National:

Celebrating AEFL Week with a New Fact Sheet on Adult Education & Middle-Skill Jobs

National Skills Coalition is joining in the celebration with a brand-new fact sheet highlighting the critical role of adult education in helping workers prepare for middle-skill jobs:

More than 24 million US workers lack key foundational skills in reading, math, or spoken English, and would benefit from adult education to help them build the skills needed to pursue occupational training and compete for these jobs.

Adult education models such as Integrated Education and Training (IET) have a proven track record in helping adult learners acquire key skills, earn secondary and postsecondary credentials, and obtain middle-skill employment.

The fact sheet highlights four federal policies that can support the implementation of adult education program models such as IET, and provides examples of states that are capitalizing on these policies to do just that.

Among the examples highlighted is the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides support for low-income families, including through the provision of education and training to help adults find employment and move off of public benefits.

Advocates interested in how TANF can help support skill-building opportunities can review the nationally recognized Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative, which provides a broad range of support to assist low-income individuals in obtaining in-demand credentials and employment.

Designers for Learning

Designers for Learning is an Illinois nonprofit that promotes service-learning opportunities through collaboration with schools, students, and volunteers. Matched with nonprofits in service-learning projects, instructional design students develop solutions that are customized to the the organization’s learning and performance improvement needs.

An objective from one of their courses is  to help raise awareness about the adult basic skills gap:

“National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week raises public awareness about the need and value of adult education and family literacy in order to leverage resources to support access to basic education programs for the 36 million U.S. adults with low literacy skills. Advocates across the country use this opportunity to elevate adult education and family literacy nationwide with policymakers, the media, and the community.”

Talk With Me Baby

According to Liza McFadden, President and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, “there’s never been a better time to shine a light on literacy!”

The Foundation is celebrating AEFL Week to announce a new partnership – Talk With Me Baby:

We know healthy food helps babies grow healthy bodies. But to grow a healthy brain, babies need more! They need to hear lots of healthy, loving words.

Our brand-new Talk With Me Baby partnership helps to bridge that gap. This public action campaign will coach parents, caregivers, and educators on “Language Nutrition.”

Learn more about Talk With Me Baby and the other life-changing programs happening here at the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. And if you’re a new parent or grandparent, the VROOM app is filled with great tips to help you nurture your child’s growing mind. Download it today!

During this special week, I hope you will share these exciting partnerships with your family and friends. Let’s show our nation just how important literacy programs can be, and how learning to read can transform a life forever.

Louisiana

Northshore Technical Community College hosted a Adult Education & Family Literacy Night last Friday at their new Slidell Campus location. Kids and Adults were treated to a fun learning environment with a Louisiana Theme. Great pictures on their FaceBook Page.

Colorado

Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning

Thirteen classes of ABE, ASE and ESL learners in Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning‘s six community education sites have been writing their stories and letters to the editor and to elected officials. Some of these learners will read their stories and letters at the Reading Relay in the cafe at their main location on Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 9 am to 12:30 pm. The state Director of Adult Education, Tricia Johnson, will be in attendance along with the former state Director of Adult Education, Margaret Kirkpatrick, who now serves on the Spring Institute Board of Directors. Representatives from some of their partner organizations such as the Denver Public Library and Mi Casa Resource Center will be present, as well as (hopefully) several elected officials.