PRINTER FRIENDLY PAGE

Sometimes it takes more than just knowing best practices. It takes a fresh perspective and guidance to put those ideals into action.

That’s what the Boulder Valley Family Literacy program discovered as it tested the Verizon Literacy Program Self-Assessment Tool (VLP-SAT).

The Boulder program began in 1999 with support from the National Center for Family Literacy and the Knight Foundation, and it continues to grow. Last year, it served 47 families in three sites and 175 adults at four sites - primarily targeting Spanish-speaking families and teaching an ESL program.

The family literacy program is expanding this year by offering GED services to its 93 adults and 54 families.

"The survey helped our program in prompting us to think about aspects that have been missing or neglected in the past," said Karen Carr, program coordinator for Boulder Valley Family Literacy. "As a director, I found it to be a neutral way to approach the subject without being the one to remind the staff of how valuable different types of instruction are.

"It provided a framework to begin some staff discussions and research. We are now having cluster groups of instructors who research an area and share back to the larger group about how to best incorporate practices in the classroom.

Carr said that her goal is for every teacher to begin purposefully considering and adding this knowledge into classroom practices.

"As we are now providing GED services, the survey came at a good time for us to reflect and change our approaches," she said.