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Summer 2008
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Volume 32, No. 2
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It’s behind-the-scenes season
by Tana Reiff, TIU 11 Community Education Services, PAACE President
To many, “PAACE” is the annual Midwinter Conference on Adult Education. A tremendous amount of the organization’s energy is concentrated on the conference, which takes place in February. But is PAACE, the organization, sitting around in the off-season? Not by a long shot!
In May, 20 board members participated in a board development session, facilitated by past president Bob McNeill and our organizational director, Monica Shields.
JoAnn Weinberger, Legislative Committee chair, and the regional reps are spearheading a postcard blitz to inform state legislators of the need for a cost-of-living increase in state funding of adult basic and literacy education (Legislative Update below).
Bill Schaffer, treasurer, on board approval, is transitioning PAACE accounts to PSECU and investigating the best ways to manage the organization’s strong financial position.
Lori Keefer, second vice-president, is leading PAACE’s strategic planning. In June, after much legwork, the board had a stimulating session aimed at answering the question, “What should PAACE look like in three years?” At the juncture of a new board, new director, and new strategic plan cycle, this is a perfect time to discuss PAACE’s mission in the areas of advocacy, member services, board development, fiscal affairs, and professional development. The new strategic plan will guide the organization’s activities for the next three years. You’ll be hearing more about this as it unfolds.
Which brings us back to the conference. It may be summer, but Diane Inverso, first vice-president, and Monica are already hard at work on next year’s conference (February 11-13, 2009: “PAACE Yourself: Keeping Up with Adult Education”). We have signed our contract with the Hershey Lodge and developed a budget. Diane is looking into speakers, forming committees, and timelining tasks. Monica is setting up online registration and proposal submission, along with other contract, budget, and operational matters.
To show prospective sponsors and exhibitors what the conference looks like, we’ve produced a short video. Take a look on YouTube – search for PAACE.
And three new board members are rolling up their sleeves: Jim Yeager of Penn State, Technology Committee chair; Katherine Vastine of Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, Family Literacy Division co-director; and Ginger McCool of Central Intermediate Unit #10, Central Region Representative. Welcome!
If you are not on the board but would like to be more involved in any aspect of PAACE, please contact me at tana_reiff@comcast.net. Tell me about your interests and we’ll find a place for you behind the scenes, which is a very important place to be.
Budget updates and new advocacy resources available
by JoAnn Weinberger, Center for Literacy, PAACE Legislative Committee Chair
This report provides information on state and federal funding. As of this newsletter publication date, the federal budget has not been passed.
State update:
At the State level, the Legislature passed the 2008-09 budget and the Governor signed it into law. Although there were big wins for K-12, the appropriation for adult and family literacy decreased by $305,000 to $23,129,000.
THANK YOU to all PAACE members who contacted their state legislators and who sent the yellow postcards. Our push for an increase of $1 million as a cost of living allowance was important. Your actions have meant that our voice has been heard in Harrisburg.
Federal update:
The House and Senate have now reached an agreement on the Budget for 2009. This budget agreement sets the overall funding levels for the 2009 budget, which includes funding for WIA Title II and Even Start Family Literacy for the program year 2009-2010. The final conference report would provide $84.4 billion in discretionary funding for the Function 500 account (which includes funding for education programs) or $8.4 billion over the president's request.
Now, the action moves to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees which divide the funds among programs. The request from the adult literacy community is to increase funding to $750 million for adult education (the funding is currently at $559 million) and $99 million for Even Start.
PAACE leadership hopes that you responded to the Legislative Alert to call Senator Specter before that Committee met on June 24. The House Appropriations Committee was also meeting on June 24. On July 2, it was announced that the House and Senate Sub-Committees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies reported out their appropriation levels for FY09 for all programs under their jurisdiction. Both Sub-Committees even funded adult education at $554.1 million for state grants and $66.45 million for Even Start.
Chances are that final funding levels and the bill will not be passed for our programs until after the new President takes office. However, this does not mean we should be quiet as Congress moves forward! We must be prepared, and we must make sure our voice is heard. We need to continue to push for increased funding.
New federal advocacy resource web page
Do you want to know the answers to any of the following questions?
- Who the state Single Point of Contact is?
- How to contact a member of Congress?
- Who the members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committee are?
- Fact sheets on adult education?
- Fact sheets that can be modified for your congressional district?
In collaboration with the National Coalition for Literacy and the Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE), the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education has added an Advocacy Resource Page to the Council website: www.ncsdae.org/advocacyresource.htm. You will be able to find helpful hints on this website.
PAACE opposes PEL recommendation
The PAACE board unanimously approved a response to a Pennsylvania Economy League (PEL) report that included a recommendation that governance and oversight of WIA Title II Adult Education and Family Literacy and Act 143 state funding be transferred from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE), to the Department of Labor and Industry, Bureau of Workforce Development Partnerships.
PAACE’s letter and Response Paper to Governor Rendell is based on the premises that we:
- dispute the content of the report,
- question the validity and reliability of the methodology used to develop the recommendations, and
- object to the process by which the report has been disseminated among policy makers and stakeholders in the Commonwealth.
The letter urges the Governor to reject the PEL recommendation to move ABLE to the Department of Labor while supporting ongoing collaboration between adult basic education and local Workforce Investment Boards. The response document was copied to key individuals and groups associated with workforce development in Pennsylvania.
The document is available here as a PDF file for free distribution.
Family Literacy
Family literacy programs participate in year-long program improvement
by Lori McMonigal, TIU 11 Community Education Services, Family Literacy Division Co-Chair
As part of their participation in SEQUAL (Bureau of ABLE family literacy program improvement initiative), family literacy programs embarked on a journey toward program improvement using practitioner action research. Programs gathered at the fall SEQUAL events to learn about the practitioner action research process. To help guide the process, a session on practitioner action research was offered as part of the Family Literacy strand at the PAACE conference. In order to share their experience and findings with others, each program created a poster that was presented at the spring SEQUAL events. The posters outlined their research question, specific interventions, and amazing results. Participants enjoyed the opportunity to share their findings, as well as learn from others. We encourage programs to consider sharing their research experience and poster through a session at the 2009 PAACE Midwinter Conference!
PAACE also donated extra conference bags to the ABLE Family Literacy Training Project for distribution to families participating in ABLE-funded family literacy programs.
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| Natalie Suarez and Kimberly Shelly from York School District share their poster presentation at the April SEQUAL event. |
Save the date: 2009 PAACE Midwinter Conference
The 2009 PAACE Midwinter Conference dates and themes have been set. Make sure to mark your calendar for February 11-13, 2009 so you can be sure not to miss out on the concurrent sessions, networking opportunities, and fun! This year's conference theme is “PAACE Yourself: Keeping Up with Adult Education."
If you'd like to be a part of the planning committee, please contact Conference Chair Diane Inverso at inversoD@freelibrary.org. There will also be plenty of volunteer opportunities at the conference as well. We're looking forward to seeing you in Hershey!
PAACE remembers Judith Malakoff
| Judith Malakoff (some PAACE members might remember her as Judith Aaronson), 67, died suddenly on Marco Island, Florida on May 6, 2008. She resided in Pittsburgh before relocating to Marco Island five years ago. Judith, the 1996 PAACE Outstanding Adult Educator Award recipient, was active for many years in the PAACE organization as committee chair, COABE conference chair, and friend. In addition, her career as an adult educator touched many lives.
She is survived by her husband David of Marco Island, son Marc Itkin of Pittsburgh, daughter Laurie (Dan) Clark of San Diego, CA, step-son Jonathan Malakoff of Chicago, IL, step-daughter Stacy (Drew) Stoller of Port St. Lucie, FL and three grandchildren. |
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| Judith having fun with the Pirates Parrot at COABE ‘96 in Pittsburgh, which PAACE hosted. |
Major national workforce education report released
Following two years of study, the National Commission on Adult Literacy has released a major report calling for a program on the scale of a “domestic Marshall plan” to achieve the goal of an educated workforce. The Commission’s report, Reach Higher, AMERICA: Overcoming Crisis in the U.S. Workforce, calls for a dramatically revamped service system with the capacity to effectively serve 20 million adults annually by the year 2020. It also calls for resetting the educational mission of this new system to demonstrated readiness for postsecondary education and job training. The report recommends specific actions to accomplish this with emphasis on groups most in need of service and on system accountability and results. State and federal government, business and labor, philanthropic groups, nonprofit organizations, and the general public all have a vital role in meeting the Commission’s vision for America’s 21st Century
workforce. Dr. Cheryl D. King, study director, was the keynote speaker at the 2008 PAACE Midwinter Conference.
To access this report, go to: www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org
Building numeracy skills for adult learners
The new issue of Focus on Basics (Volume 9, Issue A) is now available at www.worlded.org. Published by World Education, the theme is Numeracy. Articles include:
- using part-whole thinking in math
- the importance of numeracy in adult basic education -designing instruction that addresses all of the components of numeracy
- techniques for introducing new types of activities into the math classroom
- the cultural aspects of mathematics
- teaching algebraic thinking in lower level mathematics classes
- TIAN: a professional learning model for ABE math teachers
ProLiteracy 2008 Annual Conference
October 1 - 4, 2008
Peabody Little Rock
Little Rock, AR
www.proliteracy.org/conference
AAACE 2008 Conference
November 10 - 14, 2008
Denver, Colorado
Registration now open
www.aaace.org
Effective Transitions in Adult Education
November 17 - 18, 2008
Adam's Mark Hotel
Providence, RI
Registration now open
collegetransition.org/conference08/registration.html
2009 PAACE Midwinter Conference
February 11 - 13, 2009
Hershey Lodge
Hershey, PA
www.paacesite.org
Comprehensive conference listing!
Whatever your interest in adult education may be, the LINCS conference calendar has something for you--actually, LOTS of things for you. Check out this thorough list of conferences and events related to adult education, technology, and affiliated topics at:
www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/Calendar/calendar_world.cgi
PAACE News available in PDF
For those who like to print out PAACE News, you have the option of printing directly from your browser or downloading a PDF file of each issue.
Download the current issue of PAACE News as PDF file here.
Are you subscribed to the PAACE members e-mail list?
If you are a PAACE member and are not subscribed to the members e-mail list, you may use the simple sign-up process by going to www.paacesite.org, clicking on the link on the main page for the PAACE lists, and following the link for the members@paacesite.org list. Subscribers also may follow the link to change subscription information. Only subscribers may post to the list.
PAACE members are encouraged to be on the e-mail list in order to receive announcements and late-breaking legislative news, especially now!
President: Tana Reiff (TIU 11 Community Education Services)
First Vice-President: Diane Inverso (Mayor's Commission on Literacy)
Second Vice-President: Lori Keefer (Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council)
Secretary: Anita Cola (Lackawanna College)
Treasurer: William Schaffer (Northampton Community College)
Immediate Past President: Chuck Klinger (TIU 11 Community Education Services)
Remote Past President: Debbie Hrach
Western Region Representative: Alex Dow (Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council)
Central Region Representative: Ginger McCool (Central Intermediate Unit 10)
Eastern Region Representative: Rebecca Wagner (Community Learning Center)
Adult Basic and Secondary Education Division Director: Bootsie Barbour (Stairways Behavioral Health)
Continuing Higher Education Division Director: Mary Anne Varacalli (Delaware County Community College, retired)
Corrections Education Division Director: Randy Bacon (Allegheny County Prison)
ESL Division: Susan Adams (YMCA of Philadelphia), Martin Senger (GECAC), and Cathie Whitmire (Hispanic American Council)
Family Literacy Division: Lori McMonigal (TIU 11 Community Education Services) and Katherine Vastine (Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit 16)
Tutors of Literacy in the Commonwealth: Kim Rossman (Tutors of Literacy in the Commonwealth)
Workplace Education Division: Cheryl Hiester (Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon)
PDE Bureau of ABLE Representative: Susan Mansuetti
Commonwealth Libraries: Eileen Kocher (ABLE Resource Center)
Organizational Director: Monica Shields
Committee Chairs/Full Board list: See the PAACE website.
PAACE News Editorial Board
Destiny Long, TIU 11 Community Education Services, Editor
Lynette Hazelton, District 1199C Training and Upgrading Fund
Peggi Kelley, Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council
Chrissie Klinger, Bedford County Literacy Council/Chestnut Ridge School District
Ruth Love-Schooley, Lycoming County Library System
Karen Mundie, Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council
Tana Reiff, TIU 11 Community Education Services
Mary Anne Varacalli, Delaware County Community College (ret.)
Drucie Weirauch, The Pennsylvania State University
The purpose of PAACE News is to inform members of PAACE about the activities and plans of the Association and how they can participate in them. Remaining consistent with the mission of the organization, the newsletter connects a diverse audience of adult education practitioners, researchers, and students throughout Pennsylvania. The opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of PAACE and no official endorsement should be inferred.
This issue published July 10, 2008.
To submit material for PAACE News, please e-mail the editor at dlong@tiu11.org.