Help Your Students Vote

The 2024 Election is just weeks away on Tuesday, November 5. Many of our students may be interested in voting, but they may not know how to navigate the election system in Pennsylvania. As adult educators, we can provide our students with the resources, support, and encouragement they need to cast their vote.

The Voter Education Toolkit from the Pennsylvania Department of State (DOS) has non-partisan materials that you can use with your students to promote voting and civic literacy. The Ready to Vote initiative aims to inform voters about key information about election deadlines and how to vote.

You can also encourage your eligible learners to register to vote before the October 21 deadline. If they have registered before, they can check their voter status by name or driver's license number.

Look to Newsela.com for articles that you can use to discuss and explore the topic of voting with your students or investigate vote.pa.gov, Pennsylvania's official voter information website.

You can also join World Education for a non-partisan, two-part webinar series called Equipped for the Elections - Media Literacy and Voting. These webinars will be held on September 20 and 27, 1:00-2:00 p.m., and will equip adult educators with resources and strategies for developing media literacy and promoting active participation in the election process. Register and learn more online.

Self-Reflection for Self-Improvement

A recent Edutopia article, Improving Your Teaching Practice Through Systematic Reflection, outlines a few strategies you can use to purposefully reflect on your teaching throughout the school year as well as tools you can use to capture and analyze those thoughts and reflections.

YouthBuild Mental Health Resource Collection

Youth mental health continues to be a nationwide area of concern and topic of interest. WorkforceGPS's YouthBuild Community has compiled a Mental Health Resource Collection to help you deliver mental health services to the youth or families that you work with. The collection is divided into sections of Youth Mental Health, Mental Health in the Workplace, Suicide Awareness and Prevention, and Trauma-Informed Engagement.

COABE Google Scholarships

As part of a multiyear partnership with Google, the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) is offering certain Google badges and credentials completely free to COABE members. These include Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, IT Support, Project Management, and more. Seats are limited and will be assigned in order of applications received. See the FAQ or apply now.

Webinar: Designing Equitable Career Pathways for Hispanic Populations

The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) Equity Summit Webinar Series will hold their next webinar on October 3, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. It is titled Designing Equitable Career-Connected Accelerated Pathways with Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

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.

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. 

• Communications Specialist - Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11
• ESL Instructor - United Neighborhood Centers NEPA
• Adult Evening ESL Instructor - VITA Education Services
• Remote/Hyflex Adult Education Teacher - VITA Education Services
• Director - PSU's Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy and Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy

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

• eData Instructional Manual and Glossary 24-25
• IET Overview
• Workforce Equity Resources for Women

• ProLiteracy Conference on Adult Education - October 6-9, 2024, Baltimore, MD
• Families Learning Conference - November 18-20, 2024, Louisville, KY
• COABE National Conference - March 30-April 2, 2025, Dallas, TX
• PAACE Conference - April 27-29, 2025, State College, PA

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. 

PA Association for Adult Continuing Education

Features information for adult education partners for advocacy, networking, and professional development.

September 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.

Sept. 6

COABE Connects, Digital Equity, Coalition on Adult Basic Education

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

Sept. 18 | Sept. 16 | Sept. 6 | Aug. 30

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. 

Sept. 18 | Sept. 16 | Sept. 4 | Sept. 3