| On May 23rd, AB86 held a webinar on Teacher Involvement. Three leaders from ACCEL Regional Consortia (San Mateo County), described how they are including teachers in the RC planning process and answered questions from teachers around the state who called in. The leaders were * Tim Doyle, ACCEL Project Manager, and Assistant Director of San Mateo Adult School * Patricia Brown, ACCEL Steering Committee member, ESL Teacher at San Mateo Adult School * Leigh Ann Shaw, ACCEL Steering Committee member, CSI Representative, Skyline College For a quick overview of the new Regional Consortia system and the ACCEL RC, go here. Teachers who called in to ask questions included * Julia Ann Carson, CFT Adult Ed Commission Co-Chair, UTLA member, Teacher in Los Angeles * Ernest Kettenring, CFT Adult Ed Commission Member, UTLA member, Teacher in Los Angeles * Kathy Jasper, CFT Executive Council member, CFT Adult Ed Commission Member, San Jose Federation of Teachers, Teacher in San Jose To hear a recording of the webinar, click here to go to the AB86 Webinar page then scroll down till you see this:
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Thursday, May 29, 2014
AB86 Webinar on Teacher Involvement
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Soft and Hard: Money, Decisions, Landings
(This one is a combo platter of information and perspective.)
Even though these Los Angeles Unified School District Family Literacy programs have been proven to help the kids the new Local Control Funding Formula is designed to help, it's set to be closed May 29th.
What's the connection to Adult Education?
This program is run with a combination of Adult Ed money and First Five money. First Five is what we call "soft money." It's a grant. Some of the grant money was used to do research on the program to find out if a combination of Parent Ed and ESL for parents and Early Ed for kids could help kids succeed in school in the long run.
What do you think the answer was? Yes. You're Right. It does.
But soft money is called "soft" for a reason. There's no guarantees. Donators, philanthropists, foundations, grant givers can change their minds, choose different programs to fund, or run out of money.
Just like the state, I guess. But the difference is the state is run by our representatives. We elect the people who make the decisions. There is some accountability and transparency. And if we are unhappy with the decisions being made, we can tell our representatives we want them to choose a different way.
With soft money, there is no such thing.
Sometimes soft money is used to get something started or do as First Five did here, find out if something is really worthwhile. Then the soft money pulls out and the idea is, if the program is really good, if it serves the people and saves them money in the long run, the state or district stays in.
But that's not what's happening here.
Just as the soft money is pulling out, LAUSD is pulling out, too.
Why?
Good question.
Maybe because it reads the writing on the wall of AB86. Parent Education is not funded. The emphasis is CCR - College and Career Readiness.
Is that legal?
SB91 - the Maintenance of Effort clause - states that K12 School Districts must continue to fund Adult Education at the same levels previous until 2015 when the new Regional Consortia program goes into effect.
But fund what? Do districts have to fund the same programs they did last year? Or can they fund whatever sort of Adult Ed they want to so long as it's some sort of Adult Ed? I don't claim to know the answer but it seems that LAUSD is interpreting it to mean the latter.
What does that mean for the families served by the Family Literacy programs? And what does that mean for the larger community of Los Angeles?
What does that mean for us, as a people?
These programs have been proven to affect children positively years into the future.
"Independent research has demonstrated that the Family Literacy Program is more successful than other LAUSD preschools in building success for children who come from households challenged by illiteracy and poverty. It has been ranked by its peers as one of the highest performing such programs in the nation, as measured by achievements of both children and adults."
Wouldn't LAUSD want that? Doesn't that save them money and support them in their efforts to educate children?
Of course, it does.
This leads us to the question of whether or not LAUSD has the wisdom to change its mind. They made the decision to close the program on Thursday, May 29th. Is that a hard decision? A soft one? Do they have the wisdom to recognize that perhaps they made this decision too hastily and cutting these programs will be too costly in the long run? It's a little like selling your shoes before you climb a mountain, in the mistaken idea that those few bucks will make the climb easier. Stop! Don't sell those shoes! Instead, lace them up tighter!There will be a rally to save the program on Tuesday, May 27th. Folks will gather outside school district offices carrying signs and chanting in English and Spanish. They will wear red. Speakers will use a portable PA system. Speeches and interviews will be available in English and Spanish. Press Release here.
The decision that LAUSD makes about this program will determine where they land as a community in the future, as will the decisions that other districts make. Together, their decisions and the decisions the Governor and Legislature are making now in this time of great change in how we educate and care for ourselves as a people, will determine our future.
What we fund, how we fund it, how open we are to really looking at what we're doing and where it's taking us - these things decide the softness or the hardness of our landing and the joy or pain thereafter.
When we fund something through democratic means... choosing to tax ourselves to pay for something that serves us as a people... doing this through a democratic process... voting, representation, etc... there is recourse when we are unhappy about something. We can use the democratic process to change the course of things. And we can use the tools gained through education - reading, research, analysis - to follow the money. Was our money spent as it we intended it to be?
When we don't... when we rely on private sources of money to pay for something that serves us a people... we really have no recourse when, for whatever reason, that funder pulls out.
This is why I am concerned when folks in the legislature and elsewhere say that we can still provide Parent Education, Older Adults, Home Economics, and Financial Literacy classes, all still listed on the California Department of Education's list of Adult Education programs, so long as we fund them through fees or foundations.
To my mind, education funded through fees and foundations is not public education.
It's education, but it's not public education.
Democracy cannot function without public education.
To erode education is to erode democracy.
And I don't want to live where that lands us.
It might seem I have wandered far from where I started but I don't believe I have, anymore than I believe it will not be long before we go from closing down these programs and a future where even more money goes to build and run privatized prisons, and deal with the price our people pay for addiction, mental and physical illness, and the breakdown of strong family and community connections.We need strong families and communities. Schools - even community schools - can never replace them. Programs such as this one support and strengthen families and communities so they can do what they do best and schools can do what they best. Together, we work to create a future where we can live in health and harmony.
For more information on this matter please see:
http://saveouradultschool.wordpress.com/2014/05/23/letter-to-governor-brown-re-closing-of-the-la-family-literacy-centers/
For more information, please contact:
Patricia Bauer, spokesperson. patriciaebauer@mac.com; 310-617-5809
savefamilyliteracy@gmail.com
If you are unable to attend the protest, please send an email to lend your support.
They need to receive this message: SAVE LAUSD FAMILY LITERACY.
LAUSD Superintendent of schools:
John Deasy <john.deasy@lausd.net>
LAUSD Board of education:
Bennett Kayser <bennett.kayser@lausd.net>
Monica Garcia <monica.garcia@lausd.net>
Monica Ratliff <monica.ratliff@lausd.net>
Richard Vladovic <richard.vladovic@lausd.net>
Steve Zimmer <steve.zimmer@lausd.net>
Sylvia Rousseau <sylvia.rousseau@lausd.net>
Tamar Galatzan <tamar.galatzan@lausd.net>
LAUSD Department of Adult and Career Education:
Donna Brashear <donna.brashear@lausd.net>
Jim Chacon <jac04621@lausd.net>
LAUSD Department of public affairs:
Thomas Waldman <thomas.waldman@lausd.net>
Gayle Pollard-Terry <gayle.Pollard-Terry@lausd.net
Lauren Mendoza <lauren.mendoza@lausd.net>
Los Angeles Mayor and staff :
Eric Garcetti <mayor.garcetti@lacity.org>
Ana Guerrero <ana.guerrero@lacity.org>
Los Angeles City Council:
Herb Wesson <councilmember.wesson@lacity.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Calling All Teachers!
Teachers, Faculty, Instructors of Adult Education:
Your voice, wisdom, and ideas are needed in order to provide the best Adult Education possible.
And this Friday, May 23rd, the AB86 Wrokgroup has set up a webinar to get it. Details here:
Your voice, wisdom, and ideas are needed in order to provide the best Adult Education possible.
And this Friday, May 23rd, the AB86 Wrokgroup has set up a webinar to get it. Details here:
Just a reminder that this Friday's, May 23rd, webinar topic is "Strengthening Teacher and Faculty Involvement". This webinar was developed based on the feedback received at the Expert Panel meeting with the Work Group. The Work Group would like to invite you to join the webinar to ask or answer questions. Also, please help get the word out by forwarding this information and invitation. You will find instructions below for how to access this Friday's 12:00PM - 1:00PM webinar.
Webinar Access Information:
- Dial your telephone conference line: (888) 886-3951
- Cell phone users dial: 913-312-3202
- Enter your passcode: 652150
- Go to http://www.cccconfer.org/index3.aspx
- Click the Participant Log In button under the Meet and Confer logo
- Locate your meeting and click Go
- Fill out the form and click Connect
We hope you will be able to join us!
Thank you,
The AB 86 Work Group
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| Teachers, in order to rebuild Adult Education and create the best new Regional Consortia system possible, we need you! |
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Information: The First Step to Participation
If we want student, teacher, and community participation in the creation of the best Adult Education delivery system possible - and to get the best Adult Education delivery system, we need it - the first step is providing clear information.
We need to break it down and lay it out in a way that easy to understand.
Here's my attempt to do that on the San Mateo Adult School ESL Student blog:
Part 1: Our New Regional Consortium: ACCEL
Part 2: ACCEL Team Members
Feel free to borrow, adapt, or use any part of it.
The next step is inviting students and the community into the planning and decision making process through Townhalls, surveys, participation in meetings, etc.
United Adult Students accomplished both steps by making sure the community knew about and participated in a Los Angeles Unified School District survey to determine priorities for investing new money for education.
"United Adult Students is proud to have actively participated in getting the word out to students, teachers and the broader community about the survey, as you will recall from the flyer we distributed, as well as previous posts online."
Read more about their actions here.
Information for and participation by students, teachers, and the community...
Let's do it!
We need to break it down and lay it out in a way that easy to understand.
Here's my attempt to do that on the San Mateo Adult School ESL Student blog:
Part 1: Our New Regional Consortium: ACCEL
Part 2: ACCEL Team Members
Feel free to borrow, adapt, or use any part of it.
The next step is inviting students and the community into the planning and decision making process through Townhalls, surveys, participation in meetings, etc.
United Adult Students accomplished both steps by making sure the community knew about and participated in a Los Angeles Unified School District survey to determine priorities for investing new money for education.
"United Adult Students is proud to have actively participated in getting the word out to students, teachers and the broader community about the survey, as you will recall from the flyer we distributed, as well as previous posts online."
Read more about their actions here.
Information for and participation by students, teachers, and the community...
Let's do it!
Thursday, May 15, 2014
SB 1017: The Next Step for Public Education
Remember Prop 30? The proposition we all got behind to get needed funding for Public Education, including Adult Education?
Well, here's the next step, SB 1017. It's a tax on oil and gas extraction. That means, when a company takes oil or gas out of California soil, they have to pay California some money - just like they have to do in Texas and Alaska. They have to pay a lot of money when they take oil out of the ground in Texas and Alaska and 19 other oil-producing states but they don't have to pay anything here. No, here in California, they can pull money oil out of the ground, sell it to you, make a profit on it, but not pay a cent in taxes for the right to extract one of California's greatest natural resources.
The money would go for higher education, and health and human services. Higher Education includes the Community College system which is involved in Adult Education through the new Regional Consortia system.
And remember what I said about lobbyists in the post about the May Revise and the budget?
"A ground breaking report released on April 1, 2014 by the ACCE Institute and Common Cause reveals that Big Oil spent $123.6 million to lobby elected officials in California over the past 15 years, an increase of over 400 percent since the 1999-2000 legislative session, when the industry spent $4.8 million." You can read more about that here.
Then you can read the following action alert from CFT - California Federation of Teachers.
(Note: San Mateo Adult School Teachers, including myself, and many other Adult Ed teachers belong to CFT.)
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| Signal Hill, Long Beach, California 1920s |
The money would go for higher education, and health and human services. Higher Education includes the Community College system which is involved in Adult Education through the new Regional Consortia system.
And remember what I said about lobbyists in the post about the May Revise and the budget?
"A ground breaking report released on April 1, 2014 by the ACCE Institute and Common Cause reveals that Big Oil spent $123.6 million to lobby elected officials in California over the past 15 years, an increase of over 400 percent since the 1999-2000 legislative session, when the industry spent $4.8 million." You can read more about that here.
Then you can read the following action alert from CFT - California Federation of Teachers.
(Note: San Mateo Adult School Teachers, including myself, and many other Adult Ed teachers belong to CFT.)
May 15, 2014
We have an opportunity to continue the work of Proposition 30 in restoring public education programs and making the tax code of California fairer to working people and the middle class. That opportunity is called the “Oil Extraction Tax” (click here to read all about the bill). I’m asking you to help.
As you know, Proposition 30 passed in 2012, thanks to your vote and hard work. That’s why this year, for the first time since the beginning of the Great Recession, there were no state cuts to education, and only a handful of layoff notices, and we have begun to restore programs decimated over the years. But we still have a long way to go before we have the tools to give California families the education system it deserves and needs.
California is the only state out of twenty one oil-producing states that has no oil extraction tax. Even Alaska and Texas tax the oil corporations for the privilege of drilling for this resource. If California had a similar tax, it would bring our state budget close to two billion dollars, from an industry making enormous profits and that can and should easily pay their fair share.
This year State Senator Noreen Evans is carrying SB 1017, the Oil Extraction Tax. [Click here to see Evans speaking at a rally for the tax.] Similar bills have been proposed for years, but they have been killed by oil industry lobbying. SB 1017 has gotten farther this year than previous efforts. This is because legislators and the public have been recognizing schools need more revenues, and learning about the existence of this corporate tax loophole while revenues for our schools and services lag behind the needs of the state.
Here’s how you can help. Click here to send an email to Senator Kevin DeLeon, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to support SB 1017, the Oil Extraction Tax. The tax would fund higher education as well as health and human service programs.
I am aware of the challenge we face to pass this bill. The oil lobby is one of the most powerful in the state. But the pundits said California would never pass a statewide tax measure—and then we passed Prop 30. The Oil Extraction Tax is within our reach as well. It is the right thing for our students, and the right thing for our state.
In solidarity,
Joshua Pechthalt, President
California Federation of Teachers
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SB 173: May 2014 Update
SB173 has gone through many, many changes.
By the way, "SB" means Senate Bill. That means the bill was introduced by a Senate. It has to go through all the steps in both the Senate and the Assembly in order to become a law.
You can read about the steps a bill must go through to become a law in California here.
This link will allow you to see the history of the bill and compare versions past and present and read analyses of each hearing had on the bill along the way.
It is now called Education Funding: Adult Education.
Senator Carol Liu introduced it in February 2013.
It was mostly recently amended and re-referred to the Assembly Committee on Higher Education on May 12, 2014.
The next step will be a date when that committee discusses, hears testimony, and votes on the bill.
Here is the most recent version:
By the way, "SB" means Senate Bill. That means the bill was introduced by a Senate. It has to go through all the steps in both the Senate and the Assembly in order to become a law.
You can read about the steps a bill must go through to become a law in California here.This link will allow you to see the history of the bill and compare versions past and present and read analyses of each hearing had on the bill along the way.
It is now called Education Funding: Adult Education.
Senator Carol Liu introduced it in February 2013.
It was mostly recently amended and re-referred to the Assembly Committee on Higher Education on May 12, 2014.
The next step will be a date when that committee discusses, hears testimony, and votes on the bill.
Here is the most recent version:
SB-173 Education funding: adult education.(2013-2014)
SECTION 1. Section 52524 is added to the Education Code, to read:
52524. (a) The department, in conjunction with the chancellor’s office, shall coordinate and issue assessment policy guidelines regarding assessments to be used by school districts and community college districts for purposes of placement in adult education courses offered pursuant to Section 84830.
(b) The department and the chancellor’s office, as a part of the report and recommendations required pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 84830, shall jointly develop and issue policy recommendations to the Legislature regarding a comprehensive accountability system for adult education courses offered pursuant to Sections 41976 and 84757. The department and the chancellor’s office shall develop recommendations for all adult education-funded providers for assessment, evaluation, and data collection to document participant outcomes and placement, and other measures they deem appropriate. Accountability measures may include receipt of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, placement in a postsecondary educational institution, training, and employment. All funded programs shall be required to annually submit demographic and other student-level outcome information to the department or the chancellor’s office, as appropriate.
(c) The department, in conjunction with the chancellor’s office, and as a part of the report and recommendations required pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 84830, shall coordinate and issue both of the following:
(1) Recommendations and fee policy guidelines to be used by school districts and community college districts regarding the authority to charge fees for courses offered pursuant to Section 84830. With respect to these recommendations and guidelines, it is the intent of the Legislature that:
(A) Registration and course fees should be equivalent across all programs.
(B) Fees should not generate income beyond the cost of providing the courses.
(C) Fees should not create a barrier to student access to adult education programs.
(2) Recommendations and policy guidelines regarding the use of a single student identifier to be used by school districts and community college districts for purposes of developing a comprehensive accountability system pursuant to the requirements of Section 84830.
(d) As used in this section, “chancellor’s office” means the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges.
SEC. 2. Section 78402 is added to the Education Code, to read:
78402. (a) The chancellor’s office, in conjunction with the department, shall coordinate and issue assessment policy guidelines regarding assessments to be used by school districts and community college districts for purposes of placement in adult education courses offered pursuant to Section 84830 and paragraphs (2) to (6), inclusive, of subdivision (a) of Section 84757.
(b) The department and the chancellor’s office, as a part of the report and recommendations required pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 84830, shall jointly develop and issue policy recommendations to the Legislature regarding a comprehensive accountability system for adult education courses offered pursuant to Section 84830 and paragraphs (2) to (6), inclusive, of subdivision (a) of Section 84757. The department and the chancellor’s office shall develop recommendations for all adult education-funded providers for assessment, evaluation, and data collection to document participant outcomes and placement, and other performance measures they deem appropriate. Accountability measures may include receipt of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, placement in a postsecondary educational institution, training, and employment. All funded programs shall be required to annually submit demographic and other student-level outcome information to the department or the chancellor’s office, as appropriate.
(c) The chancellor’s office, in conjunction with the department, and as a part of the report and recommendations required pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (f) of Section 84830, shall coordinate and issue both of the following:
(1) Recommendations and fee policy guidelines to be used by school districts and community college districts regarding the authority to charge fees for courses offered pursuant to Section 84830. With respect to these recommendations and guidelines, it is the intent of the Legislature that:
(A) Registration and course fees should be equivalent across all programs.
(B) Fees should not generate income beyond the cost of providing the courses.
(C) Fees should not create a barrier to student access to adult education programs.
(2) Recommendations and policy guidelines regarding the use of a single student identifier to be used by school districts and community college districts for purposes of developing a comprehensive accountability system pursuant to the requirements of Section 84830.
(d) As used in this section, “department” means the State Department of Education.
SEC. 3. Section 84757.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:
84757.5. (a) The chancellor’s office, in conjunction with the department, shall annually report on the number and types of courses being taught and the number of students being served with funding provided to the regional consortia established pursuant to Section 84830. The chancellor’s office shall annually report on the number and types of noncredit courses being taught and the number of students being served with funding provided to the community colleges for the courses offered pursuant to Section 84757.
(b) The chancellor’s office shall identify any deficits in course offerings based upon levels, types, and needs for adult education programs identified in the consortia plans submitted as required under subdivision (c) of Section 84830.
SEC. 4. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges shall meet to review their current requirements for noncredit adult education and adult education instructors, and shall develop and submit recommendations to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature for modifying or establishing reciprocity standards for instructors of adult education courses by July 1, 2015.
SEC. 5. It is the intent of the Legislature to evaluate the guidelines for the accountability system established pursuant to Sections 52524 and 78402 of the Education Code and to consider allocating base adult education funds and noncredit adult education funds to providers on the basis of a combination of identified needs, enrollment, and outcomes in courses offered pursuant to Section 84830 and paragraphs (2) to (6), inclusive, of subdivision (a) of Section 84757 of the Education Code.
Update and Next Steps from CCAE
Analysis and Advice from CCAE Legislative Liaison Dawn Koepke on the 2014 May Revise:
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The 2014 May Revise - and A Short Version of the Budget Process
Tuesday, May 13, 2014, Governor Brown released the May Revise. You can see it here.
The May Revise is the Governor's "take two" -- his revision of the Budget he proposed in January. This revision comes after tax money has begun to come in and the Department of Finance has a better idea of how much money we do or don't have to spend. Also, in the meantime, people and Legislators have thought about and talked about and given feedback about the first proposal.
The next step after the May Revise is more thinking and talking by people and Legislators.
That means folks like you and me need to think about and speak up about what we want.
In other words, call your legislator. Email your Legislator. Visit your Legislator's district office or invite your Legislator to an invite in your community or at your school. Legislators are real people. So are their aides. Some of them are real nice. Most of them are real smart. I highly recommend you get to know all of them.
The legislators listen to the people they represent and they talk with each other.
They also listen to and talk with lobbyists. Maybe it's a lobbyist for an organization you're a member of and an organization you support. Maybe it's a lobbyist for an organization or business you really dislike, an organization or business with a ton of money, an organization or business with an agenda that will bring harm to the people of this great state. That is something to think and learn about.
The Legislators decide what they like and don't like about the May Revise. They make some revisions of their own. Each house discusses and votes on things and they have to come to a final agreement between the two houses. Then the whole thing goes to the Governor. He then signs off on it or he vetoes it and sends it back to the Legislator for more changes.
The deadline for this whole process is July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
That veto power is his trump card. It makes it scary for Legislators to go against him. If they take a risk and say, "No! We don't like this! Do it this way!"... and then he vetoes it... and it has to go back to the Legislature for more talking and discussing and arguing and voting... well, then we all go over the deadline. Which makes for a lot of problems. And people on all sides being angry at the Legislators who spoke up and said, "No! We don't like that! Do it this way!"
So if a Legislator or Legislators don't like something, they have to be really smart about things. Is it worth speaking up? If they speak up or make a change, how far can they go? What will everyone agree on?
It's a difficult and stressful process. Just one of a million reasons I am not a Legislator.
But it's a worthwhile process because otherwise we'd just have plain ol' tyranny or plain ol' bedlam, both of which cause a lot of suffering.
What makes the difference between not-tyranny-or-bedlam-but-still-pretty-awful and not-tyranny-or-bedlam-and-sometimes-pretty-good is our participation.
So get involved.
This blog is about Adult Education so of course that is always our focus here. But the budget is about many things. If you care deeply about something - if you value it - consider what we should be spending on it. There's a reason that we use the word "value" as a measurement of both money and esteem.
Then find out if the value in dollars and value in care matches up. And if it doesn't, speak up.
It's work, I know. But it's worth it. It's the price we pay to get our needs met.
You can read more about the budget process here and from that same webpage is this cool flow chart:
The May Revise is the Governor's "take two" -- his revision of the Budget he proposed in January. This revision comes after tax money has begun to come in and the Department of Finance has a better idea of how much money we do or don't have to spend. Also, in the meantime, people and Legislators have thought about and talked about and given feedback about the first proposal.
The next step after the May Revise is more thinking and talking by people and Legislators.
That means folks like you and me need to think about and speak up about what we want.
In other words, call your legislator. Email your Legislator. Visit your Legislator's district office or invite your Legislator to an invite in your community or at your school. Legislators are real people. So are their aides. Some of them are real nice. Most of them are real smart. I highly recommend you get to know all of them.
The legislators listen to the people they represent and they talk with each other.
They also listen to and talk with lobbyists. Maybe it's a lobbyist for an organization you're a member of and an organization you support. Maybe it's a lobbyist for an organization or business you really dislike, an organization or business with a ton of money, an organization or business with an agenda that will bring harm to the people of this great state. That is something to think and learn about.
The Legislators decide what they like and don't like about the May Revise. They make some revisions of their own. Each house discusses and votes on things and they have to come to a final agreement between the two houses. Then the whole thing goes to the Governor. He then signs off on it or he vetoes it and sends it back to the Legislator for more changes.
The deadline for this whole process is July 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
That veto power is his trump card. It makes it scary for Legislators to go against him. If they take a risk and say, "No! We don't like this! Do it this way!"... and then he vetoes it... and it has to go back to the Legislature for more talking and discussing and arguing and voting... well, then we all go over the deadline. Which makes for a lot of problems. And people on all sides being angry at the Legislators who spoke up and said, "No! We don't like that! Do it this way!"
So if a Legislator or Legislators don't like something, they have to be really smart about things. Is it worth speaking up? If they speak up or make a change, how far can they go? What will everyone agree on?
It's a difficult and stressful process. Just one of a million reasons I am not a Legislator.
But it's a worthwhile process because otherwise we'd just have plain ol' tyranny or plain ol' bedlam, both of which cause a lot of suffering.
What makes the difference between not-tyranny-or-bedlam-but-still-pretty-awful and not-tyranny-or-bedlam-and-sometimes-pretty-good is our participation.
So get involved.
This blog is about Adult Education so of course that is always our focus here. But the budget is about many things. If you care deeply about something - if you value it - consider what we should be spending on it. There's a reason that we use the word "value" as a measurement of both money and esteem.
Then find out if the value in dollars and value in care matches up. And if it doesn't, speak up.
It's work, I know. But it's worth it. It's the price we pay to get our needs met.
You can read more about the budget process here and from that same webpage is this cool flow chart:
 |
| It's impossible to understand, hunh? I know. I couldn't find a chart to insert here that you could read. Just like in real life, to really to understand the budget and the budget process, you have to dig deeper. So go to this page and then click on the flow chart link at the bottom to see a nice big chart you can understand. Maybe. |
Monday, May 12, 2014
Size Matters: The Third Rail in Adult Ed Politics
Clearly, this is another perspective piece. Mine.
That's the rail on the subway tracks you don't want to touch because it could kill you.
In Adult Ed politics, it's the size of the mission.
Some are for a full mission. CFT - the California Federation of Teachers - is.
Some are for a narrow mission. CCAE - the California Council of Adult Education - is.
Some are for a full mission but think it's not possible in the current climate so they put their focus on doing the best they can with how things are and what they have and what they can find to fix things.
Click the "read more" link to learn more about why it is and isn't dangerous to touch the third rail.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Family Literacy Matters
The mission of the new LCFF - Local Control Funding Formula - is to increase equity across California. Gov. Brown wanted a way to ensure low-income and English-learner families get the same good education that families with more wealth, access to resources, and/or skill in English receive.
Adult Education is an important part of this equation - but it's a part that is often overlooked and often cut. Somehow some folks are failing to see that the best way to support kids is to support families.
This very effective Family Literacy program in Los Angeles is in danger of being cut, in part because of what has happened - and is happening - to Adult Education.
Please read the following account from Pat Bauer, Program Volunteer in the Santa Monica location, to get the full story. Contact SaveFamilyLiteracy@gmail.com to get involved.
LA School District Set to Dismantle
Effective and Popular Family Literacy Program
Los Angeles Unified School District administrators have informed teachers that LAUSD's effective and popular Family Literacy Program must close at the end of this school year. Parents and teachers are organizing to save it.
LAUSD administrators recently advised teachers that budget problems will force the imminent shutdown of the district's highly successful, nationally recognized Family Literacy program, which educates low-income preschool students alongside their parents. Parents and teachers have launched a lobbying and letter-writing campaign to save it.
The LAUSD Family Literacy Program has gained national recognition for boosting children's achievement, with gains that persist throughout their elementary school years. The program typically serves families whose home language is not English, with parents who have low incomes and low education levels. Most are Latino, although other cultures are also represented.
Parents say the program is a lifeline, and weep when they talk about the way it has changed their lives. It opens doors for people to become contributing members of society, they say.
Hit the "read more" link to learn more.
Hit the "read more" link to learn more.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Friday, May 2, 2014
SMAS and Harvard "Shaking Hands" for Adult Education
SMAS ESL Morning Student Council President Marco, Advocate Marina, Evening Vice President Maricruz, and Morning Student Council Advisor Teacher Lisa took part in the Summit via the Internet
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| SMAS Advocate Marina |
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| SMAS Evening VP Maricruz and SMAS Morning President Marco |
Here is Marco's account of the workshop and its topic:
SMAS and Harvard "Shaking Hands" for Adult Education
I never imagined when I enrolled at San Mateo Adult School that I would be able to go in many places, like Sacramento's hearings, workshops at the CCAE, representing my school and my fellow students. It's something that comes from my heart to do, and I love doing it. I always try to be positive and do my best, as I can.
I would like to thank,Adult Education for making all these possible, also to all teachers who are doing an outstanding job, to people and organizations from the community for your support and generosity, behind each Adult Learner are families and children who will be benefited if mom and dad do better.
Thanks Brenda! For inviting us to participate in the CAELA Harvard summit. It was an honor to speak and be listened to by a special audience, like the one we spoke to. It's amazing to see that people from a prestigious university like Harvard take the initiative to do something positive for Adult Education, two thumbs up for you guys!!
Definitely, if we want to see AE in a better position than where it is now, it's critical the media's support, as well as recognized institutions playing an important role, turning" non believers" into supporters. Probably people ignore the existence, or what AE has done, how it has improved communities where it exists. For example my beautiful San Mateo, which I love like my own home town and feel goosebumps when I think about moving somewhere else with its diversity in population, people get along with each other, its crime rate is lower than many other places, gang related issues, have not heard that much in all these years.
And all this is great for business. People work, spend $ and that keeps the economy moving.
Isn't that great? Who doesn't want to live in a place like this? But on the other hand in communities where Adult Education has been cut, or what is worse, been closed, you can see the devastating effects that this has brought to them.
People need a positive place, where to get skills required by these days' jobs, to learn how to be responsible citizens, to invest their time and energy -- I could go on and on giving examples.
Is obvious that Adult Schools are working, doing what they are supposed to do, improving people's lives.
I believe in education, that it should be a human right. People of all ages benefit from it.
Brenda, one of the organizers of the summit, had this to say about the workshop with SMAS leaders:
"People repeatedly talked to me after about how San Mateo was the most powerful part of the summit...How they were just brought to tears by the stories. It was evident, so clear, that what you are doing is so powerful, so different than many institutionalized programs do, but really what many adult educators have been about for years out of the limelight. . I can promise you that afterwards, if you all had been there you would have been surrounded by people asking questions. It was truly moving what you brought to the campus. We have that so rarely at HGSE..you know we problematize things, and talk about things as statistics, so what you all brought...the reality, the work on the ground...contained such power, such connection...that I think people will go out from this and really have new hope and new direction for how to do their work. And the power is also that many of the people in the room are future policymakers, so I hope that because of this discussion they and consider deeply the importance of adult education as they make funding and policy decisions."
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