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Citywide Literacy Initiative
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) coordinates the overall literacy agenda and programming across District agencies involved in the literacy initiative to ensure that a coherent, collaborative framework is developed to support these programs. Select the link below for information on the 10 District agencies/departments directly engaged in research, funding, service provision or other activities related to literacy.
Claude Brown Writers & Readers Series
The Claude Brown Writers & Readers Series brings DC adult learners together with a published writer each month in a moderated discussion of reading, writing, and self-expression. This unique learning experience takes place at Busboys & Poets in the historic U Street corridor of Washington, DC.
Graduate Certificate Program in Adult Education
The University of the District of Columbia, Department of Education offers a Graduate Certificate Program in Adult Education. This graduate certificate is a joint program of Adult and Family Education and the University of the District of Columbia for adult educators and administrators. The program is based on evidence based practice and adult learning theory. Select the link below for more information on the graduate certificate program.
Professional DevelopmentThe OSSE Adult and Family Education unit, in partnership with the University of the District of Columbia, has conducted action research projects with classroom teachers since 2003. The action research project:
- Provides opportunities for teachers to reflect on their classroom experiences, identify challenges and design instructional strategies to address them;
- Collects research-based information on instructional practices, using action research, in order to improve adult learning in adult basic education programs in the District of Columbia; and
- Identifies promising practices from the research outcomes, and disseminates findings in order to enhance learners’ outcome in reading, language acquisition, math and the use of technology.
The Transformer mobile technology unit is an itinerant literacy resource used for instruction, teacher training and outreach.
Action research is a process in which educators examine their own educational practice systematically and carefully. Since 2003, adult educators in the District of Columbia have engaged in action research as a way to improve instruction and improve outcomes for adult learners. The DC Action Research Project is a joint effort of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Adult and Family Education and the University of the District of Columbia. As a result of the DC Action Research Project, DC teachers have identified challenges in their classrooms, engaged adult learners as partners in designing solutions, and improved their practice. The value of action research is in the change that occurs in every day practice in actual classrooms that acknowledge the local context.
DC adult educators and state staff have disseminated the DC findings at national and state conferences, on the National Institute for Literacy Professional Development Listserv, and in the Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education will release a publication on action research for adult educators in fall 2008.
Resources and Information
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