Objectives

Address Educational Needs

East Region Adult Education has identified several strategies to address educational needs identified. As indicated in our assessment of current needs and structures, we are serving only a small percentage of those in our communities who could benefit from programs and services. Raising awareness of and connecting East Region adult learners to Education That Works was identified as a priority across stakeholders. To be successful and effective, ERAE needs to be easily accessible and understood as a resource throughout our East Region communities. This will require increasing awareness and targeted outreach that addresses the needs of specific populations: English language learners (ELL) with significant other basic needs; ELL who live near or below the poverty level and often work in entry-level positions without true opportunities for advancement; adults without a HS diploma; adults with low literacy levels; and older adults. Other targeted groups include 18-years and older of age students who might want to take time before transitioning to college. A recent survey (n=6,047) by the regional Strong Workforce Consortium indicated that 68% of students grade 9-12 in the region do not know about available adult ed options. At a time when our community college partners see a decrease in enrollment, ERAE has the flexibility to augment and extend the regional Guided Pathways implementation through aligned ASE and CTE programs. Intentional outreach also needs to include incumbent workers and those who need to up-skill. Through digital environments (websites, social media) and non-tech media, available in multiple languages and with information on all available options, we will market classes in broad, career-focused paths that guide students to enter adult ed.; with unique collateral for each population, we can address motivations and services supporting transition into employment and further education. Many of our stakeholders (still) learns about ERAE from family and friends, and word-of-mouth. The creation of an alumni and intergenerational network can further promote our “brand recognition” and help ERAE co-create and be a part of a distributed system of adult education and community well-being. Together with local AJCCs and the SDWP, we are also considering developing shared media toolkits to connect the shared populations we serve. Teachers emphasized that the consortium needs to explore new venues and ways for marketing not only programs but also the academic, training and support services. The ERAE's Governing Board shared this sentiment and recommended a mixed approach. In addition to websites and social media, this approach can incorporate technologies developed by the Strong Workforce Consortium (e.g., Program Finder for outreach with school and career counselors, as well as CBOs), the data repository regional consortia developed (especially for marketing to business partners and increasing visibility overall), and events such as education and careers expos organized in partnership with basic needs providers and social service organizations. Strategic planning workshops and focus groups stressed time and again that building equitable opportunities for access/onramps to training programs must include onboarding processes that 

• Introduce transparent options and opportunities for adult learners that focus on transitions

• Support adult learners in making informed choices and planning across programs, and in non-linear ways

• Include prior learning and working assessments to expedite program completion

• Prepare learners for accelerated training options

• Incentivize training participation and completion by offering earn-and-learn programs

The goal for ERAE is to provide equitable opportunities for access and success. Planning partners and participants in focus groups alike also identified the need to foster collaborative opportunities that prioritize transitions toward economic and social mobility. Over a third of our region's residents whose income is near poverty or less speak English less than well; only 12% of our consortium's students transition from ESL programs to career training, and only 6% transition to college. A focus on successful transitions as well as an emphasis on the development of tools that give ERAE the ability to support students in connecting to just-in-time, tailored programs will strengthen the role ERAE plays in a collective impact ecosystem.

Improve Integration of Services and Transitions

The consortium will continue to expand its system of Professional Learning (PL) to deepen the understanding of experiential, work-based learning, and assessment models across the curriculum. Year 1 and 2 of the series established a shared understanding of priorities such as equitable education opportunities and adult learner-centered curriculum development. Starting with Year 3, we will need to look at strategies to further translate concepts into applications that make our learning environment - curriculum, instruction, classes, physical as well as virtual spaces - accessible to learners and their unique needs (also identified in section 2). Monthly PL Fridays (mornings) will continue to serve as a springboard for guided curriculum development workshops, data dialogs across stakeholders, 21st-century skills and technology trainings, and PLC work that helps teachers utilize data for the refinement of learning outcomes aligned across levels (ESL/ABE/ASE) and programs (ESL/CTE/college) and the design of equitable learning activities and curricular instruction. We will introduce learning portfolios as a tool and catalyst for PL. Teachers and staff are engaged in the improvement of services and transitions when they have the right tools (shared repositories for data, strategies, and community resources) and can draw on supportive regional collaboration. Members will create opportunities for work shadowing across programs and with industry partners. As a member of the "super region," ERAE will facilitate thought exchanges and project work across consortia that benefits staff with distinct work responsibilities.

Programs, services, and transitions are successful when our learners are fully engaged and experience a sense of belonging. 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.  ERAE has the flexibility to augment and extend the regional Guided Pathways implementation through aligned ASE and CTE programs and can address and meet the needs of our communities by offering choice and rigor. Five clearly mapped training and education paths (Education, Medical Occupations, Business/Finance, Applied Technology, Culinary Arts/Hospitality) integrate prior life and work experience; life and career planning; aligned or articulated learning and training; collaboration across programs and subject areas; intentional use of technology; a comprehensive support system; potential zero-cost co-enrollment with college partners, incentivized training programs, and potential direct placement into employment. 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.

In addition, the consortium plans to Improve persistence through embedding support and transition services more systematically within and across programs and members. This can include individualized case management, satellite office hours with our partners in the tribal communities as well as guiding students who have already matriculated in utilizing adult education resources for further just-in-time support.

Improve Effectiveness of Services

When our students have opportunities to enroll in programs and classes with high employment potential and transition into college and/or career, education works. Based on the outcomes of the planning process, ERAE will focus on increasing student engagement, persistence, and transitions to postsecondary, college, and career. Four strategic plan implementation working groups (1, 2, 3, 4) and the business roundtable will be tasked with overseeing the execution of activities as well as the measurement of outcomes in the focus areas identified. 

Common metrics were developed in year 3 of the last strategic plan; over the next three years, these metrics will 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. In addition to the established CAEP metrics, ERAE program performance and progress measurements will be aligned with Perkins indicators and reviewed against business metrics and identified regional and local priority sectors and occupations. Alignment and a framework for comparing consortium and member to regional demographics will allow us to develop benchmarks toward a better understanding of institutional equity. As a consortium, 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. Further, quarterly data study sessions at the consortium level will be implemented as a mode of regular data review with members and stakeholders. As mentioned before, the consortium will continue to expand its system of Professional Learning (PL) and offer resources to support the effectiveness of services. 

Participants in planning workshops and focus groups identified the need for additional resources, for teachers and students alike. The consortium's system-building efforts will be a continuation of an analysis and iteration project begun last year with a review of existing client/student-centered management platforms, networks and referral systems. Consortium leadership worked with the Sr. Transition Services Coordinator and consulted with a WestEd research team to evaluate the effectiveness of transition support services. Based on stakeholder recommendations, consortium members will consider joining a multidisciplinary partner network that uses a shared language and technology platform to deliver enhanced adult learner-centered collaboration and care.

Activities and Outcomes