In these first few days of 2012 we hope you find yourself feeling both mindful of the lessons learned from the previous year and energized and ready for the opportunities and challenges this next one holds for you and your organization.

The end of 2011 was a busy and rewarding time for The Literacy Cooperative. We were pleased to present our Quality Framework for Program Improvement in Adult Literacy to conference attendees at the US Conference on Adult Literacy, to foundation representatives at the Literacy Funders Network, and to local practitioners at two end of the year workshops. A brief description of the Quality Framework is highlighted in this issue of the Literacy Chronicle newsletter.

The Quality Framework features best practices and strategies to improve the quality of your services and it highlights factors that can impact learning outcomes. Additional trainings on the framework will be available in the spring of 2012. Be certain to visit our website calendar to learn more about these sessions.

The end of 2011 also showed that the pilot program, STEP (Supporting Tutors Engaging Pupils) had a promising first year. An independent study, done by John Carroll University, of reading outcomes indicated that the one-on-one tutoring of underperforming first graders led to significant gains. As more data is collected in the second and third year of the pilot, we plan on sharing our findings and recommendations. Please read the newsletter article about a unique tutor who participated in the STEP program and how her own struggles with literacy made her appreciate the gift and power of reading.

We begin this year’s first newsletter with a spotlight of Dr. Joff Jones, superintendent of Euclid City Schools and Board President of The Literacy Cooperative. His candor and thoughtfulness about the K-12 system make for an interesting spotlight piece. Make sure to read his views on the landscape of public education, the qualities of best-performing teachers, and some changes his district has made to improve teaching and learning.

Likewise, find out what the d factor is and what role it is calling leaders to. This challenging article is reprinted from the Nonprofit Quarterly. It poses several interesting questions and places strong emphasis on the voices of stakeholders. 

As always, we appreciate your hard work and contributions to the field. May 2012 be a time where we see many returns on our investment in literacy.

Regards,

Bob

Bob Paponetti

Click on the links below to read individual articles or visit our main e-newsletter page:

In this issue...

• Literacy Spotlight: Dr. Joff Jones, Superintendent of Euclid City Schools
• Research-Based Practices on Demand: A Quality Framework for Adult Literacy
• Powerful Nonprofit Leadership: The d Factor
• A STEP Tutor Shares about her Experience