Northern Alameda Adult Education Collective creates more opportunities for success
Students take many paths to find their way into the adult education system. The goal for Northern Alameda Adult Education Collective is to make sure that, once those learners get in the door, the road map is clear.
Northern Alameda Adult Education Collective (NAC) is one of California’s regional adult education consortia, formed after funding was made available in 2013 to restructure adult education statewide. The collective includes six school districts and four community colleges, and offers an array of services. If students are seeking literacy skills, English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, a high school diploma or equivalence or career training, NAC has the right program.
Community colleges and adult schools existed before NAC, but navigating those institutions alone could be discouraging.
“The biggest predictor of education success in children is the education level of their parents.”
Tom Reid, Principal, Berkeley Adult School
“There was no comprehensive approach,” says Joy Chua, Principal at Alameda Adult School. “They might go to one institution and get sent to another. Even within a community college, sometimes they would be sent to different places — for online registration or to see a counselor or for assessment and orientation.”
With coordination comes a system that is more user-friendly, easily accessible, adaptable to individual needs and involves less duplication of services.
“Take ESL, for example,” Chua says, “all of the members offer it. But, in the adult schools, we will serve more beginning-level students. The community colleges will generally serve more ESL students with higher-level English skills.”
Why does that matter?
“We want to make sure students are enrolled in the program that best fits their interests and needs,” she says. “Are they eligible for financial aid? If they are not, is an adult school or nonprofit a good option?”
Getting each student on the right path is the goal of NAC, and there are individuals devoted to doing just that. Transition liaisons can help students navigate the enrollment process, move from one level to the next and, in some cases, participate in multiple programs at once.
The benefits of adult education extend far beyond the walls of the school and the lives of individual students — adult education also fills the need for a highly trained workforce.
“The biggest gap in the economy is not for Ph.D.s, not even for those with bachelor’s degrees. It’s for people with good technical skills,” says Tom Reid, Principal at Berkeley Adult School. “I’m valuable if I can transition students from my programs to colleges or careers, well-prepared to succeed in those environments.”
And it goes beyond even that, having a generational impact.
“The biggest predictor of education success in children is the education level of their parents,” Reid says. “If we can advance that level, we are making a significant contribution. It’s also fantastic modeling for children to see the value of education.”
Written by Matt Jocks
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Bay Area California |
