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From Vida En La Valle : Adult education is top priority for Asm. Patty López Highlights Assemblywoman Patty López introduced a bill to restore funding to adult education AB 1846 will allocate $250 million from the General Fund to adult programs There are 5.2 million adults in California without a high school diploma or GED Assemblywoman Patty López introduced a bill to restore funding to adult education  HÉCTOR NAVEJAS nhavejas@vidaenelvalle.com By CYNTHIA MORENO cmoreno@vidaenelvalle.com SACRAMENTO Minerva Molina left her native Torreón, Coahuila, México to pursue the American Dream. She has been divorced for 23 years and is a single mother of three kids. She speaks English as a second language and has two jobs to support her family. Hit the link to read more. When she came to the United States, she believed in giving her children a better life through the opportunity at receiving an education— not just for her children, but also for herself. “We all want a better life for our ...

 Why do YOU love Adult Education? As AB 1846, Assembly Member Patty Lopez' bill to increase funding for Adult Education to pre-crash levels begins to wend its way through committees, that's a good question to ask. And the answers are important to share with legislators. Since a picture speaks a thousand words, consider sharing this information with photographs. Samples below.  Assembly Member Patty Lopez, long-time supporter of Adult Education, before she was elected to the State Legislature Student Leaders Adriana and Maria value Adult Education for the many opportunities. SMAS ESL Conversation Students had a lot to say about why they value Adult Education! Student Leaders Denise and Cristina recognize the empowerment factor.  Teacher Tia and Staffer Nita treasure working with ESL students from around the world. Ambrosio started ESL classes at San Mateo Adult School in 2006.  Now he helps manage the School Garden and shares his extensive knowledge of organic far...

Long-time supporter of Adult Education Assembly Member Patty Lopez before she was elected to the Legislature Thanks to Assembly Member Patty Lopez , we have the chance to increase funding for Adult Education by $250 million to pre-collapse levels.   This funding is crucial to meet the needs of our people.  The bill was released on Wednesday, February 10.   This date is the beginning of a 31 day public comment period for the bill. This means the next 3 weeks are a critical time period for speaking up about the value of Adult Education and the need for more money to fund it.  Contact your state representatives.  Find them here .  Encourage your co-workers, administrators, community members, and students to do the same.  Here is an announcement from John Mears with more details about the bill and the need for us to take action on it now. Dear colleague, At a press conference yesterday -- Wednesday, February 10th at 10:30 a.m. -- Assemblywoman P...

The issue of how to manage credentialing for Adult Education within the parameters of the new Regional Consortia system is complicated.  It's also urgent because we are in the midst of a growing teacher shortage as older teachers retire, new programs and schools emerge as funding for Adult Education stabilizes, and a housing crisis in many urban areas pushes old teachers out and dissuades new teachers from moving in. In order to come up with good ways to meet this challenge, we need to hear from a variety of voices. We need to really grasp all that is involved before we settle on a solution we will most likely have to live with for a long time. Click the "read more" link to learn more. Here is the original post about the challenge of credentialing . Here are three more perspectives on the problem: "I think credentialing is a big problem in California across the board, K-12 and adult education.  I, too, have my MATESOL. Thankfully I have a multi-subject cred...

CFT's Adult Education Commission met on January 23rd, 2016.  One of the topics for discussion was credentialing.  With the new Regional Consortia system, which entails Adult Schools and Community Colleges working together to provide Adult Education, there is a need for clarity and streamlining where credentialing is concerned.   Click the "read more" link to learn more. Shari Deghi, Coordinator of the new La Costa Adult School, details why she is concerned about this issue: "I am happy the Adult Education Commission is shining a light on credentialing and I would like to add a major concern. The Adult Ed requirements for teachers are archaic, out of step with other post-secondary institutions and significantly hamper our ability to hire teachers and serve students. I am an administrator of La Costa Adult School on the San Mateo coast. I recently recruited a teacher with an MATESOL (Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) who could not teach ESL in...

Thanks to the stabilization of funding, Adult Education is coming back in places where it was cut or eliminated.  One such place is the western coastline of San Mateo County, which has not had an Adult School since 2009 when cuts first hit and decimated Adult School all across California.     Click the "read more" link to learn more. The new La Costa Adult School will serve the Western coast of San Mateo County.   It is part of ACCEL , the Regional Consortium serving San Mateo County.  Until it's opening in January of this year, coastal residents had to drive or get a ride "over the hill" to Adult Schools on the Eastern side of the County or drive in to La Puente , a non-profit community resource center in rural South San Mateo County. Close to 30% of children in the Cabrillo School District are English Learners .  Ensuring their parents have access to ESL classes is crucial to the success of these children.  Below is a write up abo...

A press release from the office of Assemblywoman Patty Lopez, 39th district: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Caroline Woon February 4, 2016 (818) 365-2464 ... Assemblywoman Patty López to Introduce $250 Million Adult Education Bill SACRAMENTO, CA ‒ On Wednesday, February 10, Assemblywoman Patty López (D-San Fernando) is scheduled to hold a press conference at the State Capitol announcing the unveiling of new legislation which seeks to restore much-needed funds to California’s ailing adult education system.  Click the "read more" link to learn more. WHO: Assemblywoman Patty López WHAT: Adult Education Press Conference The Assemblywoman, along with the bill’s key stakeholders, will present details and field questions on the purpose of the legislation, its social and fiscal impact and plans for its implementation. WHEN: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 10:30 am ‒ 11:00 am WHERE: State Capitol Room 317 Sacramento, CA 94249 If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to...

The following piece was written by San Mateo Adult School student Lucy Ochoa.  Ms. Ochoa wrote the piece for a journalism class at U.C. Berkeley.  In her home country of Ecuador, she is a journalist. Adult Education, Why does it matter?   By Lucy Ochoa It's 6:30 pm on Thursday, the last day of school before the weekend. About twenty students rush into a room at the main campus of San Mateo Adult School, greeting each other in different languages. After signing the attendance sheet they choose seats behind of one of the long wooden tables that face the whiteboard. Click  the "read more" link to learn more. Learning English is the challenge that brings these students together whenever their schedule allows it. Despite their different origins, all of them share two characteristics: they are adults and their native language is not English. According to the Public Policy Institute of California and data from the U.S Census Bureau, this state has over 10 million immigrant...