Volume 21 Issue 4 | January 2022
Adult Learning Network
The Adult Learning Network is a quarterly publication of the
Arkansas Adult Learning Resource Center (AALRC)
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AACAE Reflection
For the second consecutive year, the AACAE (Arkansas Association for
Continuing and Adult Education) Board elected to host their yearly conference in a virtual setting. Having had some time to attend similar virtual conferences and meetings, the board felt confident that they should prioritize the safety of participants while offering a dynamic slate of speakers and the increasingly rare opportunities to connect with the membership.  
 
The theme for the conference, "Resilience to Reinvention: Transformation in the World of Adult Education," invited participants to embrace changes that have become necessary as state programs have worked to find areas of opportunity resulting from the effects of the pandemic. Adult educator and director Dr. Meghan McBride delivered the keynote address, and ESL Training Coordinator Andrea Echelberger presented an afternoon session on Trauma-Informed Practices.  
 
For the current membership year, these are the elected positions:

2022 Elected Board
Dorissa Kaufman, President
Robbie Cornelius, Vice President
Scott Sikora, Secretary
LaCarol Clement, Treasurer
Anne Bonkofsky, Parliamentarian
 
 
2022 Nominating Committee
Northwest: Pinghui Wu ([email protected]) 
Southeast: JJ Bayliss ([email protected]) 
Northeast: Kendall Morrison ([email protected]) 
Central: Onisha Chandler ([email protected]) 
Southwest: Casson Brock ([email protected])--Chairperson

In addition to the Burlington ESL Awards,
AACAE Adult Education Rewards were given to :

Professional Development
PD Calendar for Upcoming Months
Please click button below to access the AALRC Professional Development (PD) Calendar!
For further information on COABE Webinars in January 2022,
please click below!

DISABILITIES

Addressing Unintentional Discrimination
Unintentional discrimination is a term that has gained more focus throughout the ongoing pandemic. Although the word “unintentional” should clarify that intentions were not biased, in the eyes of the court systems, schools and federally funded entities can still be held liable. First, we should clarify what unintentional discrimination entails. Unintentional discrimination occurs when a policy adversely affects an individual or group of individuals based on race, color, gender, age, pregnancy or any other federally protected classification. Although the foundation of these policies is seemingly neutral, they can end up having a negative impact on members of protected groups.
 
Since the spread of COVID-19, educational environments have been faced with unprecedented closures, barriers and accessibility requirements. With this being said, it is imperative that school leaders and educators are aware of what is required by law and make adequate efforts to meet the needs of its students. Section 504, Title II and Title VI are in place to ensure that all students are able to study and learn in an environment that is safe and free of discrimination. This also includes unintentional discrimination. The natural question is how can an educational environment ensure that adequate efforts are being made to meet the needs of its students?    

Many educational leaders are referring to a framework created by Shapiro & Stefkovich (2016) & Starratt (1991) which involves professional ethics of care, justice and critique. Ethics of profession include a focus on equity and cultural responsiveness. Ethics of justice reviews current policies and practices and the expectations of professionals involved. Finally, ethics of critique takes into consideration personal ethics and centers on the best interests of the students.
Tech Talk
FREE Educational Programs!

The AALRC provides great software programs at no cost to AR Adult Education Centers. These valuable tools need to be utilized by your staff to help us reach our goal of furthering the education of students as quickly and efficiently as possible.

So, how do you start using these programs? It’s simple, just contact Rob Pollan [email protected] to get set up with any program accounts that you need. He is also the person to contact if you need technical support or would like help using one of the following programs.

 
 
Aztec Plus (New Aztec) - https://plus.aztecsoftware.com
 
 
  
 

 
The links to these programs and others are available by clicking here:
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Adult Learning Alliance (ALA) hosts
virtual grant writing workshop
Does your council have fantastic plans, but not the funding to make them happen? Join ALA as we host a virtual workshop that will look at funding nonprofits through grant applications in Grants 101.
Marci Bynum Robertson will guide the online sessions from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on January 12th and 13th, 2022 (breaks included). Marci was the Executive Director of Literacy Action of Central Arkansas for three years and has been writing competitive grant applications for 25 years, beginning with her position as Director of Collections and Historical Research/Grantwriter at the Museum of Discovery. She has written successful grant applications for a broad range of nonprofits, from the arts and sciences to technology, libraries, workforce services, and education. 
 
Grants 101 will begin with a discussion of whether you are ready to apply for funding and move on to research methods, matching projects with funders, different types of funding, typical application components, what documents to have on hand for applications, and general tips and hints for your request. Be prepared to ask questions and discuss options with your fellow literacy councils. If you have a specific question that you would like to discuss, feel free to email Marci at [email protected] before the sessions.
 
The workshops are open to all literacy councils, AmeriCorps members and interested adult education programs. Register below to receive the Zoom link. Link is shareable.
 
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.