FEEDBACK FROM CHANGE AGENT READERS

I have used The Change Agent for the twelve years that I have been involved in adult education and literacy. As a newcomer to the field in 1994, The Change Agent pointed me to resources and colleagues, practitioners and students, who were committed both to strengthening the voice of adult learners and to adding the adult literacy voice to the movement for positive social change in our country. Over the years, when I worked with YMCA Educational Services in New Orleans, The Change Agent consistently gave our students a sense of their power by publishing their articles, poetry, and works of art. Its thought-provoking articles stimulated learners' writing and action.

The Change Agent is a crucial voice in a field whose students frequently feel marginalized. I believe that adult education and literacy has been strengthened by its efforts over the years to offer students a vision of hope that they gain a respected and honored place in our society.

Margery Freeman, Regional Services Coordinator
ProLiteracy America, NY

I am an instructor in the ESL Center at UMass/Boston. I teach academic reading and writing to freshmen who are immigrants, refugees, and a few international students. This semester, after reading the Sept. 2005 issue of The Change Agent, I decided to teach my class on the topic of "Building Peace." Each student has a copy of the issue. We have been reading and discussing the articles, analyzing the material and writing styles, and doing research on some of the topics. I am making use of the helpful teacher guide, and supplementing the articles with some longer, more academic texts.

We are now in the third week of class. The students love the material; it is accessible and well written. We have had many lively discussions; they are thinking and writing about some topics that are completely new for them. I believe they are bringing a new level of 'peace' into their daily lives and into the classroom.

Anne Erde, Instructor
ESL Center at UMass/Boston

I view the Change Agent as the single most practitioner-friendly source of information on participatory adult education currently available and have referenced it in many of my workshops both nationally and internationally; it is included in a resource list that I distribute whenever I talk about ESOL for social justice and civic participation. It is absolutely invaluable in the field of adult education, truly a showpiece of the best practices.

Elsa Roberts Auerbach, Professor of English
University of Massachusetts Boston

The Change Agent has been in my state adult education "toolkit" for years. I take it on the road with me as I monitor/consult with over 40 schools involved in ESL, VESL/VABE, ABE, ASE - GED/HS Diploma, Citizenship, Civic Participation, Vocational Education, Adults with Disabilities, Older Adults, Leisure fee courses, etc.

Thank you for providing adult education with progressive and intelligent resources and "food for thought" in this complex, dynamic world that challenges us daily!

Margi Park
California Department of Education

The Change Agent is a source of inspiration and a reassurance that substantial thought is being devoted to the field of educating adults.

Sharing its pages and articles is an opportunity for a class to interact with authentic texts about important ideas.

Joe Cianciarulo, Educational Counselor/Teacher
Jewish Vocational Services, MA

The Change Agent is a unique publication for students of adult basic education.

Each issue deals with a particular topic, such as "Voting in 2004", "The Media and You", "Economic Literacy and Justice", to name just a few.

Ideas, questions, and opinions are presented in multifarious ways. For example, in the Change Agent's Economic Literacy issue, ideas were presented in the form of editorial cartoons, graphs and charts, poems and articles from adult basic education students and other social programs, excerpts from various news media and books, with ideas for teaching and lesson plans.

The Change Agent really is a superior resource for the Adult Basic Education Teacher, providing stimulating ideas and differing points of view for the student to think about and discuss. It is loaded with relevant material, and I, as a GED/Basic education instructor, have found it an incredible bargain and an absolute gem.

Annette Kilminster
Franklin/Hampshire Career Center, MA