A national listserv devoted to adult education program quality fulfills a vision for me that started almost ten years ago! I began this journey in 1994 by asking myself how I, as a leader in adult basic education, could improve the quality of what we give the adult learners in our local programs. As a new state director, I wanted to create a culture of continuous improvement and I subsequently spent nine exciting years pursuing that vision at the state level. What began as a simple question about program quality evolved into an unexpected odyssey that taught me many lessons about change, quality, and leadership in adult basic education and literacy. It is my hope that I can now, with your help, use what I have learned about quality improvement at the state level in my role as the national director of adult education and literacy.

First and foremost, I learned that it's important for all of us, as practitioners, to ask focused questions about our practice, to look at meaningful data to solve problems, and to work together to find new solutions that make instruction more effective for our learners. It's my belief that an effective quality improvement process must begin at a local level and that no first step is too small. I have witnessed significant changes in local programs that make a real difference in learner outcomes.

In my experience, there are several key factors that appeared to promote success at the local program level. Those factors include:

1) Strong leadership - Quality improvement will never get off the ground without program leaders who have a vision for student achievement and are willing to mobilize resources in support of quality programming.

2) A team approach - No one individual can improve program quality; it's a process that requires administrators, teachers, and support staff to bring their collective expertise to the table.

3) Questioning all aspects of our practice - We all have beliefs and assumptions that guide our work. The first, and often the hardest step, is questioning all aspects of our practice, even those we think we understand completely. This is where innovation begins.

4) Using data to make decisions and solve problems - Collecting and analyzing data is at the heart of program improvement. Data might confirm what we believe to be true or data might surprise us by pointing us in directions we never expected. Either way, valid and reliable data help us steer in the direction of quality.

5) Access to high quality resources - When it comes to quality, not all resources are equal. This list is connected to a LINC's Special Collection that contains resources for continual quality improvement. The resources in this collection meet basic criteria for quality and program leaders can use this collection with some confidence that the resources available meet basic standards.

The commitment to program improvement is a commitment to quality education. I am hoping that this list will be a place for instructional leaders to discuss what they are learning about their programs and students. Specifically, I hope teachers take this opportunity to share experiences and pose questions about teaching and learning. I hope program directors can enter into discussions about what role leadership has in the improvement process.

Finally, I hope that we will all use this forum to ask questions of each other and that these question will spark others to share information and pose new questions in response. My challenge to you is to get things started by sharing both your questions and findings related to strong leadership, a team approach, the questioning of our practice, using data for decision-making, and accessing high quality resources. Of course a word of warning: In my experience, even the simplest question can lead to an unexpected odyssey. That's what makes it all worthwhile.

Cheryl Keenan
Director, Division of Adult Education and Literacy
Office of Vocational and Adult Education
U.S. Department of Education