Adult education programs
Since 1856, the adult education system has played an integral role in providing adult learners an opportunity to gain job skills they need to be successful in California’s workforce. But due to funding cuts in 2012, California Council of Adult Education President Christian Nelson says over 30 adult schools have closed and the adult education system is on the verge of collapse.
Over 1 million students per year attending over 300 adult schools throughout California, according to Nelson, learn the skills necessary to earn a high school diploma or GED, improve their English or train in the Career Technical Education (CTE) professions that offer good wage jobs and opportunities for employment.
For more than 20 years, Susan Gilmore has worked in the adult education system in California. Gilmore, former CCAE secretary and principal at A. Warren McClaskey Adult Center in downtown Sacramento, knows firsthand the impact the adult schools have on attendees.
Gilmore sits in her office surrounded by photos of students and teachers with “thank you” notes and signs. She is a true example of the dedication of the administrators in the adult education program. Gilmore points out that recent cuts to the budgets of California school districts, coupled with the state’s focus on the K-12 system, has left adult schools to fend for themselves. “We have all of these people that need our service and we can’t offer it,” Gilmore says. Adult schools in the area now charge small fees for classes that were once free.
“By empowering adult students with the job skills demanded for success, California’s economy will grow stronger, more revenue is generated for the state and public assistance is reduced. We must stop cutting adult education and begin reinvesting in adult education to help jump start California’s economy.”
Christian Nelson, President, California Council of Adult Education
The hardest part, Gilmore says, is seeing schools close and knowing that although some students are being placed at other adult schools, thousands of adults who are interested in continued learning and looking to gain job skills no longer have schools to attend. In 2011, Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) had to close Fremont School for Adults, she recalls. Fremont was the only SCUSD adult school accredited to help credit-deficient high school students earn the credits needed to graduate in its after-school program. “They served just short of1,000 high school students in the after-school program last year and 26 students got their high school diplomas because of it. Now, these students who need help can’t even try for it.”
Gilmore says the CTE opportunities, GED, high school diploma and certification programs offered at adult schools are crucial in times where large companies, such as Campbell’s Soup and Hostess are closing their doors, leaving scores of adults jobless. Adult schools aim to help these students gain job skills, find a better career and lead them on their path to success.
But even in the face of budget cuts, area adult schools remain resilient, working harder than ever to help adults who are looking to learn and find programs for them. “We know that what we are doing is important because we are preparing these students for work,” Gilmore says.
Most of these students become workers and employers of California’s workforce, Nelson notes. Gilmore agrees, explaining if adults are more educated, not only will it improve the economy, but also the lives and education of their children. “Parents who are educated are more capable of helping their children through school … and parents who are working hard in school set a great example for their children.”
Nelson says that helping adult students gain job skills is a recipe for success for the state as well.
“California’s economy will grow stronger, more revenue is generated for the state and public assistance is reduced,” Nelson says. “We must stop cutting adult education and begin reinvesting in adult education to help jump start California’s economy.”
For more information, go to www.capitaladulted.org.
Written by Kendall Fields
| Regions | Classes |
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| Northern California | Variety of Classes |
