FROM THE MARGINS

TO THE MAINSTREAM

AN ACTION AGENDA FOR LITERACY

The National Literacy Summit 2000
Members of the 

National Literacy Summit 2000

Steering Committee

John Comings

Director

National Center for the Study of Adult

Learning and Literacy

Andrew Hartman

Director

National Institute for Literacy

Lennox McLendon

Executive Director

National Adult Education Professional

Development Consortium, Inc.

Sheila Murphy

Senior Program Officer

Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds

Ronald Pugsley

Director 

Division of Adult Education and Literacy

U.S. Department of Education

Robbin Sorensen

Chair

National Coalition for Literacy

Carolyn Staley

Deputy Director

National Institute for Literacy

Marsha Tait

Vice Chair

National Coalition for Literacy

The Members of the National Literacy Summit 2000 Steering Committee offer special

thanks to Sheila Murphy and the Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds for giving this effort its

initial inspiration and funding. We gratefully acknowledge the generous contributions of

Verizon, Time-Warner, and World Education, without which the year-long Summit

process could not have taken place. Carolyn Staley of the National Institute for Literacy

(NIFL) shepherded the Summit process with great thoughtfulness and patience. She had

Wil Hawk’s talented assistance in keeping the Summit information updated on NIFL’s

LINCS. Christy Gullion did a masterful job of developing and writing the initial Summit

paper that sparked the national conversation. Christy also provided invaluable

assistance to her NIFL colleagues Lynn Reddy and Susan Green, who wrote this report

after sifting through the input of our member organizations and spending many hours

reading, discussing, and synthesizing the hundreds of suggestions for the Action Agenda

we received from across the nation. Finally, we thank Lisa Feldman and Sarah Brooks of

Reingold, Inc. and Chris Lester of Rock Creek Publishing Group for their help in editing

and designing the final report.
September 2000

Dear Friend:

We are a nation divided. On one side, adults have the skills and knowledge to find and keep good jobs, help their

children in school and at home, and play active roles in their communities. Adults on the other side lack those skills,

and they and their families are falling further and further behind.

Now is the time to deal with this growing divide, and to focus on the education of adults. Our society and economy

grow more complex with every passing day, and all adults in the U.S. must have opportunities to continue learning

throughout their lives.

Literacy encompasses the basic skills that pave the way to lifelong learning. But the 1993 National Adult Literacy Survey

found that over one-fifth of adults in the U.S.—more than 40 million people—lack adequate literacy skills. We are

currently serving only a fraction of this number. And we still lack a national vision, a plan of action, and a unified

commitment to do something about it.

The National Literacy Summit 2000 began as our joint public-private effort to help the nation get serious about

meeting its literacy challenges. A major Summit meeting was followed by more than 25 meetings around the country to

craft a shared goal for a literate America and to outline the actions that can make that goal a reality. The voices of

hundreds of people from different groups and sectors—instructors, tutors, administrators, researchers, business people,

policymakers, social service providers, and adult students themselves—all contributed to creating a strategy for the work

to be done.

This report synthesizes the wealth of recommendations we received. Given the great diversity of our programs and

stakeholders, we were surprised and encouraged to find that so many of us agree about our goal and what must be done

to achieve it. This high level of consensus affirms that we are in fact a field, and that our field is ready to move ahead

together.

Now the real collaborative work begins. We have to engage all sectors of our society—business, labor, higher education,

government at all levels, civic and community organizations—in fulfilling the promise of this agenda. Please join us in

bringing this essential, long-neglected area of American education into the mainstream of our national life.

Sincerely,

The National Literacy Summit 2000 Steering Committee
1

CALL TO ACTION

Now more than ever before, literacy

represents a broad range of essential

skills, including reading, writing,

speaking, calculating, and critical

thinking. Daily life increasingly requires

us all to use these complex skills and

knowledge. Helping children with

schoolwork, using computers and the

Internet, following doctors’ instructions

correctly, and carrying out many other

life tasks demand strong literacy skills.

Literacy is critical for adults to achieve

the goals they set for themselves at work,

at home, and in the community.

But literacy is not just important in the

lives of individuals. A more literate

America is key to addressing most of the

pressing issues of our time: jobs and the

economy, the digital divide, health, and

our children’s well-being. Literacy is a

national concern.

As stakeholders and citizens, we must

join forces to ensure that all Americans

have access to literacy services and equal

opportunities for success. We must

work together to move adult literacy

from the margins to the mainstream of

American education. If we commit to

collective efforts, we can assure that every American adult has

the chance to succeed.

This new collaboration has already begun. One hundred fifty

leaders in literacy and related fields convened last February to

begin thinking about how and where the field should focus its

efforts in the 21st century. More than 25 subsequent

meetings were held throughout the country to gather further

input from a wide range of stakeholders.

What emerged from this nationwide discussion process was a

broad consensus on how we can work together to make the

system what it needs to be. The National Literacy Summit

2000 Action Agenda for the adult education, language, and

literacy system calls on all of us to work toward the 

following goal:

By 2010, a system of high quality

adult literacy, language, and

lifelong learning services will help

adults in every community make

measurable gains toward 

achieving their goals as family

members, workers, citizens, 

and lifelong learners.

In today’s high-tech economy, the word “literacy” can sound like an issue from another era. But the

United States faces a significant literacy challenge for the 21st century. The 1993 National Adult

Literacy Survey found that more than 40 million adults—over a fifth of the adult population—have 

low literacy skills.

“Literacy—an

individual’s ability to

read, write, and speak

English, compute and

solve problems at

levels of proficiency

necessary to function

on the job and in

society, to achieve

one’s goals, and

develop one’s

knowledge and

potential.” 

National Literacy 

Act of 1991

One in five adults

scored in the lowest

proficiency level on

the 1993 National

Adult Literacy Survey.

From the Margins to the Mainstream: An Action Agenda for Literacy
2

The National Literacy Summit 2000 

LITERACY IS A NATIONAL CONCERN

JOBS AND THE ECONOMY

Better basic skills and stronger educational

credentials are critical to adults’ ability to be selfsufficient, support their families, and take full

advantage of a healthy economy.

“ ...Recent gains have not reversed the rise in wage

inequality that occurred during the 1980s and 1990s

between workers with a college education and those

with a high school diploma or less...we must ensure

that our whole population receives an education that

will allow full and continuing participation in this

dynamic period of American economic history.”

Alan Greenspan, Chair, The Federal Reserve Board

Remarks at the National Skills Summit, April 11, 2000

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Adults with low levels of literacy and those who

lack English language proficiency are less likely to

have access to the Internet and less likely to find

information and resources relevant to their interests

and needs on the Internet.

Over 48% of college-educated individuals have

Internet access as compared to 6.3% of individuals

without a high school diploma. 

U.S. Department of Commerce

“Falling Through the Net: Defining the 

Digital Divide,” 1999

HEALTH 

Adults with low levels of basic skills are more likely than

those with higher skills to have poor health outcomes,

problems navigating the health care system and

managing chronic illness, and higher health care costs for

themselves and their insurers.

In a project assessing the effects of poor literacy on 

patient-provider interactions, it was found that more than

35 percent of English-speaking and 61 percent of Spanishspeaking patients had inadequate or marginal functional

health literacy—a problem especially common among 

the elderly. 

Drs. R. Parker, M. Williams, and D. Baker, “Effects of

Illiteracy on Patient-Provider Interactions,” Emory University

School of Medicine, October 1996

PARENTS AND CHILDREN

Parents who have strong literacy skills and model literacy

as an important value are better able to support their

children’s language and literacy development. The

children of adults with low literacy skills and fewer years

of education are more likely to fall behind in learning to

read and in school progress. 

Between 1992 and 1995, high school students whose

parents did not complete high school were more than twice

as likely to drop out of school as students whose parents

had at least some college education.

National Center for Educational Statistics, 1998
3

From the Margins to the Mainstream: An Action Agenda for Literacy

The following Action Agenda requires a clear response from individuals and

groups in all sectors of our society. All the stakeholders listed here will find

actions that call for their involvement. We urge you to identify the actions

that fit your strengths and concerns, and to link up with partners in your

states or communities to begin the real work. 

The agenda for reaching our goal and creating a strong adult education,

language, and literacy system has been built around three key priorities: 

A system of QUALITY services for adult students. 

Ease of ACCESS to these services.

Sufficient RESOURCES to support quality and access. 

In an attempt to reflect how change is most likely to occur, the agenda reverses the order of

priorities, beginning with resources and ending with quality. While many topics are of

concern to our field, virtually all of them relate to one or more of these three priorities.

And all three priorities are essential to any real progress.

Several significant issues cut across the priorities and actions. Separating out these issues

as priorities seemed to suggest too narrow an interpretation of their value. The first issue

is student involvement. As the field’s primary stakeholders and customers, students

must participate meaningfully in every aspect of the system that exists to serve them. The

second issue is communications. Whatever the priority, the field needs greater visibility

and recognition as a critical human resource. The third issue is partnerships. All the

work to be done requires collaboration within the adult education, language, and literacy

system, and between the system and its partners. Finally,technology has both increased

the need for greater literacy and serves as an essential set of tools for achieving it.

Certain programs and populations are also of major importance. Family and

workplace literacy programs address two of the primary motivations for adults to

seek services, as well as two of our greatest societal needs: stronger families and a more

highly skilled workforce. Attention to the issues of English for Speakers of Other

Languages (ESOL) and learning disabilities (LD) is essential. English language

learners account for over 50 percent of adult students today, and estimates of students with

LD run almost as high. Youth and adults in the corrections system have disproportionately high incidences of literacy needs, and older adults are an all-too-often overlooked

population in need of the field’s help.

Finally, the major complicating factors of poverty and racism require particular attention, sensitivity, and appropriate action when

dealing with adult students and their families.

There must be a strong commitment to pursue the priorities of resources, access, and quality all at once. Postponing improvements

in quality or access until the field receives more resources ignores the possibilities of reallocating existing resources more effectively, or

choosing to offer more comprehensive services to fewer students.

At the same time, the long-term objective must be to find resources that will end the need for short-term compromises between quality

and access. And even with adequate resources, improving quality stands as an issue on its own. The field has a long way to go in

understanding and offering uniformly excellent instruction that helps students meet their goals. But with all three priorities at work,

there is no doubt about our making progress. More adults will come closer to reaching their goals.

ACTION AGENDA 

STAKEHOLDERS

Adult education, language, and 

literacy providers

Federal, state, and local human

services agencies

Federal, state, and local 

government elected officials

Businesses

Unions

Correctional institutions

Institutions of higher education

Elementary and secondary 

school systems

Libraries

Community-based organizations

Volunteer organizations

Faith-based organizations

Business and professional 

organizations
4

This section presents the three priorities—resources, access, and quality—accompanied by outcomes that describe

the effects of achieving the priorities, and actions that specify what you and your partners can do. 

In every case, the actions are only a sample of the important steps that can be taken toward a more 

literate America. 

PRIORITY I. RESOURCES

Invest New and Existing Resources—Money, Time, and Services—to Create Access to High

Quality Adult Education, Language, Literacy, and Related Services.

Action 8. Offer federal and state tax incentives to employers that

invest in the development of employees’ basic skills by

funding English language and other forms of basic

skills training, providing information technology

training and GED preparation, or purchasing

computers and Internet access for online training.

Action 9. Commit a minimum of 15 percent of state and

federal adult education funds for professional

development activities.

OUTCOME B: 

Federal and state appropriations

increase to levels sufficient to

support access and quality in the

adult education, language, and

literacy system.

Action 1. Create positions at the

national and state levels

dedicated to developing

and carrying out

advocacy strategies, and

support these positions

through coalitions of

stakeholder organizations.

Action 2. Persuade Congress to

appropriate $1 billion

annually to the adult

education, language, and

literacy system.

Action 3. Require every state

legislature to appropriate to

adult education a cash

amount that equals at least

50 percent of the federal

funds its state receives for

adult education.

OUTCOME A: 

Changes in existing federal and state laws and

policies expand and enhance services for adults in

the adult education, language, and literacy system.

Action 1. Develop active partnerships among federal

programs to make services mutually

supportive, resolve inconsistencies and

conflicts in policies, and ensure reaching the

hardest-to-serve.

Action 2. Change federal financial aid law to better

support adult students’ transition into

postsecondary education.

Action 3. Eliminate the disincentives in Temporary

Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) for states

to invest in education services for adults with

low basic skills before and after job placement,

and allow states to count education activities to

a greater extent toward federal work rates.

Action 4. Ensure that all legislation related to distance

learning, Internet access, and educational

technology includes provisions for the adult

education, language, and literacy system, such

as offering programs discounted Internet

service rates.

Action 5. Provide incentives for every publicly funded

program in the system to have a student-tocomputer ratio of no more than 3 to 1.

Action 6. Ensure that federal and state funds earmarked

for 16-to-21-year-olds follow these students

when they leave high school and enter adult

education programs.

Action 7. Amend or strengthen laws and policies to allow

for funding of diagnostic testing for students

who may have LD.

“Literacy is the

foundation of 

opportunity and the

cornerstone of success

for individuals, families,

communities, and

companies. Investing in

literacy yields benefits 

for everyone and

ultimately makes the

world a better place.”

Chuck Lee, Chairman 

and Co-CEO, Verizon

The National Literacy Summit 2000 
5

From the Margins to the Mainstream: An Action Agenda for Literacy

OUTCOME E: 

Public-private partnerships support a variety of targeted

communications activities to raise awareness about the

adult education, language, and literacy system.

Action 1. Convene a broad-based national steering group of

organizations such as foundations, research

organizations, and business and labor associations to

guide the development of action-oriented

communications strategies at the national and 

state levels.

Action 2. Develop distinctive identifiers such as a logo or tag

line and choose a theme stressing lifelong learning

that can also be adapted for communications

purposes at the state and local levels.

Action 3. Recruit public figures and create events to highlight

the importance of literacy.

Action 4. Establish relationships with media organizations and

reporters to encourage greater attention to literacy and

basic skills in corporate activities and news coverage.

Action 4. Ensure instructional leadership in every locality by

providing support for at least one full-time teacher

who can serve as instructor and resource person for

every 10 part-time teachers or 20 volunteer tutors.

Action 5. Collect and publicize data, such as program waiting

list figures, that support increased funding for the

adult education, language, and literacy system.

Action 6. Invite federal, state, and local policymakers to visit

adult education classes.

OUTCOME C:

Support services are widely available for adult students.

Action 1. Develop strategies for social service providers,

community organizations, and employers to increase

transportation, child care, counseling, translation, and

other needed support services for adult students.

Action 2. Organize student-to-student services, such as

orientations and peer counseling.

Action 3. Approach national professional organizations and their

state and local chapters to donate specific services to

adult students, such as testing for learning disabilities,

vision and hearing screening, and career counseling.

OUTCOME D: 

The private sector invests in lifelong learning

opportunities for adults in the workplace and community.

Action 1. Convince employers to invest in more basic skills training

for employees in the workplace and at community sites,

and to compensate employees for class time.

Action 2. Encourage unions and employers to expand their joint

efforts to provide adult education, language, and

literacy services to workers and their families.

Action 3. Expand the number of businesses and labormanagement partnerships that invest in literacy

activities in their communities.

Action 4. Encourage businesses to support the development of

new media resources and other high quality learning

materials for adult students.

“I started taking English classes ... to learn the basics. I

had the need to understand the language and to be

understood. [Now it’s]...a constant learning. I’m able

to participate in all kinds of activities; in the community,

in my kids’ school, and in church....Now I can help my

kids with their homework, I can read bedtime stories to

them, and answer their questions. I’ve also got a job.

If I didn’t know English, I wouldn’t qualify...”

Maria Martinez, adult student, Weirton, West Virginia

Equipped for the Future, NIFL, July 1995

PRIORITY I. RESOURCES (Continued)
6

The National Literacy Summit 2000 

PRIORITY II. ACCESS

Provide All Adults with Maximum Access to a Well-Defined System 

of Adult Education, Language, and Literacy Services.

OUTCOME A: 

Strong local information and referral systems help

students easily find appropriate programs to

continue their learning, as well as support services

such as child care, transportation, learning disabilities

screening, and counseling.

Action 1. Establish a coalition of local providers

including community-based organizations

(CBOs), volunteer groups, family literacy

programs, workplace literacy programs,

refugee groups, churches, libraries, and other

community programs and support service

providers to collect, catalog, and update

information on services.

Action 2. Provide information and referrals to match

students with services that best meet their

goals and needs.

Action 3. Partner with high schools, community colleges,

and vocational training programs to ensure

that information referrals help students make

smooth transitions among various providers.

OUTCOME B: 

Students, providers, and other stakeholders know of

the various learning opportunities available to help

students meet their goals.

Action 1. Develop and support student recruitment

activities that involve program staff and current

or former students, and that target hard-toreach and culturally diverse populations.

Action 2. Publicize and promote services through the

Internet, public service announcements on

local TV, radio, church bulletins, company

newsletters, and other media.

Action 3. Disseminate information about services in

appropriate languages.

Action 4. Ensure that youth and adults leaving correctional

institutions have access to information about

appropriate services and programs.

OUTCOME C: 

All students receive the support they need to take

advantage of learning opportunities.

Action 1. Ensure that students with disabilities have access 

to assistive technology that helps them achieve 

their goals.

Action 2. Form local partnerships among providers and other

organizations to secure increased availability of

support services such as child care, transportation,

and counseling in the student’s language.

OUTCOME D: 

Adult education, language, and literacy instruction can be

accessed anywhere and at any time.

Action 1. Provide instructional services at times and in places

that are convenient for adult students, especially

those in underserved and hard-to-reach areas.

Action 2. Ensure that every state and all local programs

develop and implement technology plans, including

distance learning opportunities, for adult students.

Action 3. Dedicate funding for purchasing and maintaining

hardware and software required to implement the

technology plan.

Action 4. Institute computer loan programs for adults to

study online at home or, where appropriate, provide

computer vans that visit rural students’ homes.

Action 5. Create, test, and disseminate models for integrating

distance learning technologies with more traditional

teacher and tutor-based instruction, especially in

rural areas and correctional institutions.

Action 6. Provide adult students with access to learning

opportunities involving information technologies,

including the Internet, in libraries, schools, the

workplace, and other community locations.
7

Action 2. Focus instruction on real-life skills, such as

those included in Equipped For the Future

(EFF) and the Secretary of Labor’s

Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills

(SCANS), in order to meet student and

community needs.

Action 3. Ensure that curriculum frameworks reflect

research findings about the diverse needs of

various adult populations, including ESOL 

and LD.

Action 4. Employ standards that take into account the

needs of students as well as the requirements of

employers.

Action 5. Provide opportunities for program staff to visit

other programs to gather information on

appropriate standards.

OUTCOME C:

All programs have a systematic approach to quality

improvement.

Action 1. Ensure that qualitative and quantitative

assessment tools and approaches assess the

content taught, capture the gains of students at

all levels, and reflect the goals of diverse

populations.

Action 2. Regularly evaluate how well all program

components—including intake and placement,

professional development, and instruction—

facilitate and contribute to maximizing student

results.

Action 3. Develop a nationally recognized form of preGED certification that provides a portable

record of what students know and can do.

Action 4. Reconcile system goals, as identified in the

National Reporting System (NRS), with other

student goals, as identified in EFF.

PRIORITY III. QUALITY

Create a System of High Quality Education and Support Services That Helps 

Adults Meet Their Goals as Parents, Workers, and Community Members.

OUTCOME A: 

Program goals reflect the concerns of all stakeholders 

in the community. 

Action 1. Create a formal planning group that builds strong

partnerships among providers and other

organizations at community and state levels to

achieve consensus on system goals, including efforts

to align services and eliminate unnecessary

duplication.

Action 2. Conduct a community needs assessment and an

inventory of resources, and establish criteria for

quality learning programs that meet identified needs.

Action 3. Develop a procedure for

soliciting feedback from all

community partners—

particularly students—on

the effectiveness of service

delivery.

Action 4. Ensure that the unique

circumstances of adult

students in correctional

institutions are taken into

account.

OUTCOME B: 

All programs use content standards

and curriculum frameworks that

focus on the knowledge and skills

adults need to carry out life roles

and meet community needs.

Action 1. Ensure that instruction is

primarily geared to

students’ own goals for

themselves and their

families, and that students

are involved in planning

their instruction.

“Adult education 

and literacy must 

be a priority for 

Illinois to meet our

growing need for a

skilled workforce 

and a high quality 

of life for Illinois

individuals and 

families.” 

Governor 

George H. Ryan

From the Margins to the Mainstream: An Action Agenda for Literacy
8

The National Literacy Summit 2000 

Action 5. Devise plans for ensuring that all staff and

students are accountable for fulfilling their

program responsibilities.

OUTCOME D: 

Paid and volunteer staff in all programs are involved

in varied professional development activities to

upgrade their knowledge and skills.

Action 1. Ensure that all states establish a certification

process for instructional staff based on

standards that value both academic knowledge

and life experience, and include alternative

assessment methods such as portfolios.

Action 2. Require a minimum number of hours per year

of paid professional development for all

instructional staff, and provide for contingent

increases in salaries and benefits.

Action 3. Ensure that professional development

opportunities are of sufficient intensity and

focus to make a real impact on teaching and

learning.

Action 4. Provide all practitioners with training

appropriate for the levels of students they

teach, including training for students who may

never complete the GED.

Action 5. Provide all staff with orientation in the areas of

ESOL and LD, and increase the number of

practitioners who receive intensive training in

these areas, as appropriate.

Action 6. Involve students and others in providing

training to staff on understanding and

working with adult students, including how to

help students prepare to join boards and other

decision-making groups.

Action 7. Provide adequate and appropriate training on

evaluation and assessment methods to paid

and volunteer staff.

Action 8. Provide training and technical assistant in the use of

technology to all instructional staff.

Action 9. Create “anytime, anywhere” research-based

professional development opportunities for all

programs, collaborating, when possible, with local

colleges and universities.

OUTCOME E: 

A strong research and development capacity, focused on

teaching and learning, develops knowledge and tools that

are responsive to the needs of the field.

Action 1. Increase the commitment of federal agencies,

universities, foundations, and other appropriate

organizations to supporting research on adult

learning, language, literacy, and the impact of

services on social and economic problems.

Action 2. Provide for regular communication among

researchers, educators, and students on researchrelated issues, including the choice and priority of

research topics, regular dissemination of research

findings to educators and students, and the

presentation of findings in user-friendly formats.

Action 3. Pursue research, development, and dissemination of

instructional and program “best practices” that

focus on issues central to the field, such as reading

and second language acquisition, and that employ a

variety of methods, such as teacher-directed action

research or case-management approaches to

working with adult students.

Action 4. Ensure that research results are entered into a

national research data bank that provides

practitioners with a single point of access to

available research on adult learning.

Action 5. Provide for the development of innovative learning

environments and delivery methods for instruction,

including web TV, distance learning, and mentoring.
9

From the Margins to the Mainstream: An Action Agenda for Literacy

Action 6. Develop research-based, multimedia content on the

Internet for adults with low levels of literacy and

limited English proficiency.

OUTCOME F: 

Students are involved as primary stakeholders and full

partners in every aspect of program operation.

Action 1. Require that programs have a climate and culture

that encourage student involvement, as well as a

continuum of student-driven activities and

provisions for student participation in planning and

evaluation.

Action 2. Provide for student leadership by offering

appropriate training, establishing a student advisory

board that includes current and former students,

and including at least one student on the board of

directors of all programs.

PRIORITY III. QUALITY (Continued)

Action 3. Involve former students in program

implementation as volunteers and as paid

instructional and support staff, including

recruiters and mentors.

Action 4. Provide adequate support for a national

student organization such as VALUE, as well as

for state and local chapters of such a group.

Action 5. Create a national student speakers’ bureau.

Action 6. Encourage all states to adopt an Adult

Education Bill of Rights similar to Rhode

Island’s legislation, which delineates the ways

adult students are assured appropriate services,

as well as voice, access, and involvement in all

matters relating to their education.
10

The National Literacy Summit 2000 

Because of limited space, this list does not name the hundreds of individuals who participated in the

Summit process. Many of their thoughtful suggestions and comments are reflected in the content of the

Action Agenda.

GROUP PARTICIPANTS

NATIONAL SUMMIT MEETING

Washington, DC

National Literacy Summit 2000

ASSOCIATION MEETINGS

CONTRIBUTING GROUPS

El Paso, Texas

El Paso Community College and Paso del

Norte Literacy Council

Jackson, Mississippi

Adult Education Office, Mississippi State

Board for Community and Junior Colleges

Los Angeles, California

Literacy Network of Greater Los Angeles

Oakland, California

Oakland Public Library

St. Louis, Missouri

LIFT Missouri 

Adams County Literacy Council

Adams County, Pennsylvania

Adult Basic Education Program

New River Community College

Dublin, Virginia

Adult Learning Center

Bristol Community College

Fall River, Massachusetts

Arkansas Office of Adult Education

Little Rock, Arkansas

Artesia Literacy Council

New Mexico

Atlanta Metro Literacy Network

Atlanta, Georgia

Audrain County Area Literacy Council

Mexico, Missouri

Baltimore Reads

Baltimore, Maryland

Boston Adult Literacy Fund

Boston, Massachusetts

Callaway County Literacy Council

Calloway County, Missouri

Capital Area Literacy Coalition

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Capital Area Literacy Coalition

Lansing, Michigan

Center for the Study of Adult Literacy

Georgia State University

Atlanta, Georgia

Adult Literacy and Technology

Network Conference

Washington, DC

American Library Association 

Annual Conference

Chicago, Illinois

Area One State Directors Meeting

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Commission on Adult Basic 

Education, Inc.

Chicago, Illinois

Laubach Literacy Action 2000 

Biennial Conference 

Orlando, Florida

Public Library Association 

8th National Conference

Charlotte, North Carolina

REGIONAL SUMMIT MEETINGS
11

From the Margins to the Mainstream: An Action Agenda for Literacy

GROUP PARTICIPANTS (Continued)

CONTRIBUTING GROUPS (Continued)

Clarion County Literacy Council

Clarion County, Pennsylvania

Cleveland Reads

Cleveland, Ohio

Community Action Program of

Evansville Head Start

Evansville, Indiana

Continuing Education Learning Center

Jackson, Mississippi

Dallas Reads

Dallas, Texas

D.C. LEARNs

Washington, DC

Delaware Coalition for Literacy

Wilmington, Delaware

Durant Literacy Council

Durant, Oklahoma

4EFF Discussion Group

Greater Homewood 

Community Corporation

Baltimore, Maryland

Greater Milwaukee Literacy 

Coalition

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Houston READ Commission

Houston, Texas

Janesville Literacy Council, Inc.

Janesville, Wisconsin

Johnson County Adult Literacy

Warrensburg, Missouri

Kent County Literacy Council

Kent County, Michigan

Literacy Council of Broward County

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Literacy Council of Central Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama 

Literacy Initiative of Central Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Living Wages

Washington, DC

Loring Nicollet-Bethlehem 

Community Centers

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Massachusetts Association of Teachers

to Speakers of Other Languages

(MATSOL)

Mayor’s Commission on Literacy

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Michigan Adult Literacy Interest Group

Michigan Reading Association

Michigan

Muskogee Area Literacy Council

Muskogee, Oklahoma

NashvilleREADS

Nashville, Tennessee

National Center on Adult Literacy

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

New Bedford Adult Education

Program

New Bedford, Massachusetts

New Orleans Area Literacy Council

New Orleans, Louisiana

NLA Listserv Discussion Group

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation

and Corrections

Columbus, Ohio

Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition

Palm Beach, Florida

Pennsylvania Adult Learners

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Project READ Coalition

Dayton, Ohio

San Antonio Commission on Literacy

San Antonio, Texas

San Diego Council on Literacy

San Diego, California

Susanville Library Literacy Program

Susanville, California

System for Adult Basic Education

Support (SABES)

Massachusetts

Three Rivers Literacy Alliance

Ft. Wayne, Indiana

Muskogee Area Literacy Council

Muskogee, Oklahoma

Teachers of English to Speakers of 

Other Languages (TESOL)

Board of Directors

Township High School District 214

Arlington Heights, Illinois

Tri-State Literacy Council

Huntington, West Virginia

World Education 

Boston, Massachusetts
For additional copies, call 1-800-228-8813 or visit www.nifl.gov/coalition/nclhome.htm