The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center

For Administrators Learn new program adminstration techniques for outreach and communication. Gain exposure to free wikis, blogs, and and audio/visual materials.

You may register online at the VALRC calendar (http://www.calendar.valrc.org). Click on the workshop's heading and complete the online form. Directions will be sent upon registration.

Grant Writing Workshops

The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center is conducting a series of workshops designed to help you strengthen your grant writing skills. Whether you're a veteran grant writer or a novice, these workshops will help you to identify what grantees look for in a well-developed grant and hone your writing skills.

Needs Statement
New River Valley - April 3, 2008 - 1:00 - 4:00 pm
Capacity and Design
Hampton Adult Education - March 20, 2008 - 9:00 am - 3:00 pm (lunch provided)
New River Valley - April 4, 2008 - 9:00 am - 3:00 pm (lunch provided)
Evaluation and Budgeting
Henrico County Adult Education - April 1, 2008 - 9:00 am - 12:00 noon & 1:00 - 4:00 pm (two sessions of the same workshop)
Rocky Mount - April 15, 2008 - 1:00 - 4:00 pm

You may register online at the VALRC calendar (http://www.calendar.valrc.org). Click on the workshop's heading and complete the online form. Priority will be given to Adult Education practitioners in adult education programs affiliated with public schools and community based literacy organizations who receive Department of Education funding.

Program Planning for Content Standards Implementation Workshops

Are you a program manager wondering how you are going to address the implementation of content standards to fit the needs of your program?

The workshop, Program Planning for Content Standards Implementation, is designed to help you develop strategies for aligning content standards (both GED and ESOL) with curriculum, instruction, and assessment at the program level. Emphasis will be placed on program planning, including staffing, professional development, and budgeting.

Program managers/administrators along with 1 or 2 lead teachers or coordinators from each program are invited to attend. Lunch is included.

Schedule of workshops:

Richmond, April 11, 10:00 am - 2:30 pm
Prince William County, April 15, 10:00 am - 2:30 pm
Newport News, April 18, 12:00 - 4:30 pm
Wytheville, April 22, 10:00 am - 2:30 pm
Fishersville, April 25, 10:00 am - 2:30 pm

To register, click on the "Calendar" tab above, click the day of the workshop you wish to attend, and complete the online registration form. Confirmations and directions will be sent out by email.

See you there!

GED/ESOL Public Service Announcements on TV

The Henrico County Adult Education Center has just launched two public service announcements promoting adult education for GED and ESOL students. The videos have been uploaded to YouTube and can be accessed by search on the general site or the Virginia government channel of YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=Virginiagovernment .

Henrico County Adult Education has done a great job in producing the segments which will run on NBC, Channel 12, in Central Virginia.

Check them out!

2008 Grant Announcements

The 2008 Dollar General Grants are available. Click here to download the materials.

The Virginia Literacy Foundation applications for 2008-2009 matching grants are now available. If you are interested in applying for one of these grants, you may either request a packet of grant application forms by calling Julia Norman at 804-237-8909 or by clicking on the links below. This year, all applicants are required to fill out a 2008 Survey Form and return it with their grant application. (This form is filled out once every three years. QuAl-D programs that filled out the survey form last fall do not need to fill one out again.)

This year programs may request the VLF QuAL-D database in their grant. The request is competitive, and only two programs will be chosen per year to receive it. (Look for Instruction Sheet.)

Our 2008-2009 matching grants are offered in tiered categories. The amount of funding for which an organization is eligible is tied to the numbers of adult literacy students it served in the last full fiscal year.* Funding tiers are as follows:

Tier One: One-year matching grants

Tier Two: Two-year matching grants

* "Students served" is defined as permanently matched adult students who have received at least six hours of basic literacy instruction in 2006-2007 in one or more of these areas: one-on-one tutoring, small group classes, family literacy (adult literacy component), pre-GED instruction, computer literacy, jail program, etc.

Click here for the documents:

GED® On Demand featured in KET's Adult Learning Quarterly

The January 2008 issue of Kentucky Educational Television's (KET) Adult Learning Quarterly features an article on the uses of Video on Demand and streaming technologies in the field of adult education. The article includes comments by the VALRC's Instructional Technology Specialist, Richard Sebastian, and makes extensive mention of Virginia's GED On Demand and streaming video projects.

To download the pdf file of this issue of the ALQ, click on the link below: http://valrc.org/publications/pdf/ALQ_Jan08.pdf

Or you can access the downloads page of KET's Adult Education site: http://www.ketadultlearning.org/htms/downloads.htm

TABE Forms 7 & 8 Discontinued

As of March 31, 2008, you will no longer be able to purchase TABE Forms 7 & 8 products from CTB/McGraw-Hill. Also, the National Reporting System will no longer accept data entered for TABE Forms 7 & 8 after June 30, 2008. As a result of this, the Resource Center will no longer offer training on TABE Forms 7 & 8 after June 2, 2008 and no certificates for TABE Forms 7 & 8 will be issued after June 30, 2008.

GED Connection and eLearn Va Workshop in Winchester

Northern Shenandoah Valley Adult Education
156 Dowell J. Circle
Winchester, VA 22602

Date: January 26, 2008
Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Registration Deadline: January 23, 2008

Audience: GED teachers and tutors

GED Connection is a multimedia instructional program that combines workbooks, videos, and online activities. The online management system allows teachers to monitor student progress with online activities, and the Teacher's Guide makes planning a cinch. In this workshop, participants will explore the use of all components in creating GED lessons in classroom and distance learning environments.

Using GED Connection and a number of other programs, eLearn Va delivers GED, pre-GED, and workplace instruction online to Virginia students. Workshop participants will examine the characteristics of a good online learner, structure of the eLearn Va program, content of the online curricula, and strategies for implementing and supporting distance learning at their programs.

To register, complete the online form found on the VALRC training calendar.

NIFL Discussion on Comprehension Monitoring Strategies for Adult Readers

From February 4-8, 2008, please join the NIFL Family Literacy Discussion listserv for a discussion moderated by Susan McShane and Donna Elder on the topic of comprehension monitoring strategies for adult readers. To sign up for this discussion, go to: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Familyliteracy

Happy Holidays!

The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center will follow the Winter Break schedule established by Virginia Commonwealth University. VALRC will be closed December 21 - January 1. We will reopen with our regular schedule on January 2, 2008.

All of us at VALRC wish you a very happy holiday season and a healthy and happy New Year. We have enjoyed serving you during the past year, and we look forward to working with you in 2008.

GED ON DEMAND Publicity

"The medium of on-demand cable television is expected to make televised GED programming much more attractive to its potential audience ... With all the episodes available over digital cable with a few clicks of a remote control, adult learners can pick up where they left off in the series, or watch only the shows they need." Read more in this article from the Employment & Training Reporter.

GED ON DEMAND, a partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia, Comcast Cable, Cox Communications, the Virginia Department of Education's Office of Adult Education & Literacy, and the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center, integrates the 39 GED Connection videos, produced by KET-TV, into the "ON DEMAND" programming that Cox and Comcast offer free to their digital cable customers.

New Promotional Materials Available for Download!

Promotional materials for the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center's new programs and initiatives are now available online on the VALRC website. These attractive brochures, posters, and flyers are provided in pdf format (with printer's lines) so you can easily print and distribute as many of them as you like to your program's teachers and students. These publications can help you promote the new eLearn Virginia distance learning program, the GED® On Demand program for digital cable subscribers.

To access these printable pdf files, click here. If you have any questions about content, file formats, or technical issues, please contact the VALRC's Assistant Instructional Technology Specialist, Christopher Poole at cpoole2@vcu.edu.

VALRC Has Upgraded its Events Calendar, Registration System

The VALRC has launched a new online events calendar to replace our previous system. Not only is our new calendar simpler and easier to use, but users now have the ability to register for events online through the calendar interface!

Navigating the calendar On the VALRC website, click on the Calendar tab at the top of the page.
You'll be taken to a list of upcoming events, with the nearest events listed near the top. On the right, you'll see a small monthly calendar. Days with scheduled trainings or other events are highlighted in red. Clicking on a specific day will take you to that day's events.

If you want a more concise look at our upcoming events, there is a list titled Upcoming Events for the Next 90 Days on the right hand side of the page that offers a quick overview of events. This list is also clickable.

Registering for events Under the title of each event is a link in green text that says Click here to register for this event. When you click that link , it will take you to another page with a full description of the event and a short online form at the bottom of the page. To register, complete all of the fields in this form and then click the Send Registration button. Voila--you're registered for the event you chose, and should receive registration confirmation via the email address you provided on the form.

If you have any questions about registering for events, please contact Marianne Baker (mdbaker@vcu.edu) or Christopher Poole (cpoole2@vcu.edu).

Grant Writing: The Needs Statement Workshop

Audience: Seasoned and novice grant writers looking to improve an existing needs statement or create a new one
Locations:
Rocky Mount, December 6, 2007, 1:00 - 4:00 pm
or
Henrico County, January 8, 2008, 9:00 am - 12:00 noon

Your grant hinges on a compelling needs statement that is written accurately and succinctly. In fact, all the other elements of your grant depend on this important introduction. Many seasoned grant writers have failed to persuade funders to award money based on this section alone. Our 3-hour participatory, hands-on workshop is designed for seasoned grant writers or novices who want to strengthen the needs statements on a current grant or tackle the needs statement for their programs.

To register, visit VALRC's online training calendar and click on your preferred date: http://www.calendar.valrc.org

Confirmation and directions will be provided by email after receiving your registration.

Look for more grant writing workshops in the new year!
Capacity and Design & Evaluation and Budgeting

GED Connection streaming videos

Adult learners in Virginia can now access all of the GED Connection programs anytime from an Internet-connected computer. All 39 episodes are now being "streamed" online from the eLEARN Virginia website in 3 video formats--Windows Media, Flash, and Quicktime--for both low speed and high speed computer connections.

The 39 instructional programs, produced by KET-TV, cover the subjects and skills students need to pass the GED tests. With the programs now available online, learners will be able to receive quality GED preparation at times that fit their schedules.

You don't need to be enrolled in eLEARN Virginia to access these online programs, but you do need to be a resident of Virginia and have a valid username and password. To receive your username and password and begin watching, please call 1-877-37-MY-GED (1-877-376-9433) or send an email request to richard@elearnva.com

GED Connection ON DEMAND

Virginians who subscribe to either Comcast or Cox Digital Cable can now watch any of the GED Connection episodes from the comfort of their home any time they want. This initiative, a partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia, Comcast and Cox Communications, the Virginia Department of Education's Office of Adult Education & Literacy, and the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center, integrates the GED Connection videos into the "ON DEMAND" programming that Cox and Comcast offer free to their digital cable customers.

The 39 instructional programs, produced by KET-TV, cover the subjects and skills students need to pass the GED tests. With GED Connection ON DEMAND, learners will be able to receive quality GED preparation at times that fit their schedules, alleviating the needs for transportation and child care.

GED Fast Track Training

Four regional workshops will be given this fall for instructors who are new to Fast Track or who are looking to brush up on accelerated GED instruction.

Audience: New GED Fast Track instructors, Fast Track instructors who want a brush-up
Time: All workshops will be held from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Locations and Dates:

Charlottesville - Wednesday, October 24 - FULL
Virginia Beach - Friday, October 26
Spotsylvania - Monday, November 5

In the GED Fast Track workshop, participants will gain insight into thinking styles and accelerated learning, examine test-taking strategies, understand accommodations available to all testers, and find out what types of questions testers most often miss on the GED test.

To sign up, please complete the registration form, select the location of your choice, and email, fax, or mail it as directed on the form.

http://www.valrc.org/training/GED/FastTrackregistration.pdf
http://www.valrc.org/training/GED/FastTrackregistration.doc

See you there!

eLEARN Virginia: a free statewide distance learning GED program

eLEARN Virginia is a new statewide distance learning initiative, funded by the DOE/OAEL and managed by the VALRC, now freely available to your GED students. eLEARN Va is a great option for any student who has access to a networked computer and either a) can't attend face-to-face GED classes at your center, b) must interrupt their face-to-face GED class due to employment, transportation, or childcare issues, or c) wants supplementary GED lessons to work on outside of their regular face-to-face GED class. eLEARN Va is also an option for any out of school youth, formally released from compulsory attendance, interested in working towards a GED online.

Self-Guided Free Online Technology Workshops

Catalyst is a website developed by the University of Washington. Catalyst provides "How-To" guides and step-by-step instructions for common online tasks, such as document and data management (Word, Access, and Excel), how to use videos, creating graphics, and understanding web publishing. You'll also find links to instructions for related tasks, as well as tips and teaching guides to support your teaching goals.

Click here to enter the Catalyst Help Center

Grant Writing: Your Needs Statement

Your grant hinges on a compelling needs statement that is written accurately and succinctly. In fact, all the other elements of your grant depend on this important introduction. Many seasoned grant writers have failed to persuade funders to award money based on this section alone. Our 3-hour participatory, hands-on workshop is designed for seasoned grant writers who want to strengthen the needs statements on their current grant or a grant that was rejected for failing to make a good case.

When: Look for the next announcement, coming soon.

2007 Foundations and Grants Booklet

The 2003 Foundations and Grants Booklet has been updated. Find the PDF file to this 100 page document in this link. Links on each page are live and should take you to the Funder's or Foundation's page. Click here to view this publication.

Value of Volunteer Time

According to a letter written by Susan McIver, Economic Supervisor at the Virginia Employment Commission, the estimated value of volunteer time in Virginia in 2006-2007 is $18.76 per hour.

This amount is close to the Independent Sector's estimate of $18.77 for 2006-2007.

2007-2008 Race to GED Outreach Guide Available Online

In addition to introducing the new GED Success Story materials, the 2007-2008 Race to GED Outreach Guide: Virginia's GED Succes Stories provides a comprehensive resource for programs trying to reach out to potential learners and to the wider community. Find information on how to target groups and develop outreach strategies, create a communications strategy, establish relationships with the media, use promotional items, and gain publicity.

New Math Workshops for the Non-Math Teacher!

As we delivered the four strands of Numeracy Workshops around Virginia last year, teachers began asking us interesting questions - not just how to teach math concepts to learners, but more detail on what those concepts were all about for their own professional development. Many of you adult education math teachers are not certified in math and feel that math is not your strength, but you bravely teach our students because you have a good heart and a multi-level and/or multi-subject classroom! These workshops are for you. They are expanded to allow time for extra Q&A, and will not only offer new activities, but revisit ones demonstrated in the standard workshop. You will get a chance to dig deeper and truly understand the math involved, to teach it better to your students.

This year two strands of "Math for the Non-Math Teacher" will be offered: Numbers & Number Sense and Patterns & Algebra

The other two strands for the "Non-Math Teacher" will be offered in 2008-2009: Measurement & Geometry and Data & Statistics

Be sure to request a numeracy workshop in your region. Ask for one of the two new "Math for the Non-Math Teacher" workshops or one of the "Standard" Numeracy Workshops (still available in all four strands this year).

Contact Nancy Chapin, the new Numeracy Project Coordinator, at 540-989-8005 or nachapin@cox.net

Online Course Registrations

Due to an upgrade of the Blackboard server here at VCU, we will be unable to process any online course registrations after Friday, May 4 until Monday, May 21. You may still submit your registration during that time, but it will not be processed until Monday, May 21. If you have any questions regarding this shutdown, please contact Lauren Ellington at courses@valrc.org.

MoneyWi$e Financial Literacy Training

A MoneyWi$e Financial Literacy Training is scheduled at Capital One's state of the art training facilities on the beautiful West Creek Campus in Goochland, Thursday, May 3, from 10 am to 4 pm. This is the third of four trainings paid for by Consumer Action. To register, please contact Marianne Baker at 800-237-0178 or mdbaker@vcu.edu. You will receive a confirmation and directions. If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Norrell at 800-237-0178 or norrellch@vcu.edu.

Consumer Action and Capital One first launched the MoneyWi$e partnership in April 2001. Since then, the program has produced and distributed a six-part series of MoneyWi$e educational materials to provide consumers with the building blocks for developing and honing personal finance skills, from saving and budgeting to balancing a checkbook, understanding the basics of credit and credit repair and how parents can talk to teenagers about money.

By providing free brochures in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese), the MoneyWi$e program is able to address financial literacy across both income and ethnic barriers.

MoneyWise is a financial education project of Consumer Action and Capital One.

John Strucker Lecture Rescheduled

Dr. Strucker's lecture on Improving Instruction for Adult Intermediate Readers has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 19, 9:30 to 11:30 AM at The READ Center in Richmond.

John Strucker is one of the most highly influential leaders in the field of adult literacy and reading in the U.S. today. For the past ten years he has been Research Associate at the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), and a Lecturer in the Harvard Graduate School of Education (GSE), where he teaches a laboratory practicum course, "Developing Reading in Adults and Older Adolescents." Dr. Strucker received his Doctorate from Harvard GSE in 1995. He is a member of the National Institute for Literacy's Adult Reading Expert Group.

To register for this lecture, please click on this link. As soon as you are registered, you will be sent a confirmation and directions to The READ Center. If you have questions, please contact Catherine Norrell at 800-237-0178 or norrellch@vcu.edu.

Regional Reading Workshop for Nonprofit Organizations, May 2 & 3, Fredericksburg

Adult Reading Instruction: Assessing Needs, Addressing Needs, Achieving Outcomes, Susan McShane, Trainer, NCFL. This workshop is a pilot project of the National Center for Family Literacy, funded by Verizon Foundation, and developed for community-based literacy organizations.

Description: This training offers a detailed introduction to the research, with emphasis on translating the research into practice. It introduces the components of reading that may contribute to a (perhaps unrecognized) reading problem: alphabetics skills, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. It also introduces common reader profiles identified by research and suggests resources for initial assessment. Participants learn and practice a variety of research-based instructional strategies for addressing adults' needs in the reading-component areas.

Primary Audience: Tutors and other instructors Secondary Audience: Program administrators from community-based adult literacy programs

Click here to register:We will send you a confirmation, directions, and a list of hotels in the region. Please be aware, workshop costs are free, but hotel costs are on your own.

For questions regarding registration, please contact Catherine Norrell at 800-237-0178 or norrellch@vcu.edu

Target Community Grants

Target Community Giving grants are now available for 2007. This year, applications will ONLY be accepted ONLINE. Applications will be accepted between March 1, 2007 and May 31, 2007, for programs taking place between October 1, 2007, and September 30, 2008. Programs that offer family literacy services and are situated within a Target Community are eligible to apply.

To Apply:

1. Click here to enter the website.

2. Then click on APPLY ONLINE as a 501(c)(3)

Please use these questions to write your grant ahead of time. Then transfer the information as you apply online.

Reminder: Virginia Literacy Foundation Grant Deadline is March 9

The Virginia Literacy Foundation grant applications for matching grants are still available. If you are interested in applying for a VLF grants you may either request a packet of grant application forms by calling Julia Norman, or download the required application forms on this website.

Please note: All grants must be completed as required and received by 5:00 PM on March 9, 2007 by the VLF. For questions, contact Victoire Gerkens Sanborn at vjsanbor@vcu.edu or (800) 237-0178.

February Issue of Update

The February issue of Update is now available. In this issue you will find information about new NCSALL publications, resources for teaching science, a formula for calculating the cost of workplace training, links to innovative family literacy projects, the Resource Center's newest ESOL publication, a way to discover websites that you'll like and use, new health literacy information about immunizations, and much more!

CANCELLED: John Strucker Lectures on Reading CANCELLED

PLEASE NOTE!! DUE to snow and ice, Dr. Strucker's flight from Boston was cancelled. The lecture series will be rescheduled at another time. Openings are still available for Dr. Strucker's lecture on Improving Instruction for Adult Intermediate Readers on Thursday, February 15 at The READ Center in Richmond.

John Strucker is one of the most highly influential leaders in the field of adult literacy and reading in the U.S. today. For the past ten years he has been Research Associate at the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), and a Lecturer in the Harvard Graduate School of Education (GSE), where he teaches a laboratory practicum course, "Developing Reading in Adults and Older Adolescents." Dr. Strucker received his Doctorate from Harvard GSE in 1995. He is a member of the National Institute for Literacy's Adult Reading Expert Group.

To register for this lecture, please click on this link.

Adult Learner Writer's Awards

The Literacy Fair of Virginia is accepting written student submissions for the Fifth Annual Outstanding Adult Learner Award. Attached are two documents for distribution to your teachers, tutors, and students.

The award, sponsored by the Literacy Fair of Virginia, Inc., will honor our outstanding adult learners. The top four submissions will receive a monetary award and a plaque. The winners will be asked to come in person to read their submissions.

The Literacy Fair, which is celebrating 20 successfull years, will be held Thursday, May 17, 2007 on the John H. Daniel Campus of Southside Virginia Community College in Keysville, Virginia.

Click here for the letter Click here for the student information form

Our theme this year is "Celebrate Literacy!"

Contact: Sandra M. Thompson (434) 736-2084 or svthoms@svccdan1.sv.vccs.edu

Update: Online Course Registration Is Now Closed

The Resource Center is excited to offer all of our online courses this winter. These courses are free to adult educators in Virginia, and you may complete them on your own schedule in the convenience of your home or office.

Courses offered are Adults as Learners: An Orientation, ESOL Basics, and Using Technology to Enhance GED Instruction. The registration deadline for all courses is Friday, February 16; courses begin Monday, February 19. Register now to reserve your spot in one of our innovative online courses! More information and registration for each course is available below:

• Adults as Learners: An Orientation
• ESOL Basics
• Using Technology to Enhance GED Instruction

If you have any questions regarding these courses, please contact Lauren Ellington at valrccourses@vcu.edu or 800-237-0178.

John Strucker:Improving Instruction for Adult Intermediate Readers

You are cordially invited to attend ...

John Strucker is one of the most highly influential leaders in the field of adult literacy and reading in the U.S. today. For the past ten years he has been Research Associate at the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), and a Lecturer in the Harvard Graduate School of Education (GSE), where he teaches a laboratory practicum course, "Developing Reading in Adults and Older Adolescents." Dr. Strucker received his Doctorate from Harvard GSE in 1995. He is a member of the National Institute for Literacy's Adult Reading Expert Group.

Dr. Strucker's interest in adult literacy began when he worked as a labor and community organizer in Chicago in the 1970s. Before joining NCSALL, he taught adult literacy and ESL for 11 years at the Community Learning Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, specializing in the diagnostic assessment and teaching of adults with reading difficulties.

During his tenure at NCSALL, Dr. Strucker has been the Principal Investigator on three large-scale research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences: the "Adult Reading Components Study," a cluster analysis of the reading strengths and needs of 955 adult literacy and ESL students, "Components and the International Adult Literacy Study (IALS)" - a latent class analysis of the component skills of 1,084 IALS Level 1, 2, and 3 participants, and "Improving Instruction for Adult Intermediate Readers," an intervention study testing an adaptation of the Boys Town Reading Program with 275 adult learners.

Dr. Strucker's other interests include teacher-training in adult education, the application of technology to literacy learning, the development of adult literacy assessment tools, and family literacy.

To register for this lecture, please click on this link.

Tutor Training, Fredericksburg, March 3

Fine Tune Your Tutoring Skills This free workshop, sponsored by PD16 Regional Literacy Coordinating Committee and the Rappahannock Regional Library, is for experienced literacy tutors as well as those new to tutoring. The primary focus is to strengthen your skills in meeting the learning needs of adult emergent readers who may also have a learning disability. You will be working in small groups to explore many tutoring tips and strategies. You will then have the opportunity to make a lesson and build a notebook. The workshop presenters will be Susan Hahn and Peg Larose.

Saturday, March 3, 2007 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch and snacks will be provided.

Salem Church Library
2607 Salem Church Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22407

For driving directions, click here.

Registration is limited to 20 so hurry and reserve a space.

Dollar General Grants Available

Requests for Dollar General proposals are available on the Dollar General Website.

All proposals are due at the Dollar General Literacy Foundation by March 2, 2007. No late proposals will be accepted.

2007 Adult Literacy Grants are now available 2007 Family Literacy Grants are now available

Please contact Dollar General regarding these grants, not the Resource Center, at 615-855-5201

Virginia Literacy Foundation Grant Applications Available

The Virginia Literacy Foundation is pleased to announce that applications for our 2007-2008 matching grants are now available. If you are interested in applying for one of our grants, you may either request a packet of grant application forms by calling Julia Norman 804-237-8909, or download the required application forms on this website.

Please note: All grants must be completed as required and received by 5:00 PM on March 9, 2007 by the VLF. For questions, contact Victoire Gerkens Sanborn at 800-237-0178.

MoneyWise: Financial Literacy Regional Trainings Coming Soon

Consumer Action has granted The Resource Center $3,000 to conduct four regional MoneyWise Financial Literacy Trainings in Virginia during the next six months. The purpose of these trainings, led by Victoire Gerkens Sanborn, a certified MoneyWise trainer, is to provide teachers and tutors with the tools and resources they need to help their students understand what good money management is and to better manage their money.

Starting in February, the trainings will be scheduled in Richmond (tentatively in May), Northern Virginia (February 23), Southwest Virginia (March 3), and Eastern Virginia (TBA.) Programs that are interested in hosting these trainings, that are centrally located within each geographic region, and that can offer a training space for 25 participants for an 8-hour workshop, please contact Victoire Gerkens Sanborn or 800-237-0178. Food and workshop costs and materials will be paid for by Consumer Action and the Resource Center.

MoneyWise is a financial education project of Consumer Action and Capital One.

Happy Holidays

The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center will follow the Winter Break schedule established by Virginia Commonwealth University. VALRC will be closed December 22 - January 2. We will reopen with our regular schedule on January 3, 2007.

All of us at VALRC wish you a very happy holiday season and a healthy and happy New Year. We have enjoyed serving you during the past year, and we look forward to working with you in 2007.

December Issue of Update on LD

We are excited to offer you the latest issue of Update on LD. This issue focuses on Learning Disabilities and the Law. This issue includes information on how the laws are applied, a comparison of the laws, the responsibilities and rights of both learners and programs, links for learning more about learning disability law, and even a self-quiz . Read the latest Update on LD now.

Teaching Writing to Adults

The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center announces Teaching Writing to Adults. This online, three-credit, graduate-level course is designed to provide an overview of the practices, research, and application of instructional techniques for effectively working with adult learners in the writing classroom. It will be offered January 16, 2007 through March 9, 2007. Registrations must be received by Friday, January 5, 2007. Please contact Marianne Baker at 800-237-0178 for registration forms or if you need additional information.

VAACE to Host Regional COABE Conference in 2007

VAACE (the Virginia Association of Adult and Continuing Education) has been selected to host a Regional COABE conference. COABE (Commission on Adult Basic Education) hosts a national conference each year in the spring for approximately 1200 participants from around the country. In an attempt to allow more people to have this national conference experience, COABE is supporting regional events. Our conference, The Colonial Institute, will be held in Williamsburg on October 10 and 11, 2007. The conference's agenda will feature nationally recognized trainers in adult education and literacy. The two-day regional conference will be followed by a one-day VAACE conference for Virginia adult educators on October 12th. As plans are finalized, more information will be posted on the VAACE website. Please visit the VAACE website often for updates.

Google for Educators

Google offers a site as a platform of teaching resources - for everything from blogging and collaborative writing to geographical search tools and 3D modeling software - and the staff at Google want you to fill it in with your great ideas.

To the left of the home page, you'll find a teacher's guide to free Google products, including basic information about each tool, examples of how educators are using them, and lesson ideas. You'll also find lesson plans and videos from our partners at Discovery Education focusing on two of our most popular teaching tools: Google Earth and Google SketchUp.

Click here to enter the site.

Usable Knowledge: A New Website for Educators and Researchers

From HGSE News, December 2006

The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) today launched a new Web site aimed at connecting the research of its faculty with educators in the field. The Usable Knowledge Web site features a diverse set of media - text, video, and audio - to make the leading research of its faculty accessible to educators all over the world.

The Condition of Education

A SNAPSHOT OF THE STATE OF U.S. EDUCATION

From Public Education Network Weekly NewsBlast, December 1, 2006

Did you know that despite all the criticisms leveled from coast to coast about K-12 public schools, most parents report being very satisfied with their child's school? Did you know that distance education courses are offered at more than half the country's two- and four-year postsecondary institutions? These and other statistics are in the 2006 Condition of Education report published by the U.S. Department of Education, reports Valerie Strauss. Each year, the department collects reams of data and statistically paints a portrait of where U.S. education stands. Between 1972 and 2004, the percentage of racial or ethnic minority students enrolled in the nation's public schools increased from 22 to 43 percent, primarily because of growth in Hispanic enrollment. In 2004, Hispanic students made up 19 percent of public school enrollment, up from 6 percent in 1972. The distribution of minority students in public schools differed across regions of the country. For example, minority public school enrollment in 2004 exceeded white enrollment in the West (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming), 57 percent to 43 percent. The number of children ages 5 to 17 who spoke a language other than English at home more than doubled between 1979 and 2004, from 3.8 million to 9.9 million. Total expenditures per student increased 23 percent in constant dollars, from $7,847 to $9,630 between the 1995-96 and 2002-03 school years. In 2002-03, total per-student expenditures were highest in low-poverty districts ($10,768), next highest in high-poverty districts ($10,191) and lowest in middle-poverty districts ($8,839). To read more of the article go to The Washington Post or click on the full report entitled The Condition of Education,2000-2006 at The National Center for Educational Statistics.

November issue of Update

We are excited to offer you the November issue of Update. This issue has many timely resources for all adult literacy educators. Find out about new resources from NCSALL, online resources for classroom teachers, new workplace health and safety curricula, a family literacy toolkit for Hispanic families, online word processors, and much more. To view it, go to: http://valrc.org/publications/update/update1106.htm.

The Literacy Institute Hosts LESLLA, an International English Language Forum for Researchers and Policy Makers

For Immediate Release October 30, 2006 News Release

The Literacy Institute will host the international LESLLA 2006 forum for over 80 international, national, and statewide researchers, practitioners, and policy makers on November 2-3 at Virginia Commonwealth University.

LESLLA, which stands for Low Educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition, is an international forum focusing on the development of second language skills by adult immigrants with little or no schooling prior to moving to the country of entry. "It's hard for individuals to learn to speak and read in English when they cannot read in their own language," says Nancy Faux, ESOL specialist at the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center and the conference's organizer.

Researchers from as far the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and East Timor, and from across our nation will study and discuss education policy development in countries where immigrants settle and most need educational support. The conference features more than twenty presentations and discussion groups, opening with an address on "A National Citizenship Implementation Plan" and including the U.S. premiere of the European Quality Label Prize-winning film, "Newcomers to Morocco," which documents what happens when Dutch literacy teachers become the students in an Arabic class in Morocco.

Toward the conference's conclusion, working groups of experts from The Center for Applies Linguistics; Brown University; University of Minnesota; American Institutes of Research; Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.; Literacy Work International; Newcastle University, UK; Tilburg University, NL; and Radboud University, NL; Virginia Commonwealth University; and the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center, among many others, will develop research and action recommendations for international implementation.

The Literacy Institute is a partnership between the Virginia Literacy Foundation and Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Education and Center for Public Policy.

To find out more about the conference and participants, please visit the LESLLA website at www.leslla.org or see our Media Advisory at www.valrc.org. The conference, held on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, is open to registered participants only.

Contact: Hillary Major Phone: 800-237-0178 Fax: 804-828-7539 Email: hmajor@vcu.edu

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Media Advisory: The Literacy Institute Hosts International Forum

The Literacy Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University will host the second annual international LESLLA Conference on November 2-3, 2006, at VCU.

LESLLA was founded in 2005 to address the needs of immigrants who have little or no schooling in their native language and are trying to learn a new language. LESLLA 2006 brings together a group of international experts to explore how ground-breaking research can be applied in the classroom and in policy making.

The conference features more than twenty presentations and discussion groups, opening with an address on "A National Citizenship Implementation Plan" and including the U.S. premiere of the European Quality Label Prize-winning film, "Newcomers to Morocco," which documents what happens when Dutch literacy teachers become the students in an Arabic class in Morocco. Working groups of experts will develop research and action recommendation for international implementation. The Literacy Institute, a partnership between the Virginia Literacy Foundation and Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Education and Center for Public Policy, is proud to host this event.

The Literacy Institute: Mark Emblidge, President of the Virginia State Board of Education and Executive Director of The Literacy Institute at VCU; Barbara Gibson, Associate Director of the Literacy Institute and Manager of the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center

LESLLA Founders: Martha Young-Scholten (Newcastle University, UK); Jeanne Kurvers (Tilburg University, Netherlands); Ineke van de Craats (Radboud University, Netherlands)

Plenary Session Speakers: Jeff Chenoweth, Division Director of National Operations and Support for Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC); Heidi Spruck Wrigley, Senior Researcher, LiteracyWork International; Joy Kreeft Peyton, Director of the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) and Vice President of the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) Nancy Faux, ESOL Specialist at VALRC Larry Condelli, Managing Director of the American Institutes of Research

In addition:Local, national and international ESOL teachers and researchers

For press information, contact: Hillary Major, Phone: 804-828-7535, Email: hmajor@vcu.edu; for secondary contact, Victoire Gerkens Sanborn, Phone: 827-2638, Email: vjsanbor@vcu.edu

Progress Fall 2006

The fall issue of Progress should be arriving in your mailbox any day now. This issue was focused on Correctional Education, with articles from Dr. Bill Muth, Anita Prince, and an interview with Judy Philpott. Reading through it, you can learn more about the Department of Correctional Education, the Plaza Comunitaria program at the Lunenberg and Coffeewood Correctional Center, and how local programs around the state work in correctional education. If you're not currently subscribed to receive Progress in the mail, you're welcome to read through the latest issue online.

Update on LD

We are excited to offer you the latest issue of Update on LD. This issue focuses on Assistive Technology and Universal Design for Learning. This issue includes a review of an excellent resource available from the Resource Center library, links for free assistive technology resources, and websites where you can learn more about Assistive Technology and Universal Design for Learning. To view it, go to: http://www.valrc.org/publications/updateonld/updateonld0906.htm.

Registration for Online Courses Is Now Open

The Resource Center is excited to offer all of our online courses this fall. These courses are free to adult educators in Virginia, and you may complete them on your own schedule in the convenience of your home or office.

Courses offered are Adults as Learners: An Orientation, ESOL Basics, and Using Technology to Enhance GED Instruction. The registration deadline for all courses is Friday, October 13; courses begin Monday, October 16. Register now to reserve your spot in one of our innovative online courses! More information and registration for each course is available below:

• Adults as Learners: An Orientation
• ESOL Basics

• Using Technology to Enhance GED Instruction

If you have any questions regarding these courses, please contact Lauren Ellington at leellington@vcu.edu or 800-237-0178.

October Content Standards, Program Managers, and GED Examiners meetings

Please download the registration form, fill it out, and fax or email it to Jane Swing. Jane's contact information is included on the form. All program managers and lead teachers are encouraged to attend the Content Standards Institute, which will begin at noon on Wednesday, October 4, 2006, and continue through lunch Thursday, October 5. The program managers meeting will take place after lunch on Thursday. The GED Examiners meeting will be held on Friday, October 6.

• Registration form
• Schedule of events

Please make your lodging arrangements directly with the Virginia Crossings Resort. Contact information for the resort is included on the registration form. If you have any questions, please contact Jane Swing or Randy Stamper.

GED Connection and Workplace Essential Skills DVD Sets Available

We are reproducing DVD sets of the PBS series GED Connection and Workplace Essential Skills for all Virginia adult educators; if you are interested, please use our request form to place an order. Several local programs have already ordered and received their sets and instructors are finding that the digital format is much more portable and user-friendly than VHS tapes. At $80/$65 respectively, we hope that many adult education classrooms will be able to afford these teaching supplements. The orders are held until we can make a substantial number of duplications at one time. Once you have submitted payment (in the form of a purchase order, check, or credit card payment), please expect a month or so for reproduction and delivery. If you have any questions, please call Jason at (800) 237-0178 or email him.

2006 Literacy Trainer Institute - July 26 and 27

The Literacy Support Center (LSC), a project of the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center, is pleased to announce that registration for the 2006 Literacy Trainer Institute is open to all trainers in Virginia. This two-day Institute will feature workshops by Susan McShane, author of Applying Research In Reading Instruction for Adults, and by the Virginia Mentoring Partnership. Other topics that will be addressed are Learning Disabilities (LD), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and online training. The registration fee is $15.00. To find registration forms and detailed Institute information, please click on the links below.

• Flyer (46 kb)
• Registration (40 kb)
• Agenda (37 kb)
• Directions (30 kb)

For questions about the Institute, call Victoire Gerkens Sanborn at 800-237-0178 or email her. For questions about registration or reserving a room, contact Marianne Baker at 800-237-0178 or email her.

Spring 2006 Online Courses

The Resource Center is excited to offer all of our online courses this spring. These courses are free to adult educators in Virginia, and you may complete them on your own schedule in the convenience of your home or office. Courses offered are Adults as Learners: An Orientation, ESOL Basics, and Using Technology to Enhance GED Instruction. The registration deadline for all courses is Thursday, April 20; courses begin Monday, April 24. Register now to reserve your spot in one of our innovative online courses! More information and registration for each course is available below:

• Adults as Learners: An Orientation
• ESOL Basics
• Using Technology to Enhance GED Instruction

New Teacher Training Handbook

The updated New Teacher Training Handbook is now available online! The New Teacher Training Handbook 2005 includes an overview of the field of adult education in Virginia for the new teacher or teachers who may need a refresher. Additionally, trainings on this topic and a self-assessment CD are available upon request.

Virginia Literacy Foundation 2006-2007 Grants

The Virginia Literacy Foundation (VLF) is pleased to announce that applications for our 2006-2007 matching grants are now available for 501(c)(3) organizations. Our grants target organizations in Virginia that primarily provide literacy and numeracy services to adults 18 years and older.

To download application materials, click here.

For questions about the application forms or to have forms sent to you, contact Julia Norman at 804-237-8909.