Civic Success: San Mateo Adult School ESL City Government Academy

An example of immigrant integration in action at San Mateo Adult School, a K-12 Adult School:

New San Mateo Program Educates Immigrants About Local Government
News Desk, March 19th, 2018

From the City of San Mateo: A diverse group of immigrants are getting an exclusive look at critical city services as part of the new English as a Second Language (ESL) City Government Academy. The City of San Mateo, in partnership with the San Mateo Adult School of the San Mateo Union High School District, recently launched the program to educate this new segment of the community about how local government works and to empower them to be able to access available resources and programs provided by the City. This first class of 25 students hail from 10 different countries.
The four-month program, which began in January, aims to expand participants' awareness of local government, and increase civic engagement, leadership and volunteerism.

"Our key goal is for participants to feel empowered and comfortable accessing City services," said City Manager Larry Patterson, who championed the program's inception. "We are particularly excited to be energizing a new segment of our community to become more civically engaged."
The program is the brainchild of Stephanie Kriebel, an educator who is herself a graduate of San Mateo's traditional City Services Academy.

"As an ESL teacher at San Mateo Adult School, I saw an opportunity for us to help bridge the immigrant community we serve with City services to help familiarize our students with what the City does, how it helps the community, and what opportunities lie within the City for them to pursue," Kriebel said.

Academy participants have an opportunity to meet with City staff and learn about local government while also garnering concrete knowledge and skills to empower them in their everyday lives, such as learning how to operate a fire extinguisher and register for a recreation class. For some, even visiting City facilities is novel. For others, the impact of participating in the Academy runs far deeper.
"I honestly think I'm so lucky to live in San Mateo because the City of San Mateo organizes so many events and programs for the community. I come from Guatemala originally, and these kinds of programs help me integrate into the community here. Now I have lots of things I can do," said program participant Edwin Turuy.

Program days include visits to San Mateo's Fire Station 23, Beresford Recreation Center and Park, Police Station, Wastewater Treatment Plant, and City Hall. Future cohorts will also have the opportunity to visit the San Mateo Public Library. The pilot program culminates with a graduation ceremony April 19, 2018.

Photos courtesy of the City of San Mateo (ESL students learn how to operate a fire extinguisher during a tour of a San Mateo fire station.)

All Out For Berkeley Adult School

Destabilization leads to problems.

Destabilization makes an individual, a group, or an institution vulnerable to disease, infiltration, attack, and at worst, death or extinction.

Stabilization not only keeps the individual, group or institution strong, it enables the individual, group or institution to provide shelter, support, and sustenance to others. 

Help or harm - in domino effect.

Hit the "read more" link to see how that plays out in Berkeley.

AB86 Summit: Questions & Answers

Monday and Tuesday, October 6 and 7, there will be an Adult Education Regional Planning Summit. 

All AB86 Adult Education Regional Consortia were invited to send representatives to attend the AB86 Adult Education Regional Planning Summit on Monday, October 6, 10:30AM - 5:00PM and Tuesday, October 7, 8:00AM - 3:00PM at the Sheraton Grand in Sacramento (1230 J Street, Sacramento, CA).

The Summit will bring together Adult Education leaders from across the state to engage in a conversation about how to better serve the educational needs of adults in California.  Summit participants will have a chance to share what they’ve learned during this planning process and to learn of promising practices from their peers. The Summit will also provide an opportunity to contribute to the statewide adult education planning effort and to hear from legislators. Representatives from all 70 adult education regions as well as the State AB86 Work Group and Cabinet will be in attendance at the event.  
 
All plenary sessions will be live-streamed and recorded so that those who weren’t able to attend in person can listen in on the event.

Click here to see the agenda for a schedule of live streaming times.

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE AGENDA

There are many questions swirling around the new Regional Consortia system.  This summit is the chance to ask questions and share answers.

Before we think about questions for the summit, let's start with these questions:

* Is your Regional Consortia sending representatives? 

* Who are they sending? 

* How were those representatives chosen?

* Do you know what your representatives hope to do or find out at the summit?  Have you connected with them?  Have your shared your questions and concerns with them?

* Will your representatives share what they learn with you?   Does your Regional Consortia have good communication?  Is there a way you can find out what is happening and then share the information with others?

* If you don't know the answer to any of these questions, what can you do to get some answers?  And how can you improve the situation so there is better communication?

That is one set of important questions.

Now let's look at questions we hope are asked at the summit.

Here are some of my questions and some questions that others have shared with me:

* What - exactly - can AB86 do to ensure good behavior within the Regional Consortia?

* If AB86 (the Cabinet and the Workgroup) can't do much to ensure good behavior, who - exactly - can?

*  Many organizations, entities, and grassroots groups are advocating for Dedicated Funding for K12 Adults to ensure equity in the Regional Consortia.  What power does AB86 have - if any - to address this concern? 

* What can AB86 do - if anything - to address concerns about low-level learner needs being met in the new mission of Adult Education?   These concerns are well articulated by the Migration Policy Institute in this powerpoint.

* Many are not happy with the new mission of Adult Education, which is primarily a CCR - College & Career Readiness approach plus Disabled Adults.  Where can those of us who hope to reinstate state support for a broader mission go to advocate such? 

* State funding vacuums are invitations for privatization.  This quote from an Edsurge article epitomizes that:  "While adult education has long been a “hidden” market, its programs often “shoved off in a corner,” all that seems to be changing, says to Pearson SVP Jason Jordan. “Suddenly it’s becoming a much more interesting marketplace."  How concerned is AB86 about privatization?  What power - if any - does AB86 have to address these concerns.  If AB86 does not have power, who does?

Got more questions?  Send them in an email to cyn and then dot and then eagleton and then the at sign and then gmail and then dot and then com and I'll add them to the list.

Mt Shasta, well-spring of the Mighty Sacramento,
with lenticular clouds

K12 Adult Schools: Blueprints for Civic Action

This week the Final Report of the K-12 Task Force on California Civic Learning was released.

The purpose of the California Task Force on K-12 Civic Learning, co-chaired by Justice Judith McConnell and Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David Gordon, was to ensure that Californians have the skills to participate in work, community, and civic life in the 21st century.

I was struck by the title: "Revitalizing K-12 Civic Learning in California:  A Blueprint for Action."
In so many ways, K-12 Adult Schools, in both form and function, are just such a blueprint.

Hit the "read more" link to learn why.