August 4, 2002
The Miami-Dade County school district is implementing an ambitious, $6.7 million reading plan in the 16 inner-city schools that failed or nearly failed the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test to address illiteracy and underachievement at the schools.

From the Contra Costa Times : Braille advocates struggle to stem a tide of illiteracy, August 4, 2002
Technology's rise eases the need of blind youths to learn the once-vital skill

From the New York Times : Wave of Pupils Lacking English Strains Schools, August 5, 2002
Schools across the country, particularly in rural areas, are desperately short of people qualified to teach bilingual or English-as-a-second-language classes.

From the Associated Press : Group: Tests Shortchange Students, August 6, 2002
As Pennsylvania and other states try to meet new federal education mandates that increasingly emphasize standardized tests, legal advocacy groups fear that students learning English as a second language are getting lost in the shuffle.

From the Boston Globe : Opinion : Bilingual breaththrough, August 6, 2002
In the 30-year history of bilingual education in the United States, no state legislature had ever approved a major reform until Massachusetts lawmakers did so last week.

From the Boston Globe : In advance of initiative, Swift signs bilingual bill, August 7, 2002
Acting Governor Jane Swift yesterday signed a sweeping overhaul of the state's 31-year-old bilingual education program, hoping the changes will persuade voters to reject a November ballot question that would replace bilingual education with English immersion.

From the Boston Herald : Ballot challenge could upend new bilingual ed law, August 7, 2002
A major overhaul of the state's bilingual education regulations was signed into law yesterday by acting Gov. Jane M. Swift, but a November referendum that would mandate that all children learn English at a faster pace could ultimately trump the new law.

From the Denver Post : Report: Bilingual-ed fears 'exaggerated', August 5, 2002
Opponents of bilingual education are fighting "an exaggerated opponent," according to a new study that says few Colorado students are even in bilingual programs.

From the Sydney Morning Herald : Aboriginal languages to be saved, August 10, 2002
Disappearing Aboriginal languages will be taught in schools from 2004 because, state officials have disclosed, there are no indigenous children in NSW who can speak their native tongue.

From the Calgary Herald : Western education called detriment to aboriginals, August 9, 2002
Natives learn more skills in own language

From Thursday Notes (Division of Adult Education and Literacy, U.S. Department of Education), August 8, 2002

NH: CBOs Backbone of System Any state whose motto is Live Free or Die has to have plenty of backbone. And State Director Art Ellison says three major community-based organizations (CBOs) are the “backbone” of NH’s adult education system. Unlike most other states, NH devotes 40% of all state and federal adult education funding to CBOs. These organizations are strong throughout the state and historically have offered job training and adult education services. They employ most of the full-time adult education teachers and offer programs in the morning, afternoon and evening. CBOs also offer a range of support services that may be unavailable from local school providers. Because the nonprofits have such a well-trained and capable staff, the state frequently calls on them to provide professional development to other programs, including training on the National Reporting System. Contact aellison@ed.state.nh.us

Record Numbers of GED-Takers Tested in 2001 Numbers of adults taking the General Educational Development (GED) test in 2001 broke previous records as learners pushed to earn a GED in advance of changes in the test this year. About one million adults took one of the five parts of the GED, a nearly 32% increase in GED test taking. Folks taking the earlier version had to complete all parts in 2001 or start over with the new version this year. Also spiraling was the number of persons with disabilities requesting accommodation for the GED test and the number of candidates taking the Spanish language version. See http://www.acenet.edu/news/press_release/2002/07july/ged.release.html

Are You Serving “Hypergrowth” Latino Destinations? Adult education programs serve some “hypergrowth” cities whose numbers of Hispanic residents increased at more than double the national rate, according to a new report of Census data by the Pew Hispanic Center. These locations once had small Hispanic populations but now have large ones taking root in the suburbs where jobs are. Among the 100 largest metro areas whose Latino growth exceeded 300% from 1980 to 2000 are: Raleigh; Atlanta; Greensboro; Charlotte; Orlando; Las Vegas; Nashville; Fort Lauderdale; Sarasota; Portland (OR); Greenville (SC); West Palm Beach; Washington (DC); Indianapolis; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Fort Worth; Providence; and Tulsa. Raleigh led with a 1,180% growth in Latino population. According to the Center, the economic downturn has not slowed Latino population growth. Planning more English literacy programs, everyone? See http://www.pewhispanic.org Click Latino Growth in Metropolitan America and go to Table 3.

A Fact Sheet from the Division of Adult Education and Literacy
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
OVAE Homepage http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/