Name of the Project

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative

Grantee Contact

Debi Faucette, Section Leader of the Division of Adult Education and Training

Louisiana Department of Education

655 N. 5^th St., 2^nd Floor

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Tel: (225)342-0444 and Fax: (225)219-4439

E-mail: dfaucette@mail.doe.state.la.us

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Coordinator

Same as Grantee Contact

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative Project Goals

• To establish indicators of program quality for use by family literacy programs for evaluation
• To put in place a Statewide comprehensive and coordinated family literacy system of support and resources
• To build local capacity and expand family literacy services

Project Description

Louisiana plans to host a series of meetings designed to build understanding of family literacy and to promote high quality instruction - a two day orientation to family literacy for consortium members, focus group meetings on the state of family literacy, visits among programs aligned regionally with a model site, videoconferences, and implementation training for practitioners. Hub sites will be selected to serve as program models and clearinghouses for information, resources, and networking. Staff will contact districts receiving Reading Improvement Grants to notify them of assistance available through the consortium. To increase participation in family literacy programs, a print, radio, and television media campaign will be developed.

Priorities

• Using research on reading and literacy in program planning
• Implementing a professional development plan for staff
• Increasing the intensity of family literacy activities for school-age children (up to 7 years old)
• Improving local evaluation methods and practices
• Absolute Priority: Family Literacy Performance Indicators