June 8, 2015
On June 2nd, the Institute of Museum
and Library Services (IMLS) held its third in a series of strategic priorities meetings on federal funding for libraries at the Los Angeles Public
Library. IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000
libraries and 35,000 museums. This convening, titled “Engaging Communities,” showcased
the work of libraries’ engagements with their communities to serve their populations’
many, diverse, and changing needs. According
to a press release, attendees had the opportunity to examine characteristics of
successful library programs, such as “assessment, capacity-building,
partnerships, communications, evaluation, and sustainability.” The event was
webcast live and also hosted a lively Twitter conversation through the hashtag,
#IMLSFocus. White papers from all three convenings will be made available this summer on the IMLS website.Back to Top
OCTAE formed a partnership with IMLS on behalf of adult learners in June 2014. At that
time IMLS Director
Susan Hildreth and OCTAE Acting Assistant Secretary Johan Uvin released a jointly signed Dear Colleague
letter. The letter encouraged effective
collaborations “between libraries and federally funded adult education programs”
that would “enhance the skills, employability, and quality of life of youths
and adults with low skills,” particularly in the area of digital literacy. It further
described the partnership, current and planned activities of the two
organizations, and mutual benefits of the collaboration.
ProLiteracy,
the nation’s largest volunteer literacy tutoring organization, has also provided
leadership in this area, releasing “Adult Literacy
through Libraries: An Action Agenda.” This agenda, jointly developed by ProLiteracy, the American Library Association Office for
Literacy and Outreach Services, and the Onondaga County Public Library with funding from IMLS, contains a
series of recommendations to stimulate the integration of the efforts of public
libraries with other services in order to help adult learners improve their
literacy and basic skills. The Action Agenda that “To equitably serve adults with low literacy skills, public libraries
provide a range of services including special high interest/low reading level
collections, resources to support test taking and educational advancement,
access to technology, and private spaces for one-on-one tutoring and small
group instruction.”
We encourage those who would like additional
background on the formation and development of the OCTAE/IMLS partnership to read OCTAE Connection Issue 208 and the OCTAE blog. To learn more about IMLS, please visit its website or Facebook and Twitter pages. Back to Top
As
the United States and global economies continue undergoing the shocks and rapid
transformations that have occurred over the last several decades, policy makers,
parents, students, and educators are rethinking the roles education and
training play in employment.
For
a number of years now, this reenvisioning has been taking place in the United
States, leading to significant changes in what was formerly called “vocational
education” and now re-designated as “career and technical education.” Advocates of re-envisioned CTE emphasize that
high-quality CTE programs must promote student learning that is both abstract
and concrete, as well as teach such skills as teamwork, critical thinking, and
collaboration that are essential to modern workplace environments. CTE is now
expected to prepare a student of any age for a career at any time of his or her
choosing.
There
is a high need for workers in many skilled trades as well as applied science
and technology fields. But employers
frequently express dissatisfaction with the lack of knowledge and skills among
jobseekers, and thus question the abilities of high schools and colleges to
effectively prepare their graduates to enter the workforce. At the same time, many students do not feel
they are adequately prepared in the classroom to obtain jobs. As a result, there
is heightened interest in improving CTE among policy makers, and employers
seeking a skilled workforce, as well as parents, students, and educators who
are a part of or support that workforce.
A fall
2014 issue of American Educator was devoted to reenvisioning
CTE. The publication asserts that there
are multiple roads to success in school and in life, and that CTE pathways that
are as rigorous as academic ones are critical to successful and rewarding
careers. American Educator highlights several of these pathways with the view
that they and other CTE initiatives must be vertically aligned and coordinated
between secondary and postsecondary programs.
Educators, unions, businesses, and community leaders must work together
to provide students access to the high-quality programs they will need in order
to be successful members of the modern workforce. Back to Top
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