Two Upcoming Professional Development Events

This month we want to highlight two professional development opportunities in April.

Attention, Professionals Working with English as a Second Language (ESL) Learners!

Wednesday, April 8, 1:00 p.m.

The Professional Development System is pleased to host the sixth ESL Community of Practice Meeting on April 8, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. This meeting will focus on strengths-based, trauma-informed approaches. Together, we’ll explore practical strategies to build trust, support learner agency, and move beyond deficit-based thinking. This interactive session offers space for reflection, collaboration, and real-world application you can bring directly into your program. To register, please use the link below. We look forward to your participation!  

Tutor Coordinator Networking Meeting

Tuesday, April 14, 9:00 a.m.

Come talk about building community partnerships to support your volunteer program! Community partners can help with recruiting volunteers, providing space for lessons and trainings, providing resources for students, and identifying needs that your program can help meet. You will hear from tutor coordinators who have built successful partnerships in their communities and get a chance to share strategies and challenges you have encountered when establishing and cultivating partnerships in your community. Tutor coordinators and anyone at your program who works with volunteers are welcome to attend. 

Upcoming 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 view 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.

Workforce Wednesdays

The Workforce Wednesdays networking sessions continue every Wednesday, 12:30-1:00 p.m. We have some great guest speakers lined up for the next few weeks, but we are looking for more administrators to share promising practices in April and May. If you have something to share that could help other administrators with strengthening partnerships, helping adult learners meet employment outcomes, or unique ways to use data to improve your programming, please reach out to Loretta at lml160@psu.edu. Join a session.

Support for Helping Learners Gain Transferable Skills Needed for Success

The Workforce Development System Liaison (WDSL) Project staff is available to assist adult education practitioners with using the NEW Transferable Skills Self-Reflection with adult learners. If you would like to learn more about this resource and the different ways it can be used with adult learners, please reach out to the WDSL project.

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 PAAER website. To post a job, please email the job advertisement to mjmanfred@tiu11.org. 

• Digital Literacy Assessment Specialist - Vita Education Services

Visit PAAER.org for the latest PA adult education news and resources. Recent additions to the site include:

• PDE Monthly Division Webinar slides (3/19/26)
• Staff Induction Implementation

• COABE National Conference - April 12-15, 2026, Indianapolis, IN - In-person and virtual
• Students as Leaders Summit - April 13, 2026, Indianapolis, IN - In-person
• PAACE Conference - April 26-27, 2026, State College, PA - In-person | May 1, 2026 - Virtual
• CEA Forum - May 3-5, 2026, Baltimore, MD - In-person
• PA Workforce Development Association Conference - May 6-8, 2026, Hershey, PA - In-person
• Level Up GED^® Conference - July 29-31, 2026 - Atlanta, GA - In-person

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. 

Families Learning, News of the Week, National Center for Families Learning

Features information and resources for family literacy, early childhood education, and parent education.

Mar. 13 | Mar. 2 | Feb. 27

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 Transition Network, and many others. 

The Change Agent

COABE Connects, Digital Equity, Coalition on Adult Basic Education

Features national information, resources, and initiatives for adult basic education.

Mar. 13 | Mar. 6 | Feb. 27

CEA National News & Notes

Features news and national information from the Correctional Education Association.

February Newsletter