EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Background and Context
The national strategy for Adult Literacy and Numeracy in Scotland ( ALNIS), 2001, set out a framework and recommendations to address literacies issues in Scotland.
As part of the Scottish Executive's aim to develop good practice in adult literacies provision, four pathfinder projects were established in 2002 to support innovative approaches to literacies learning.
The Scottish Executive set up these initial Pathfinders, with responsibility for ongoing management and administration transferred to Communities Scotland in April 2003.
In 2003, the Learning Connections Team within Communities Scotland, as part of their role in developing adult literacy provision in Scotland, established a second phase of pathfinder projects.
Eight Phase Two Pathfinders were selected which sought to develop innovative practice, identify successful approaches, and inform the developing national literacies strategy. These projects commenced in late 2003 and received grant support up to 31st March 2006.
Delivering the Programme
The programme was designed and managed by the newly formed Learning Connections Team, which initiated a Challenge Fund in order to select a group of Pathfinder projects.
The funding competition was promoted widely and generated substantial interest. An uncomplicated two-stage application process gave rise to 93 Notes of Interest and, later, 16 full applications. During the appraisal of applications eight projects were selected.
An external support contractor was also appointed to establish a formative evaluation framework and tools with which to monitor the activity of the eight projects.
The Framework and tools were developed as agreed, with input from participating organisations. Additional monitoring support was provided by way of one-to-one advice, five workshop events, and a website.
While providing a helpful method of tracking project progress, it proved challenging to accommodate the diversity of project types and organisational capabilities within a single monitoring Framework.
From a programme perspective, the Framework was not used fully to synthesise and distil the learning from the Pathfinders and to share this learning with a wider audience.
From the perspective of projects, opportunities to produce, and critically reflect on, performance information were limited, mainly by the resources and time available to Pathfinder staff to devote to project monitoring.
In addition to the external monitoring support put in place, the Learning Connections Team played an important and effective role in administering grants and in providing ongoing guidance and support to the Pathfinders.
Despite some challenges in management and implementation, the Phase Two Pathfinder Programme was implemented within its agreed budget, at a cost of £964,720 over three years.
The Pathfinder Projects
The Programme supported eight projects that were targeted on strategically significant literacies issues and were well placed to make a contribution to the ALNIS strategy.
The eight Pathfinders were:
- Challenge Dad - encouraging male family members to participate in literacies learning for the benefit of children and families (Aberdeen City Council)
- Countdown East End - family literacies learning using a community development approach and incorporating training and peer education (Parents of East End Primary Schools)
- Farm Plus - literacies learning, through the use of radio and internet technology, for rural areas and farm workers (Dumfries & Galloway Literacies Partnership)
- Homing in on Literacy - promoting sustainable tenancies by ensuring that young people are given literacies learning opportunities (Perth and Kinross Council)
- Healthwise Aberdeen - developing health-related materials and literacy awareness in collaboration with patients and health professionals (Grampian Health Board)
- Links to Literacies - developing arrangements to promote voluntary sector involvement in literacies learning and the work of adult literacies partnerships (Learning Link Scotland)
- Stirling Learning Curriculum - developing training and a curriculum specifically for adults with learning difficulties (Stirling Literacies Action Plan Partnership)
- The Welcoming - literacies learning for speakers of other languages through sharing culture and breaking down barriers for asylum seekers and refugees (City of Edinburgh Council)
The Pathfinders focused mainly on designing and testing new structures and methods for attracting and supporting learners.
Pathfinder Progress and Results
The Pathfinder projects progressed well, albeit subject to significant early delays.
Common difficulties were encountered in: recruiting specialist staff; engaging with the target group; ensuring full take-up of learning opportunities; making use of new technology; and securing appropriate resources. While many of these challenges were unavoidable, others stemmed from a degree of initial over-ambition on the part of participating organisations.
At the close of the programme, the projects had all made satisfactory progress. Particular improvements in progress and performance were evident during the final six months of implementation.
The report suggests that the Pathfinders: brought direct benefits to literacies learners; introduced new ways of working locally; provided an important catalyst for partnership working; and gave rise to tangible learning resources and materials. While these are positive outcomes, these are likely to have been strengthened with further time in which to set-up and deliver agreed activities.
Common elements of effective practice identified included: methods of engaging with 'hard to reach' client groups; the use of community networks, resources and capabilities; learner involvement in programme design; approaches to delivering learning and learner support; the use of new technologies, resources, and materials; approaches to partnership working; and methods of integrating literacies into wider learning/community activities.
In all cases the Pathfinder projects have left some form of tangible legacy locally. In five cases, alternative grant funding has been secured to carry on project activity in a similar vein, and in three cases local partners are attempting to mainstream the successful components into wider programmes of activity.
The ability of the Pathfinders to sustain and build-on achievements was influenced by the extent to which they: were established with an independent structure and identity; were closely linked into local strategic priorities, structures, and support; and had sufficient internal management capacity or outside support in place.
Each Pathfinder project identified elements that had potential for replication elsewhere. However, it is not possible to simply transplant project approaches or methods wholesale to other contexts. In each case a variety of local circumstances and pre-requisites were instrumental to success.
Significant achievements were made, however, the study indicates that the ultimate success and cost-effectiveness of the Pathfinder programme will depend on the extent to which: the pilot activity is sustained and built upon locally; project learning is transferred or replicated elsewhere; and this activity results in new or improved literacies practice across Scotland.
The Lessons Learned
Overall, the study suggests that the Pathfinder programme was introduced as a bold and innovative initiative, which has subsequently yielded positive results and learning.
A number of strengths of the Pathfinder approach have been noted. It has:
- enabled the targeting of strategically important literacies issues;
- encouraged organisations outside of the literacies field to become involved in delivering literacies learning;
- provided the time and resources to test new literacies activity;
- offered the opportunity to gather real-time intelligence from innovative projects; and
- uncovered much learning for practitioners in the literacies field.
On the basis of the evaluation evidence, the study points to a number of key lessons from programme implementation, including the importance of:
- establishing robust programme governance and clear leadership;
- putting in place robust management arrangements and co-ordinated support;
- embedding pathfinder activity fully within local literacies priorities and structures;
- implementing a monitoring framework that lends itself to ongoing and critical reflection;
- setting clear and agreed literacies learning outcomes and measuring these;
- building in adequate resources and time to enable effective project delivery;
- providing ongoing, holistic, and flexible support to participating organisations; and
- ensuring a sustained focus on forward planning, mainstreaming and dissemination.
Alternative Models
In moving forward, the study recognises that the literacies field has matured significantly since the establishment of the Pathfinder Programme.
In recognition of the above, and on the basis of information derived from the consultation process, the report puts forward four alternative models in literacies learning:
- Thematic Pathfinders - a targeted series of large demonstration projects focused on areas where gaps in literacies practice still exist, and which are in keeping with the priorities of the refreshed ALNIS strategy;
- Action Research - a series of small-scale action research projects that would provide literacies practitioners and partners with the time, resources, and support to enable planning, action, reflection and learning;
- Seeding Innovation - a seedcorn fund to support small-scale actions that help identify, develop and pilot innovative or effective ways of supporting literacies learning within agreed themes; and
- Research and Development - a structured programme of research and policy work designed to identify and harvest learning from existing literacies practice.
Whatever the option or combination of options adopted, the study points to the importance of maximising the opportunities for others to learn from and replicate successful elements of the Phase Two Pathfinders.