NPE, AFT, NEA All Say No to De Vos as Fed Head of Ed

By all rights this piece should be in the Perspective section. It's my opinion that Betsy DeVos would be bad for Adult Education and bad for Public Education, in general.  Many people and organizations agree with me.  Read on to hear why.  -- Cynthia Eagleton, ESL teacher at San Mateo Adult School

The Network for Public Education, the two large national teachers unions - the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, Bernie Sanders, and any number of other individuals and organizations  - all say no to the idea of approving Betsy De Vos as Education Secretary for the United States.



There is someone who does like DeVos - and that person is new President Trump.  She is his choice for the job. 

Relevance to Adult Education

While in California, Adult Education is largely funded by the state, in many states Adult Education is primarily funded by the federal government.  The tone, the direction, the policy at the federal level very much affects Adult Education across the USA.  

To learn more about how Adult Ed is funded across the country, click here.

To take part in a COABE webinar about Adult Ed under the new Trump admin, click here.


Further, Adult Education, as neglected as it is as a branch of Public Education, is nevertheless a part of that tree.  Of course, it matters who the head of the US Department of Education is. 

We in California also know that when that larger tree of Public Education - be that on a federal, state, or local level - is shaken or sick, Adult Education is the first branch to be neglected or cut. That is what happened in 2008.  The Global Financial Meltdown led to shortage in the state budget which led to Governor Schwartzenegger's decision to make Adult Education the fund donor to keep the K-12 system going.  Adult Ed funds were "flexed" - that meant that if K-12 districts needed money - and of course, at that time, they did - they could use Adult Ed funds.  This is what led to over 70 Adult Schools being closed and all Adult Schools being cut in size and scope of service. 

If the economy destabilizes in the next few years or if Public Ed destabilizes due to a shift into a "school choice" system, we know which branch will most affected and least likely to survive.  That's right, it will be Adult Education.

That's why it's crucial that we think hard about the potential appointment of DeVos as head of the US Department of Public Education.  DeVos is a big supporter of "school choice" and for-profit charter schools.  She has no training or experience in Public Education.  Neither she nor her children attended public schools.  She is a wealthy woman and a major donor to politicans and in her own words:

"In 1997, DeVos wrote the following in an essay for Roll Call: "I know a little something about soft money, as my family is the largest single contributor of soft money to the national Republican party. Occasionally a wayward reporter will try to make the charge that we are giving this money to get something in return, or that we must be purchasing influence in some way."

She continued:

I have decided, however, to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence. Now I simply concede the point. They are right. We do expect some things in return.

We expect to foster a conservative governing philosophy consisting of limited government and respect for traditional American virtues. We expect a return on our investment; we expect a good and honest government. Furthermore, we expect the Republican party to use the money to promote these policies, and yes, to win elections.

People like us must surely be stopped.

Senate HELP Committee Vote on DeVos Delayed to January 31

The US Senate HELP - Health, Education, Labor & Pensions - committee vote to approve of her appointment has been delayed to January 31.

Between then and now, we have the opportunity to speak up and tell the members of the committee what we think about DeVos and how her appointment might affect Adult Education.

Click here for a better view of that list - HELP Committee members and their phone numbers.



What the Network for Public Education says:

For those who don't know:  "The Network for Public Education was founded in 2013 by Diane Ravitch and Anthony Cody. We are an advocacy group whose mission is to preserve, promote, improve and strengthen public schools for both current and future generations of students.The goal of NPE is to connect all those who are passionate about our schools – students, parents, teachers and citizens. We share information and research on vital issues that concern the future of public education at a time when it is under attack."

"When De Vos has to choose between quality schools and “the free market,” she chooses “the free market” of privatized choice every time. The best interests of children take a back seat.
And we know the DeVos endgame–shut down our neighborhood public schools, and replace them with a patchwork of charters, private schools and online learning.
We can’t let that happen and we need your help. Present and future generations of children are depending on us to act now.  We now know that some Senators have grave doubts. It is our job to make those doubts grow into active resistance to DeVos.  Here is their toolkit for stopping DeVos.

Professor Julian Vasquez Heilig is on the board of NPE. 
Here's a link to his blog, "Cloaking Inequality" with a short 7 minute film about DeVos, "Stop Betsy DeVos" by Brave New Films.

What the American Federation of Teachers says:

"DeVos lobbied for a school voucher law that voters in her home state of Michigan overwhelmingly rejected. But she was able to push through the vast expansion (link is external) of for-profit charter schools with little oversight (link is external). DeVos has written so many checks (link is external) (including to several senators (link is external) who will vote on her nomination) and strong-armed (link is external) so many lawmakers that, despite having no experience in public education, she has influenced nearly every aspect of education in Michigan. The result? Achievement has declined (link is external) across the state. In addition to media reports of rampant corruption (link is external), nearly half of Michigan’s charter schools rank in the bottom of America’s schools, and the state’s charter schools lag (link is external) 84 percent behind state averages in math and 80 percent in reading." 

Read more here.


What the National Education Association says:

1. Betsy DeVos has no training or experience in education.

She has never worked in a school in any capacity, and does not hold a degree in education (nor did she or her children ever attend a public school).

2. Like Donald Trump, DeVos is an ardent supporter of “school choice” privatization schemes, despite a complete lack of evidence that privatizing public schools produces better education.

In Michigan, Betsy and husband Dick DeVos have pushed for decades for so-called “choice” schemes and corporate charter schools, most of which have performed worse than the state average. They are long-time Republican party donors who support pro “school choice” candidates, and Betsy DeVos has served on the boards of two major groups leading the charge to privatize public schools.

3. DeVos has invested millions lobbying for laws that drain resources from public schools.

In 2000, Michigan voters rejected a massive effort led by Betsy and Dick DeVos to change the state’s constitution to allow private school voucher schemes that siphon money away from public schools. But Betsy DeVos has promoted these measures as chair of the American Federation for Children, and the DeVos family has spent millions to push for the expansion of vouchers in other states.

4. DeVos has fought against the regulation of charter schools.

The DeVos family gave nearly $1 million to GOP lawmakers in the Michigan legislature who gutted a bill that included accountability measures for charter schools in Detroit. Those charters will not be subject to the same oversight or regulation as public schools, even though they are funded with taxpayer money, thanks largely to the DeVos family.

5. Betsy DeVos is not a good fit for a position overseeing the civil rights of all students.

Donald Trump’s nomination of DeVos is deeply concerning to many civil rights groups, because school choice schemes promote racial segregation and undercut civil rights enforcement that is routine in public schools. Corporate charter schools have higher than average teacher turnover and closure rates, which disproportionately affect students of color and low-income families.
The DeVos family’s support for anti-LGBT causes is well-documented. Since 1998, the DeVos family has given more than $6.7 million to Focus on the Family, a group that supports “conversion therapy”—a debunked theory that purports to change the sexual orientation of gay and lesbian individuals that is strongly opposed by the American Psychiatric Association, the Human Rights Campaign, and scores of other medical and civil rights organizations.

Read more here.


What Edublogger Mercedes Schneider says:

Schneider is the author of the Deutsch29 edublog.  She is a phenomenal researcher.  She painstakingly fact-checks everything and provides links to facts, resources, statistics, etc.

Click here to read her posts about DeVos.



Here are folks to contact with your opinion about DeVos and how well she might or might not serve our country as Fed Head of Ed for the US of A:

REPUBLICANS

Lamar Alexander (TN)Phone: (202) 224-4944
Michael B. Enzi (WY)Phone: (202) 224-3424Richard Burr (NC)(202) 224-3154
Johnny Isakson (GA)Tel: (202) 224-3643https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-meRand Paul (KY)Phone: 202-224-4343
Susan Collins (ME)(202)224-2523
Bill Cassidy, M.D. (LA)(202) 224-5824https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/contact
Todd Young (IN)?
Orrin Hatch (UT)(202) 224-5251
Pat Roberts (KS)Phone: (202) 224-4774
Lisa Murkowski (AK)Phone: (202)-224-6665
Tim Scott (SC)(202) 224-6121https://www.scott.senate.gov/contact/email-me

DEMOCRATS

Patty Murray (WA)(202) 224-2621
Bernie Sanders (VT) (202) 224-5141
Robert P. Casey, Jr (PA)(202) 224-6324
Al Franken (MN)(202) 224-5641
Michael F. Bennet (CO)202-224-5852
Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)(202) 224-2921
Tammy Baldwin (WI)(202) 224-5653
Christopher S. Murphy (CT)(202) 224-4041
Elizabeth Warren (MA)(202) 224-4543
Tim Kaine (VA) (202) 224-4024
Maggie Hassan (NH)?

From the "Things That Are Disturbing" File: David Perdue and Adult Education



Robert Reich, on his Facebook page, shares:

 

“I spent most of my career” outsourcing jobs, said David Perdue, a business executive who’s running for Senate from Georgia in one of the closest-watched and tightest races in the nation. "This is a part of American business, part of any business. Outsourcing is the procurement of products and services to help your business run. People do that all day." He blames America’s jobs losses instead on “bad government policies: tax policy, regulation, even compliance requirements. It puts us at a competitive disadvantage with the rest of the world.”

David Perdue is a Commissioner on the National Commission on Adult Literacy.   He is also CEO of the Dollar General.  And as of November 5, he's a U.S. Senator from Georgia.

There are two big organizations that help shape Adult Ed policy on the national level, NCAL (the National Commission on Adult Literacy), and NCL (the National Coalition for Literacy).

They aren't only the shapers, of course.  Grassroots groups, Teachers Unions, Legislators, Think Tanks, Academics, there are many.  But these two groups definitely have an impact and they work on the national level, which is important. 

More and more, things are flowing in a top down and federal sort of way - Common Core, College & Career Readiness, these are changes flowing from DC.  California is and isn't embracing these changes.  We are a big state with an economy stronger than most of the world's countries.  California doesn't say yes to everything.  It sometimes does things its own way and until the Crash of 2009, it had much stronger and better Adult Education than most states which it funded with its own money - unlike many states.  All that in mind, it is still 1 of 50 states united under a Federal Government which has been changing public education in a number of significant ways.   And where California isn't saying "yes" to changes suggested by the Federal Government, it's making its own changes.  All in all, in California and everywhere else in these United States, public education is changing.

None of that, in and of itself, is good or bad.  It is change.  As always, we need to be awake to what is changing, look it over closely in light of the big picture, and then consider how the changes do or don't benefit our people.  If and where we think the changes are beneficial, we need to nurture and encourage those changes.  If and where we consider them harmful, we need to take steps to arrest the bad and begin the good.

Back to our story, the similarity of the names and acronyms - NCL and NCAL - makes it hard to remember which is which but it's important to try.  They are different in some important ways.  I won't try to detail the differences here.  I'll doing so to my "List of One Hundred Posts I Need to Write."

I will note that NCL and NCAL are similar in an important way.  Both have received big funds from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.  History of NCL here.  History of NCAL here.

From the "Adult Ed Reform" post on the Alliance for California Adult Schools Blog:

National Commission on Adult Literacy - The Council grew out of two background assessment and planning projects carried out in early 2001. Funding for that work came from Harold W. McGraw, Jr., The Ford Foundation, and The Carnegie Corporation. One project assessed the status and lingering problems of adult literacy, following the work of the Business Council for Effective Literacy (BCEL); the other explored the feasibility of establishing a blue-ribbon commission on adult literacy. Both projects developed lengthy research and action agendas, and the rationale for them. CAAL was formed to build on that foundation, including the work of BCEL, its predecessor organization.  Chairman of NCAL, David Perdue (Dollar General Literacy Foundation)


I created my own powerpoint on Adult Ed Reform for the Grassroots Summit last summer in June 2014 but have yet to post it on this blog.

One thing that is always strange and interesting to me is the involvement of Dollar Stores in Adult Education.  Both of the big Dollar stores have been involved in Adult Ed philanthropy/policy (Dollar General and Family Dollar).  Dollar General - David Perdue's company - is now in pursuit of Family Dollar so we may be down to just one horse in the race very soon. 

On the one hand, I can see that a Dollar Store corporation would understand the struggles of people who, because of poverty, are very likely to shop at Dollar Stores.  Poverty has a strong connection with lack of education.  And yet, the fact that David Perdue, CEO of Dollar General, considers outsourcing something to be proud of... Wow, how does this work?  How does outsourcing connect with a place to buy cheap stuff made by people working very hard jobs probably without a lot of work and safety rules connect with Adult Education?  If you are providing people with a place to buy cheap stuff and you are sending jobs overseas, what kind of education might you suggest would be best for the country?

Who benefits?  That was the question that drove my own powerpoint on Adult Ed Reform and I suppose at some point I should post it here.

In the meantime, I wanted to be sure you knew about Mr. Perdue.

You can put it in your "Things That Are Disturbing" file where it will hopefully compost into "Great Ideas For How to Increase Democracy and Public Engagement in Great Public Education."

Such things do happen.

From this...

...to this... It happens!

Seeing Us in the Picture and the Picture in Us

This post is directly primarily to my colleagues in Adult Ed but the blogs listed (about halfway down the page) are recommended for all.

A lot is going on in the world of education.

Two big teachers unions - the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers have been debating Common Core, the head of the US Department of Education, charter schools, diversity in the teaching side of the classroom (it's far less than the class side for those who don't know), tenure, the Vergara decision, and a number of other things.   Many of their debates were public and all of their resolutions are.  You can read about NEA's call for Head Fed Ed Arne Duncan to resign here and AFT's call for him to submit to "improvement plan" or resign here.  You can see lots of the debates on the union websites and You tube including this speech by Rev William Barber:

Clearly, change is afoot in teachers unions.  And by afoot, I mean from the ground up, with calls for change not just in US administration and policy but union administration and policy, as well. 

Note: Many Adult Ed teachers, like myself, belong to CFT - the California Federation of Teachers - which is a branch of AFT.  In Los Angeles, the biggest Adult School in California, teachers belong to UTLA which is part of both AFT/CFT and NEA/CTA. 

Were those enough letters or did you want more alphabet soup?

Meanwhile, those of us in Adult Ed, especially in California, especially in K12 Adult Schools, have been focusing all on our energy on survival.

This is understandable.  

What we need to remember, however, as we organize within and between schools and programs, push for student and teacher inclusion in the Regional Consortia planning process, email and visit legislators, and ask the Governor and the Department of Finance for stable K12 Adult School funding... 

is the connection between what is happening in Adult Ed in California, especially K12 Adult Schools, and what is happening in education all across the country.

If we don't, we either won't succeed, or we'll succeed in the short run but fail in the long.

We must see and understand the changes in how education is funded, what is taught, what is valued, who is valued, and who does and doesn't benefit from these changes. 

This makes things twice as hard for us as for other branches of education.  It also makes it twice as clear that we need to be aware and speak up about what we know to be true because we have twice as much riding on it.  Our programs are not just at risk of being hugely altered, they are at risk of being eliminated.  Which it makes it doubly important that we bring news of this to the larger community because without knowledge of what is happening in Adult Ed, the folks in the other branches of Public Education may never see the full and larger picture.  We are the missing piece.

Yes, it's hard. 

Life is hard, sometimes.

In fact, mostly, on this planet, it has been... and still is for a good number of the people riding on it.

Sometimes I ponder how we are the branch of public education charged with teaching citizenship.

If we are not willing to practice responsible citizenship, which includes participation in democracy, what gives us the right to teach it?

We are also the branch of public education charged with teaching the folks with the most hurdles to get over - barriers of language, poverty, dis/ability, literacy, resources, etc.

If we, ourselves, are not willing to leap a few hurdles...  to risk overwhelm, injury, or failure in the trying... what gives us the right to ask others to do so? 

Yes, we can speak English and teach English.  But does that gives us the right to ask someone to try harder than we're willing to?

At some point, we in Adult Education have to ask ourselves:  What are we teaching and why?

Many in Adult Ed teach immigrants.  We teach ESL, Family Literacy, Job Skills, and Citizenship.

Why? 

Because we "believe in" democracy and the "American Way"? 

Because we care about our students, see their struggles, and want to give them tools to succeed here?  But only so far - not so far as to ourselves actually engage in real citizenship, real democracy, real understanding of the world and how it works or to encourage our students to do the same? 

Because we like the backwater nature of our jobs, out of the fray of K12, with a little more freedom, a little less structure, a little more humanity - until we're asked to give something more of ourselves than teaching...  until we're asked to take the same sort of risks we ask our students to take...  to challenge ourselves, exercise self-discipline, and put into practice what we know will make things better?

I say again:  Yes, this is hard. 

It takes effort.  Risks must be taken and mistakes may be made. At times we may feel overwhelmed, frustrated, discouraged, angry, tired, confused, and scared - the same way Adult Ed students sometimes feel as they pursue their GEDs and High School Diplomas, learn English, master new job skills, and become citizens. 

The same way anyone doing anything of real worth feels as they move through discomfort and into the deep joy of meaningful accomplishment. 

It's all scary, unknown, and what could ultimately save us.

It's also not the first time humans have taken risks to make things better and we're not in this all alone.  There are many of us of working to save and rebuild Adult Ed.  Many of us working to save and strengthen Public Education.  And many more of us who can do so.

To show us more of the bigger picture so that we can see where we fit in it, here are some blogs by writers focusing more on the K12 side of things.  I've pulled quotes from some of them and I've added a few comments.

1.  Mercedes Schneider's blog Deutsch29.   Mercedes teaches school by day and at night apparently never sleeps because her blog is gobstoppingly amazing.  Research research and more research. Every i is dotted and t's are crossed.

The following post is in response to the discussion about Common Core at the AFT Convention.  Remember that Adult Ed is also going Common Core.  Already there are workshops at CCAE and Catesol Conferences about how to teach ESL the Common Core way.  And the GED is now Common Core.  And the GED being used in most of California (but not Los Angeles!) is the Pearson version.  It costs more and it certainly makes Pearson a few bucks.  As in many.  Here's the post:

http://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/the-problem-with-the-aft-offer-for-teachers-to-rewrite-the-common-core/

And here's a quote to consider with my highlights:

So, to those teachers who are tempted to take AFT money in order to “”make CCSS better,” let me caution you that your work will become part of the CCSS that is ultimately locked into place and handed over to the likes of Pearson for nationwide marketing purposes.  Pearson plans to make itself indispensable and benefit handsomely from CCSS by offering assessments, curriculum to accompany those assessments, teacher development, and “data driven adaptive learning.”
Imagine how much better it will be for Pearson to be able to advertise that CCSS was “rewritten by teachers.”  That is a phenomenal selling point, not only for Pearson, but also for any influential, pro-CCSS individual taking to the cameras.

2. Anthony Cody's blog Living in Dialogue.  Anthony taught middle school science in Oakland for many years.  He started the Network for Public Education with Diane Ravitch. 

In this post, Common Core-Aligned Tests and the New Pearson GED: Failure By Design?, he discusses Pearson and the new GED.

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2014/06/common_core-aligned_tests_and_.html

Here's a quote:

So the key is that those who design the tests are making an intentional decision regarding how many students pass or fail. A 30% pass rate on Common Core tests is not some objective statement regarding how many students are ready for career and college. It is a predetermined outcome, which has a whole set of assumptions in it regarding what "college and career ready" means.

3.  Jose Luis Vilson's blog The Jose Vilson.  Jose teaches math in New York city.  He addresses many issues in his blog including issues of race, class, and gender.  This is a topic often left out of discussions about Adult Education even though race, class, and gender has a great deal to do with who is in our classrooms and why and who will be there in the future and what is taught to them and why.  Never forget that California is the 8th largest economy in the world.  Whatever happens here, someone, somewhere, is making money.  California is a "majority-minority" state with Latinos outnumbering whites.  Issues of race, class, and gender make it all the more important that student voice is included in planning the new Regional Consortia.  Students reflect the reality of who California is and is becoming far more than admin or teachers do.

Here's a post by Jose Luis on teacher diversity:

http://thejosevilson.com/teacher-quality-decline-teachers-color/#sthash.EPpEydhP.dpbs

4.  Professor Vasquez Heileg's blog Cloaking Inequality.  Prof JVH was at the University of Texas at Austin but is now on his way to Sacramento where he will be a Full Professor and Director of the Educational Leadership at California State at Sacramento.   It was at the panel on Research and Advocacy at the Network for Public Education conference in Austin, that I learned from Prof JVH why there is often muted, mumbled, or absolutely no outcry from academics on what is happening to public education.  Just as we in Adult Education fear reprisal or job loss for speaking up about what is happening in Adult Ed, so do the folks in higher ed.  I don't know why I thought it would be any different.  We're talking about human beings here.  Yes, there are "rules."  Yes, there is free speech, tenure, and an agreed on value for the "truth."  But what actually happens is often a different story. 

You can read the blog post that was the basis for his remarks at the NPE panel here:

http://cloakinginequity.com/2014/03/02/pile-of-old-books-vs-citizens-as-critical-participants-in-the-great-education-debates/

Prof JVH's wisdom did something else for me:  It made me hopeful.  If Prof JVH can be truthful about what is happening in Public Education, so can other academics.  Maybe academics focused on Adult Education.  It would be hugely helpful if they did so.

In the meantime, I can be truthful.

Like those silent academics, I fear rebuff and reprisal.

I also know if I'm not willing not to speak...  if I'm not willing to take a risk and share what I know and see... If I'm not willing to work as hard as I ask my students to work... If I'm not willing to risk rejection, failure, and fear...

not only do I not have the right to ask my students to take such risks...

I don't have the right to expect anything to change for the better - for Adult Ed, for Public Ed, for me.

Things really are at a crisis point in Public Education - especially in Adult Education. 

That doesn't mean everything will end badly.

Crisis, as we all know, is opportunity.

But it does mean that if I want a good outcome, I need to make an effort for one.

I need to think toward it, risk toward it, work toward it.

Change includes me.

Anthony Cody Educating the Gates Foundation

What do Anthony Cody and the Gates Foundation have to do with Adult Education?

Well, Anthony Cody is a former middle school science teacher in Oakland who has gone on to start the Network for Public Education with Diane Ravitch.  

He and Diane, along with many, many others, are working to save and strengthen public education.

They are revealing how privatization and philanthropy are not good for the public.

Hit the "read more" to learn more.

We're Marching On

We've come a long way.

 

And we'll go further.

 

Because, indeed

 

Hit the arrow to see the video.

 

And thanks!  Alliance for California Adult Schools  for making it.

Adult Education 2014: Springing Forward

This spring, there is a wealth of
action for Adult Education, including:
 

SMAS Student Leaders
Hitomi, Marco, Marina
in Red Adult Education Matters T-shirts

March 1:  CCAE Bay Section Conference

There is lots of good stuff to be had at this Conference, including San Mateo Adult School Student Leaders Hitomi,Marco, Marina presenting a workshop on School and Community Leadership.

San Mateo Adult School will be selling t-shirts and buttons
at the Conference. 

T-shirts are ten dollars and
buttons are one dollar.

The San Mateo Adult School ESL Student Councils run these sales.
Their involvement and advocacy has been invaluable.

March 1st and 2nd:  Network for Public Education Conference

The Network for Public Education is a new organization of grassroots folks working for better public education.  It was started by Diane Ravitch, author of Reign of Error. 

This is NPE's first conference.  You can watch it livestreamed here.

I'm going.  My aim is to carry the message of Adult Education - it's value and the challenges it faces - to the conference.  I hope to learn from others, as well.

What message do you want me to take to the conference?




March 3rd:  The March in March for Public Education

The annual March in March to remind the Governor and the State Legislator that education is a right and should be accessible to all.

CCSF and San Mateo Adult School ESL Teacher Bruce Neuberger is going.  Students or staff who want to go should contact Bruce at SMAS or via his Lettuce Wars Facebook page.

If you would like to ride the bus to Sacramento, fill out the attached form:   https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_q1tsRv2RvYRfOsLQ6RbNoas5FQaZUAaeAqhDpVrqBc/viewform



March 7 and 8:  OTAN Technology & Distance Learning Symposium

David Rosen

OTAN is the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network for Adult Educators.  It is funded through the CDE (California Dept of Ed) and the US Dept of Ed. 


David Rosen will be the keynote speaker.  He is an expert on using technology in Adult Education - and on understanding the need for Adult Learners to gain tech skills.  All this connects to the PIACC.

If you don't know about PIACC, learn now. 

March 9:  Daylight Savings Time

March  10 – 14:  Adult Education Week

Last year, San Mateo Adult School pulled out all the stops for this event. 

This year, there will again be a celebration, including an essay and poster contest.
 

March 13:  AEM is 2 years old.

March 13:   Webinar - Feds Asking for Info from Adult Educators

US Dept of Education Asst. Secretary
Brenda Dann-Messier meeting with
SMAS students and staff
 

Change is happening on not just the state but the national level.  This webinar is a great opportunity to be part of shaping that change.  Read more here.


Learn about PIAAC - a worldwide survey about Adult Skills,
how the US scored in that survey, and how the results are
shaping the direction of Adult Ed in the US and elsewhere.

SMAS Students Iglika, Hitomi, Marina, Natalia,
and SMAS Assistant Director Tim Doyle
at CCAE Leg Day
 

March 19:  CCAE Leg Day      

This is an opportunity to meet and talk with legislators about Adult Education

San Mateo Adult School will be going, bringing students, as it did last year.

March 21-23:  CFT Convention

San Mateo Adult School teachers and some other Adult School teachers belong to CFT - the California Federation of Teachers Union (part of AFT - American Federation of Teachers).

California has two teachers unions - CFT and CTA (California Teachers Association).

This is CFT's big annual convention.

What’s the tie in with Adult Education? 

CFT is working to make sure

     *  Teachers have a voice in the new Regional Consortia.  In some areas, teachers are part of the planning process.  In others, they aren't.  Without both internal and external pressure to include teacher, student, and community voice, it will be very easy to exclude them in the name of efficiency.

     *  Keep public ed public – fighting privatization in public education.   Privatization is a risk in the new Regional Consortia structure if private interests set themselves up as CBOs (community based organizations) in order to get a piece of the funding pie.  The new GED is a for-profit endeavor.  The future of this GED is not certain, by the way, and has not been adopted by all districts (or all states). 



April:  CATESOL Regional Conferences

CATESOL is California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

These conferences include not only professional development but discussion about Adult Education and advocacy.

April 8 Assembly Budget Subcommittee #2

Assembly Budget Subcommittee #2 is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, April 8th at 9:00 a.m. in State Capitol, Room 444.   The subcommittee will discuss adult education in the context of budget needs
Tuesday, April 8th at 9:00 a.m. in State Capitol, Room 444.

April 29th Tuesday Senate Budget Subcommittee #1

Thanks to CCAE Legislative Analyst Dawn Koepke for the following information:

Senate Budget Subcomitee #1 will meet on Tuesday, April 29th upon adjournment of Senate session in State Capitol, Room 3191. While the budget doesn't currently contemplate funding in the upcoming budget year, the Committees and their staff understand the critical needs on the horizon and their relationship to the discussions around the AB 86 regional consortia. This hearing will be an opportunity to provide an update on the key issues of importance to the K-12 adult education community as well as discuss the regional consortia efforts. 

You can listen to the Subcommittee meetings here:  http://assembly.ca.gov/listentorooms
On the day of the hearing, click on that link and then on the subcommittee you want to listen to.

April 28 and 29:  CFT Lobby Days

Many Adult Educators, in both Community College Non-Credit and in K12 Adult Schools, belong to CFT.   The CFT Lobby Days will be opportuntities to discuss specifically Adult Education oriented issues as well as larger Public Education issues with California Legislators.  I intend to attend the Lobby Day on the 29th.  I am the secretary of our CFT Local.



April 24, 25 26:  CCAE State Conference

The conference will include not only professional development, but discussion about Adult Education - past, present, and future, including the new Regional Consortia system, advocacy, and  the needs and concerns of K-12 Adult Schools.

In the past five years, K-12 Adult Schools have faced many challenges - and continue to face them.  CCAE continues to stand up for Adult Schools and to call attention to their value and the challenges they face.

Tom Torlakson, Superintendent of the California Dept of Education, will be speaking Saturday morning at the Conference.  (Change of plans  His assistant will be speaking.)

 

Looking over these many events, I'm struck by a few things:

1.  Nothing exists in isolation.  Every action, every event, connects to other actions and events. To be effective, it is helpful to see and understand the big picture.

2.  Just as the CCAE State Conference theme notes... we are sailing into uncharted waters... and yet, as uncharted as they may be, they are not entirely unknown.  We may not have a map, but we do have some understanding of the sea.  We can talk to other sailors and visitors from lands across the sea.
By looking at the big picture, thinking about the past, and connecting with others, we can see some of what is ahead and guess about more.  We can also build support, make alliances, and prepare for various possibilities.

3.  It is very important to understand the PIAAC and the big picture.  California is a leader in many ways and California is different in many ways but it is not an island on the moon.  It is part of the United States of America which has a US Department of Education which has a Department of Adult and Vocational Ed.  And the United States is part of a global community and economy.   We in California need to understand what is happening around the world and across the country in terms of Adult Education, Adult Skills, and the economy.  If we do, we can continue to be a leader in these areas.  If we don't, we won't. 

4.  The economy is not just about jobs.   For many months, I have mulled several posts on this topic and one day soon I hope to write them.  For now, I will just say that the river has two banks - an economic bank and a social bank.  A culture with a lucrative economy but many social ills will spend profits on prisons, juvenile justice, and high health care costs.  Sound familiar?   It doesn't have to be that way.  We can create an economy where the profits go to create stability and health, now and into the future. 

5.   Follow the money.  You will note that in the post about OTAN, I mentioned who funds them - the CDE and the US Dept of Ed (nothing wrong there!).  Education is changing.  It's not always publically funded anymore.  This is one of the crossroads we face as a culture.  How do we define education?  Who is it for?   Who pays for it?  These are important questions.  In pondering them, it is helpful to research who funds things.  On many websites, you can find that out by clicking on the "about blah-blah" link.  Sometimes the answer is easy - the California Department of Education.  Sometimes the answer is a rabbit hole and you have to keep clicking links until at last you come to a private donor.  Then you have to Wikipedia that donor to find out who they are and what their real agenda might be.  Thanks to technology, you can do all that from the comfort of your couch.

Then you can get ready to

6.  Spring forward for Adult Education because as challenging as some of this is...  none of it is without hope.  Life is about change.  That's how you know something is alive - it's changing.   Skill and engagement - mind and heart in action - help us shape that change.

There is plenty of good news here.  Plenty of good opportunity for good effort that can bring good result.

Let us spring forward.

 

Bringing Adult Ed to the NPE Conference Table

The Network for Public Education is an organization started by Diane Ravitch to promote grassroots action for better public education.

Adult Education is part of public education. 

It is the precious fourth leg that stabilizes all the other branches.  But it is often overlooked - the first one cut and the last one repaired - even though it brings stability to the system as a whole.




Hit the "read more" link to learn about the NPE Conference and why
Adult Ed needs a seat at the conference table.