DC LEARNs

Results of 2007-08 Read Out Loud Campaign

D.C. LEARNs is pleased to announce that nearly 700 Washington, D.C. residents were assisted in locating and registering for an adult education program as a result of the latest Read Out Loud Campaign, which took place from late December 2007 through early February 2008.

A press release with more details is available.

2008-09 Literacy*AmeriCorps Application

D.C. LEARNs is now accepting proposals from community organizations interested in sponsoring full-time and part-time Literacy*AmeriCorps Members from September 2008 to August 2009. Applications and more information available here. [DOC]

Proposals are due May 23rd.

Any public sector or nonprofit entity providing adult literacy education services to adults (including schools and faith-based mentoring initiatives) is eligible to apply and participate in this program.

All selected sites must comply with reporting requirements and participate in training and ongoing monitoring activities as outlined in the RFP. All selected sites must comply with federal regulations regarding AmeriCorps.

Upcoming Free AEPDC Workshop: Foundations of Reading 2

Are you looking for guidance in strengthening the reading comprehension skills of your learners?

Foundations of Reading 2 will be offered Friday, May 9, 9:45 am-1:00 pm, at the Martin Luther King Library, 901 G Street, NW, room 302. This workshop adds to the foundational skills development that was the focus of the previous workshop, Foundations of Reading 1. Foundations of Reading 2 presents information and approaches to address vocabulary development and general reading comprehension in beginning level readers. (Attendance at the first workshop is not required.)

A printable flyer is available so you can share the information about this workshop with colleagues and friends.

As always, the workshop is free, but we ask that you do complete and submit a registration form (PDF version or Word version. You can email the form to training@dclearns.org or fax it to 202/331-0143.

2008 Women's History Month Essay Contest Winners Announced

The first prize winners and the finalists in this year’s Women’s History Essay Contest have been announced by the Adult Literacy Resource Center at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. We hope that they and all the writers will be able to attend the Awards Reception next Tuesday, April 22nd from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. at the True Reformer Building, 12th and U Streets, NW.

See press release for additional information, including the names of the winners and finalists.

City Council FY 2009 Budget Hearing for OSSE

We have posted some information and possible talking points for adult literacy programs and adult learners who may wish to testify at the City Council Budget Hearing for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education tomorrow. It is based on everything we know to date about the adult literacy money in OSSE's FY 2009 budget so far, which admittedly isn't much. As we learn more, we will update this document.

Update 4/13/08: The document below has been updated to reflect new information obtained just prior to the hearing on the 11th.

http://www.dclearns.org/documents/OSSE2009Budget.pdf

Again, these are suggestions only. We prepared them in response to a few member queries. If anyone has any comments or additional information, please feel free to let us know. Also, if you are interested in a sample of D.C. LEARNs testimony at previous Council hearings, you can take a look at our adult literacy policy section for some examples.

Fair Budget Coalition Advocacy Day

The Fair Budget Advocacy Day is an opportunity to make the case with the City Council for a greater public investment in the programs you care about. That includes not only literacy programs, but other programs and services that are important to the residents of the District of Columbia.

This year’s Fair Budget Advocacy Day will take place on Wednesday, April 9, 2008.

More information here.

D.C. LEARNs Spring Quarterly Membership Meeting Summary

D.C. LEARNs members gathered at Friendship House on Thursday, March 13 for the Spring Quarterly Membership Meeting. It was a great opportunity for everyone to share programming and other information, as well as learn about the Literacy Americorps grant that D.C. LEARNs will be facilitating in 2008-2009. View a summary of all the news and information from the meeting.

D.C. LEARNs Spring 2008 Quarterly Membership Meeting

The D.C. LEARNs Spring 2008 Quarterly Membership Meeting will take place on Thursday, March 13th, from 1:00-3:30pm at Friendship House Friendship House, 619 D Street, SE — one block from the Eastern Market metro stop.

Agenda items include:

Literacy*AmeriCorps Application Process
D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation
SOME Center for Employment Training
Member Presentation by Year Up DC
Funding Opportunities from The Community Foundation
Public Policy Updates

Fair Budget 2009 Budget Recommendation Report

The Fair Budget Coalition's Fiscal year 2009 Recommendation Report has been released, and it includes a recommended $3 million increase in city adult education funding. The report is an attempt to put forward a set of city budget recommendations that address critical unmet human needs in the District. You can download a copy of the entire report here.

Save The Date: Spring Quarterly Membership Meeting

The D.C. LEARNs Spring 2008 Quarterly Membership Meeting will take place on Thursday, March 13th, from 1:00-3:30pm. Location and agenda are forthcoming; please be on the lookout for formal invitations in late February.

D.C. LEARNs Testifies at January 16-17 Poverty Roundtable

On January 17th, D.C. LEARNs’ Executive Director testified before the D.C. City Council’s Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs during a public roundtable on “Poverty Issues: Developing a Public/Private Strategy Aimed at Eliminating Poverty Among District Residents.” Read D.C. LEARNs’ complete written testimony here.

The 2008 Children's Gallery of Black History

Beginning Monday, February 4th, and continuing through Friday, February 15th, M.O.M.I.E.'s TLC will present its annual Children's Gallery of Black History at the All Souls Church gymnasium. This event is open for school groups, community groups, and others to explore fun, hands-on exhibits. This year, visitors will learn about great minority change-makers from around the world like Wangari Maathai, Gandhi, Pele, and Claudia Jones. The exhibits and workshops will encourage young children to become change-makers in their own neighborhoods.

Monday, February 4th-Friday, February 15th
Open to groups with reservations
9am-1pm

Saturday, February 9th, and Sunday, February 10th
Open to the public
10am-3pm

Adults: $2/Children: $1. Call 202.248.8361 or email kcooper@momiestlc.com to schedule your group. Located in the All Souls Church Unitarian Gym (1500 Harvard Street, NW). Log onto www.momiestlc.com to view all of our February events.

You can download the event flyer here: Gallery Flyer

New AEPDC Core Skills Workshop Schedule

The Adult Education Professional Development Center at DC LEARNs is excited to announce its January - June, 2008 schedule of Core Skills Workshops for adult education practitioners. These workshops will offer training in foundational topics and skills for teachers, tutors, and program staff working in ABE, GED, and adult ESOL.

To find times and locations of the workshops that will be offered between January and June, 2008, check out this downloadable schedule of workshops, or visit the DC LEARNs events calendar. The schedule gives you a chart of all the workshops with their dates, times, locations, and facilitators. The entries on the calendar (as well as the brochures listed below) will also give you descriptions of the individual workshops.

Workshops are free, but if you would like to participate, please complete the registration form (PDF or Word) and fax (202-331-0143) or email (training@dclearns.org) it to reserve a space.

If you are unfamiliar with the Core Skills Workshops in general and the workshops planned for each area (ABE, GED, and adult ESOL), visit the AEPDC web page to learn more.

First AEPDC Sponsored Workshop of 2008

The Adult Education Professional Development Center is pleased to announce its first sponsored workshop for 2008:

Teaching Critical Thinking Skills in the GED Content Areas: Science, Social Studies and Reading will be offered Friday, January 25, 9:45am-1pm, at the Martin Luther King Library, 901 G Street, NW, room 302. This workshop is for new and experienced GED instructors and other practitioners who would like to learn more about the types of critical thinking items on the GED test, lesson plans and specific activities that can help students develop and practice their critical thinking skills, and ideas for diagnosing problems that students have in answering critical thinking items.

Download a flyer about the workshop to share with colleagues.

As always, the workshop is free, but please complete and submit a registration form (PDF version and Word version are available). You can return the form to MaryAnn Florez at mflorez@dclearns.org or 202/331-0143 (fax).

DC LEARNs Winter Quarterly Membership Meeting Summary

Whether you were unable to attend or just want a record of the information shared, you can now view the summary of the DC LEARNs Winter Quarterly Membership Meeting that was held on Wednesday, December 12, 2008. Speakers included Camille Cormier from Wider Opportunities for Women, who discussed WOW's online Self-Sufficiency Calculator, and David Remick, who spoke about his organization, Workforce Organizations for Regional Collaboration (WORC). View the summary.