network 2019 - HIGHLIGHTS

At turns informative and inspirational, MCAE’s NETWORK 2019 Conference brought together over 550 teachers, tutors, counselors, administrators, and advocates on May 10 to strengthen the practice of adult education in Massachusetts and to celebrate the passion, intelligence, and perseverance of a community so vital to the Commonwealth’s future.

Members of Massachusetts' adult education community gather for NETWORK 2019

NETWORK’s program of more than 50 workshops, on topics ranging from mobile and distance learning to enhancing writing and communication skills, allowed attendees to exchange new ideas, explore new technologies, and gain valuable first-hand experience putting new methods into action.  Interest in NETWORK was so high this year that the conference was sold out.

MCAE's Roberta Soolman poses with Jeneschya Sanchez, recipient of the 2019 Derfler Memorial Scholarship

During the conference’s Awards Luncheon, MCAE honored four members of the adult education community for their dedication, leadership, and commitment to improving the lives of the educators and learners around them.  The organization recognized Shugri Elmi, a Somali native and now US citizen who attends the Boston Public Schools Adult Learning Center, as its Outstanding Student of 2019 and named Kathleen Klose its Outstanding Educator.  Ms. Klose is an ESOL Literacy and Citizenship Teacher at The Immigrant Learning Center in Malden.  It also bestowed a Lifetime Achievement award upon Andy Nash, the Director of the New England Literacy Resource Center, in appreciation for her thirty years of service to the field and her tireless advocacy on its behalf.  Finally, MCAE presented its annual Ruth E. Derfler Memorial Scholarship to Jeneschya Sanchez, a Haverhill resident who is currently studying psychology and human services at Northern Essex Community College and who completed her adult education courses at Community Action, Inc.

NETWORK 2019 was made possible in part by sponsorships from Dunkin’ and GED Testing Service.

For a copy of the NETWORK 2019 program, please click here.

To view an array of photographs from the event, please click here. 

To access select workshop presentations from the conference, please click here. 

Remember! NETWORK 2020 will be held Friday, April 3, at the Best Western Royal Plaza in Marlborough, MA.

 

 

 

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What does it take to be an ABE leader?

Leadership can sometimes be a complicated art, sometimes it’s a simple act.

MCAE is asking you to be a leader - by joining us and by combining your voice with ours on behalf of adult educators and students here in Massachusetts.  For more than two decades, in collaboration with ABE leaders across the Commonwealth, MCAE has sought to promote public policies that provide the resources necessary to deliver high-quality educational services, that improve working conditions for program staff, and that enhance the quality of life for adult learners and their families.

Our work can only continue with your support, however. So, please, join MCAE and the organizations listed below by clicking here now. 

 

MCAE Leadership Circle

Abisi Adult Education Center

Boston Education, Skills, & Training Corporation

Cambridge Community Learning Center

Framingham Adult ESL Plus

Holyoke Community College

Lawrence Public Schools - Adult Learning Center

Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts

Ludlow Area Adult Learning Center

Methuen Adult Learning Center

Mujeres Unidas Avanzando

Notre Dame Education Center

UMass Dartmouth Workers' Education Program

Valley Opportunity Council

World Education

 

MCAE Organizational Members

Brockton Public Schools Adult Learning Center

Clinton Adult Learning Center

First Literacy

 

 

Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education

The Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education (MCAE) champions the right of all adults to acquire 21st century literacy, English language and numeracy skills leading to economic prosperity, strong families and vibrant communities. MCAE provides leadership, professional development, communication and advocacy to advance quality adult basic education.

 

neW @ MCAE

​Hundreds Turn Out to Back Fair Taxation

On Thursday, April 11, nearly 300 activists from Raise Up Massachusetts packed Gardner Auditorium at the State House to make their case for the Fair Share Amendment (FSA) before a hearing of the Joint Committee on Revenue. As a member of the Raise Up coalition, MCAE was on hand to lend its support for the measure, which would impose a 4 percent tax on incomes over $1 million and would devote the resulting revenue to critical education and transportation needs in the Commonwealth.  Given the potential the measure holds for restoring funding to Massachusetts’ adult education system, MCAE has endorsed the FSA as part of its broader legislative agenda and will continue to lend its voice to calls for the FSA’s approval this year. The FSA nearly appeared on the 2018 ballot for Massachusetts’ voters to consider, but was blocked by a last-minute ruling of the Supreme Judicial Court.  Now, it must once again pass the Legislature in two consecutive sessions before it can be placed on the ballot in 2022.

To read the Boston Globe’s coverage of the hearing, please click here.

To read MCAE’s testimony in support of the FSA, please click here.

To see MCAE’s full 2019-2020 legislative agenda, please click here.

 

Boston Globe Urges Elected Officials to Make Adult Education a Priority

In a powerful January 7 editorial calling attention to the “aging-out” of young adults in the Boston Public Schools, the Boston Globe underscores “a profound and persistent need for increased funding for adult education and specifically English as a Second Language adult programs” and argues that ”[e]xpanding adult education, particularly…English as a Second Language instruction, should be a priority for Beacon Hill." Read the full editorial here.

 

 

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