January 23, 2019
PAACE Conference to Include State and Regional Participants
An exciting new twist will be in place at this year's conference for the Pennsylvania Association for Adult Continuing Education (PAACE). The statewide annual conference, which will be held on March 11-12, 2019, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, will also double as the 2019 PAACE Regional Institute for Region 2 of the Coalition On Adult Basic Education (COABE). By virtue of expanding its scope to the larger region of the country, and with financial support from COABE and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the PAACE Regional Institute will feature national-level keynote speakers, as well as the perennial sessions aimed at administrators, teachers, tutors, and case managers.

The keynote speakers will include Pennsylvania' s Second Lady, Gisele Barreto Fetterman. Originally from Brazil, she has gone on to begin several non-profit agencies in the Pittsburgh area all focused on distribution of food and clothing to those in need.

Jennifer Freeman, program director at Jobs for the Future, will discuss successful examples of the integration of education and training that make use of contextualized learning and strong community partnerships to help adult education students reach family-sustaining careers.

As Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Workforce Development Board (PA WDB), Allison Jones understands how to find alignment between workforce development issues and Pennsylvania's education and economic development goals. She will also touch on Pennsylvania's WIOA Combined State Plan.

A full list of this year's conference sessions is now available.

PAACE also recently welcomed new board members. Victoria Lynam is the new Administrator Chair and also serves as an administrator at Center for Literacy in Philadelphia. The new Public Policy and Advocacy Assistant Chair will be Michael Westover, who is also the President and CEO for Center For Literacy.

If you are interested in attending the 2019 PAACE Conference and Regional Institute, learn more and register online.
Teaching Tips and Resources
Learning From Elementary Teachers
It can be hard to find material geared towards the adult education classroom, with its unique mix of low-level learners who also are mature adults. A recent Edutopia article titled Learning From Elementary Teachers explicitly takes some ideas found in elementary classrooms and adapts them for older learners. Topics include attention focusing, starting class well, and manipulatives.
The "rose and thorn check-in"
This idea is perfectly crafted to work in an adult education classroom. The rose and thorn check-in -- from a recent Edutopia article -- does what you probably already do with your adult students as they gather to begin class each day, but it structures it in a way that is constructive and can lead to learning. Each student has the opportunity to share one positive "rose" and one negative "thorn" from their day or that is on their mind. These can be simply acknowledged or discussed in depth, but every person feels valued and encouraged and perhaps some problems get solved. A little public speaking practice, too, and then right on to the lesson!
WIOA Updates
WIOA Joint Validation Overview webinar
A webinar will be held on Wednesday, February 6, 2019, at 1:00-2:00 p.m., titled WIOA Joint Validation Overview . The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) performance accountability team from the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education will lead a discussion of the joint guidance on data validation that was published in December. Learn more or register online .
State and National Adult Education News
PAACE accepting nominations for statewide awards
Do you know someone who is outstanding within the field of adult education? PAACE is accepting nominations for several statewide awards to be presented at this year's conference in March. Awards include those for Leadership, Partnership, and for the Practitioner, Volunteer, and Student of the Year, as well as the Joan Y. Leopold Service Award. Much more information and the nomination application can be found at the PAACE website . Nominations are due February 15, and winners will be notified by February 25.
Conference Review: National College Transition Network Conference
From November 12 to 14, 2018, Chrissie Klinger, Workforce Development Project staff, attended the National College Transition Network (NCTN) conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This year’s theme was Advancing College and Career Readiness: Preparing Adult Learners for the Future of Work. The panel discussions and breakout sessions highlighted innovative approaches that are helping adult learners successfully enter and transition through career pathways programming. Read more...
New Power in Numbers edition
The fifth edition of the Power in Numbers newsletter has been published. This edition shares information about a new report from its third report:  From Creation to Adoption: How to Develop and Deploy Successful Edtech . Also featured are a few professional reviews of recent national conferences.
Grants and Scholarships
Attend the COABE national conference with an innovation grant
NationalLiteracyDirectory.org is offering innovation grants to allow a representative from two organizations to attend the 2019 Conference of the Coalition On Adult Basic Education (COABE). The grant will cover the registration costs of the conference from March 31 to April 3, 2019, as well as offer a $1,000 travel stipend. Learn more or apply online. Apply by January 28; and awardees will be notified by February 8.
Inviting yourself to the party
Some funding opportunities are only open to those who have been invited to apply and this can be for a variety of reasons. GetEdFunding recently published a blog post discussing a few methods for getting your name in front of such a selective foundation and why it can still be possible to be successful.
Job Posting
The job postings below are for adult basic education programs that are funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and, at least in part, by WIOA Title II funds. They can also be found on the paadultedresources.org website. To post a job, please email the job advertisement to  [email protected] . 
PA Adult Education Resources
Visit  www.paadultedresources.org  for the latest PA adult education news and resources. Recent additions to the site include:

Upcoming State and National Conferences
State and National Newsletters
Listed below are state and national organizations' newsletters that may be of interest to you. To receive the most recent editions by email, please subscribe directly to the newsletter. 

COABE Journal, Coalition on Adult Basic Education. Features national information, resources, and initiatives for adult basic education.

OCTAE Connection, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, & Adult Education  Features news and resources for adult basic, career, and technical education.

Rural Perspectives, The Center for Rural Pennsylvania Features data and research findings related to a variety of topics relevant to rural PA.

Families Learning: News of the Week, National Center for Families Learning.
Features information and resources for family literacy, early childhood education, and parent education.  

Workforce GPS, Workforce3 One. Features career pathways and workforce development information.