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                                   www.coabe.org                                      May 2017
In This Issue
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Please let us know how we did! Take just a couple minutes to share your thoughts.

We had over 2,000 participants at the 2017 COABE/ACE Conference! Check out the many photos of you, your colleagues, and your new connections all learning, networking, and enjoying Florida's hospitality.  
Dollar General

Dollar General Literacy Foundation Accepting Applications for Youth Literacy Grant Program


DEADLINE: MAY 18, 2017
Grants of up to $4,000 will be awarded to schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations in support of efforts to help students who are reading below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading.

Download your FREE copy of the
COABE Journal!

(Click HERE)


  
We're pairing research and
practice for our members!
Download the full schedule  HERE.
 
Topics include reading, work-based instruction, program management, ELA, citizenship, 
and much more!

This month's topic is
High School Equivalency
 
Generou sl y sponsored by
 
  
Professional Development Webinars (FREE)


When: May 17th at 2:00 p.m. EST
Presenter: Susan Gibson

Title: Social Studies & Science for the High School Equivalency Assessments: Make it Fun, Make it Cheap!

Description:
 This webinar will focus on methods and resources to turn your classroom into an exciting and engaging location for social studies and science instruction. The focus will be on the content, concepts, and strategies students need to successfully pass the social studies and science content tests in the three high school completion assessments. We will share ideas about teaching in a way that is fun, engaging, and active. Students will be up and out of their seats! Resources for the classroom will include a number of internet-based resources in addition to low-cost or no-cost tips and ideas for turning the classroom into a constant social studies and science learning experience. Participants will leave the webinar with a variety of ideas for immediate implementation and access to a LiveBinder with a large variety of internet resources.
 
Generously sponsored by   



May 4-5, 2017
Click Here for Details
  _______________________________________
   

May 12, 2017
Click Here for Details
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June 21-22, 2017
Click Here for Details 
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July 31-August 2, 2017
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During COABE 2017,  Minnesota's Southwest ABE held a conte s t to name the domain of a new online literacy curriculum that helps learners to obtain essential skills needed to work in the healthcare industry. 
 
The winner of a $100 gift card is Kelsey Buchanan, from Georgia! 

Her domain name 
www.reading4healthcareworkers.com  will host the FREE, high-quality curriculum called "Reading Skills for Healthcare Workers" that includes
  • 175 leveled readings (GLE 5.5-8.5) focused on healthcare content and contexts
  • development of content and academic vocabulary
  • recordings of each reading at three speeds to aid fluency development
  • much more!
Thank you to all who participated in our contest, and thanks to Kelsey for giving us our new name! Check out the website, which is currently under construction, at 






April 26, 2017
Our Capitol Hill Day was a wonderful success, with over 80 visits made to legislators and their staffers. Our joint public awareness campaign ---  Educate and Elevate ---  was our mantra, and feedback from Capitol Hill participants has been extremely positive. The last meeting of the day was with Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education. Leaders from COABE invited the state director leadership to join them for this important meeting, which lasted for over an hour. During this time, Secretary DeVos expressed her commitment to adult education, while COABE and state director leadership shared important points relative to quality, endurance, integrated education, and more. To review the press release from this meeting click here.

COABE Capitol Hill Day was generously sponsored by ETS ® HiSET ®.

WHAT IS EDUCATE & ELEVATE?

We launched a national advocacy campaign called Educate & Elevate at our national conference in Orlando, FL, earlier this month. The campaign is being conducted in partnership with the National Council of the State Directors of Adult Education to inform policy makers on the importance of investing in adult education. We need your help! Please click here to make your voice heard. Also, please take a short survey to help us better understand what you would need in our Campaign Toolkit to conduct advocacy effectively and to participate in the campaign.


Government Relations Report
 
This report focuses on budget and appropriations issues.   
Congress is on recess for another week.
 
The continuing resolution (CR) under which the government is operating expires on April 28. There is a need to determine how the government will be funded for the remainder of the year. There is still a certain lack of clarity about whether there will be a long-term CR to carry funding through to September 30, or an omnibus appropriations bill (or bills) that will make actual funding decisions on an account-by-account basis. In either case, there may need to be a short-term continuing resolution because work won't be completed by the 28th of the month


It is with great pleasure that we acknowledge our wonderful partner, ACE of Florida, who co-hosted the largest COABE conference to date! Led by Valorie Boyd, Executive Director, and her dedicated staff --- including Leigh Ann Clark and Julie Roberts, along with Andrew Jenkins, Board President --- ACE of Florida went above and beyond to ensure attendees had a delightful conference experience!

We would also like to acknowledge the many conference volunteers who provided boots-on-the-ground during the conference. The conference committees were led by Andrew Jenkins, Valorie Boyd, Julie Roberts, Susan Winters, Leigh Ann Clark, Neeta Rancourt, Jeff Arnott, Nyce Daniel, Susan Gluckman, Luis Hernandez, and Raphael Valezquez, and all put in many hours during the conference!

Thank you ACE of Florida, and the many Floridians who made this such a memorable experience!

Sincerely,
Sharon Bonney, Tom Nash, and Kaye Sharbono

You're Invited to the 
National Celebration of Reading!

Join the Barabara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy for the National Celebration of Reading, on Thursday, May 4, 2017, in Washington, D.C.  This year, we'll be joined by authors Mary Matalin, James Carville, Sandra Brown, and Ambassador Sichan Siv, as well as other special guests.
Learn More >
Report:  Integrated Education & Training Strengthens Career Pathways and Prepares Students for Good Jobs

By Judy Mortrude
 
At the recent COABE 2017 conference, Integrated Education and Training (IET) was in the air. It was evident in the pre-conferences, vendor hall, and in multiple breakout sessions! Building on that energy, CLASP has released a summary of IET research and guidance called "Integrated Education and Training: A Career Pathways Policy & Practice."


Click here  for more information or to register today!
 

Adult Education Advocacy: Bringing the Practitioner Voice to Policy Conversations

Making sure that policy conversations are informed by the deep expertise of adult educators in the field is a core element of National Skills Coalition's work. In addition to bringing practitioners into Washington for federal-level conversations, NSC staff also regularly travel around the country to connect with people who are engaging in advocacy in their local communities and states.

This spring, two NSC staff members joined adult educators at two major conferences to talk about emerging opportunities for policy advocacy, new research findings, and resources for practitioners to connect the dots between local programs and the broader adult education and skills policy conversation.