October 20, 2020
Apprenticeship Resources and Grant Opportunities
The week of November 8 is National Apprenticeship Week and November is when many areas celebrate apprenticeships. Whether your adult education program is part of the apprenticeship pipeline, or still trying to figure out how to help learners get connected with apprenticeships, we have resources to help!



  • Want to have current apprentices share their experiences? Use the Integrating Career Awareness informal interview lesson (pp. 81-85) to help adult basic education and English language learners interview current and former apprentices.


A new $750,000 competition will reward adult education providers who design pre-apprenticeship programs that prepare learners for apprenticeships and beyond. The Rethink Adult Ed Challenge will accept preliminary program designs until November 25. At that point, 100 finalists will be chosen to continue to refine their designs using a range of digital resources. The grand-prize winner will receive $250,000, and up to five runners-up will each receive at least $100,000.
Teaching Tips and Resources
Personal and Workplace Success Skills Library
The National College Transition Network (NCTN) is offering a $2,500 stipend to selected programs who can incorporate a Personal and Workplace Success Skills (PWSS) library into instruction or advising/coaching and document their experiences. Those experiences will be included in case studies that will later be part of the PWSS Library. Participants will receive custom consultation with NCTN staff to help identify the PWSS resources that align with their program design and goals. Learn more about this opportunity online.
Isolated Students May Struggle to Stay Mentally Healthy
Some aspects of 2020 have been trying for everyone. Teachers may notice students with mental health issues in class. An Edutopia article, Isolated Students May Struggle to Stay Mentally Healthy, discusses the problems of loneliness, hopelessness, and panic that we may observe in students and lists instructional strategies for addressing them. Referrals to community services should be made to support students struggling with mental health issues.
Using Retakes to Nurture Growth Mindset
When a student does poorly on an assignment do you give them a second chance? A recent Edutopia article argues that offering a student an opportunity to redo an assignment can improve their self-esteem and the quality of their work.
Using Student-Generated Questions to Promote Deeper Thinking
Everyone enjoys a healthy class discussion. The best discussions can see the teacher step back and the students take over with asking and answering each other's questions. But how can you encourage high-quality questions? An Edutopia article, Using Student-Generated Questions to Promote Deeper Learning, looks at research that had students develop their own questions as they studied material. That research group scored 14 percent better on a retest. Learn more about this research on questioning strategies and learn five tips for getting students to generate productive questions in your class.
Professional Development Opportunities
Professional Learning for Adult Education and Family Literacy Staff
Staff at PDE-funded adult education and family literacy agencies can view a list of upcoming courses now available for enrollment in the PD Portal. For more information about any of these courses, please visit the PD Portal, open the course catalog, and review the syllabus. If you are interested in enrolling in a course, please consult with your in-house professional development specialist (IHPDS) to determine if the course meets your professional learning goals.
Webinar: Implementing Your COVID-19 National Dislocated Worker Grant Program
A webinar will be held on Thursday, November 5, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m., to discuss and explain local implementation of COVID-19 National Dislocation Worker Grants (DWG) at the grantee level. Hear about best practices from grantees who have successfully managed DWGs thus far, as well as representatives from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
Webinar: Becoming a Successful Online Instructor
A wide variety of topics relating to online instruction will be discussed in this webinar. PAACE will hold this webinar on Tuesday, October 20, at 12:15 p.m. Learn more about the intended topics of discussion and register online.
State and National Adult Education News
Please Share a Learning Management Survey
In late summer, the Equity in e-Learning Project sent out a survey to collect information on which learning management systems (LMSs) are being used by adult basic education programs across the country. This organization wants to use this survey with a wider audience, to gather information beyond the traditional Title II partners. They are asking you "to disseminate the survey to your networks, particularly people/organizations you know are either A) using an LMS, or B) in the process of determining an LMS solution." Please consider passing this survey along to those who might share this input with the project.
Move Ahead with Adult Ed from COABE
Is your agency looking for outreach materials and tools to proactively find adult learners? The Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) has created a toolkit called Move Ahead with Adult Ed. These resources can help you effectively communicate to your community that you are open for business and supporting learners. You can learn more and watch a recorded webinar at the Move Ahead with Adult Ed website.
COABE National Conference Presentations
The deadline for submitting presentation proposals for the COABE National Conference has been extended to October 30. Presentations can be either in-person, virtual, or a hybrid format and can be of varying lengths.
COABE General Regional Membership Meeting
The COABE General Regional Membership Meeting will be held on Thursday, October 22, at 2:00 p.m. Participants can connect with other members in Region 1 and hear about COABE's recent activities. Register online.
Grants and Scholarships
Teachers Should Write Grants
In a recent GetEdFunding.com blog post, Carmen Watts Clayton explains why she, with 30 years of teaching experience, enjoys and sees value in applying for grants. Her article discusses the skills and values that she builds in herself and the lessons that she can teach her students through the process. These lessons might be even more salient with adult students with life experience and skills that are more directly applicable than a K-12 student. Check out her blog post Why Grant Writing is an Important Process for Students and Teachers and reflect on the benefits that grant writing could bring to you and your students.
Job Posting
The job postings below are for adult basic education programs funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and, at least in part, by WIOA Title II funds. You can also find the postings on the paadultedresources.org website. To post a job, please email the job advertisement to [email protected]. 

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

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

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

WorkforceGPS, Workforce3 One Features career pathways and workforce development information.

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

World Education/U.S. Features resources and information from World Education projects including EdTech Center News, The Change Agent, College for Adults, E-Learning, LINCS Region 1 Professional Development Center, National College Transitional network, and many others.