Minnesota ABE: Aligning Vision and Reality Challenges for the Future

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Minnesota ABEAligning Vision and Reality
Challenges for the Future
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WELCOME PARTICIPANTS!

• Twenty-seventh Event
• Minnesota Community Education Association
• Literacy Minnesota
• Literacy Training Network
• MDE
• Bremer Foundation
• Denny, Carlye, Scott, Committee
• St. Johns

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Whos Who?

• Community Education Directors
• ABE Managers or Coordinators
• ABE Teachers or Staff
• Workforce Center Staff or Other Economic
  Development Staff
• Other Attendee Categories
• Professional Conference Crashers

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Previous Message REFLECTION

• Dr. Corrie presented the evidence regarding the
  need to view ABE as an economic development
  program
• Barry will make linkages to the economic
  development theme and to ABE status and
  challenges in general

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Major Missions of ABE

• The mission of Adult Basic Education in Minnesota
  is to provide adults with educational
  opportunities to acquire and improve their
  literacy skills necessary to become
  self-sufficient and to participate effectively as
  productive workers, family members, and citizens.
  

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ABE and Economic Development What Weve Done

• STATE LEVEL ACTIONS
• Impact Report 2004
• Workforce Education Aid
• WILMA training (Workforce Integration and
  Learning Mentor Academy)
• WIA Incentive Grants (35) Nat. Recog.
• Governors Workforce Development Council
  Involvement
• WIA Partners Team
• DEED Involvement

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ABE and Economic Development What Youve Done

• LOCAL PROGRAM LEVEL ACTIONS
• MOUs With Workforce Centers
• Connections with Business Service Specialists
• Local WIB Involvement
• Trained Workforce Education Staff
• Workforce Education Projects
• Pre-employment Programming (i.e. Basic Work
  English, Work Based Project Learner Classes, MFIP
  Referral Classes)

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ABE and Economic Development What MDE Needs to
Do

• STATE LEVEL ACTIONS
• Increase GWDC involvement
• Strengthen ties with DEED, DHS, and MnSCU
• Support Workforce Education capacity building
• Identify/disseminate best practices
• Provide technical assistance and resources
• Provide networking and conferencing opportunities
• Identify state and local grant opportunities
• Explore worker credentialing or certification
  designs

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ABE and Economic Development What Local Programs
Need to Do

• LOCAL PROGRAM LEVEL ACTIONS
• Increase local WIB involvement
• Renew and strengthen ties with local Workforce
  Centers (co-locate?)
• Outreach and market to employers
• Expand connections to county welfare offices
• Clarify role with college customized training
  foster collaborations co-locate? (FY 2008
  Initiative)

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ABE and Economic Development What Local Programs
Need to Do

• COMMUNITY ED DIRECTORS AND ABE EDUCATORS
• Help ABE become recognized by the community as a
  key player in the economic development of your
  community
• Its all about the things you do
  best. Networking
• Communications
• Building Collaborations
• Schmoozing

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Heads Up!

• Something New is Coming
• SECTOR STRATEGIES
• Involves business and industry areas such as
  Manufacturing, Health Care, Food Processing,
  Construction, Bio-Med, Hospitality, etc.
• Involves the preparation of unemployed or
  low-wage low-skilled Minnesotans
• Will offer resources to organizations that can
  prove their effectiveness to provide training

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The Challenges Ahead Economic Development

• Becoming a KEY PLAYER in the game
• Maintaining efficiency and effectiveness
  QUALITY
• Keeping many irons in the fire
• Playing nicely in the sandbox
• Expanding the sandbox
• YOUR PROGRAMS FUTURE MAY BE LINKED DIRECTLY WITH
  YOUR ROLE IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ARENA

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Times Past

• Humble Origins (19xx 1950s)
• Volunteer led, Laubach methods, ESL
• CBOs, faith-based orgs
• St. Paul, Minneapolis (1950s 1960s)
• Community education
• ESL, GED, Life Skills
• State and federal support
• Statewide Presence (1960s 1990s)
• Expansion through CE and CBOs
• ESL, GED, Basic academic skills

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Times Present

• Fast Forward 1998-2006
• State Funding formula Increased funding 12M
  37M
• Workforce Fast Forward 1998-2006
• State Funding formula Increased funding 12M
  37M
• Workforce Investment Act and Adult Education and
  Family Literacy Act
• NRS Accountability
• Law, Policy, Procedural Issues
• Current ABE Statewide Priorities
• NRS Accountability - Compliance
• Workforce Education

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Not Business As Usual

• Significant change in philosophy
• Academic focus, standardized testing level gains,
  emphasis on progress
• More managed enrollment and less open entry
  open exit
• More modularized curricula aligned to approved
  tests
• Increased program pressure to meet target goals
• Greater intensivity less lingering students

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ABE Student Progress

• Continuous progress on
• core performance indicators !!
• Report Card session (Todd and Anne Marie)
• Testing Workshops planned
• Student Progress Policy (Lori Leininger)
• Ability to benefit
• Within level progress
• Level to level progress

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Professional Development

• Re-designed system
• Regional coordination
• Audience or area group coordination
• MDE professional development coordinator
• Concurrent session

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Other FY 2007 Plans

• MDE-ABE Web re-design
• New look
• More postings/resources
• Performance funding federal
• Program year change for NRS outcomes
• Legislative advocacy biennial budget year

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Summary In Photos

• The Minnesota Adult Basic Education role with
  economic development
• is varied and dynamic.
• No matter if youre from ..

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• Our efforts and energies within the economic
  development arena will ultimately benefit.

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THANK YOU!

• The End