Hi Jackie and all,

Happy holidays from PA!  In Jackie's email below, she mentions different
career pathways that learners may take (traditional - adult education then
post-secondary/training programs or dual/concurrent enrollment in adult
education and post-secondary/training programs at the same time.)  I'd like
to share an observation of something we've been seeing in Pennsylvania that
relates to how adults choose to participate in adult education program.  

Distance education is often seen as a way to reach students that would not
otherwise attend adult education programs. While distance ed provides an
effective way to reach those that can not attend face-to-face services, it
can also be used in another way.   

The Pennsylvania ABLE Distance Learning Project has learners who participate
in distance ed because they can not attend face-to-face services.  However,
we have also seen an increase in the number of students that participate in
distance education in addition to their face-to-face services. For example a
student may only be able to attend class once a week due to work schedules
and family responsibilities, but would like more instruction to reach his or
her goal.  Many programs in PA offer distance education as a way for the
learner to participate in additional instructional services outside of the
face-to-face classroom or tutoring.

Increasing the intensity of instruction through distance education would be
one way to help adults progress along their career pathway faster. This is a
model that could be consider with (or without) the $500 million stimulus
package.  


Destiny 


Destiny Long
TIU 11 Community Education Services
MCIDC Plaza, Building 58
6395 SR 103 North
Lewistown, PA 17044
717-248-4942 ext. 199
717-248-8610 fax
dlong at tiu11.org

 







-----Original Message-----
From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of
professionaldevelopment-request at nifl.gov
Sent: Sunday, December 28, 2008 12:00 PM
To: professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov
Subject: ProfessionalDevelopment Digest, Vol 39, Issue 11

When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of ProfessionalDevelopment digest..."




Today's Topics:

   1. [ProfessionalDevelopment 2701] Economic Stimulus and
      Professional	Development (Jackie A. Taylor)
   2. [ProfessionalDevelopment 2702] Re: Economic Stimulus and
      Professional Development (tsticht at znet.com)
   3. [ProfessionalDevelopment 2703] Re: Economic Stimulus and
      Professional Development (djrosen1)


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:05:31 -0600
From: "Jackie A. Taylor" <jackie at jataylor.net>
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 2701] Economic Stimulus and
	Professional	Development
To: "The Adult Literacy Professional Development Discussion List"
	<professionaldevelopment at nifl.gov>
Message-ID: <662B8FD89D9FDC49BD319600D3FD9C8901DF9B at neo.ccs-group.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear Professional Development Colleagues:

 

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) recommends that the
Transition Team add $500 million to the economic stimulus package for
adult education: "Funding should be directed at programs that integrate
basic skills, English language and occupational training and focus on
transition to postsecondary education and job training in order to
ensure that lower-skilled people are not left behind in this labor
market." http://www.clasp.org/publications/claspbeyondstimulus.pdf 

 

The National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) and the National Council of
State Directors of Adult Education (NCSDAE) support this request.
Congress hopes to have the stimulus package ready when Obama is sworn in
as President on January 20th.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g-fho3A_PJJqcnUtiO_ns
DH_Hd1Q 

 

If $500 million were included in the stimulus for adult education and we
had 27 months to spend it, what should be spent on professional
development in order to help lower-skilled adults go to work and
experience career success?

 

For example, adult educators will need to help adult learners upgrade
their skills and transition to work without losing sight on those
learners that are hardest to serve. Adults transitioning to work might
also follow different career pathways: 

 

*	Traditional, sequential, linear pathway: Adults enroll first in
adult education then into postsecondary once the adult learner raises
his or her basic skills. For example, earning a GED then enrolling into
postsecondary.

 

*	Dual or concurrent enrollment pathways: Adults dually or
concurrently enroll in basic skills and postsecondary education and
training. For example, taking welding and math courses, learning the
welding trade while improving math skills needed for the profession.

 

In these (and other) situations, adult educators will need to teach in
ways that integrate basic skills and postsecondary education and
training content in the adult education classroom; for example,
co-teaching with an occupational skills trainer. Tom Sticht recently
posted two related examples here: Functional Context Education (FCE) and
Microenterprise Training and Development. See "Learning for Work in Hard
Times"
http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/professionaldevelopment/2008/002738.html 

 

So, a few questions:

 

*	What are the considerations for professional development if the
$500 million stimulus for adult education became an immediate reality?
*	What additional models already exist that we can learn from?
*	How would we get up and running as quickly as possible?

 

Thanks for your thoughts, and here's to 2009!

 

Best wishes...Jackie

 

 

 

Jackie Taylor, Online Facilitator, jackie at jataylor.net

Adult Literacy Professional Development

 

Adult Literacy and Language Learning Communities of Practice

http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/discussions.html

National Institute for Literacy www.nifl.gov <http://www.nifl.gov/>