Advocacy Work Continues

Continue your ongoing Advocacy April efforts, as we make our voice heard for adult education. You can participate these ways:

Advocacy April Prep Webinar

We encourage you to continue raising the visibility of adult education. Watch the one hour replay as seasoned experts help you hone your skills and increase your capacity to reach legislators at all levels. You will receive numerous “quick win” strategies as well as long term strategies to ensure your program is properly funded.

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We are still celebrating accomplishments from Advocacy April 2023!

Arizona

Ana Bedoya Hernandez
Pima Community College / Arizona Association for Lifelong Learning

Dr. Amy Loyd, US Dept of Education Secretary attended Pima Community College signing day event. Ana spoke with Dr. Loyd about her role as an Adult Education advocate and her English language journey. Amy Loyd also met and listened to the stories of three IBEST program students and graduates.

Ana sent emails to Arizona Adult Education program directors to introduce herself as the 2023 Advocacy Fellow and was invited to speak at an HSE Graduation and ELL Ceremony on June 29th, and she requested virtual meetings with state legislators.


Connecticut

Christine Valdez
Middletown Adult Education

Christine Valdez met with corporate partner, FedEx to join their Purple Pathways program. If a new employee does not have a high school degree or speak English, FedEx will provide their program as a resource. As a result of the meeting she was invited to their first Employee Expo, and plans to approach Amazon next as they also have a large facility in the area.


Delaware

Joyce Warrington
Organization of Adult Alumni & Students in Service

Joyce has invited state officials to her programs graduation ceremony. Senator Eric Buckson and Representative Evelyn Harris have both agreed to attend the graduation. Joyce is finalizing meeting dates with Senator Chris Coons and Senator Tom Carper to share about the need for funding and support for adult education.

Last month Joyce met with members of the Department of Education, along with Maureen Whalen (State Director), Joanne Chandler (State Association Leader), Betsy Jones (Director of Polytech Adult Ed).


Georgia

Debra Tavaras
Atlanta Public Schools

At Debra’s invitation, Senator Jason Esteves has agreed to be the commencement speaker at her school’s graduation. Congresswoman Nikema Williams and Mayor Andre Dickens will be sending a greeting.


Indiana

Daniela Mancusi-Shreve
Center of Workforce Innovations

IAACE, the state association in Indiana won an award for their state leadership in increasing funding by $16.9 million for year one and $20.9 million for the following year. Daniela participated in the event, booking legislative meetings and also supported Senator Todd Young’s work on the “Strengthening Research in Adult Education Act”.


Michigan

Marisol Adelmann
Washtenaw Community College

Marisol and a team from their local adult education program traveled to the Michigan state capitol to participate in state association, MACAE’s Adult Education and Advocacy Day. The focus of this day was to meet with legislators about the upcoming state budget which includes Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive recommendations for an additional $15 million for adult education as well as a one-time innovative grant investment of $15 million in the State School Aid Act Section 107 for Adult Education. They also asked for their support for the creation of an Adult Literacy Opportunity Fund as proposed by MACAE to the legislature.

Marisol also held meetings with Senator Jeff Irwin and State Representative Carrie Rheingans. Marisol was asked to give a speech to her colleagues and legislators who were in attendance. Marisol spoke about her personal journey from GED student to college graduation, to where she is at today.


Missouri

Dana Downs-Kuritz
Washtenaw Community College

Marisol and a team from their local adult education program traveled to the Michigan state capitol to participate in state association, MACAE’s Adult Education and Advocacy Day. The focus of this day was to meet with legislators about the upcoming state budget which includes Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive recommendations for an additional $15 million for adult education as well as a one-time innovative grant investment of $15 million in the State School Aid Act Section 107 for Adult Education. They also asked for their support for the creation of an Adult Literacy Opportunity Fund as proposed by MACAE to the legislature.


New Hampshire

Tammy Gluck
Exeter Adult Education

New Hampshire is facing funding cuts, so multiple organizations in New Hampshire worked together to implement a student letter writing campaign in April as well as a statewide Ignite 3 click campaign. As a result of the student letter writing campaign Senator Debra Altschiller has visited the Exeter Adult Education program to meet the students who wrote letters.


New York

Karen Dispo-De Boos
Literacy Volunteers of Clinton, Essex, and Franklin Counties

Karen recently attended the NYACCE annual conference. At the conference her program manager was awarded 1 of 7 Adult Educator of the Year Awards for NYS. Since returning Karen has written a press release about the award and the importance of Adult Education. Karen sent the press release along with the copy of the conference program to local, state, and federal legislators to express the importance of supporting adult education on a state and federal level.


Ohio

Cori Lupton
Cuyahoga Community College – Ohio Options

At Cori’s request, Mayor Timothy DeGeeter of Parma and Cuyahoga County Executive Director Chris Ronayne have accepted the invitation to attend her adult education program’s graduation ceremony.


Oregon

Genevieve Halkett 
Chemeketa Community College

Genevieve runs a program for Internationally Trained Professionals in the ESOL program at Chemeketa Community College. She provided testimony for hearings on SB 849, which aims to make the licensing process easier for healthcare professionals.

Genevieve has invited state and local officials to attend the first ESOL class graduation June 13 at the Welcome Center in Portland, which houses over 300 asylees. Chemeketa is partnering with Portland Refugee Support Group (PRSG) and the Afghan Support Network (ASN) to offer literacy and ESOL classes to over 50 students at the center.


South Carolina

Donna Hill
Newberry Adult Education and Continuing Education

Donna Hill teaches adult education in two different school districts. She met with the superintendent in one county and formed a marketing and mutual legislation agreement with him. Donna has sent invites to state legislators to attend their graduation celebration.


Tennessee

Synnamon Taylor
HopeWorks

Synnamon sent invitations to State Officials for their May 6th Graduation at HopeWorks.


Wyoming

Thomas Lear
Laramie County Community College

Thomas has extended an invitation to his program’s graduation ceremony to local and state legislators and Representative Dan Zwonitzer has accepted the invitation to attend.


 

State Advocate Fellows will continue working to raise visibility and funding for adult education. Click HERE to to view the progress over the last year that has been recorded on the National COABE Padlet.

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Adult Education Success Stories

Shakita Boyd, Adult Learner
Dr. Meghan McBride, Vice President for Adult Education at Georgia Piedmont Technical College