This program seeks to plan and deliver quality, research-based professional development and training, and effective communication links to State and federally-funded agencies providing adult literacy services below the post-secondary level. The goal of the RAEN system is to provide staff development resources to improve the skills of adult education practitioners to improve the quality of the adult education and family literacy programs funded by NYSED. The RAEN will provide the technical assistance in coordination with the NYSED Office of Adult Education Program and Policy Unit to assist adult education programs in meeting statewide benchmarks on the National Reporting System’s (NRS) core indicators.

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The Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title II, Section 223, provides the authority for NYSED to fund one or more of the following activities:

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• The establishment or operation of professional development programs to improve the quality of instruction provided pursuant to local activities required under section 231(b) which include adult education and family literacy services, workplace literacy; and/or English literacy services.

• The provision of technical assistance to eligible providers of adult education and literacy activities.

• The provision of technology assistance, including staff training, to eligible providers of adult education and literacy activities to enable the eligible providers to improve the quality of such activities.

• The support of state or regional networks of literacy resource centers.

• The monitoring and evaluation of the quality of, and the improvement in, adult education and literacy activities through the National Reporting System (NRS).

• The dissemination of research-based curricula, including curricula incorporating phonemic awareness, systematic phonics, fluency and reading comprehension.