CCAE Says: Now is the Time to Plan!

From the September issue of the CCAE Communicator:

 

Now is the Time to Develop Your Regional Consortium for Adult Education 

Contributed by Chris Nelson Past President

As you know, the State Budget now has $25 million set aside to provide planning grants to regional consortiums for Adult Education.  CCAE believes that you should take the initiative in developing the Regional Consortium in your local areas.  AB 86, which is now the law, says a regional consortium must consist of at least one adult school and one community college district.  We strongly suggest to begin your planning now, even before meeting with your community college leaders.  You can start by:

• Doing your own brainstorming on what you would like to see in a regional consortium (i.e. - improved transitions for adult learners, articulated career/ academic pathways, outreach and counseling, common assessments, etc.). 
• Apprising your district and community partners on what the regional consortium is about through AB 86.
• Reaching out to your neighboring adult schools in your community college district and beginning to meet to jointly figure out your needs.
• Assessing who else could be key players for your regional consortium.

In early September, the State Chancellor's Office and the California Department of Education will be convening work groups to develop an application and a process for regional consortium planning grants.  We expect an application to go out to the field sometime in the fall, so it is never too early to begin your regional consortium.  

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You can also take this questionnaire that I made so that everyone can share can share their needs, hopes and ideas for the Future of Adult Ed.  The results of the questionnaire will be shared publically.