http://www.philly.com/inquirer/education/18554429.html
This is an interesting article about drop-outs and an adult literacy program. It gives some good information and statistics to consider. At the end, consider how the federal funding has been slashed. I believe in a different model to address Philadelphia's serious adult literacy problem. Small community-based programs are needed to help overcome barriers for literacy program completion. Literacy and employment help are the best core services to be delivered in neighborhoods, but outcomes would improve tremendously if a thorough assessment of a participants real life problems was also completed at baseline. Then matching additional intervention (through high quality referrals) is done with continued follow-up. The baseline assessments, regular case managed follow-up, and core and beginning employment and literacy services need to occur in the neighborhoods. Both trust and the message of planning, testing and alternative actions must be developed by the individual before the education goals can be reached. (Curriculum needs to be different from high school too. I like to begin each class with the newspaper, critical thinking, and discussion. It warms up the brain for fractions and prepositions.) Of course, the network of supporting social services is in shambles in poor urban cities, so that it is a never ending responsibility for the case manager to develop and investigate referral partnerships. Social service systems force people through a program without any of them dealing with the whole person with complex problems. Our social service systems set up too many individuals for another failure while misleading the general population. Like the bridges and other infrastructure, the social service delivery systems are mostly broken. I think too many people believe that individuals who drop out or develop mental health problems at any time in their lives are beyond hope. The fact is that the interventions are stripped to the bone. Society uses "magical thinking" when we believe a lifetime of accumulated problems born in poverty can be addressed with a series of magic bullets. I personally don't believe that this society has the will or belief that all citizens should have a chance at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We will not address public education, in the first place, nor do we have any desire to ameliorate the individual hardships from our sacrosanct mean spirited foolish policy directions. Just my opinion, Glenn
