District adds adult basic education – St. Paul Pioneer Press

Adult Basic Education Returns to Prior Lake-Savage Area

After a yearlong drought, adult basic education will return to the Prior Lake-Savage area.

At Monday’s regular meeting, the Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board approved an agreement allowing District 719 Community Education Services to begin hosting local adult basic education courses.

Local Oversight and Sustainable Development Goals

“We would have the local oversight and we would have the funds to set up classes in our own community,” said Leanne Weyrauch, director of Community Education. “The agreement allows us to be able do what we think is best and that would meet the need.”

Community Education will alter its current partnership with the Carver-Scott Educational Cooperative (CSEC) to offer the classes, which will begin Monday, Oct. 3 at Bridges Area Learning Center and include English Language Learners (ELL) and General Equivalency Diploma (GED) programming.

State Aid and Demand for Adult Basic Education

School districts receive allocated amounts of state aid, based on a formula, in order to provide adult basic education. District 719 – as one of eight member districts in the CSEC consortium – gave its funds to CSEC, which organized and staffed adult basic education courses. District 719 was the third largest CSEC member district in terms of aid. CSEC staff is responsible for determining the location of adult basic education classes based in part on demand.

“It didn’t have the connection with the district,” Weyrauch said. “It was sort of like you were outsourcing it someone.”

One side effect of this arrangement meant that learners in Prior Lake and Savage may, as was the case last year, be forced to travel to Shakopee, Belle Plaine or New Prague, etc., because programming is not available in their immediate community. GED classes in Prior Lake and Savage were phased out around 10 years ago, Weyrauch estimated, and low enrollment at a Glendale Elementary School section of ELL classes in 2009-10 resulted in no local adult basic education programming in the area in 2010-11.

New Agreement and Evaluation for Renewal

Under the new agreement, District 719 will bill CSEC for two-thirds of the district’s allocated state aid to provide programming locally. CSEC will retain the remaining one-third in exchange for instructor training, GED testing and other administrative work. CSEC will continue to be the “fiscal agent,” Weyrauch noted.

“We’re self-supported,” she said. “There is no cost to the general fund whatsoever.”

On Monday the School Board approved a job description for two adult basic education instructors and Weyrauch has already be-gun interviewing applicants. She will present the top two candidates at the board’s Monday, Sept. 26 meeting for approval.

The agreement is a yearlong pilot and will be evaluated for renewal once the year is complete. CSEC’s adult basic education classes include workforce education, family literacy and transition to employment – courses that are not available in Prior Lake-Savage. Because District 719 is still a partner with CSEC, local learners will still be able to take advantage of those CSEC classes, Weyrauch said.

“Those services are already available and staffed much bigger somewhere else,” she added.

Future Programming and Impact on Other Districts

Though she would like to look to locally providing programs like family literacy, if there is a need, Weyrauch said there isn’t a strong local call for programming beyond ELL and GED, the initial offerings under the new system.

Though District 719’s contributions to CSEC were so large under the old model, Weyrauch said the new agreement will have a minimal impact “to other districts in terms of being able to sustain their programming.”

Accessibility and Benefits of Local Adult Basic Education

Adult basic education classes are free for students and they do not need to live within District 719 boundaries in order to take classes here. Weyrauch anticipates that local enrollment will grow, which will result in more funding in subsequent years, because courses are now offered in the area. She also listed other benefits to the arrangement.

“The opportunity for us to do it locally is that we have more engagement with the school district and the community,” Weyrauch said. “You have more ownership because you’re managing it in-house in your own district.”

Originally Published: September 16, 2011 at 10:10 AM CDT

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The article discusses the return of adult basic education courses to the Prior Lake-Savage area, which is related to the goal of providing quality education (SDG 4). It also mentions the inclusion of workforce education and transition to employment courses, which align with the goal of promoting decent work and economic growth (SDG 8). Additionally, the article highlights the previous lack of programming in the area, indicating a potential reduction in inequalities (SDG 10) by providing educational opportunities locally.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational, and tertiary education, including university.
• SDG 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education, or training.
• SDG 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard.

The article’s content aligns with these targets as it discusses the provision of affordable and quality adult basic education courses, which can contribute to equal access to education (SDG 4.3). It also mentions workforce education and transition to employment courses, which can help reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education, or training (SDG 8.6). Additionally, by offering local programming and addressing the previous lack of adult basic education in the area, the initiative aims to reduce inequalities of outcome (SDG 10.3).

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Number of adult learners enrolled in the adult basic education courses
• Percentage of adult learners who successfully complete the courses
• Number of workforce education and transition to employment courses offered
• Percentage of youth in the area who are not in employment, education, or training
• Number of local learners taking advantage of CSEC classes

The article does not explicitly mention indicators, but these indicators can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. The number of adult learners enrolled and the percentage of learners who successfully complete the courses can indicate the extent of equal access to education (SDG 4.3). The number of workforce education and transition to employment courses offered can measure progress towards promoting decent work and economic growth (SDG 8.6). The percentage of youth not in employment, education, or training can be used to assess progress in reducing this proportion (SDG 8.6). Lastly, the number of local learners taking advantage of CSEC classes can indicate the impact of the initiative in reducing inequalities of outcome (SDG 10.3).

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

Source: twincities.com