Ralf St.Clair, University of Glasgow and ABC-CANADA
This project was conducted in the Fall of 2008 and Spring of 2009, supported by a
Knowledge Mobilization grant from the Adult Learning and Knowledge Network. The
aim of this project was to compile what has been learned about building accountability
systems in adult literacy in British Columbia, Ontario and Scotland. The findings are
presented in three sections, dealing with systemic issues, how accountability
mechanisms should be designed, and working with data. Wherever possible the
findings reflect all three jurisdictions and focus on common concerns.
Adult literacy education often has a huge number of expectations attached to it, such as engaging marginalized groups in education, providing language instruction to people who have moved beyond English as a Second Language, finding work for participants, or community development. While adult literacy programs may well be a gateway to many of these outcomes, they should not be held solely responsible for them.
Since the development of outcomes based management in the public sector, any program that lacks a clear rationale and a well developed logic model is in a vulnerable position. There is need for an accountability framework for literacy programs that represents the contributions of the field without setting up unrealistic expectations. Setting out an achievable set of goals and how programs can demonstrate that those goals have been achieved is essential.
Adult literacy educators tend to be committed people with strong values, and a profoundly optimistic sense of human potential. Any accountability system has to acknowledge the wisdom, experience and values which have built up within the field of adult literacy. At the early stages of creating accountability approaches it means involving practitioners and learners in the design process; as they evolve it means ensuring that trust is maintained.