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Strategic Plan Evaluation Workgroups Summary of Findings
Summit presentation and findings
ERAE Annual Plan 2023 - 2024
Executive Summary
Improve Integration of Services and Transitions
With the overall goal to expand opportunities for access and success, East Region Adult Education provides services and programs that support especially adults from underserved populations in establishing economic and social mobility. The consortium strives to be a key player in a collective impact ecosystem that comprises diverse rural, suburban, and urban areas and has a population of more than 300,000 adults, a third of which have an income near poverty or less or speak English less than well. Focusing on successful transitions to college and meaningful careers, the consortium develops systematic approaches and comprehensive tools that support students in connecting to just-in-time internal and external support services, tailored programs, and meaningful careers.
The consortium’s Three-Year Strategic Plan identified three main goals and five main objectives, closely aligned with CAEP priorities, that will continue to guide our work in 2023-24. Raising awareness of and connecting adult learners to Education That Works, we will further increase the number of adults served and the number of students participating in programs. Providing transition management and navigation support, we foster collaborative opportunities that prioritize economic and social mobility to increase the number of students completing classes and transitioning to college and postsecondary programs. Strengthening the role the consortium plays in a collective impact ecosystem, we will increase the number of students entering employment and meaningful career paths and continue to implement strategic partnerships with the regional workforce board (SDWP) and Economic Development Council, school districts and CBOs, and industry partners.
We measure our success along four metrics closely aligned with Guided Pathways.
Connection
Entry
Progress
Transitions
Below we summarize our achievements in 2022-23, in alignment with our five main objectives and metrics of success.
Objective 1: Implement Targeted Outreach and Marketing
Based on input from workgroups and focus groups established for the development of the Three-Year Strategic Plan as well as feedback shared quarterly by a Strategic Plan evaluation group, efforts were focused on both, external and internal communications. Members revised their websites to better reflect the community and increased engagement through a more streamlined interface with elements such as videos and transcripts for easy access and online registration to program orientations. A newly designed catalog, with clearly described options and pathways is quickly becoming an effective tool for recruiting new students. In addition, we worked with N&R Publications and created digital stories to use the power of narrative to convey complex stories and for more concise and consistent internal and external communication.
Objective 2: Expand System of Professional Learning
We continued to expand our system of Professional Learning (PL) through a series of consortium-wide, in-person workshops, with a renewed focus on strengthening our community of learners and educators. Workshops provided opportunities for deeper explorations of interpersonal communication, teaching, and leadership strategies, and introduced electronic learner portfolios as a professional development tool for instructors and staff alike.
Objective 3: Engage Students Strategically - Onboarding
Consortium members have begun to address students’ needs and goals as coordinated efforts among multiple points and across settings of support. A “Welcome to Grossmont Adult Education” video, in-person “Introduction to English Learning” classes, and “Career Training Orientations” that are offered virtually and in person and include a needs and interest survey, have been implemented and provide students early opt-in access to transition services as well as opportunities to communicate their needs and goals before making informed decisions regarding their educational journey.
Objective 4: Implement five clearly mapped Training and Education Paths
We continue to build clearly defined paths and training programs across consortium members and partners. A Culinary Arts program was developed in collaboration with Viejas Casino & Resort that allowed students to “earn-and-learn” by becoming full-time employees with the start of the 16 week training program. Students worked at the resort’s state-of-the-art facilities and, in addition to classroom instruction, were mentored by the resort’s executive chef. Successful completion of the program enabled six (or 79%) of participating students to interview for and move to the next step on the career ladder, with access to further opportunities for tuition-reimbursement should the student decide to continue their training with a regional education partner. With a partner in the business and finance sector, we implemented a Finance/HR program that provided for work-based learning and full-time employment opportunities. Both programs set high expectations for students who also need to address other challenges. Students at Grossmont Adult Education’s Health Occupations Center have benefitted from the introduction of language, academic, and work readiness support structures (developed by applying IET principles and best practices) across all programs. The consortium’s College Path Acceleration Program (CPAP), a localized implementation of SB554, is thriving. In 2022-23, enrollment has increased by 30%, and more than 50% of students participating continue as full time students after receiving their HS diploma or equivalency.
Objective 5: Support Student Persistence and Transitions
Closely aligned with objective 2, we continue to strengthen consortium-wide transition services through a menu of services available to students upon entry, throughout, and after exiting adult education. The consortium partnered with GCCCD for a joint outreach campaign, “From Here to Career,” that is based on building trust and more personal relationships with our regional community-based organizations and educational partners. Through the campaign, students also learn about TRIO support services and have access to academic skills coaching.
For 2023-2024, ERAE will focus on the following strategies and activities to address CAEP’s priorities and achieve CAEP’s primary objectives.
Address Educational Needs
To be successful and effective, ERAE needs to be easily accessible and understood as a resource throughout our East Region communities. We will continue to pursue a mixed, multilingual approach (digital environments; non-tech media; word-of-mouth) that markets classes in broad, career-focused paths and guides students to enter adult education. Developed media toolkits will be shared with AJCCs and the San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP), and consortium staff will collaborate with community liaisons to (quite literally) get the word out. We will continue to host education and career expos and look to the broader community for feedback and support.
We will partner with local non-profit organizations and college and school districts to improve the accessibility of programs by removing institutional barriers for all students, including students with disabilities.
In collaboration with SDWP and our partner colleges, we will continue to introduce transparent options and opportunities for adult learners that focus on realistic transitions toward economic and social mobility.
Improve Integration of Services and Transitions
The consortium will continue to expand its system of Professional Learning (PL) to deepen our shared understanding of the communities we serve and continue alignment work across members. Learning portfolios will be utilized as a tool and catalyst for PL.
As a member of the "super region," ERAE will facilitate thought exchanges and project work across consortia that benefits staff with distinct work responsibilities.
Streamlining “high-touch” onboarding processes across programs and aligning them with expanded student support services will clarify programs and expectations, clearly identify critical milestones, highlight necessary strategies to be successful in college and career preparation, and promote engagement and self-agency. Every adult education student will be supported in exploring their options through multiple measures and be provided scaffolding of training as needed for each student to succeed.
Support and transition services will be embedded more systematically within and across programs and members. Special emphasis will be given to onboarding Mtn Empire students more intentionally through the member’s adult ed coordinator and the consortium-wide TS team.
The consortium works with business partners individually and across sectors (through a business roundtable) to meet their needs as well as incentivize training programs for our learners, and with stakeholders such as high schools, community-based organizations, veteran programs and services, churches, homeless shelters, and refugee resettlement agencies to motivate adult learners to enter adult education training programs.
Improve Effectiveness of Services
Five strategic plan implementation working groups, business advisory boards, the business roundtable, and the consortium’s Governing Board will continue to oversee the execution of activities as well as the measurement of outcomes in the focus areas identified.
Common metrics of success serve as a baseline for program as well as class level analysis, and yearly refinement of program goals, and as a tool for the development of a framework to compare enrollment to the regional population demographics.
ERAE will implement a data dashboard and data dialogue protocols to improve student success. Student level data on demographics, program enrollment, HSE/D and EFL gain outcomes, and barriers to employment will be tracked and studied to examine key metrics related to the success of adult students in achieving their stated goals within and between agencies.
Quarterly data study sessions at the consortium level will be implemented as a mode of regular data review with members and stakeholders.
Regional Planning Overview
The strategic plan is the top-level planning document consortium members designed to set the path forward. We are implementing our Three-Year Plan by focusing on achieving specific strategies, aligned to the five main objectives, throughout 2023-2024.
Five strategic plan working groups, with representatives from each member. will review and help evaluate the execution of activities as well as the measurement of outcomes in the focus areas identified. Members will align ERAE program performance and progress measurements with Perkins indicators, WASC action items, and WIOA performance measures for a more systematic way of addressing the needs as well as building a collective impact ecosystem within our East Region communities. Member Level Metric Targets have been revised and set by each member for 2023-2024.
Objective 1: Implement Targeted Outreach and Marketing
Our outreach to and integration with, local employers and community members will allow increased communication with, and service to, a wide range of employer partners. Digital stories featuring our students will be shared with our business and community partners in the form of well-designed media toolkits that allow for easy integration into their own outreach media and better coordination of outreach efforts across institutions. Based on 2022-2023 data reports on most effective means of communication, we will explore opportunities to work with cultural brokers/community liaisons and develop measurements of effectiveness of campaigns. The 2023-2024 summit will once again bring together the voices of the community.
Objective 2: Expand System of Professional Learning
In addition to a more diversified Professional Learning plan, coordinating job shadowing opportunities for consortium members and partners and the development of assessment tools for the effectiveness of Professional Learning will be our priorities. The shared plan will offer three special, in-person events that introduce more general concepts in adult education through a guest speaker first and then provide time and space for application to program- and work-specific circumstances. Various other workshops, Canvas modules, supplemental synchronous and informal activities, and informal communities of practice will be introduced to support member-specific professional development activities.
Objective 3: Engage Students Strategically - Onboarding
To address educational needs and improve integration and effectiveness of services, the consortium will strengthen onboarding processes across members by moving further toward standardized intake and standardized transition map development for all students to identify barriers, develop goals, and identify meaningful steps early in their experience with adult education. Preliminary data gathered from orientation surveys as well as student satisfaction surveys and exit interviews collected through student support services indicate that students are interested in support when making decisions about their next education and career steps, and that they benefit from working with college counselors, academic advisors, and/or transition specialists when navigating complex education and labor market systems. ERAE will continue to work with business partners and stakeholders such as high schools, community-based organizations, veteran programs and services, churches, homeless shelters and refugee resettlement agencies to motivate adult learners to enter adult education training programs. As a consortium, we aim for data-driven decision-making and will design and implement tools for the evaluation of onboarding processes in light of changes in student population and community needs.
Objective 4: Implement five clearly mapped Training and Education Paths
ERAE will continue to implement five paths with a focus on creating more access for adults with limited English language competencies to ASE and CTE classes and a focus on increasing participation and successful completion of accelerated programs that leverage partner resources (e.g., co-enrollment under SB 544, or Individual Training Accounts or contracted education training under WIOA Title I) and lead to industry-recognized certification. Program/paths maps will support students in designing individual transition maps; core competencies will be aligned across programs and classes, and curricula will be reviewed regularly. In addition to the established CAEP metrics, ERAE program performance and progress will be measured against business metrics and identified regional and local priority sectors and occupations. We will continue to engage partners through the business roundtable and consult with business and community partners on success and sustainability of existing and need for development of new training programs.
Objective 5: Support Student Persistence and Transitions
The educational needs of adult learners in our region revolve around periods of transitions when they are most challenged and susceptible to barriers. ERAE strives to support learners during these pivotal times through holistic services and tailored programs that enable students to navigate transitions to college (e.g., by hosting college counselors, college tours, and college-readiness workshops), to employment (e.g., by partnering with Goodwill San Diego and implementing Canvas modules for work readiness), and to career (e.g., by offering career counseling, inviting guest speakers from industry, hosting and partnering on career expos). Starting in 2023-24, GAE will implement newly developed “Foundations” classes tailored to language learners and contextualized to our paths. For example, a “Foundations for Careers” class will support students in improving technical reading, writing, and math skills in order to prepare for a variety of careers in hospitality, business and entrepreneurship, and applied technology. We will strengthen our ecosystem of business and service partners (e.g., partnering with SDWP, Goodwill, and local business partners directly) to expand support services for students regarding challenges such as transportation, housing, and childcare. Our goal is to connect especially underserved adults to meaningful transitions more effectively.
In 2022-2023, the consortium’s Governing Board put forward a request for a special task force to increase the number of students matriculating to college. The task force began to meet in December 2023 and was instrumental in setting up a partnership with Grossmont College’s TRIO and Cuyamaca College’s Counseling and Student Services & Special Programs. Performing an initial data match to understand transition patterns and trends turned out to be more challenging than anticipated but initiated crucial data conversations and joint training for the use of a shared referral platform. The task force will continue its work in 2023-2024.
The consortium will continue to align its work with other regional planning initiatives such as SDWP and the regional EDC (to develop training program tailored to the needs of local businesses), the Strong Workforce Consortium (to develop a program finder tailored to adult education students and strengthen opportunities for co-enrollment and college credit), a regional data repository for career training programs at six regional consortia (to align programs and facilitate smooth transitions across a vast geographic region), and GCCCD’s Guided Pathways implementation.
ERAE connects adult learners to Education That Works. Our success depends on the ability to continually increase opportunities for students to meet their specific needs, overcome their challenges, and experience transformative employment opportunities.
The consortium will start Phase I of the planning process for the next Three-Year Strategic Plan (2025-2028) in September of 2023. If you are interested in joining the planning team, please contact the CAEP/ERAE Manager.
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