Thank you Miriam this summary was helpful!  Sorry I was unable to
participate!
 
 


Ms. Gary Bartolina, Program Manager
Adult Education Basics
NYS & CSEA  Partnership for Education & Training
Corporate Plaza East - Suite 502
240 Washington Avenue Extension
Albany, NY 12203
Phone: 518-473-4990
Fax: 518-473-9457
bartolinag at nyscseapartnership.org
<mailto:bartolinag at nyscseapartnership.org> 
www.nyscseapartnership.org <http://www.nyscseapartnership.org/> 
"A love affair with knowledge will never end in heartbreak."
(Michael Garrett Marino) 
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	-----Original Message-----
	From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Miriam Burt
	Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 12:03 PM
	To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
	Subject: [EnglishLanguage 3927] Summary of discussion on
managing programs -January 12-16
	
	
	Hello, everyone.
	 
	As promised, below is a summary of the discussion held on this
list January 12 -16, on the topic of managing programs serving adult
English language learners. My colleague, Amber Gallup, program associate
at the Center for Applied Linguistics, wrote the summary. In a
subsequent email, I'll post a summary, also from Amber, on the
discussion held on  working with learners with limited literacy.  
	Best,
	Miriam
	******
	Miriam Burt
	facilitator, discussion list for those working with adult
English language learners
	mburt at cal.org
	 
	 
	Dear Colleagues -

	 

	Managing Programs for Adult English Language Learners, a
facilitated discussion held January 12-16, 2009, on the NIFL Adult
English Language Learners Discussion List, is summarized below. The
original announcement of the discussion, including brief biographies of
the facilitators, may be found at the following URL:
http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/englishlanguage//09programs.html
<http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/englishlanguage/09programs.html>
. If you wish to read the individual postings, visit the NIFL archives
at http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/englishlanguage/2009/thread.html#3371
<http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/englishlanguage/2009/thread.html#3371> .

	 

	The three facilitators of the discussion were MaryAnn Florez,
Project Director for the Adult Education Professional Development Center
at DC Learns in Washington, DC; Donna Kinerney, Instructional Dean for
Adult ESOL & Literacy programs at Montgomery College in Maryland; and
Brigitte Marshall, Director of Oakland Adult Education in Oakland,
California. These and other participants began by discussing the many
roles that administrators play in programs. While many spoke of how they
enjoyed their roles as advocates for students and visionaries within
their programs, they also pointed out the extent to which they had to
learned to maneuver politically and lamented a high number of
administrative responsibilities, decreasing resources, and, in a few
cases, unsupportive communities. Many stated that they began as
instructors and came to management not only because of their commitment
to students and their own particular abilities and energies, but also
for the benefits and full time work that the position offered. Others
added that improving program quality and work conditions for teachers
were high priorities for them. In fact, one facilitator spoke of
prioritization itself as a key skill for managers and stressed that she
finds that she cannot play all roles at all times and still fulfill her
vision for the program. In those cases, delegation of roles is
necessary.

	 

	The discussion of paths to management led to one of the
principal questions of the discussion: Can a person who has no
background in ESL instruction be an effective and credible manager of an
adult ESL program? Participant response was nearly equally divided
between those who felt that an instructional background - including the
direct contact with students and with fellow teachers - was a must for
administrators due to the deeper level of understanding it afforded
them, and those who felt that this experience was not necessarily a
prerequisite, but instead highly dependent upon the individual and the
program. Those who voiced the latter opinion noted that effective
managers without teaching experience could have knowledge about
fundraising, board development, strategic planning, and other skills
fundamental to the success of a program, as well as the ability to
listen and ask questions about topics with which they have less
experience.

	 

	Other participants raised particular management issues, such as
how and if to honor special student requests, such as a female teacher
(for religious reasons) or a native English speaking teacher.
Respondents generally suggested resolving these requests on case by case
basis, making smaller adjustments when necessary (same-gender pair work,
allowing breaks from class for prayer) and staying firm when the school
is unable to compromise. 

	 

	Amber Gallup

	Program Associate, Center for Applied Linguistics

	agallup at cal.org <mailto:agallup at cal.org> 

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