Name of the Project

Working Together for Families and Literacy

Grantee Contact

Sharlene Walker

Community College and Workforce Development

255 Capitol Street, NE, 3^rd Floor

Salem, Oregon 97310

Tel: (503) 378-8648 ext. 368 and Fax: (503) 378-8434

E-mail: Sharlene.Walker@state.or.us

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Coordinator

Cathy Lindsley

Community College and Workforce Development

255 Capitol Street, NE, 3^rd Floor

Salem, Oregon 97310

Tel: (503) 378-8648 ext. 371 and Fax: (503) 378-8434

E-mail: Cathy.Lindsley@state.or.us

Even Start Statewide Family Literacy Initiative Project Goals

• State and local level family literacy programs use indicators of program quality to measure program effectiveness.
• Partner agencies align data collection and needs assessment systems to increase coordination and integration of family literacy services.
• State and local family literacy program administrators and staff use needs assessments and evaluation results to plan and improve their programs.
• Family Literacy programs and consortium agencies communicate at local, intermediate and State levels to strengthen and expand family literacy services.

Project Description

Oregon's Working Together for Families and Literacy project is designed to improve family literacy outcomes for adults and children by developing a unified family literacy initiative including Parts A, B, C, and E of Title I: Head Start: Adult Education and Family Literacy and State funded adult education and pre-school programs. The proposal, built upon the State's first Even Start Statewide Initiative grant received in 1996, aims to revise its Even Start performance indicators, align data systems among the family literacy partners, improve processes for planning and program improvement, improve communication among agencies, and ensure that programs are based on the best available scientifically based reading research. The plan was developed collaboratively with the Oregon Literacy Consortium, a reading and literacy partnership for the State.

Invitational 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