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Improving Adult LiteracyFinal Implementation Repo

to the leel Board of DirectorJCCIi ti zens building

;,l a bette r c ommunity

/ t f I I I I ' - - _ . . . . . .February 15, 200

Process

The Improving Adult Uferacy study was released in the Spring of 1999. Its purpose was to explore thenature, numbers, perceptions, and impacts of adult illiteracy in Northeast Florida and to recommend ways toimprove the literacy skills of adults in Northeast Florida.

Elaine Kaufman, a management-team member on the study, initially chaired the Implementation Task Forceand guided early stages of the implementation process, including taking initial steps toward creating theNortheast Florida Literacy Council. When Elaine's work took her away from Jacksonville, Chuck Hayes,another management-team member, stepped in as chair, providing ongoing leadership for a small butcommitted Implementation Task Force consisting of both veterans of the study committee and a fewdditional people committed to improving literacy. The Task Force divided the recommendations into fiveareas, based on the recipient of the recommendations, as follows:

• Literacy Council• Chamber of Commerce

• School systems• Human Services Council

• Florida Legislature

Since the recommendations focused, in large part, on the formation and growth of a Northeast FloridaLiteracy Council, the committee gave a high priority to its efforts on these recommendations. The Councilhas, in fact, been established, and its initial Strategic Plan and Objectives incorporate the essence of all ofthese recommendations. Actual implementation of each recommendation will take more time, as theCouncil develops and carries out specific work plans based on the plan and objectives.

he report on the following pages provides a description of the Task Force's efforts and results for each

recommendation, followed by an assessment of the degree to which each recommendation has been

implemented or is on a clear path toward implementation. The text of each recommendation, in bolditalics, is followed by the Task Force's description and assessment

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Results

1. The Literacy Network should convene all necessary and interested entities in Northeast Florida

for the purpose of creating a new, expanded Northeast Florida Literacy Council.

Members of the Council should include all the major literacy-education providers,

representatives from local employers, appropriate human-services organizations, educational

institutions, people who have experienced adult illiteracy, and other entities identified by the

Council as having a relevant concern or interest

The Council should be organized to be self-sustaining, with member entities securing the

resources necessary to cover the cost of needed staffing and desired functions.

The overall purpose of the Council should be to foster and maintain a high level of

communication, cooperation, and coordination among all entities with an interest in improving

adult literacy in Northeast Florida.

Within a year after the study's completion, the stakeholders were convened and the Council wasestablished, in direct response to, and consistent with, the study's recommendation. Stakeholders clearlyconcurred with the study's recognition of the need for a stronger and more broadly based council to replace

the existing network of providers. Certain Task-Force members were directly instrumental in the initialconvening and establishment of the Council.

Founders of the Council were a relatively small group of stakeholders. However, as they organized, they

immediately committed themselves to broaden the Council's membership to include the full range ofinterests identified in this recommendation, and to encompass all the counties of Northeast Florida. Thatbroadening process has begun but remains incomplete. In particular, increasing representation of business,people and people with literacy problems remains an active issue.

The Council remains a voluntary association with no legal organizational standing. Rather than start withorganization building, the founders decided to begin developing an agenda for action and allow theorganization to evolve as activities were developed and resources became available. Council members

meet monthly, with continuing good attendance, and with a structured agenda plus time for networking.

The Council was fortunate to receive support from First Coast Workforce Development, Inc. (WorkSource)in the form of meeting space and clerical support. How long that support will remain available is not clear.In addition, the Council lacks any paid staff. Much has been accomplished through major commitments ofvolunteer time and effort. However, the Council realizes that, until a paid staff is in place, its activities and

impact will be limited. Several efforts are underway, some with the assistance of WorkSource, to attractgrant support to hire an initial paid staff. The Council has discussed nonprofit incorporation but has.deferred that step until progress is made toward obtaining initial funding and staff.

Because of the importance of the Council in implementing a large number of this study's recommendations,its ongoing organizational health and growth are of major concem for the success of the entire

implementation effort. Already, Task-Force and Council members have devoted much time and energy tobuilding this organization, and the results are impressive, given the short time elapsed. However, theorganization's future security and strength do not yet seem assured, minus the availability of funding and

staff.

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Note: Task Force members have been closely involved with the Council's development to date, some asCouncil members as well as JCCI Task Force members. In addition, the Council's volunteer leader hasbeen active in the Task Force's implementation efforts. This relationship has created no conflict-of-interestdifficulties and has been helpful to achieving the goals of both the Council and JCCL This note applies tothe bulleted items under Recommendation #1, which follow, and to Recommendations #2, #3, #4, #5, #7,#8, #9, #10, and #13.

Specific functions should includeatleast the fol/owing, with possible additional functions

tobe

determined by the Council:

• adopting a common definition of literacy to guide all literacy improvement efforts in

Northeast Florida (preferably the 1991NationalLiteracy Act definition);

The Council adopted this definition at its inception.

• facilitating efforts by the Council or by individual entities to increase community awareness

about the nature of illiteracy, about its impacts on individuals, families, and the community,

andabout the programs locally available to improve literacy;

The Council has already begun taking action on this item but expects to expand these efforts in the futurewhen funding becomes available. To date, the Council has accomplished the following:

• to increase community awareness:• developed a brochure targeted to businesses and community groups which is being disseminatedthrough member providers and WorkSource;

• developed and is maintaining a website (www.firstcoastHteracy.org), with assistance from

WorkSource;• worked with Channel 12 to provide a literacy information hotline;• created and is conducting a half-hour, cable TV show (taped monthly and aired weekly) called

TurningPoint,

• participated in the Clay County Literacy Fair;• convened a very successful first annual literacy awards luncheon; and• is hosting the Florida Literacy Coalition's statewide conference in Jacksonville in March 2002.

• to increase information available about literacy-education opportunities, the Council has:• developed a directory of providers in Northeast Florida targeted to human-resource managers andhuman-services agencies, which providers are using already and that will be available soon on the

website; and

• will participate in the WorkSource 2002 Symposia scheduled for four dates in April and May,providing information about literacy programs, and contributing to the accompanying Human

Resources Guide for Business 2002.

To some extent, these efforts have also been initiated as a means of building the Council itself.

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,

• developing newapproaches that will help local literacy providers more effectively to recruitand support tutors and other volunteers involved in their programs;

Currently, the Council is seeking to recruit volunteers through its community-awareness efforts. It is also

seeking to support volunteers through the content of certain Tuming Point programs and throughpresentation of a volunteer award at the literacy luncheon. At Council meetings, members are sharing

information about promising new approaches for the recruitment and support of volunteers. With a paidstaff, the Council anticipates expanding these efforts to include support workshops for tutors and volunteers,

• developing and maintaining a database of useful information about illiteracy and literacy

programs and facilitating distribution of such information throughout the community;

The Council initially responded to this item by developing a directory of literacy providers, which is now inthe early stages of distribution. The directory and much more, including links to other sources of data andinformation, are planned to be made available on the Council's website. Without funding, little further efforthas been directed, so far, toward this item.

• faCilitating a more effective system of communication and information sharing among

literacy providers, schools, employers. human-service organizations. and other entities such

as religious and volunteer organizations;

The creation and active functioning (which includes active networking) of the Council represents a majorfirst step toward improving communication and information sharing among stakeholders, broadly defined.

Some of the Council's initial community-awareness communications efforts, including certain Turning Pointprograms, have been directed toward providers and other entities with interests and concerns for literacy

improvement The Council's volunteer leader has also spoken before a number of civic groups, includingCivitan and Rotary Clubs. Implementation of Recommendation 14 (see below), directed to the HumanServices Council, will also contribute toward implementing this item.

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• encouraging collaborative efforts, especially among providers, building on their considerable

strengths, so that the overall scope and reach of literacy-education programs respondseffectively to the community's needs for literacy improvement; and

Although the Council includes networking as an important part of each monthly meeting, it has not yet

specifically sought to encourage formal collaborations among providers. Plans exist to convene providers in

an annual spring conference for mutual learning and the development of collaboration. In March 2002, this

conference will be the statewide conference of the Florida Literacy Coalition, which the Council is hosting.

• advocating to public andprivate funding sources, especially the Florida Legislature, for moreadequate levels of funding to support literacy-education programs in NortheastFlorida.

The Council has not yet developed a specific plan for funding advocacy. However, a start was made on this

agenda by successfully inviting Jim Home to make the keynote address at the first Ilteracy luncheon, just as

he was making his transition from the Florida Senate to the office of Florida's Education Secretary. Council

members are beginning to respond to this item through a committee that is reviewing the recently enacted

federal education reform act, seeking opportunities for funding.

2. As apart of its community-awareness function, the Council should publish anannual report card

on the status of adult illiteracy in Northeast Florida. Until the Council is operational, FloridaCommunity Col/ege at Jacksonville, the DOE deSignated Local Educational Agency in DuvalCounty, should take the lead to convene the major literacy providers to develop and initiate the

annual report cardprocess. Tasks that should be undertaken under FCCJ's leadinclude:

• developing a list of key outcome indicators of literacy improvement andsuccess;• developing a process to collect data annually from the relevant sources on each of theseindicators; and

• creating a process to publish and disseminate the annual report card throughout the

community.

The Council has lacked the funding, to date, to implement this recommendation effectively. It has not

approached FCCJ, nor has FCCJ offered to become involved in developing a report card. The Council has

discussed developing and tracking a basic set of adult-literacy indicators, either directly or through a funded

contract (perhaps with JCel involvement). No specific action has yet been taken toward implementing this

project

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,3. As a part of its collaborative function, the Council should encourage providers to explore

alternative teaching methods and tools, such as the use of technology and/or distance learning,

to help overcome the shortage of volunteer tutors. Until the Council is operational, the Literacy

Network should initiate this effort.

The Council has not yet specifically encouraged providers to explore collaborative efforts to develop anduse alternative teaching methods and tools. However, it has encouraged providers to take advantage ofexisting opportunities for staff training in alternative teaching methods offered by the Florida Department ofEducation's Training and Development Council. This training does include technology and distance-

learning components. The Council is also encouraging members to participate in the Florida LiteracyCoalition and to attend lts statewide conference in Jacksonville in March 2002.

4. The Council should make a focused effort to increase the availability of family-oriented literacy-

education opportunities in Northeast Florida. Until the Council is operational, the Literacy

Network, in cooperation with the various public-school systems, should take the lead in initiating

this effort. Theeffort should include identifying potential providers, program sites, and funding

sources.

Some providers already provide family-oriented literacy-education opportunities. Some of the Council's

community-awareness efforts have focused on this issue. The Council participated in the Clay CountyLiteracy Fair, which had a specific family orientation. The Council has also made a contact with the localRepublican Women's Club, which has an interest in this issue, With paid staff, the Council anticipatesfurther action on this recommendation.

5. The Council, in cooperation with family-literacy programs and early childhood development

agencies such as Healthy Families and HeadStart, should promote the importance of reading

and should encourage child-care centers and other child-development agencies to distributebooks to parents of newborn and young children as a means of encouraging them to work

toward improving their own literacy skills as well as those of their children. Until the Council is

operational, the Literacy Network should takethe leadin initiating this effort.

The Council's efforts in relation to Recommendation #4 apply here as well. The Council has begun makingapproaches to early childhood-development agencies consistent with this recommendation. The Head Startprogram is represented on the Council's membership, and a contact has been made with the EarlyChildhood Coalition in Duval County, although it has not yet becomeactive.

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, 76. The Duval County Public Schools (and likewise other public-school systems in Northeast

Florida) should fully implement the following recommendations from previous JCCI studies

already directed toward them: The 1990study on Future Workforce Needs (Recommendation#1)and the 1993 study on Public Education: the Cost of Quality (Recommendation #6). Each of

these recommendations caJls on the Duval County Public Schools to ensure that their

graduating students demonstrate mastery of al/ major literacy skills and knowledge areas

required for successful entry into the workforce.

After some difficulty identifying the proper contact person and making the contact, Task Forcemembers met

with an official of the Duval County Public Schools concerning this recommendation. Since completion ofthe previous JCCI studies, the State of Florida has adopted a set of performance standards for high-schoolgraduation. These are not exclusively workforce/literacy oriented, but meeting workforce and literacy needsis an important criterion for their adoption. Public school systems across the state are now in the process ofensuring that their curriculum covers the learning necessary to meet the standards. In 2001-02, theLanguage Arts Department of the Duval County Public Schools planned to implement professionaldevelopment and classroom support efforts, directed toward literacy, for about 200 secondary teachers.

Meanwhile, the State is developing the FCAT testing process to measure the degree of successful learningconsistent with the standards. .FCAT testing of students is in its fourth year. Results from the first threeyears of testing suggest that student-performance outcomes are indeed improving, although theseimprovements reflect performance in many additional aspects of public education besides workforce

preparation and basic literacy.

Except in vocational-certificate programs, the Duval County Public Schools do not have performancestandards developed jointly by employers and educators specifically designed to ensure workforce-relatedliteracy skills, as called for in the previous JCCI studies.

he Task Force did not seek contacts with other public-school systems in Northeast Florida.

. The Council should work closely with the Exceptional Student Education departments of the

public-school systems in Northeast Florida and with teaching professionals from higher-

education institutions to develop strategies to appropriately identify, assess, and effectivelyserve adults with learning disabilities who want to improve their literacy skills. Until the Councilis operational, the Literacy Network should begin this effort, and its work should include:• creating pre-service and in-service training workshops designed to give instructional staffand interested volunteers the skills they need to assist adults with learning disabilities;

• developing clear and realistic objectives and outcome measures to determine effectiveness;and .

• creating a process to publish and disseminate the results of these outcomes throughout the

community.

he Council has not sought to implement this recommendation yet, pending the availability of staff andunding. The Task Force did not raise this issue directly with the Duval County Public Schools or with otherblic-school systems in Northeast Florida.

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8. The Council should work closely with the public-school systems in NortheastFlorida to helpguide school dropouts into opportunities for adult literacy improvement. To facilitate this

process, the Council should seekpublic-school information on eachstudent who drops out, sothat they can be contacted concerning literacy opportunities. In addition, the Council should

suggest to schools ways in which their teachers and counselors can easily refer dropouts to

literacy providers, as appropriate. Until the Council is operational, the Literacy Network should

take the lead in convening providers to make initial contacts with school officials concerning

this recommendation.

The Council has not sought to implement this recommendation yet, pending the availability of staff andfunding. The Task Force did not raise this issue directly with the Duval County PublicSchools or with otherpublic-school systems in Northeast Florida.

9. The Council should explore the various literacy resources and programs available through the

public library systems in Northeast Florida and suggest ways by which opportunities to utilizethese resourcesandprograms can bemaximized to benefit adult learners.

The Jacksonville Public Library has offered a computer-based adult-literacy program for a number of years,and library staff have been directly involved in the Council. In addition, a staff person from the PutnamCounty Library's Born toRead l iteracy program is a Council member. To date, the Council has not focused

its attention specifically on an expanded view of how library resources can benefit adult literacydevelopment, nor have other library systems in Northeast Florida been directly involvedyet.

10.The Council should take the initiative to encourage and foster stronger relationships withemployers, human-service agencies, faith-based organizations, volunteer organizations, and

other community groups to improve communication links and increase both the number ofreferred individuals who need literacy-instruction services as well as the number of potential

volunteer tutors. Until the Council is operational, each local literacy provider, working in

cooperationwith the Literacy Network, should beginthis effort.

To address this recommendation, the Council has begun developing a formal marketing plan, as well asmaking efforts to broaden its own membership (see Recommendation 1 above). Initially, the focus hasbeen on developing a stronger relationship with employers, and some progress has been made in thisregard, with the assistance of the WorkSource connection. The Council's community-awareness efforts(see Recommendation 1 above) also respond in a general way to this recommendation. Full

implementation of a marketing plan will require staffing and funding.

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..11. The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, through its Partnership for Workforce Preparation,

should develop and implement an ongoing process of gathering key information from local

employers that documents the extent of illiteracy among both current employees and

unsuccessful applicants, the impact of workplace illiteracy on company productivity and

proTrtability,and the kinds and extent of workplacs--literacyprograms offered by local employers.

The Chambershould periodically share this information with the Literacy Network and with the

Council. once it is operational. and these entities should use the information to enhance their

work with employers to promote more effective workplacs--literacy education.

Task-force members met with Chamber staff, along with representatives from WorkSource and the LiteracyCouncil. The Chamber expressed real interest in communicating and cooperating with the Council on thisand the following recommendation. The 2001 chair of the Chamber has given workforce literacy a highpriority in the Chambers workplan for this year. The Chamber is also working closely with WorkSource,and WorkSource isworking closely with the Council, so the three-way connection has been solidified by theJCCI implementation effort.

Specifically on this recommendation, the Chamber feels that additional formal surveying of businesses onthe extent and impact of workplace illiteracy would not be beneficial because ample anecdotal information isalready available-and is gaining visibility, as reflected by the Chambers emphasis on it in 2001. It agreed

that helping to publicize this information more widely through Chamber communications with its members

would be beneficial and consistent with the Chamber's workplan.

12.The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, working with literacy providers, should collect and

disseminate throughout the business community information about:

• the availability of governmental tax credits and incentives which may be available toemployers who hire and/or offer training to individuals who need to improve literacy skills;

• the benefits of workplace-literacy programs to both employers and their employees;

• how illiteracy in the workplace impacts productivity and a company's profitability;• ways in which employers can implement a workplacs--literacyprogram;

• suggested actions employers can take to promote the improvement of literacy skills among

their employees and to encourage employees to participate in workplace-literacy programs;and

• where employers, who cannot afford to offer a workplace-literacy program. can refer

employees who want to improve their skills.

The Chamber strongly supports this recommendation and agreed to take specific action, during the comingyear, to implement it. While feeling that businesses pretty well understand the problem of illiteracy, it feelsthat they are not as well informed on how to access literacy-education opportunities. This is where theChamber feels it can make its most valuable contribution toward responding to the recommendations. It

expects to rely on its working relationships with WorkSource and the Literacy Council to obtain theinformation needed to publicize literacy-education opportunities to its membership. Since this is a newChamber initiative in 2002, it is just beginning. However, the Chambers commitment to it seems to be firm,

at least for one year. Continuation of the effort may depend on the success of the three-way partnershipbetween the Chamber, WorkSource, and the Council.

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13.The Literacy Network should initiate an effort to encourage human-resource managers and

employment agencies to referjob applicants with low literacy skills to adult-educationproviders

for assistance.

The Council, the Literacy Network's successor, has initially responded to this recommendation by arrangingto participate in the WorkSource 2002 Symposia in March and April, providing information on literacyprograms, and contributing to the accompanying Human Resources Guide for Business 2002. Beyond this,the Council has not yet addressed this recommendation.

14.TheHumanServicesCouncil should take action for the benefit of functionally illiterate adults by

strongly encouraging human-service agencies to identify and refer individuals who need to

improve their literacy skills.

Task Force members met with the appropriate committee of the Human Services Council, explaining the

recommendation and suggesting that the HSC consider implementing it by disseminating a flyer drafted bythe Council. The HSC has not yet formally decided how to proceed in relation to the reCommendation.

However, the Florida Department of Children and Families (District 4), a partner in the HSC, is nowdistributing a list of literacy providers to its intake counselors to use as they determine eligibility for publicassistance and make referrals to needed services.

15.The Duval Delegationshould seek passage by the Florida Legislature of revisions in current

welfare and workforce-development requirements that would strongly encourage public-

assistancerecipients to enroll and perticlpet« in programs that enhanceemployability through

adult literacy education.

In 2000, without specific urging from the Task Force but in response to increasing national and statewide

pressure to offer more opportunities, through welfare reform, for training and education rather than just jobs,the Florida Legislature passed the Workforce Innovation Act. It allows welfare recipients to continue toreceive cash assistance while enrolled in adult basic-education classes. Since state funding for adulteducation has declined in recent years, whether the full intent of the recommendation has beenimplemented is questionable. However, the legislative intent was addressed.

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1

The Task Force believes that its efforts have been sufficiently successful, and that the recommendations

are sufficiently being addressed by entities in the community, that the momentum of implementation will

continue and that further effort on its part would probably not result in major new advances. Members of the

Task Force expect to remain engaged on this important issue, through the Literacy Council and in other

ways, to help maintain that momentum.

Therefore, the Task Force recommends to the JCCI Board of Directors that it conclude the formal

JCCI implementation process for the study on Improving Adult Literacy at this time.

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