[Federal Register: September 24, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 185)]
[Notices]
[Page 59833-59834]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24se02-40]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Reauthorization of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act
AGENCY: Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice of public meetings and request for comment on the
reauthorization of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act.
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SUMMARY: The Assistant Secretary announces a series of public meetings
and invites comments from the public regarding the reauthorization of
programs under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (the Act)
(Title II of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998).
DATES: We must receive your comments on or before October 31, 2002.
We will hold public meetings about the reauthorization of programs
under the Act. The dates, times, and places of the meetings are under
Public Meetings elsewhere in this notice.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments concerning the reauthorization of
programs under the Act to Gerri Anderson, Conference Manager, 1010
Wayne Avenue, Suite 300, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910; or by using one
of the following methods:
1. E-Mail. We encourage you to e-mail your comments to the
following address: ganderson@dbconsultinggroup.com.
2. Facsimile. You may submit comments by facsimile at (301) 589-
4122.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Jones, U.S. Department of
Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 4521, Mary E. Switzer
Building, Washington, DC 20202-7242. Telephone: (202) 205-9260.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may
call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
Public Meetings
Dates, times, and addresses
We will hold public meetings according to the following schedule:
1. Date: October 15, 2002, Time: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Sheraton Nashua Hotel, Wentworth Ballroom,11 Tara
Boulevard, Nashua, NH 03062,Phone: (603) 888-9970, Fax: (603) 891-4179.
Hotel Information: A limited number of rooms has been reserved at
the Sheraton Nashua Hotel located at 11 Tara Boulevard, Nashua, NH
03062. To make your reservations, please call 603-888-9970 and refer to
``OVAE Public Meeting.'' The room rate is $96.12 (tax inclusive) for
the reserved rooms on a first-come, first-served basis. Check-in time
is 3 p.m., and check-out time is 12 p.m.
1. Date: October 25, 2002, Time: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: College of The Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa
Clarita, CA 91355, Phone: (661) 259-7800, Fax: (661) 259-8302
Hotel Information: A limited number of rooms has been reserved at
the Hyatt Valencia Hotel located at 24500 Town Center Drive, Valencia,
CA 91355. To make your reservations, please call 1-800-233-1234 and
refer to ``OVAE Public Meeting.'' The room rate is $108.90 (tax
inclusive) for the reserved rooms on a first-come, first-served basis.
Check-in time is 3 p.m., and check-out time is 12 p.m.
Participants
Those who wish to present comments on the reauthorization of
Federal support for the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act at one
of the public meetings must reserve time on the agenda for that meeting
by contacting Gerri Anderson, Conference Manager, 1010 Wayne Avenue,
Suite 300, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Telephone: (voice) 1(888) 589-4366;
fax: (301) 589-4122; or via e-mail at: ganderson@dbconsultinggroup.com.
Reservations for presenting comments will be accepted on a first-come,
first-served basis.
Participants will be allowed approximately 3 to 5 minutes to
present their comments, depending upon the number of individuals who
reserve time on the agenda. At the meeting, participants also are
encouraged to submit two written copies of their comments. Persons
interested in making comments are encouraged to address the issues and
questions discussed under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities at the Public Meetings
The meeting rooms and proceedings will be accessible to individuals
with disabilities. When making reservations, anyone presenting comments
at or attending a meeting who needs special accommodations, such as
sign language interpreters, Braille materials, and communication access
real-time transcription, should inform Gerri Anderson of his or her
specific accessibility needs. You should make requests for
accommodations at least 10 working days prior to the scheduled meeting
date. Although we will attempt to meet a request we receive after that
date, we may not be able to make available the requested auxiliary aid
or service because of insufficient time to arrange it.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Invitation to Comment
In addition to soliciting comments during the public meetings, we
invite the public to submit written comments on the reauthorization of
the Act. We are particularly interested in comments that address the
issues and questions described under Key Issues for Public Comment
elsewhere in this notice.
During and after the comment period, you may inspect all public
comments about the reauthorization by contacting Gerri Anderson,
Conference Manager, 1010 Wayne Avenue, Suite 300, Silver Spring, MD,
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through
Friday of each week except Federal holidays.
Assistance to Individuals With Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking
Record
On request, we will supply an appropriate aid, such as a reader or
print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking record for this notice. If you want to schedule an
appointment for this type of aid, please contact the person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Background and Description of the Act
The Act authorizes Federal support to States to provide adult
education and literacy services, including adult basic education, adult
secondary education, English literacy, and family literacy programs of
instruction. For fiscal year (FY) 2002, Congress appropriated $505
million for these grants to States. Since FY 2000, Congress also has
appropriated additional funds for grants to States for
[[Page 59834]]
integrated English literacy and civics education services to immigrants
and other limited English proficient populations. For FY 2002, $70
million was appropriated for this purpose.
Under these programs States distribute funds to local providers
through a competitive process. Eligible providers include: local
educational agencies, community-based organizations, volunteer literacy
organizations, correctional education agencies, institutions of higher
education, libraries, public housing authorities, and other public or
private nonprofit agencies.
The statutory authorization for this program expires on September
30, 2003. In order to contribute in a timely manner to congressional
reauthorization discussions, we are beginning a review of this program.
To ensure public participation in our review and decision-making, we
invite public comment on these issues.
You may obtain an electronic copy of the Act on the Internet at the
following site: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/CTE/legis.html.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the Act in an
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to the contact number listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
Key Issues for Public Comment
Comments are encouraged on the following priority issues.
1. Narrowing the Achievement Gap. The 1992 National Assessment of
Adult Literacy (NAALS) indicated that approximately 90 million adults
were reading at levels that were insufficient to allow them to
participate fully in the economy and obtain new skills necessary for
success. In 2002, an updated version of NAALS will be conducted, which
will likely indicate that tens of millions of Americans continue to
live with low literacy. Yet programs funded under the Act currently
serve only about 2.7 million individuals each year. This disparity
between available resources and need is likely to persist for the
foreseeable future.
[sbull] How can we improve the targeting of Federal resources on
effective programs that will produce the greatest return on the Federal
investment?
[sbull] What are the features of effective adult education and
literacy programs that should be given higher priority for Federal
resources?
[sbull] How can we improve the performance of adult education
programs, increasing their success only in not increasing the number of
completers but also in generating more rapid knowledge and skill gains?
[sbull] How can we improve the array of services available to
support adult learners who are currently not accessing learning through
the present system?
[sbull] Can non-traditional service providers be better integrated
into a multi-faceted delivery system? What changes would promote the
delivery of high-quality, accountable services by community-based
organizations, faith-based organizations, and businesses?
[sbull] How should our national program funds be targeted to help
States close the achievement gap?
2. Increasing Accountability for Student Performance. The Act
established a State accountability system that holds States and other
grant recipients accountable for meeting annual, agreed-upon levels of
performance on a set of ``core indicators'' specified in the statute.
Do these core indicators measure student performance and demonstrate
the impact of the Federal investment well? How could data be reported
differently to enhance their meaning to the public, to students, and to
policymakers?
3. Coordination with Federal Employment and Training Programs.
Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) created a one-stop
delivery system that links multiple Federal education and training
programs in order to make these services more accessible to the public,
to reduce duplication of services, and to facilitate coordinated
planning across programs. Adult education and literacy programs
supported by the Act are ``mandatory partners'' that are required to
participate in the one-stop delivery system. They are also represented
on local workforce investment boards that govern the one-stop system in
local areas.
[sbull] Have the one-stop delivery system's goals of improving
public access to adult education services, improving academic
achievement, reducing duplication, and facilitating coordination been
achieved in local areas? What changes are needed to promote the further
attainment of these goals? How have memoranda of understanding [MOUs]
among the delivery system's partners worked to benefit adult education
participants?
[sbull] States negotiate annual levels of performance for WIA Title
I employment programs for a set of ``core indicators'' that one similar
to those established under the Act. Placement in employment, for
example, is measured for both WIA Title I and the Act. Should these
indicators be measured consistently across these programs and others,
using the same population and other definitions? If so, how should this
common employment measure be constructed and what definitions should be
used? Are there other indicators (e.g., educational attainment) for
which there should also be common measurement approaches and
definitions?
[sbull] Have WIA incentive grants helped States look at ways to
promote student achievement across programs and help close the
achievement gap?
Electronic Access to This Document
You may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site:
www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister.
To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available
free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in
the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.
Note: The official version of this document is the document
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the
official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal
Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http://
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9201, et seq.
Dated: September 19, 2002.
Carol D'Amico,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Vocational and Adult Education.
[FR Doc. 02-24250 Filed 9-23-02; 8:45 am]
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