LVA's Vision

Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. (LVA) has served adults at the lowest levels of literacy and their families since 1962, and has assisted more than half a million people to acquire literacy skills. We are now entering an exciting new era of LVA history, in which LVA will become a national model of excellence through sustained and expanded quality in literacy programming and training. The following is a statement of LVA's vision of the future and the impact we anticipate that our vision will have on literacy services nationwide. Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. (LVA) is a fully integrated national network of local, state, and regional literacy providers that give adults and their families the opportunity to acquire skills to be effective in their roles as members of their families, communities, and workplaces. LVA defines adult literacy as: the ability to read, write, and speak English proficiently, to compute and solve problems, and to use technology in order to become a life-long learner and to be effective in the family, in the workplace and in the community. LVA defines its curriculum in accordance with the individual needs and goals of the adult students in its programs. LVA ensures that its members deliver top quality adult literacy instruction through: the establishment of, adherence to, and continuous improvement of program effectiveness standards for multiple providers (LVA Accreditation); the development and dissemination of instructional and management materials, training, and technical assistance; capacity building through technology for data management, operational, and instructional purposes; and public awareness campaigns and public policy advocacy. LVA is committed to innovation, leadership, and quality. For a printable version of this page for use in PR/press kits, click here. (PDF file - requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

LVA Accreditation LVA created a major initiative that deeply and essentially changes adult education in the volunteer sector and the entire field. Accreditation created a dynamic new system of measuring affiliate performance against rigorous standards that evolve as the field evolves, moving ever upward in an environment of continuous improvement. Promising practices from local affiliates are being identified, disseminated, and incorporated into existing standards, raising the acceptable performance threshold for our affiliates and eventually for all literacy service providers nationwide. LVA Accreditation was developed by a collaborative task force of local program managers, literacy professionals, volunteer leadership, and national staff. With technical assistance from LVA National and the LVA state-level, every member of our network is being accredited for three years beginning in the year 2000. Accreditation has received positive feedback from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Institute for Literacy, and the United Way. Click here for more information about Accreditation.

Technology in Literacy In an increasingly complex and technological society, today's definition of literacy includes the ability to read, write, compute, and – increasingly – to possess computer skills. LVA has proven through the implementation of the Verizon/LVA Family Literacy program that the use of technology in literacy instruction has benefits beyond improving the literacy skills of parents. Adults and their families are attracted to the programs because they are able to acquire computer skills and basic literacy skills simultaneously. While adults often lag behind their children in computer proficiency, programs like Verizon Family Literacy create an environment of intergenerational learning that strengthens families. The acquisition of computer skills is beneficial, if not necessary, to continuous employment as well as to active participation in educating our children. By providing computer technology to our local literacy programs, we can make available better instructional and program management tools, as well as the communication network necessary to disseminate exemplary practices. LVA will seek the necessary resources to ensure that each LVA affiliate will have a minimum hardware and software configuration, as well as guidance to maximize the potential benefits of technology, by the year 2000. Click here for more information about Technology in Literacy.

LVA Technical Assistance and Training The goal of the LVA Technical Assistance and Training Initiative is to build the capacity of the LVA network by offering the best possible training opportunities and technical assistance in a broad range of strategically important topics and to increase the credibility and visibility of the LVA network in the adult literacy field. An important part of the LVA Technical Assistance and Training Initiative is the LVA Annual Conference. Held in partnership with other literacy providers and related human-service organizations, the LVA Annual Conference represents a unique opportunity for members of the LVA network to gain valuable information about what is new in volunteer literacy and adult education. It is also a showcase for the sharing of best demonstrated practices and provides an opportunity for program managers, tutors, adult learners, public policy-makers, and related professionals to meet and exchange ideas. The event offers LVA's external constituents the opportunity to meet the volunteers, adult learners, and program managers who perform the everyday miracles that constitute our mission, and provides a vehicle whereby LVA can honor supporters of the cause with national recognition. This year, LVA Conference 2000: Show Me the Future! was held in Kansas City, MO, with conference partners the U.S. Department of Education, the American Library Association, and VALUE. For more detailed information about the Annual Conference, visit the Conference section of our web site. One of the strategically important topic areas on which LVA has focused is that of learning disabilities. Estimates range that between 50 and 80 percent of adults who seek assistance from volunteer literacy programs may have undiagnosed learning disabilities. Recognizing that our programs need better tools and techniques to serve the special needs of this population, LVA is seeking opportunities to develop and disseminate cutting-edge resources to our network. At present, LVA is the joint recipient of a grant from the federally-funded National Institute for Literacy to develop a training and dissemination strategy for its guidebooks which address programmatic and instructional changes to better serve adults with learning disabilities. Our goal is to effectuate systemic change in the volunteer literacy sector so that all services reflect a basic understanding of the nature of learning disabilities and all volunteer programs have at their disposal the best strategies for assisting those who may have them. Visit the following links for more information on the LVA's work regarding learning disabilities:       • LVA Statement on Learning Disabilities       • Learning Disabilities Resource Links (LVA Affiliates Only)       • LD Resources and Information (LVA Affiliates Only)

Public Awareness and Visibility LVA is committed to increasing public awareness about the issue of adult literacy and establishing its role as a provider of high quality services in the adult education field.

For information about these initiatives and LVA's sponsorship benefits, please contact President Marsha Tait at 315/472-0001, ext. 250.