Richard L. Stiles

Administrative History

Richard L. Stiles was a consultant in the California (State) Department of Education (SDE, CDE) from 1975-2001, serving in the Adult Education Office from 1979-1988 and 1991-2001, and in the Amnesty Education Office from 1988-1991, where he was Manager.

Dr. Stiles earned his B.S. and M.S. in Education at the University of Idaho in 1962 and 1965, and his Ed.D. in Measurement and Evaluation, Guidance and Counseling, and Higher Education from Washington State University in 1971.

After several years as a research associate and consultant in testing and assessment in the state of Washington, Dr. Stiles joined the California State Department of Education in 1975. He worked four years in the Office of Program Evaluation and Research where he developed and implemented the California High School Proficiency Examination.

Dr. Stiles joined the Adult Education Unit in November, 1979, where he was Coordinator of Adult Basic Education Research and Demonstration Projects. He helped plan, develop, implement, and coordinate California's statewide competency-based educational delivery system (CBAE) for adult education students below the high school graduation level. The system integrated staff development, assessment, program evaluation and the dissemination of support materials and personnel to aid in the implementation of CBAE. California's program evaluation and assessment efforts achieved national recognition from the federal government and from the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education. Dr. Stiles was instrumental in the development of the California Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS), which was validated for dissemination by the National Diffusion Network.

Following a reorganization of SDE and a short assignment as special projects coordinator in the Program Support Unit of the newly formed Youth, Adult and Alternative Education(YAAES)Division, Dr. Stiles was appointed lead consultant and acting administrator for the implementation of the educational provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. He served in that capacity until August 1988 when he as appointed Manager of the Amnesty Education Office where he served until August 1991. During the IRCA period, Dr. Stiles was chair of the multi-agency policiy task force called Greater Avenues to Independence (GAIN)and developed a five-year educational delivery plan to help newly legalized persons to meet their education requirements under IRCA. He managed a system of disbursing State Legalization Impact Assistance Grants (SLIAG) to 250 local education providers that served one million newly legalized adults adjusting to permanent residency in California.

Following the successful completion of the Amnesty efforts, Dr. Stiles returned to the Adult Education Unit in 1991, where he served in various capacities, including a year (1997-1998) as Acting Manager. He coordinated California's federal plan to implement the National Literacy Act of 1991 and the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Title II, that resulted in annual local assistance funding to 200 to 500 providers of literacy and in funding for research and development. He was responsible for monitoring outside contracts that provided statewide leadership services for data collection and assessment, for staff development, and for electronic communications, technical assistance, and resources. Another key accomplishment was the establishment of a collaborative literacy council involving six state-level agencies to focus on the literacy needs of adults. State Literacy Regional Centers (SLRCs) were funded through this program.

During his career with the California Department of Education, Dr. Stiles provided advice and guidance on all matters related to data collecation and knowledge bases. On the national level, Dr. Stiles was a member of the National Advisory Board that assisted in the development and implementation of the National Reporting System.

From the guide to the Richard L. Stiles, 1978-1997, (Sacramento County Office of Education. Outreach and Technical Assistance Network.)