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“I want to compliment you and your entire team and collaborators on the Move Ahead with Adult Ed tools. This is very necessary and exactly what the field needs. I appreciate the hard work, thought and care put into this.”
-Stephenie Rittberger, Adult Education Coordinator, South Dakota
This Move Ahead With Adult Ed website will help you find free or very inexpensive, high quality federally funded adult education programs that are close to you. You can filter your search by the following options:
COABE and NASDAE joined forces to deploy an award winning national campaign which includes a toolkit for adult educators.
The purpose of the campaign toolkit is to provide outreach materials and language to help adult education organizations with proactive tools to communicate the value of adult education. The campaign also enables programs to “get on the map” as COABE leverages the power of Google ads to help adult learners find programs.
Many local programs have seen an increase in program enrollment since joining the movement which kicked off in August 2020.
In the Monroe County Schools Adult Education Program, we joined the campaign during the first week of October, and I have found the tools to be extremely helpful in advocating our program. I used the press release template, had it sent to all of our local media outlets, and posted it on own Facebook page and other groups I belong to. (You can read it here.) I use the campaign logo in my e-mail signature and on all print and electronic pieces we distribute. (Here’s an example.)
I joined the campaign for several reasons. First, I currently do the marketing myself: website, Facebook posts, printed pieces, e-mail blasts, etc. But I am not a professional marketer my any means. I found these tools easy to use and gave me ideas I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Secondly, I saw this initiative as an opportunity to create the image that our program belongs to something “larger.” That is, it makes it clear that we belong to a nationwide effort to help adults affected in any way by COVID-19 find new education, training, and employment opportunities. Thirdly, it calls to people’s attention that during this pandemic, we are serving adults using a variety of instructional platforms: distance learning, in-person learning, and hybrid learning. And we’re using those platforms throughout a variety of services: high school diploma and equivalency, English language learning, industry-recognized certifications, workforce education initiatives.
As a result, I think this initiative has help us in only the first few weeks. We have increased our media exposure, as one of our local newspapers picked up the story and is going to run with it. Also, we have seen only a 15% decrease in enrollments over this time last year, as compared to the 42% statewide decrease. Measurable skill gains, down 8% statewide compared to October 2019, are up 5% in our program. We had a local company contact us to begin a new workforce education initiative.
So, I encourage all of our programs to join me in the #MoveAheadwithAdultEd campaign, and let’s move our state ahead….together!
Robert D. Moore Director of Adult Education
Monroe County Community School Corporation
Broadview Learning Center
705 W. Coolidge Dr.
Bloomington, IN 47403