Paul comments on the process through which decisions were made at NIFL and it seems unlikely that discussion or negotiation will ensue.  It  might have been interesting to present these changes and seek feedback from list participants- even if changes to the changes would or could not be made.

At any rate:

As problematic as the notion of "family" literacy was/is (many of us consider community, and/or intergeneration literacy as useful proxies) - the elimination of that list with the caveat that 
" special topics and family literacy will be among the issues addressed online by all of the Institute's moderators" - feels like yet another bit of marginalization of an already marginalized group of learners and practitioners.  

It's great that lists can and should be fluid and change as interests change; arguably, family literacy is going away because it had few postings.  But it was there.  Does it - like women's lit - sort of melt into diversity, which , too , seems increasingly to be the "miscellaneous " drawer for our reflection.

One also wonders what will become of the lists, and where they will live when NIFL's contract has shifted.

I appreciate that Noreen et al at NIFL have a great deal of work and sorting out to do and hope that the structure through which these very lists enable us to poke, prod, learn and reflect will somehow be preserved.

Janet Isserlis

-----Original Message-----
From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Paul Rogers
Sent: Tue 9/29/2009 9:40 AM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 4985]  Changes in the Discussion Lists
 

Concerning the proposed changes in the discussion lists I am a little dismayed that these changes will have taken place without any discussion from the participants themselves.
I do not teach in the "system" so please excuse my ignorance, but it seems to me that we should be discussing certain issues more than others, particularly common problems and their solutions.
My short list includes:
1. Biliteracy on par with English Only
2. The validity of multi-level, open enrollment
3. Teacher training
4. Grant-driven programs
5. Community based literacy 
6. Methods to provide literacy to those who cannot attend normal classes
Paul Rogers
805-258-3310
pumarosa21 at yahoo.com
PUMAROSA.COM

--- On Fri, 9/25/09, Lopez, Noreen <Noreen.Lopez at ed.gov> wrote:


From: Lopez, Noreen <Noreen.Lopez at ed.gov>
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 4974] Changes in the Discussion Lists
To: "assessment at nifl.gov" <assessment at nifl.gov>, "englishlanguage at nifl.gov" <englishlanguage at nifl.gov>, "familyliteracy at nifl.gov" <familyliteracy at nifl.gov>, "healthliteracy at nifl.gov" <healthliteracy at nifl.gov>, "learningdisabilities at nifl.gov" <learningdisabilities at nifl.gov>, "professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov" <professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov>, "diversity at nifl.gov" <diversity at nifl.gov>, "specialtopics at nifl.gov" <specialtopics at nifl.gov>, "technology at nifl.gov" <technology at nifl.gov>, "workplace at nifl.gov" <workplace at nifl.gov>
Date: Friday, September 25, 2009, 1:04 PM


Dear Discussion List Subscribers:
As the Institute enters a new fiscal year October 1 and a new phase in its operation, it has decided to reorganize some of the work of LINCS, most noticeably, the Discussion Lists. The Institute decided to more closely align the Discussion Lists with the Resource Collections, needs of the field and priorities of the administration. The intent is to structure the Discussion Lists as communities of practice that can support teachers, administrators, and staff developers in critical literacy areas by sharing best practice and the best available research.
To that end, the Institute has added three new Discussion Lists and expanded the titles and offerings of others. Starting in October, the following 11 Discussion Lists will launch and be affiliated with these Resource Collections:
Program Management Resource Collection

·         Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List

·         Assessment Discussion List

·         Learning Disabilities Discussion List

·         Transitions to Post Secondary Education Discussion List (NEW)!
Workforce Competitiveness Resource Collection

·         Adult English Language Acquisition Discussion List

·         Technology & Distance Learning Discussion List

·         Workforce Competitiveness Discussion List
Basic Skills Resource Collection

·         Reading & Writing Skills Discussion List (NEW)!

·         Math & Numeracy Discussion List (NEW)!

·         Health Literacy Discussion List

·         Diversity & Literacy Discussion List
Other changes to the Discussion Lists include discontinuing Special Topics and Family Literacy as of September 30, 2009. While they will no longer operate as separate Lists, special topics and family literacy will be among the issues addressed online by all of the Institute's moderators. The Institute would like to thank David Rosen, Special Topics Discussion List moderator; and Gail Price, Family Literacy Discussion List Moderator, for their contributions and for sharing their expertise with the field. They have both worked hard to bring relevant issues to the forefront.
Noreen S. Lopez
Senior Program Officer
National Institute for Literacy