Our responsibility
by Tana Reiff, TIU 11 Community Education Services, PAACE President

PAACE kicks into high gear as we enter Midwinter Conference season. All year, I’ve been filling you in on what’s been happening behind the scenes. Now, you, the members, step into play as you renew your memberships, register for the conference, and perhaps play a role as a conference presenter or planner.

This is a fitting time to reflect on professional responsibility. What if your employer does not cover association dues? What if budget limitations are cutting the list of conference registrants? Will you let your membership lapse? Will you miss the conference?

You may be facing a tough choice, which is why I would like to make a case for assuming some of these expenses as your own. Individual annual PAACE membership is $40. Conference registration at the early bird rate, with member discount, is only $125. You could carpool, share a hotel room, find a low-cost room nearby, commute, or stay with a friend. Such expenses are an investment in your professionalism. Certified teachers will earn 8 Act 148 hours. You can even take a deduction on your 2008 tax return.

At both state and national levels, adult basic education is in jeopardy of being superseded by job-training and work-first goals, at the sacrifice of basic literacy, ESL, and family literacy. To boot, people who worked so hard to earn a GED® are getting stuck in postsecondary developmental programs, frittering away precious tuition money and becoming discouraged.

If you work with adult students, or recognize their incredibly earnest efforts, if you realize how so many nontraditional students struggle to succeed in postsecondary education, or if you simply care about learning at all ages, you can understand the need for committed educators, advocacy on behalf of adult learners, and the synergy of a strong organization.

At a time when the need to show the importance and value of adult education may never have been more acute, I hope you will maintain your PAACE membership and attend the PAACE Midwinter Conference, February 11-13, 2009, no matter who’s footing the bill. Oh, yes, the conference is also stimulating and fun. See you there!

Back to Top

PAACE yourself: keeping up with adult education
by Diane Inverso, Mayor's Commission on Literacy, PAACE Vice-President

PAACE yourself for the changing field of adult education and attend the 2009 Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education (PAACE) Midwinter Conference, February 11-13 in Hershey! Under the theme “PAACE Yourself: Keeping Up with Adult Education,” conference attendees will have a chance to challenge their minds with many facets of adult education, discover new opportunities, meet new people, and broaden horizons for themselves and their students.

Pennsylvania’s premier adult education conference will present more than 100 concurrent sessions on exciting teaching ideas and programs of interest to PAACE’s membership. The conference provides learning opportunities about adult learners, sound instructional strategies, efficient delivery systems, postsecondary transition, workforce development, program management, new studies, professional development, and advocacy. Conference attendees will represent Literacy, ABE, ESL, and Family Literacy services; corrections education, higher education, and training providers; and the workforce development community.

The conference also will offer sessions in Administration, Research, and Public Policy, along with quite a few of general interest. A special Bureau of ABLE strand of sessions will highlight PDE initiatives. Roundtable facilitated discussions on a variety of topics are scheduled in an informal atmosphere. Presenters include ABLE practitioners, national organizations, graduate students in adult education, and representatives of the Bureau of ABLE and other state agencies. ABLE administrators will be invited to a Friday morning breakfast meeting.

The 2009 PAACE Midwinter Conference will offer a rich context for adult education topics and issues. If you are a teacher or tutor of adults, program administrator, postsecondary educator, community collaborator, workforce development partner, trainer, publisher, or researcher—or you’re simply interested, you will not want to miss this conference.

Keynote speaker is Dr. Ian Baptiste, an Associate Professor of Education and Professor-in-Charge of the Adult Education program at The Pennsylvania State University. As our 2009 keynote speaker, Dr. Baptiste will explore the role community partners can play in defining, developing, and assisting residents in applying literacy in their daily lives. Honorary conference chair is the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The primary mission of the Annie E. Casey Foundation is to foster public policies, human-service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families. Special invited guests include Jackie Taylor, who is the advocacy co-chair for the Tennessee Association of Adult and Community Education and runs Tennessee’s federal level advocacy network. Katherine Ayres, author of Up, Down, and Around, the 2008 selection for the third annual Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child program. She’ll be signing books at the Marketplace Grand Opening and presenting a session, “Playing with Words: Writing is the Other Side of Literacy.”

Fun and networking are on the agenda, too: the Marketplace Grand Opening, PDC reception, and PAACE Night, encompassing the Thursday evening reception, banquet, and after-dinner entertainment, where we’ll be celebrating in grand style.

The ABLE Outstanding Teacher Awards and PAACE Outstanding Adult Students in Postsecondary/Higher Education Awards will be presented at Wednesday’s Recognition Luncheon. The PAACE Outstanding Adult Educator Award will be presented at the Thursday evening banquet. Nominations for the PAACE awards are open until early December.

Register before December 31 and save with our early-bird registration rate. The fee for PAACE members who register by December 31 is only $125, including 8 Act 48 hours. To qualify for the member discount, your membership needs to be in effect during the conference.

Look for session descriptions, awards information, conference registration, and a link to hotel reservations at www.paacesite.org. Please spread the word. See you in Hershey!

Back to Top

---

Advocacy update and your action needed
by JoAnn Weinberger, Center for Literacy, PAACE Legislative Committee Chair

Update on Recommendation to Move Bureau of ABLE
PAACE continues to be concerned about the Pennsylvania Economy League recommendation for the Bureau of ABLE to be moved from the Department of Education to the Department of Labor and Industry. For more information on PAACE’s response to the Governor and Secretaries, please go to www.paacesite.org. Since your state legislators are in their local districts now, please plan to visit your senator and representatives and use this opportunity to highlight your programs and ask for their support to keep the Bureau of ABLE in the Department of Education.

Update on WIA Reauthorization
It appears that WIA reauthorization is now on the legislative fast track. The national associations, including the State Directors and ProLiteracy, are working with Congressional aides.

Letters to Send Now
Letters need to be sent from each local program director to your Representatives in the US House of Representatives and the PA State House congratulating them on their election/reelection and to your PA State Senator if elected/reelected in your district. To find out who your State Senator and House members as well as Congressional representatives are, go to: www.votesmart.org Letters should be faxed or emailed to the appropriate Washington or Harrisburg offices.

Here is a sample letter:

Dear (Senator or Representative) (…….),

On behalf of the Board, students and staff here at the _________, my congratulations on your (election or re-election). I look forward to working with you to continue to provide adult literacy services throughout ____________ (County or Counties).

First, please feel free to come to visit (tutoring program and/or classes), learn more about our programming, and witness our staff, (volunteers) and students in action. Our mission is to help adults become better prepared for success in life as productive workers, successful family members, and engaged citizens.

While I think the Center is well known and appreciated, the scope of what we do is often not so well known.

• Last school year we provided adult literacy services to ____ individuals who either did not have a high school credential or whose skills in math, writing, or both were below the 8th grade level.
  
• We provide programs in _____ sites. These programs include ______ (e.g. adult basic education, GED, family literacy, English as a second language)
  
• (Insert any other statistic about your program)
  

To grow our economy, enhance the skills of our workforce and provide the opportunity for financial self-sufficiency to those on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder, adult education is crucial. I am hopeful that adult literacy will be one of your priorities.

Communicate with the Obama Transition Team
Send a message on behalf of your adult literacy program to the Obama transition team? Go to: http://change.gov/page/content/contact

Possible messages (you can use one or more of these or write your own):

• Please include funding for Adult Education in your economic stimulus package. Adults throughout the country want the opportunity to increase their basic skills so they can enter training or post-secondary education or obtain a job or a better job.
  
• Please recommend an increase in funding for Adult Education as you consider your 2009 budget. Adults need opportunities to increase their skills as workers, family members, and community members.
  
• Throughout the United States, adult literacy programs stand ready to support your economic stimulus, health, and pre-school through postsecondary initiatives by providing needed basic skills and the upgrading of skills.
  
• English as a second language opportunities are critical for the immigrants through the United States. The adult literacy community provides the needed educational opportunities in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
  

Back to Top

---

Family Literacy
Midwinter Conference to author, special events, Division Luncheon and awards
by Lori McMonigal, TIU 11 Community Education Services, Family Literacy Division Co-Chair

The Office of Commonwealth Libraries and PAACE Family Literacy Division are pleased to welcome a special guest to the Marketplace. Stop by during the Grand Opening and meet Katherine Ayres, author of Up, Down, and Around, the 2008 selection for the third annual Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child program. Katherine has been a lover of books since early childhood, when she began inventing stories before she could write them. Other books she has authored include A Long Way, Matthew’s Truck, and Family Tree. As part of the One Book, Every Young Child program, Katherine has been busy visiting libraries, museums, and other early learning sites throughout the state. Katherine plans to sign books in the Marketplace, and will also be presenting a workshop titled, “Playing with Words: Writing is the Other Side of Literacy” during the conference.

Be on the lookout for future announcements regarding Family Literacy sessions, special events, and the Division Luncheon featuring the Goodling Family Literacy Best Practice Awards!

Back to Top

---

English as a Second Language (ESL)
PAACE ESL Division luncheon to feature guest speakers to address naturalization questions
by Cathie Whitmire, Hispanic American Council, Martin Senger, GECAC, and Susan W. Adams, YMCA Education and Technology Center, ESL Division Co-Chairs

Senger and Whitmire (Adams not pictured)

Do you have unanswered questions about the new Naturalization Test, or the Naturalization process? Then sign up for the PAACE Midwinter ESL Division Luncheon. Two prominent USCIS officials will be the guest speakers during this session on Friday afternoon. Mr. Michael Jones from the USCIS in Washington D.C., along with Carol Rogoff Hallstrom, Esq. of the USCIS office in Philadelphia will be providing an overview of the changes to the process, and the exam itself, that have recently gone in to effect. Please come and join us!

Back to Top

---

Tutors of Literacy (TLC)
TLC activities at 2009 PAACE Midwinter Conference
by Kim Rossman, Tutors of Literacy, TLC Division Chairs

Tutors of Literacy (TLC) looks forward to many opportunities to meet you at the 2009 PAACE Midwinter Conference. TLC and Bureau of ABLE staff will be facilitating a session entitled “Keeping PAACE with the Needs of Literacy Programs and Their Volunteer Tutors.” The purpose of this session is to present data relating to the success and effectiveness of volunteer literacy programs. We hope you will take advantage of this unique opportunity to join with Bureau staff and other volunteer literacy programs to discuss current issues in the field and to have your voice heard.

We would also like you to join us at the annual TLC membership meeting where we will be discussing TLC’s current services and goals as well as voting on proposed bylaw revisions.

A double networking session for the Intensive Tutoring Services (ITS) initiative, open to all literacy programs, will be a time to share products, experiences, outcomes, and plans resulting from participation in this initiative. If you would like to learn more about the ITS initiative, please feel free to join us during one or both of these sessions.

Two timely sessions will be presented by Colleen Serencsits: Setting Goals to Keep Your Pace and Volunteers Make a Difference – Let Them Help You Increase Your Pace. Learn more about goalsetting and implementing volunteers in your literacy program.

An update on the Just in Time (JIT) tutor training model will be presented by Alisa Belzer; please plan to attend this session to learn more about the JIT modified tutor training process. This model is based on research indicating that tutors are not able to use much of the information that they receive in a typical, longer basic tutor training.

Throughout the conference, TLC will also have a table in the Marketplace where we will display information and materials related to our tutor trainings. We hope to see you at as many of these events as you can fit into your busy schedule. Choosing what to attend will be difficult due to all the excellent sessions being offered!

Happy Holidays and we look forward to seeing you at the PAACE Midwinter Conference.

Back to Top

---

PAACE Board Proud to Announce Ballot
by Debbie Hrach, PAACE Remote Past President and Chuck Klinger,TIU 11 Community Education Services, PAACE Immediate Past- President

PAACE is an organization that is made up of dedicated individuals who volunteer their time to support the field of adult and continuing education. It is with pleasure that we announce the newest nominees to join the PAACE board. An online ballot will be sent to all current PAACE members via email. We look forward to having these experienced individuals join the board. We also invite you to become more involved in PAACE. There are ways to be involved on an ongoing basis, as-needed basis, and for specific events/tasks. Please contact a board member if you interested in learning about how you can share your talents with PAACE.

Second Vice-President: Henry Wardrop

Henry Wardrop is the Director of the Special Projects Division for Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12 and a lifelong member of PAACE. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from Shippensburg State College and a Master’s Degree from Western Maryland College as well as postgraduate credits from Pennsylvania State University. He has been involved with adult education/employment training programs for 32 years; 29 at LIU #12. The programs offered through LIU 12 include: adult literacy; family literacy; English as a Second Language; adult basic education; GED preparation; GED® Testing; Move Up; PA WIN; WorkABLE and welfare to work. Henry has been a regional adult administrator representative; served on the WERC steering committee and co-chaired the South Central Adult Education Coalition. He is also a minority owner of a National Football League team.

Henry Wardrop

Secretary: Anita Cola Anita Cola started working in the field of adult education in 1990 when she answered an ad in the newspaper about becoming a volunteer tutor working with adults at Lackawanna College in Scranton. She did that for approximately two years until the College received grants from the PA Department of Education to provide Adult Basic Education classes. She was primarily an ABE, GED and ESL instructor until July 2000 when she became Director of the Adult Education Department at the College. She currently holds the position of PAACE Secretary and is running for another term.

Anita Cola

Treasurer: William Schaffer Mr. Schaffer currently is employed as the Director of Adult Literacy at Northampton Community College. As the Director of Adult Literacy, he serves as the education representative for Pecan Counties WIA and is involved in Job's for the Future's Breaking Through Initiative, which links ABE students to postsecondary education. He possesses over 13 years experience in adult literacy and workforce development, ranging from instructor to program manager. William also has 17 years of experience in bookkeeping and tax preparation. He holds a Masters Degree in Education from Capella University and is pursuing a doctorate in Leadership of Higher Education. He currently holds the position of PAACE Treasurer and is running for another term.

William Schaffer

Central Regional Representative (3-year term): Mary Mingle Mary Mingle has worked for the Central Intermediate Unit 10 for more than 10 years and has participated in several Bureau of ABLE initiatives including ABLE Net, the Central Northeast Professional Development Center (CNEPDC), and the National Institute for Literacy's Eastern LINCS project. She has served as a Master Technology Trainer for the CNEPDC region. Mary is currently co-coordinator and trainer for the CNEPDC. Back to Top

Mary Mingle

---

Midwinter Conference volunteers needed
By Anita Cola, Lackawanna College, PAACE Secretary

WE NEED YOU!  Would you be interested in volunteering at the PAACE Midwinter Conference in Hershey? 

The conference will run from February 11 – 13, 2009 at the lovely Hershey Lodge and Convention Center and we need volunteers to help with some duties such as greeting guests, providing general information, assisting presenters, helping with special events and registering conference attendees.

If you’re interested in helping, email Anita Cola at Lackawanna College , colaa@lackawanna.edu or Frank Wascalis at Luzerne Intermediate Unit, fwascalis@liu18.org by Dec. 31, 2008.

Please consider volunteering for a two-hour shift sometime during the conference.  It’s a great opportunity to meet with colleagues from around the state and have some fun at the same time.

Thanks in advance for all of your help.

Back to Top

---

Board positions open
By Tana Reiff, TIU 11 Community Education Services, PAACE President

Are you interested in serving on the PAACE board? Do you have special skills you could use to support PAACE? Would you like to be part of the organization's decision-making process? You're invited to join a roundtable, "Serving on the PAACE Board," at the conference facilitated by Tana Reiff and Lori Keefer on Wednesday, February 11 at 4:00. Even if you're only curious, please feel free to join the discussion.

Two appointed board positions are currently open: Chair of the Communications Committee and Chair of the Constitution, Bylaws and Resolutions Committee.

The Communications chair is editor of PAACE News and Web content administrator of paacesite.org. It would be helpful to have some experience with Web-authoring software, but if you form a committee, you could work with someone else doing the actual Web work.

The Bylaws chair (as we refer to it) is responsible for monitoring, applying, and updating the organization's bylaws. This individual can assist with parliamentary procedure at meetings and consult on contracts PAACE enters into.

As is true of all board positions, the position is what you make of it. While the PAACE bylaws and operations manual spell out general functions, board members who take initiative with new ideas are most welcome.

For more information, please contact Tana Reiff <tana_reiff@comcast.net>, phone (717) 299-8912.

Back to Top

---

PAACE welcomes Michael Westover, Acting Bureau of ABLE Director

The PAACE Board would like to welcome Michael Westover as he begins his new appointment of Acting Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy (ABLE) Director. He is replacing Rose Brandt who served in the position for five years. Westover has had many years of experience in adult education. He has worked as an ESL teacher and program administrator at Catholic Charities. He then joined the Bureau and served as a Regional Bureau Advisor, Lead Bureau Advisor and most recently Division Chief of Special Programs and Projects. Amanda Harrison-Perez will fill Westover's former position as Division Chief of Special Programs and Projects. The PAACE Board would also like to thank Rose Brandt for her support of the adult and continuing education field. She has helped to develop collaborations with other state partners through initatives such as Move Up, Career Gateway, and the Impact Grants. Back to Top

Michael Westover

---

Health Literacy and Adult Learners Webcast

Advancing Health Literacy: Meeting the Needs of Adult Learners is the focus of the National Institute for Literacy's most recent Webcast. Join Ian Bennett, M.D. of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine and Graduate School of Education; Susan R. Levy, Ph.D. of the University of Illinois at Chicago; and Andrew Pleasant, Ph.D. of Rutgers University, and moderator Sandra Baxter for an engaging discussion of new approaches to advances health literacy in collaboration. These panelists challenge us to think about how we view, understand and respond to the health literacy needs of adults with low literacy skills. To access the webcast, go to:
http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=119081&s=1&k=A39B69F8A12955226EB4BD098E4945EA .

Back to Top

---

National K-6 Classroom Literacy Conference
February 7 - 10, 2008
Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, OH
www.rrcna.org/conferences

2009 PAACE Midwinter Conference
February 11 - 13, 2009
Hershey Lodge
Hershey, PA
www.paacesite.org

Back to Top

Whatever your interest in adult education may be, the LINCS conference calendar has something for you--actually, LOTS of things for you. Check out this thorough list of conferences and events related to adult education, technology, and affiliated topics at:
www.nifl.gov/cgi-bin/Calendar/calendar_world.cgi

For those who like to print out PAACE News, you have the option of printing directly from your browser or downloading a PDF file of each issue.

Download the current issue of PAACE News as PDF file here.

Back to Top

Are you subscribed to the PAACE members e-mail list?

If you are a PAACE member and are not subscribed to the members e-mail list, you may use the simple sign-up process by going to www.paacesite.org, clicking on the link on the main page for the PAACE lists, and following the link for the members@paacesite.org list. Subscribers also may follow the link to change subscription information. Only subscribers may post to the list.

PAACE members are encouraged to be on the e-mail list in order to receive announcements and late-breaking legislative news, especially now!

Back to Top