bodner085

Too frequently, Adult Schools have been pitted against K-12 schools, as if the populations they serve are utterly separate entities, with utterly separate needs and agendas.  This competition is framed as war for the same precious and/or dwindling resources.  Because we are a culture that claims to value the family, the kids generally "win." In fact, Adult Schools and K-12 schools serve the same families.  Educating children and parents empowers families faster than educating only parents or only children. Which brings up the questions:  Hit the link to see them. *  Why is it framed as a competition?  *  Who wins when it's framed that way? *  Is California, one of the top ten economies in the world, really so short of money that it can't educate both parents and children? *  What sort of value underlies the perception of children as separate from their parents and other family members?  * Who wins when they are seen that way? All ...

From left to right, Bruce Neuberger, George & Kristen Pursley Cynthia Eagleton At the 2015 Network for Public Education Conference in Chicago , Kristen Pursley, Bruce Neuberger, and I presented a panel entitled, "The Battle for Adult Education." The Conference was deep and powerful. An AEM post on the conference is coming soon.  Cuts and reform in California Adult Education are part of a larger puzzle affecting every piece of Public Education in the US.  To understand what is happening in Adult Education in California - and to influence it in a positive direction - we need to understand what is happening elsewhere - and we need historical context. Historical context is what Kristen provided at our panel discussion.  Kristen is a lead ESL teacher at West Contra Costa Adult School.  She is a founding member of COSAS - Communities Organized to Support Adult Schools, a group that formed in response to the cuts six years ago and has met w...