Literacy Links

Showcase of Innovative Practice

What’s New with LINCS and National Institute for Literacy?

LINCS Launches Program Leadership
and Improvement Special Collection

The LINCS Special Collections are one-stop electronic gateways to specialized information on high-quality literacy practices and materials for use in adult education and literacy programs. LINCS Special Collections are built around specific content areas, specific settings or contexts, and professional development topics. Begun in 2003, Program Leadership and Improvement (PLI) Special Collection is a joint effort of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education; National Institute for Literacy; and the Center for Literacy Studies at The University of Tennessee. The goal of the PLI Special Collection is to provide access to quality online resources for adult basic and literacy education leaders to improve program services and outcomes.

Potential users of this new collection of expert-reviewed resources include adult basic and literacy education program directors or managers, researchers, policy makers, funders, professional development staff, state adult education directors and staff, board members, learners, and adult education teachers. Featured topics in the PLI Special Collection include: Background, Perspectives & Beliefs; Models for Program Improvement; and Tools & Resources.

The Collection is maintained by Southern LINCS at the Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee-Knoxville. A specialized advisory group, the Core Knowledge Group, with wide and varied areas of expertise in Program Leadership and Improvement, assists the staff in decisions about the content and organization of the site.

Members of the Core Knowledge Group for the Program Leadership and Improvement Special Collection are: Kaye Beall, Training Coordinator, ProLiteracy America; Chas Durant, Senior Research Associate, Center for Literacy Studies; Dianne Glass, State Director of Adult Education, Kansas Board of Regents; Judy Hofer, Coordinator of Professional Development for ABE, New Mexico Coalition for Literacy; Lennox McClendon, Executive Director, National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium (NAEPDC); Karen Scheid, Educational Consultant, Ohio Department of Education, Adult Basic and Literacy Education; Ronna Spacone, Education Program Specialist, US Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education; Sandy Strunk, Supervisor of Adult and Family Literacy Education & Director, Southeast Professional Development Center Pennsylvania ABLE; Sally Waldron, Vice-President, World Education; Taylor Willingham, Austin-Pacific Consulting Company.

To explore the new Program Leader-ship and Improvement Special Collection, go to http://pli.cls.utk.edu/, or on TCALL's home page, find the red Collections button, which will take you to a page featuring all twelve of the LINCS Special Collections. Other Special Collections include:

Assessment
Correctional Education
English as a Second Language
Equipped for the Future
Family Literacy
Health & Literacy
Literacy & Learning Disabilities
Policy & Legislation
Science & Numeracy
Technology Training
Workforce Education