About SPCLC
A Partnership Responding to Community Needs
SPCLC is a community-based collaborative, building literacy in a collaborative, inclusive, comprehensive manner. Membership includes 11 community based non-profits, St. Paul Public Schools Adult Basic Education, and the St. Paul Public Library. Funded through the public and private sectors, SPCLC works collaboratively and cross-culturally to benefit adults and their families needing literacy services.
Serving a Community in Transition
St. Paul, Minnesota, is a community of over 287,000 residents in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Over the past several decades, the city has become a resettlement destination for refugees and immigrants from around the world. As many as 75,000 Hmong from Southeast Asia live in and around the city. Many Somalis, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Laotians, and others also call the city home.
In recent years, many refugees have arrived from Somalia, Ethiopia, and other parts of Africa. Latinos have emmigrated from other parts of the U.S. and foreign countries. In 2005-2006, several thousand Hmong who had lived for many years on the grounds of Wat Tham Krabok in Thailand arrived in St. Paul. The internationally known Center for Victims of Torture draws additional refugees. Significant numbers of Karen refugees from Thai refugee camps are currently arriving, as well as Karenni and Bhutanese.
New Americans contribute greatly to the cultural, economic, and artistic life of Saint Paul. At the same time, they bring many needs related to learning English, obtaining employment, and accessing basic human services.
Service Accomplishments and Effectiveness
During program year 2011, SPCLC members served 12,332 students, delivering 1,210,463 service hours. Over 68% of those served - 8,415- completed 12 or more hours of instruction, qualifying as Participants under federal definitions. Of these, 75% studied English as a Second Language, 20% Adult Basic Education, and 4% Adult Secondary Education.
- The number of participants who completed a federal NRS level totalled 46% - a 21% increase over seven years.
- 220 adults participated in Family Literacy programming.
- 74 adult learners obtained their GED or secondary school diploma.
- 85 individuals entered post-secondary education or training.
Quality Assurance
SPCLC is committed to continuously improving service quality. The Accountability and Quality Assurance Team includes a Quality Assurance Advisor, a Student Testing and Data Base Advisor, and an Instructional Support Consultant/Professional Development Advisor.
The Team works intensively with each member agency to monitor and improve service delivery. They support members in refining processes for assessing and monitoring student progress, identifying and sharing Best Practices for ABE, conducting site visits, and otherwise assisting members to provide high quality services. In program year 2011, the Instructional Support Consultant completed 66 Teacher observations for 11 SPCLC agency members, gathered a variety of instructional resource materials requested by teachers, completed demonstration lessons, and assisted with special projects to enhance instruction.
Distance Learning
Enhancing and expanding Distance Learning has been a strong SPCLC emphasis since 2009. This year, the Distance Learning (DL) Specialist completed intensive training through Project IDEAL, developed site-specific plans in consultation with each SPCLC CBO member, and supported implementation of the plans throughout the year. The Hubbs Center established a successful Digital Literacy Lab for learners.
Through these efforts, DL service provision grew significantly. The CBOs provided 6,783 DL hrs for 265 learners in 2011 vs. 1,480 hrs for 56 learners previous year; Hubbs provided 21,876 hrs for 708 learners in 2011 vs. 14,657 hrs for 447 learners previous year, and 186 learners/3,748 hrs the year before.
Images: Cochrane/FreeDigital Photos.net, watcharukun/FreeDigitalPhotos.net