| Adult Ed. vs. Community College |
5/23/03 9:11 AM |
| Author:
Deborah Shanks
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One of the great conundrums of the K-14 system is who does what concerning Adult Education. Should the Adult Ed./high school folks do it or the Community College? Who does the best job? I was always told that we were NOT supposed to duplicate each other because that would put the two systems in competition with one another and basically adversaries for students and money. So first we need to address what is the role of each system? Should all non-credit Adult Ed. be done via the high school/adult ed [ie. ESL, voc. ed and basic non-credit community improvement courses]? Should it done in the community college such as voc. ed as retraining and welfare back to work programs, ESL for the college transfer bound, "community interest" courses, and such. How much reciprocity should there be when it is a fight for every dollar we get? Maybe if there was a system [committee/task force/commission] in which the two groups could "coordinate" what they are doing, who is doing it and why it would be better in one location over the other -- we could get somewhere.
I don't have a problem with having direct reciprocity of instructional qualifications being honored at each others institution if they are qualified to teach that subject. After all if you are teaching ESL in the CCC system to "adults" over 18, then why should you be blocked from teaching ESL to "adults" in the Adult Ed. program because you don't have a K-12 credential? They are the same people. Have I lost something or aren't adults -- adults? If we are going to worry about teacher preparedness and ability to teach -- then we must return to the argument that CCC instructors need a credential about teaching. The old CCC credential was two quarters long + paid part-time student teaching for one semester under a master teacher who helped them understand the basic challenges to teaching. What was wrong with that? Adult Ed. comparable
courses should be identified and open to either qualified system educator.
But we will have to identify funding streams, equal pay for equal work, housing and location of programs, and how take the competition out of serving the students and getting the job done. Frankly, I have always thought Adult Education should be where adults are and that is not in K-12.
We should be preparing "adults" for bigger and greater challenges and I believe that is in "college". But I doubt the High Schools that run adult ed. programs would agree with that. But consideration from all angles is important.
Posted as a reply to:
SB 823 - Adult Education by Charles Ratliff 
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