Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id i88DFXR07096; Wed, 8 Sep 2004 09:15:33 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2004 09:15:33 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <s13ecd46.060@mailsrv21.gsu.edu> Errors-To: listowner@nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Daphne Greenberg" <ALCDGG@langate.gsu.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:3004] Position statement on literacy X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 6.5.1 Status: O Content-Length: 5683 Lines: 110 AAACE-NLA listserv posted responses about adult literacy from U.S. Presidential candidate, John Kerry. I have copied and pasted excerpts from the AAACE-NLA listserv below. Once responses from George W. Bush and Ralph Nader, are listed, I will post these too. Missing from these responses are issues related to Women and Literacy. I am wondering, what people on this listserv would like to see presidential candidates address when it comes to women and literacy issues. September 7, 2004 Questions About Adult Education and Literacy 1. Access to Quality Programs Education is the key to opportunity, essential to a strong America. I believe that our country is strengthened when all of our people have the opportunity to succeed. Since my first term in the Senate, I have voted for investments in adult education. John Edwards and I will strengthen education and lifelong learning in America so that everyone has the opportunity to get ahead and succeed in the economy of tomorrow. 2. Full Funding I strongly support funding for adult education and literacy programs. People of all skill levels need access to high-quality education. I will also work to modernize financial aid rules to benefit more adults who seek continuing education. 3. Training/re-training for the New Economy Progress should bring prosperity for all, not just for those who are already successful. I believe that the private sector is the engine of economic growth and job creation, and that the government's responsibility is to create an environment that will promote private sector investment, foster vigorous competition, and strengthen the foundations of an innovative economy. Companies can keep jobs in America without sacrificing competitiveness. I will fight for American jobs - creating new ones and protecting existing ones by cutting taxes for companies that create jobs here at home and ending tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas; by cutting costs and taxes to make American businesses more competitive; and by investing in the good-paying jobs of tomorrow to make sure that people of every age learn the skills they need to be successful - today and in the future. I will fight to expand training and lifelong learning by expanding training as part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, supporting regional skills alliances, and protecting training conducted at community colleges. 4. Intergenerational Literacy Parents who can read are parents who can gain steady employment and help their children with their homework. I have consistently supported initiatives that expand opportunities for adult education. Programs such as those supported by the National Even Start Association are critical to ending intergenerational poverty by providing family literacy education to children and parents in low-income areas. We are in the midst of an extraordinary crisis-nearly one-third of our children are not even graduating from high school. This loss of human talent is a clear and present danger to the future of our economy and our nation. We must build a stronger America by giving all young people the opportunity to achieve their potential. I am committed to increasing achievement not only for the more than 1 million young people who do not graduate each year, but for the much larger group of 6 million students who are at risk of dropping out or graduating without the skills they need. In order to make sure that no child suffers from the limitations of illiteracy, I will create an Education Trust Fund that will fully fund No Child Left Behind. I will strengthen middle schools through mentoring and college partnerships, and strengthen high school education, by promoting smaller schools and more challenging high school curricula, with literacy education for students who have fallen behind. My plan will require young people to do their part by supporting states that can revoke driver's licenses from students who drop out. It will enforce the provisions of NCLB which require full disclosure and accountability for graduation rates. 5. The Working Poor I strongly support adult literacy initiatives so that all Americans have the tools they need to succeed. To ensure that the working poor can make a decent living, I also support raising the minimum wage to $7.00 per hour, expanding the earned income tax credit, and ensuring low-cost access to health care together with expanded child care. 6. Health Literacy Our nation still struggles to close disparities in health care access, care, and outcomes. The tremendous gains that we have witnessed in science and medicine have benefited millions of our citizens, but too often they are out of reach for our most vulnerable populations. We need to do more to train health professionals who serve on the front lines of the medical field, so that they are equipped with the necessary skills to best serve their patients. I will work to eliminate health disparities by expanding health insurance to 95 percent of Americans and every American child, improving language access programs in medical facilities, and ensuring access to quality care through greater disease management and prevention efforts. The need is great and the time is now to improve the health of those Americans who have been left behind. 7. English for Speakers of Other Languages I strongly support expanded English language and civics education so that immigrants can assume all of the rights and responsibilities of American citizenship. I would place these efforts in the context of a responsible reform of our immigration laws that honors our tradition as a nation of immigrants and makes America safer and stronger.
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