From mtait at lvgs.org Fri Feb 3 10:01:50 2012 From: mtait at lvgs.org (Marsha Tait) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:01:50 -0500 Subject: [Affildir] FW: Battle Between the Reeds on Proposed GED Requirement In-Reply-To: <0.0.97.EE9.1CCE284973E16A2.0@outbound0.mailmanager.net> References: <0.0.97.EE9.1CCE284973E16A2.0@outbound0.mailmanager.net> Message-ID: <004b01cce284$c310a470$4931ed50$@lvgs.org> Dear Colleagues, FYI Marsha L. Tait Executive Director Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse 2111 S. Salina St. Syracuse, NY 13205 315-471-1300 www.lvgs.org Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter @LVofSyracuse! From: National Coalition for Literacy [mailto:ncl at ncladvocacy.org] Sent: Friday, February 03, 2012 10:01 AM To: Marsha L. Tait Subject: Battle Between the Reeds on Proposed GED Requirement Email not displaying correctly? View it online. Follow NCL on Twitter Like NCL on Facebook _____ Battle Between the Reeds on Proposed GED Requirement -Where Do You Stand? Wednesday, February 1, members of the House-Senate Conference Committee met to further discuss issues and work out their differences surrounding the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011, H.R. 3765. According to Roll Call, a newspaper which covers Capitol Hill, legislators ".still find themselves on shaky ground after their second meeting, with broad agreement on where to go but little agreement on how to get there." Legislators discussed the education requirement at great length, which was proposed by House Republicans as part of an earlier UI extension package. The conference committee is expected to continue negotiations going forward. Below is a recap of some points made in committee. Where do you stand on this issue? HS diploma/GED requirement begins at 34:00 (Click the image of Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) Co-Chair of the Conference Committee and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, to watch the video on the C-SPAN site): Link to C-SPAN Video Archive of Payroll Tax Cut Extension Conference Committee Meetings Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) discussed how the education requirement "misses the point of the program." He makes several arguments, including that it is not the purpose of the program, it would disproportionately impact older workers, the adult education system is underfunded, and the proposed provision is not focused on increasing education because if it were, it would provide the resources to do that. Senator Tom Reed (R-NY): "If you could just please explain to me why you think that not obtaining a GED while in an unemployed status, would be an obstacle, or a hindrance, or a burden, on an individual that is not something that we should support together to try to give them the tools to re-arm to be re-employed." Senator Jack Reed (D-RI): "We should encourage people to get as much education as possible but it is making it a condition to collect-a condition that has never existed before in the program-misses the point of the program, which is to provide support, financial support, for people who have worked for many years, who thought their employers were contributing to the system that they were qualified based on the fact that they lost their job through no fault of their own. And now we've imposed another condition which never existed before. And then some very practical points. "This provision would disproportionately affect older workers. It's been estimated that 35 percent of the UI beneficiaries without a high school education are over the age of 50. So you would have a significant number of people who have worked literally for 30 years, who might have more skills, even technical certificates and company training awards than anyone else, and then to ask them to get a GED before they can collect on their unemployment I think is a huge burden. "The other issue.the reality is that in most communities, there's a long long waiting list to get into GED programs. .It would be terribly ironic. In fact I think 50 states have reported that they have growing lists of people trying to qualify for a GED training or other types of training. So it'd be really ironic to force someone who has worked 30 years, who fully expects that this is the only benefit that's going to keep them home, keep them in the house, keep the mortgage paid, to be disqualified because they don't mind getting a GED but they can't get into a program. And that's one of the realities. "Now, if we're proposing to come up with resources-which they would be substantial in terms of supporting state training and GED programs so that we can guarantee that they could walk right out of the unemployment office-sign up for a GED, start working for a GED, that's something else. But I don't see that in the proposal. I just see this requirement, go get a GED, even though it could be completely impractical to get." [More discussion ensued on what's causing the lack of employment and how long it takes to get a GED credential.] Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY): "What I'm hearing as a response to my question is that essentially it's not a good policy because we never did it before, and there are practical barriers to people getting an education and a GED or HS education back in our communities that prevent that. But I don't hear a fundamental disagreement in the philosophy that if people get a GED, that enhances their lives, and that enhances their ability to get a job on down the road. I don't hear a disagreement with that. I hear an excuse as to why not to do it, rather than the fundamental philosophy of trying to re-arm people with an education so that when they go into the workforce, they have an additional tool to be re-employed." Senator Jack Reed (D-RI): "I don't think you're going to find anyone in this room that is more pro-education over twenty years in both the House and the Senate of urging real resources for workers training, for all of these things. But to link the social insurance program designed-and for 70+ years functioning-to provide financial support when you lose your job to a requirement that you have to be in this training-I think, first off, won't work for some of the practical considerations. But second, I don't think it contradicts the notation that you're suggesting and I agree with, that the more education you have today, the better off you'll be in this economy. There's nothing contradictory there. The question is, what is the [policy] vehicle we use to provide this training assistance?" [Congressman Tom Reed is asked to wrap up] Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY): "In our bill, that came out of the House, we did have in there the exception for undue burdens provision in there, so the practical barriers you refer to [older workers issue] I think can be taken care of in that proposal that came out of the House, so we tried to take that in to consideration." However, as Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) later countered: "You recognize this with the waiver process but the majority fall into this category, so it would make no sense to add this additional burden." Congresswoman Nan Hayworth (R-NY) later noted a CATO study (unnamed), citing that there is good evidence that enhancing the welfare requirements of welfare recipients could be credited with a decline in the number of people on welfare roles. However, her point is focused on reducing welfare roles, not on whether or to what extent there is evidence that welfare requirements increased education levels. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) continued: "No one is going to argue against the efficacy of an education. In fact, if you want to look at the biggest payoff, the people doing the best-they aren't GED recipients, they're people with advanced degrees. I don't know anyone around here who would suggest you have to have a master's degree before you can qualify for unemployment compensation, but if you take the argument out, that's where we're going." For more, watch the CNN video archives from February 1 and keep tabs on this page for more as negotiations continue this month. Check out the recent letters and resources from the National Coalition for Literacy , the Center for Law and Social Policy , and the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education , and see how you can participate in the Campaign for a Fair UI . In the meantime, what's your take on this issue? A) Are you fundamentally against this proposal because it is unjust to punish those most in need, who have been out of work, to then be denied UI because they do not meet the education requirement and cannot access an adult education program? B) Do you think there should not be an education requirement in the UI extension; rather Congress should focus on increasing investments in adult education, provided for in the Workforce Investment Act Title II? C) Do you agree that unemployment insurance is the best "policy vehicle" as the proposal currently stands, without all of the resources needed federally to clear waiting lists for adult education programs so that undereducated, unemployed adults can access and benefit from the program? Share your comments here and forward this email to those who you think would be interested. NCL's Advocacy Team ncl at ncladvocacy.org You are receiving this update because you may have opted in on the National Coalition for Literacy website or you participated in an event hosted by the National Coalition for Literacy. Update your contact information | Subscribe to our mailing list Our mailing address is: National Coalition for Literacy PO Box 2932 Washington, DC 20013-2932 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2011 National Coalition for Literacy All rights reserved. Facebook Twitter More... If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please click here . = -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://literacy.kent.edu/pipermail/affildir/attachments/20120203/8d980756/attachment-0001.html From mtait at lvgs.org Tue Feb 14 09:29:49 2012 From: mtait at lvgs.org (Marsha Tait) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:29:49 -0500 Subject: [Affildir] FW: The President's FY2013 Budget Proposal---What's It Mean for Adult Education? In-Reply-To: <0.0.F9.F34.1CCEA9E6775A846.0@outbound1.mailmanager.net> References: <0.0.F9.F34.1CCEA9E6775A846.0@outbound1.mailmanager.net> Message-ID: <003601cceb25$1c68f6a0$553ae3e0$@lvgs.org> Marsha L. Tait Executive Director Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse 2111 S. Salina St. Syracuse, NY 13205 315-471-1300 www.lvgs.org Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter @LVofSyracuse! From: National Coalition for Literacy [mailto:ncl at ncladvocacy.org] Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 5:26 PM To: Marsha L. Tait Subject: The President's FY2013 Budget Proposal---What's It Mean for Adult Education? Email not displaying correctly? View it online. Follow NCL on Twitter Like NCL on Facebook _____ The President's FY2013 Budget Proposal- What's It Mean for Adult Education? Dear Advocate, Today, February 13th, the President released his FY2013 Budget Proposal. According to the summary, adult education is proposed to be funded at $595 million, with $15 million to go towards the Workforce Innovation Fund for competitive grants. While some may see this as level-funding, others may not since the Workforce Innovation Fund is proposed to come from existing state adult education grants. These formula grants are being tapped to provide the proposed Workforce Innovation Fund, which is not a new trend (See last year's 2012 Budget Proposal ). Additionally, 11 million would go to National Programs; and approximately $75 million to go towards English Language Learning and Civics. In addition, the Pathways Back to Work Fund included in the American Jobs Act is provided $12.5 billion in funding, $10 billion of which would go toward promising strategies that lead to employment, which may include integrated education and training models that serve adults with low basic skills. In general, this is consistent with what Mr. Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President on Education, reported shortly after the President's State of the Union Address. He noted during a panel discussion with Senior Administration officials that the President knows adult education is important, which is why he continues to fund it. However, over the last decade, we've seen a significant downward trend in federal funding for adult education. See this new Adult Education Funding Fact Sheet from the Center for Law and Social Policy for more information. The budget summary for adult education is excerpted below. Tell us, do you think that adult education should be level funded for 2013? Why or why not? What's needed from adult education to move our country forward? Share your comments here. 2013 Proposed Budget Table for Adult Education "Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants assist adults without a high school diploma or equivalent to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for postsecondary education, employment, and economic self-sufficiency. The request includes $15.0 million to support a Workforce Innovation Fund (WIF) that would be jointly administered and funded by the Departments of Education and Labor. >From the $125 million available for the WIF from all sources, the two agencies will work together to award competitive grants that encourage innovation and identify and validate effective strategies for improving the delivery of services and outcomes for all beneficiaries under the programs authorized by the Workforce Investment Act. This investment would create strong incentives for change that, if scaled up, could improve the effectiveness of the workforce preparation and training system. "The forthcoming reauthorization of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, which is Title II of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), provides the opportunity to better align the Adult Education program with Federal job training programs and the postsecondary education system. The Administration's proposal for reauthorization would streamline service delivery, require rigorous content standards and aligned assessments, ensure that workforce and adult education providers engage with employers, strengthen accountability requirements, promote innovative programs that support the use of career pathways models, and increase the level of support for adults in correctional settings. "The request for State Grants includes $74.7 million for the English Literacy/Civics Education set-aside to help States and communities provide adults learning English with expanded access to high-quality English literacy programs linked to civics education. Funds proposed for National Leadership Activities would continue to support activities intended to increase the literacy and workforce skills of our Nation's native-born adult population, as well as the ongoing need to address the English language acquisition, literacy, and workforce skills gaps of the immigrant population." _____ Do you think that adult education should be level funded for 2013? Why or why not? What's needed from adult education to move our country forward? Share your comments here. Thanks for all you do, NCL's Advocacy Team ncl at ncladvocacy.org Speak Out for Adult Education and Literacy You are receiving this update because you may have opted in on the National Coalition for Literacy website or you participated in an event hosted by the National Coalition for Literacy. Update your contact information | Subscribe to our mailing list Our mailing address is: National Coalition for Literacy PO Box 2932 Washington, DC 20013-2932 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2011 National Coalition for Literacy All rights reserved. Facebook Twitter More... If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please click here . = -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://literacy.kent.edu/pipermail/affildir/attachments/20120214/29481065/attachment-0001.html From mtait at lvgs.org Tue Feb 14 09:57:28 2012 From: mtait at lvgs.org (Marsha Tait) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:57:28 -0500 Subject: [Affildir] FW: [COABE-Region1] COABE Members: GED Testing announces the release of the first chapter of The Assessment Guide for Educators In-Reply-To: References: <20120213205953.4e8b40fc4d63eb0a887159f360727490.1327ae5e61.wbe@email17.secureserver.net> Message-ID: <005001cceb28$f941f3d0$ebc5db70$@lvgs.org> This information may be of interest to those of you who offer GED instruction. Marsha L. Tait Executive Director Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse 2111 S. Salina St. Syracuse, NY 13205 315-471-1300 www.lvgs.org Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter @LVofSyracuse! From: Marsha Tait [mailto:mltait58 at gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 9:34 AM To: rmorgan at lvgs.org; Marsha L Tait Subject: Fwd: [COABE-Region1] COABE Members: GED Testing announces the release of the first chapter of The Assessment Guide for Educators ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Sharon Bonney Date: Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 10:59 PM Subject: [COABE-Region1] COABE Members: GED Testing announces the release of the first chapter of The Assessment Guide for Educators To: Dear COABE members, GED Testing Services announced today the release of the first chapter of The Assessment Guide for Educators. Please see the attached for more details. Sincerely, Sharon Bonney COABE Manager P: 888-44-COABE (888-442-6223 ) F: 866-941-5129 E: sharonbonney at coabe.org W: www.coabe.org M: PO Box 620, Syracuse, NY 13206 Have you registered for the COABE 2012 conference in Norfolk, VA on April 9-13, 2013? Early bird registration ends February 14th. Go to www.coabeinvirgnia2012.org to register today! Facebook Twitter COABE MEMBERS GAIN THE ADVANTAGE! Advocacy alerts and calls to action to keep funding in federal legislation. Awards, incentive grants, and scholarship opportunities. Mini grants to defray conference attendance and deep discounts are available on the COABE National conference in Norfolk, VA on April 10-13, 2012 ($75 off), discounts on the COABE Journal ($35 off), and leading publishers in ABE such as Pearson Longman, GED Academy, GED Testing Service, Steck Vaughn, Aztec Software, CTB McGraw Hill, Boston Reed, and Advanced Learning. RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP TODAY AT WWW.COABE.ORG -- Marsha L. Tait National Coalition for Literacy Grant Manager 315-471-1300 (Mon. - Fri. 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM) 7650 Redcoat Circle Manlius NY 13104 Twitter: NCLAdvocacy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: Educators Guide to the New GED Assessment.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 87043 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://literacy.kent.edu/pipermail/affildir/attachments/20120214/e8d3862b/attachment-0001.pdf From mtait at lvgs.org Thu Feb 23 14:41:08 2012 From: mtait at lvgs.org (Marsha Tait) Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:41:08 -0500 Subject: [Affildir] FW: You Did It! Show Your Appreciation Today In-Reply-To: <0.0.50.917.1CCF25C0F02A004.0@outbound0.mailmanager.net> References: <0.0.50.917.1CCF25C0F02A004.0@outbound0.mailmanager.net> Message-ID: <005e01ccf263$178f4090$46adc1b0$@lvgs.org> Dear Colleagues, FYI Marsha L. Tait Executive Director Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse 2111 S. Salina St. Syracuse, NY 13205 315-471-1300 www.lvgs.org Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter @LVofSyracuse! From: National Coalition for Literacy [mailto:ncl at ncladvocacy.org] Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2012 1:51 PM To: Marsha L. Tait Subject: You Did It! Show Your Appreciation Today Email not displaying correctly? View it online. Follow NCL on Twitter Like NCL on Facebook _____ You Did It! Congress Passes Payroll Tax Cut Without UI Education Requirements -Take 5 Minutes and Thank Congress Today By Phone or Email | Via Facebook | Via Twitter | Blog About It! Congress passed the $150B payroll tax holiday compromise on Friday, February 17, (293-132 in the House; 60-36 in the Senate), extending a tax cut for millions of Americans and jobless benefits through the end of the year. The bill did not include education requirements which would have denied unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to any worker who lacks a high school diploma or its equivalent and is not enrolled in classes to earn one-regardless of how long the person worked or whether he or she has access to adult education. You did it! You helped to keep the UI extension focused on what it was intended for-to help those who have lost work through no fault of their own maintain their benefits with few strings attached. The measure went to the President and on February 22, he signed it in to law . Now it's time to take 5 and thank those in Congress who voted to pass the payroll tax holiday. How did your Members of Congress vote? * House Vote on Passage of HR 3630 * Senate Vote on Passage of HR 3630 Send them a quick email here , or thank them via Twitter or Facebook . Use the sample posts below or create your own. Thanking them now not only shows appreciation when legislators hear you. It also demonstrates that you are watching and you are a resource to them for your cause. _____ Send Emails Call or Email 1. Call or write your U.S. Representative and Senators today. (Take action through NCL's Facebook page for greater impact.) 2. Tell them "Thank you for passing a UI extension plan without requiring a HS diploma or its equivalent in order to maintain UI benefits. 3. Use 1-2 of the suggested talking points at the link above that resonate most with your experience. Share local waiting list data, if applicable. Personalize the letter. Staffs do not trust the authenticity of form letters. Sample TY Letter Talking Points: * Thank you for passing an unemployment insurance (UI) extension without requiring a HS diploma or its equivalent in order to maintain UI benefits. * I believe that all eligible workers should receive UI regardless of their education level. * While policies should recognize the importance of adult literacy and strive to increase access to adult education and family literacy programs, a GED requirement in a UI extension as it was proposed would not increase access; it would have only created a much greater demand without providing the resources needed to meet the increased demand. * Adult education programs struggle to meet the current demand and are severely under-resourced. * Here are links to fact sheets on adult education that you may find useful: * Adult Education Funding Levels and Enrollment * Adult Education: A Good Investment in National Priorities * I look forward to working with you in the days and months ahead on public policy issues that impact undereducated adults, such as the need for funding to clear waiting lists in adult education programs and reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act in order to help adult education programs be as responsive as possible to 21st century educational needs. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] _____ Facebook Post on Your U.S. Representative's and Senators' Facebook Walls Via Facebook: 1. Go to your Member of Congress' Facebook page and click the 'Like' button at the top. 2. Then post this message to his or her wall: "Thank you for passing a UI extension plan without requiring a HS diploma or its equivalent in order to maintain UI benefits. I do believe adult education is critical to our nation's economic success. Please support funding for adult education and increase it to help clear waiting lists." _____ Twitter Tweet to Your Members of Congress Via Twitter: 1. Search to see if your U.S. Representative and Senators are on Twitter. Follow them. 2. Then send a tweet like this, using the #FairUI hashtag: (@insert your House Member's or Senator's Twitter handle) Thank you for passing a UI extension without education requirements! #AdultEd #FairUI For example: @SenSherrodBrown Thank you for passing a UI extension without education requirements! #AdultEd #FairUI _____ Blog Blog About It! Take this blog posting and cross post it on your blog, with a cross link to the National Coalition for Literacy as the source. Or adapt it to fit your circumstance. Add your program or community data about adult education and make it your own. _____ Stay Involved Learn more about social media strategies and tips. Visit our Connect Page for more information. Help us to help you. Sign up to receive future email alerts or text messages from the National Coalition for Literacy about actions needed for adult education and family literacy. _____ Rationale: Adult educators understand the necessity of an education-it helps adults get and keep jobs with family sustaining wages and lead richer, fuller lives. But what is not acceptable is to demand that those whose employers have effectively contributed to the system for years through the payment of UI taxes -and who then were laid off due to no fault of their own-be denied UI on the basis of their education level. It is at best, mean-spirited and at worst, unjust. Unlike other policies that open doors to adult education in order to boost education levels and help individuals attain self-sufficiency, this provision also offers no funding to assist unemployed worked obtain a GED credential. As such, this requirement is an unfunded mandate on an already overburdened system. If this proposed provision were in the best interests of adults and families, additional funding and much needed supports would be put into place simultaneously focused on opening the doors to more adult education programs. As it stands, this UI provision was the wrong policy needed at a time when we really should be trying to do all that we can to help adults get back to work. Its intent is punitive and goes against meaningful adult education reform. You've helped to turn this around! Thanks for all you do. NCL's Advocacy Team ncl at ncladvocacy.org Help Us to Help You. Sign Up for Alerts Today! You are receiving this update because you may have opted in on the National Coalition for Literacy website or you participated in an event hosted by the National Coalition for Literacy. Update your contact information | Subscribe to our mailing list Our mailing address is: National Coalition for Literacy PO Box 2932 Washington, DC 20013-2932 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2011 National Coalition for Literacy All rights reserved. Facebook Twitter More... If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please click here . = -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://literacy.kent.edu/pipermail/affildir/attachments/20120223/9a14ea3e/attachment-0001.html