February, 2003

Certificate in Family Literacy, February 21, 2003
Resource for Your Professional Development Staff, February 21, 2003
ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF LOW HEALTH LITERACY,
PROVIDING CLEAR HEALTH COMMUNICATION  NATIONAL WEB CAST MARCH 20 , February 21, 2003

NAEPDC
News, Views, and Clues

February 21,  2003 

Certificate in Family Literacy

The Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy at Penn State and the National

Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) are collaborating to develop an online Certificate in Family Literacy. Courses leading to a Certificate in Family Literacy are to be delivered online via Penn State’s World Campus beginning in May 2003. 

The Institute web site can be found at www.ed.psu.edu/goodlinginstitute/ and the page for the Family Literacy Certificate is found at http://www.ed.psu.edu/goodlinginstitute/certificte.pdf

 Nickie Askov is the contact person.  Her contact information is as follows:

Eunice N. Askov, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Education
Co‑Director, Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy
Co‑Director for Research, Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy
Penn State University
102 Rackley Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814)865‑0597 (telephone); (814)863‑6108 (fax)
ENA1@PSU.EDU

Please feel free to forward this information to your family literacy programs.

Keep up the good work.  Let me know when we can help.

NAEPDC
News, Views, and Clues

February 21, 2003

Resource for Your Professional Development Staff

A couple years ago the Adult Education professional development staff members formed a national organization to share resources, ideas, and issues.  The AALPD (Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers) has recently added a discussion list to facilitate their interaction.  The notice below gives details for participating. 

Please feel free to forward this announcement to your professional development staff and contractors.

“Join us for conversation and dialogue with adult literacy professional developers nationwide!  The AALPD (Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers) Discussion List is a new NIFL forum for adult literacy professional developers to share information, communicate fresh ideas and promising practices, discuss challenges, and interact collaboratively with each other, contributing to the knowledge base of the field.  The list also focuses on local and state professional development systems, models, and strategies for staff development, and provides an ongoing link to the latest national research and initiatives in the evolving field of adult literacy professional development. 

The AALPD discussion list is sponsored by the Association for Adult Literacy Professional Developers and is moderated by Jackie Taylor, Program Coordinator, at the Center for Literacy Studies, the University of Tennessee.  The list is open to all adult educators working or interested in Professional Development. 

To subscribe to NIFL-AALPD, visit .

 Keep up the good work.  Let me know when we can help.

NAEPDC
News, Views, and Clues

February 21, 2003

ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF LOW HEALTH LITERACY,
PROVIDING CLEAR HEALTH COMMUNICATION
 NATIONAL WEB CAST MARCH 20 

Please join health care leaders on Thursday, March 20th for a Web cast of a national briefing on the issue of low health literacy, its impact on the nation's health, and an introduction of the first solution‑oriented program to tackle the problem head‑on.

Health literacy is the ability to read, understand and act upon health information.  Low health literacy can affect someone of any age, ethnicity, and background or education level.  Studies show that:

·         In the United States, limited literacy skills are a stronger predictor of an individual's health status than age, income, employment status, education level, and racial or ethnic group.

·         The health of 90 million people in the U.S. may be at risk because of the difficulty some patients experience in understanding and acting upon health information. 

 The March 20th briefing and online event is part of a national Day of Understanding, to examine the scope and impact of low health literacy and share information about "Ask Me 3,"  a new patient education program designed to promote communication between health care providers and patients, in order to improve health outcomes.

 "Ask Me 3" encourages patients to ask their providers three simple but essential questions in every health care interaction. Studies show that people who understand health instructions make fewer mistakes when they take their medicine or prepare for a medical procedure. They may also get well sooner or be able to better manage a chronic health condition.

 How you can participate in the Day of Understanding and "Ask Me 3":

 ·         Attend the briefing or host a group viewing of the Web cast (available on March 20 at www.AskMe3.org)

·         Issue a statement of support and help spread the word (newsletters, Web links, local media outreach, etc.) 

·         Schedule a health literacy training session for your group and/or affiliates

·         Download resources available on March 20 from the Ask Me 3 Web site and share with your members:

·                     Ask Me 3 implementation materials

·                     Research studies, fact sheets, literacy resources

·                     Explanations of communication techniques

·                     Examples of simple interventions

To receive more information about health literacy, the Day of Understanding, or how your organization can get involved in this important health issue, please contact Courtney Davis at davisco@fleishman.com.

Keep up the good work.  Let me know when we can help.

NAEPDC
A Natural Resource For Adult Education State Directors and their Staff Members
Dr. Lennox L. McLendon, Executive Director
lmclendon@naepdc.org
www.naepdc.org
202.624.5250
202.624.1497 FAX