Summer 2001 Vol. 25, No. 2

by Karen Mundie, Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, PAACE President

In the last few years, Pennsylvania's adult education programs have enjoyed steadily increasing support on both the state and federal level. I hope that we have not become complacent. Those of us who have been in adult education for a long time still remember vividly the many years of level funding which strangled our programs and limited the services that we could offer to students and the support that we could offer to adult education staff.

If we are not vigilant, those bad old days could reoccur. I think that we are seeing in President Bush a politician well disposed towards education in general, but with adult education very low on his priority list for funding. If we do not take every opportunity to remind this administration of the importance of what we do, and the importance of federal support if we are to do it well, we could lose our momentum and return to the straitened days of the eighties and early nineties.

What can we do? Write, email, and phone our congressmen and -women. Don't wait until a budget vote looms--though certainly contact them then, too. Tell them about our successes and our needs. Offer examples of student accomplishments anecdotally. Include life skills, goal attainment, and test scores in our reports to them. Let them know that our students are making progress in life and learning because of our availability and dedication.

This is a time, still early in the Bush administration, when we must be visible. If President Bush is to be the education president for adults as well as children, he will need our help in defining what that means.

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New State Budget Boosts Adult Literacy Funding
by JoAnn Weinberger, Center for Literacy, PAACE Legislative Chair

FAMILY LITERACY LEGISLATION: Act 26 of 2001 was signed into law by Governor Ridge. This important legislation provides a permanent framework for family literacy as well as several technical amendments to the membership of the Interagency Coordinating Council.

PLEASE THANK THE GOVERNOR AND YOUR STATE LEGISLATORS FOR THE SUPPORT FOR ADULT BASIC AND LITERACY EDUCATION IN THE BUDGET AND THE FAMILY LITERACY LEGISLATION. We need to communicate with the policymakers every time something goes right, not just when we want something.

FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES: PAACE members who contacted their federal legislators about education issues are to be congratulated. Pennsylvania senators and representatives received numerous letters, but the award for the greatest number of letters from any one program goes to Jean Ann Pollard from Luzerne County Community College. Senator Specter, Senator Santorum, and Representative Kanjorski each received 45 letters!

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Family Literacy
by Mike Sobkowski, Bureau of ABLE, Division Co-Director

This article will be my last as Co-Director of the Family Literacy Division. As you know, we have begun our first formal election since the inception of our division in 1996. The request for nominations was sent out in March and I am pleased to announce that we have two nominees, Blanche Lozar and Ruth Love-Schooling. Both are well qualified, enthusiastic, and willing to "carry the torch" of leadership in our division for the next two years, beginning September 1. Election ballots were mailed out the week of June 25 with a July 31 deadline for return. Please contact me if you did not receive an election ballot form.

For the past three and half years, I have had the honor and privilege to serve as Co-Director with Josette Fuls of the Family Literacy Division in PAACE. The past few years have been somewhat of a blur with all the new initiatives and new programs. I am so proud to be a part of such a rewarding yet challenging movement. As I reflect back, some of my favorite memories are:

• Seeing our division grow from fewer than 20 members in 1996 to our current membership of over 140!

• Seeing Governor Ridge recognize the importance of family literacy with a proclamation designating November 1 as Family Literacy Day in Pennsylvania for the past four years!

• Seeing the growth of new family literacy programs with the advent of state funding that is now a permanent part of our state's Adult Education Act!

• Seeing the growth in library partnerships with the introduction of Summer Reading Program funding!

• Seeing the growth in the number and diversity of creative and informative family literacy program displays in the Marketplace at the Midwinter Conference!

• Seeing an increasing number of family literacy practitioners presenting at PAACE Midwinter and other state and national conferences!

• Seeing an idea of a family literacy quilt to present to Governor and Mrs. Ridge evolve into a statewide collaboration that will soon become a reality!

As my term draws to a close, I'd like to thank you all for your support and encouragement in helping shape the direction of our division. I look forward to joining you in supporting our new leadership in the advancement of family literacy in Pennsylvania.

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Adult Basic and Secondary Education (AB/SE) Division
by Mary Kay Peterson, Division Director

As the summer kicks in, the awareness of the GED clock ticking is growing! While at a low-grade panic currently, it is anticipated that a full-fledged panic will hit come September. The new GED 2002 will provide a better, more real-life learning platform for our students, once we have come to grips with the shift in philosophy and teaching styles.

To assist practitioners and programs make this transition as easy as possible, the AB/SE division will be holding regional sharing sessions. These Friday morning coffees will be an opportunity for practitioners to come together to vent, share lesson plans, and strategize on ways to ensure the continued success of our students as they prepare for the new GED 2002. The sharing sessions may be held in conjunction with the training provided by your local PDC, as well.

Information will be coming out via e-mail (without a virus attachment) and through the Fall PAACE News. Several members volunteered to host in their areas but it’s a big state! If you’d be willing to host a morning coffee, or whenever members in your area are available, let me know. You may e-mail me at mkpeterso@chesco.com.  Change is what adult education is all about and no one is better prepared to work with change than PAACE members! After all, the most common refrain is, "I learned a lot at lunch."

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PAACE Members Deliver Courses Online

The Central Intermediate #10 West Branch Technology Center is pleased to announce that several PAACE members are designing and delivering professional development courses online for The Electronic Classroom. Project Director Debra Burrows and staff members Ginger Shaffer, Mary Mingle, Lydia Hale, and Stefanie Williams are part of a team of CIU 10 instructors and course designers offering a full schedule of online courses beginning in September.

The Electronic Classroom, a project of the Central Intermediate Unit #10 West Branch Technology Center, was established in November 2000 to promote online learning. Creating a Technology Plan, Creating Searches and Reports in the LitPro Database, GED 2002 - Reading, Writing and Literature and the Arts, Recruitment of Adult Learners, and Presenting Your Ideas With Confidence are just a few of the courses available to adult education practitioners. Continuing Education Units and/or Act 48 credits are available. For a full schedule of classes and course descriptions or to register, please visit the Web site at http://www.wbtc.ciu10.com/eclass.

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PAACE: Bridging the Gap …
Seeking People to Make Our 2002 Conference Happen
by Linda Herr, Lycoming County Libr PAACE First Vice-President

PAACE Midwinter Conference
Hershey Lodge & Convention Center
February 13-15, 2002
We’re looking for a few good volunteers who have some time, an interest in working with others contributing energy and ideas for a good cause, and like an adventure. If this sounds intriguing, then we have the volunteer position for you!!! There are many opportunities for PAACE members to help with planning the Midwinter Conference. Some of the volunteer opportunities are needed now; for instance, finding all that free fun stuff we get at the conference. Other opportunities, closer to the conference date, would be to serve as part of a committee working with the newspaper tabloid, which comes out before the conference, and the Conference program book. If you would like more information about volunteering or if you would like to submit a proposal for a concurrent session, please contact me at lherr@jvbrown.edu or call (570) 321-0200. The Call for Proposals is on the PAACE Web site: www.paacesite.org/pdfs/cfp.pdf.

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Online PAACE Brochure Being Developed

PAACE Membership Chair Dave Manzo of Luzerne County Community College has been working with Technology Committee members Angie Parrett and Stefanie Williams of the West Branch Technology Center, Lock Haven, to develop new online information for PAACE members.

A new PAACE brochure is being developed as an online presentation. Members and potential members will be able to go to the brochure Web site and find out about program divisions, member services, activities, and other information. The membership form will also be available at this Web site.

The PAACE Board of Directors approved development funds for this project in March 2001. At the June Board meeting Dave received approval to begin on a working draft of a Membership Data Form. This form will allow the organization to better serve its constituency by gathering relevant information on the membership, so that planning of activities can occur based on the data that is gathered. The form asks for demographic as well as professional information. This form, once approved, will also be available online as well as hard copy. The project is a collaborative effort of the Membership and Technology Committees.

To see a prototype of how the new online brochure will open on your screen, click here. Release of the brochure will be announced via the PAACE listserv.

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Strategic Plan Update
by Debra Burrows, Central Intermediate Unit West Branch Technology Center, PAACE Second Vice-President

As PAACE 2nd Vice President, I am responsible for updating the Strategic Plan. I believe that PAACE has much to gain from utilizing available technologies to enhance member services, improve networking and access to resources and research, and streamline administrative functions such as renewing memberships and registering for Midwinter Conference. I hope to explore these opportunities as part of the Strategic Plan updating process. Any PAACE member interested in joining the strategic planning team or providing input into the process may contact me at dburrows@LHUP.edu.

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Shefrin Named COABE Membership Chair

Carol Shefrin of Tuscarora IU's Adult Education and Job Training Center and former PAACE President, has accepted the position of COABE Membership Chair for 2001-02. This keeps her on the Board in an appointed position and enables her to continue serving as a "point person" for those in Pennsylvania who want information about this national professional organization. COABE stands for Commission on Adult Basic Education. The group is on the Web at www.coabe.org..

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Dr. Irene Baird, Longtime PAACE Member, Wins Humanitarian Award

Dr. Irene Baird, of Penn State Harrisburg Eastegate Center's Women's Enrichment Center and the YWCA's project director for the Humanities for Homeless Women, was recently awarded the Susan K. Nenstiel Humanitarian Award by the American Association of University Women (AAUW). The annual statewide award is given to a woman whose personal commitment to AAUW extends to her branch activities as well as her community contributions. Dr. Baird's work focuses on educational outreach to women who are incarcerated or on probation or parole, using creative writing to help empower women to redirect their lives toward positive goals. A graduate of Smith College with an M.A. in Spanish Language and Literacy and a D.Ed. She is associated with Penn State as an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Education and has been a loyal member of PAACE.

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Changes and Corrections to the 2001 Membership Directory

• Joseph Tomedi, not John

• Dawn Beaver, not Michelle and the telephone number is (717) 582-8971

• Thelma Laurain, not Thelma Guilford and the agency is Allegheny Community College

• Amanda Harrison-Perez's agency is Immigration and Refugee Services, not Immigration and Naturalization Services

• Qing Liang, not Quing Liang

• Dorothy McCartney is retired and wants to be removed from PAACE membership

• Debbie Bigelow's address is 331 Greenview Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601 (717) 560-9810

• Christina Jagger at New Readers Press is deceased. The correct listing should be Editorial Director, New Readers Press, 1320 Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210

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PAACE Midwinter Conference 2002 Call for Proposals is, as mentioned above, available on our Web site at www.paacesite.org/pdfs/cfp.pdf, and it is now available as an online electronic form as well! Go to /call_for_presenters_application_2003.asp and complete your application quickly and easily. Remember: firm deadline for submissions is September 30, 2001.