Dear Folks Who Know the Value of Adult Education and Care about California
Next week, leaders in the field of Adult Education in California will meet at the 2024 CAEP Summit to discuss how to provide the state of California with the best possible Adult Education in order to be the best possible state of California.
I took a look at the agenda, and noticed that AI is the focus of many of the workshops. I counted nine but you may count more.
But no mention of Climate Literacy, Green Job Pathways, Emergency Preparedness, Campus Sustainability, or Community Resiliency.
This gave me a nervous feeling because I know Climate Change is a top priority for the State of California and it definitely impacts the communities served by Adult Education, many of which fall into the “highly vulnerable” category.
So taking a cue from CAEP, I asked AI - in this case, Chat GPT - for help.
CAEP’S PRIORITIES
Dear Chat GPT, “What are the top three focus areas for 2024 California Adult Education Program Summit?”
Chat GPT’s answer:
Equity and Access: Emphasizing strategies to ensure that all adults have equitable access to educational resources and opportunities
Workforce Development: Aligning adult education programs with workforce nes to enhance job readiness and skills training
Innovative Teaching Practices: Sharing effective teaching methods and technologies to improve learning outcomes and engagement in adult education settings.
Great! As a longtime advocate for Adult Education, I support these priorities!
Because Workforce is such a focus for CAEP - many workforce resources are provided on the CAEP website and there many workshops focused on it at the Summit, I decided to ask AI a question about workforce development.
FUTURE JOB TRENDS
Dear Chat GPI, “What are the three biggest influences on future job trends in California?”
Chat GPT’s answer:
Technology and Automation
Sustainability and Green Economy.
Remote Work and Flexibility.
Okay, CAEP knows technology, AI, and workforce development are important - that’s clear from the CAEP website and the CAEP Summit, but there’s nothing on the CAEP website or the Summit agenda about Sustainability and Green Economy - even though they are the second biggest influence on the future of job trends of California.
Hmmm…
CAEP values equity. And I know Climate Change is an equity issue. But does CAEP know? CAEP is a data based entity. Let me ask Chatty for help!
CLIMATE CHANGE IS AN EQUITY ISSUE
Dear Chat GPT “How does Climate Change impact Equity issues?”
Vulnerability of Marginalized Communities
Access to Resources
Health Disparities
Economic Inequality
Displacement and Migration
Political Power and Representation
Wow! Those sound like issues that CAEP cares about!
So if Climate Change is impacting these things… then CAEP is all over this, right? It’s top of the charts, right? Easy to find on the CAEP website! A strand at every Summit! A “must mention” when it comes to how to make the case for increased funding! Right? Right?
No?
No?
Uh oh! That might mean —
CA ADULT ED PRIORITIES ARE OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH STATE OF CA PRIORITIES
We know California is so famous for green this, green that, it may as well be the Green Eggs and Ham state! And California is a member of the US Climate Alliance and it just launched the Governors’ Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative - and - Aims to Train 1 Million New Registered Apprentices by 2035. Every time we turn around, there’s another Green action!
But I don’t want to assume anything about the state’s top priorities. So let me double check with Chatty.
Dear Chat GPT, “What are the State of CA’s top priorities?
Chat GPT’s answer:
Climate Action
Housing Affordability
Healthcare Access
Education Improvement
Water and Resource Management
Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform
Okay, now I’m really concerned. The state of California - Governor Newsom, his administration, the various agencies - Department of Finance, Labor & Workforce Development, etc., the State Legislature, etc. etc. these folks, agencies, elected representatives - their top priority is Climate Action…
But CAEP doesn’t talk about it???
I need help from Chatty!
Dear Chat GPT: “What are the top priorities of Adult Education in CA?”
Chat GPT’s answer:
Career and Technical Education - Focusing on skills training to meet workforce needs and enhance employability.
Basic skills and literacy
English as a Second Language
High School Equivalency
Personal and Civic Development
Partnership with Employers
Oh no! Now we’re back here again!
Jobs are important. Green jobs are important. And that’s good because CAEP is talking about CAEP green jobs, right? They’re talking about how Climate Change is impacting all jobs - like where we grow what and when and why we need more HVAC workers and why the escalation of social violence brought on by extreme heat means we need specific social supports in place and how Climate Change impacts folks with chronic illness and disabilities and pregnancy in particular ways so that shapes the sort of healthcare workers we need.
And CAEP is talking about the basic skills and literacy needed to navigate Climate Change, right? When someone lacking in English fluency experiences a Climate intensified event like the extreme heat we have now or the flooding that came on with our recent Atmospheric Rivers, they’re set to go thanks to Adult Education, right? They can read and navigate systems to get help and fill out insurance claim forms or find insurance if theirs was canceled because they live in a wildfire risk area or they couldn’t afford to upgrade their electrical, and they know where to find information on how Climate Change will impact where they live, work, go to school, and commute… right? If they’re saving money - thanks to the job they obtained thanks to their Adult Ed CTE classes - in the hopes of buying a home, they know about First Street, right?
Oh, they don’t?! Oh no!
Does this mean CAEP isn’t fulfilling its mission?
Does this mean unlike the other branches of Public Education, Adult Education is somehow - dare I say it - first to be cut - for a reason? Because Adult Ed isn’t doing what the State of California expects of all branches of Public Education - to prepare California for the best possible future?
Hmmm…
Okay… maybe.. maybe... but...
Then that would mean change is needed. And I know change is hard. I’ve had to make a few changes of my own these past sixty four years, and oftentimes not until some part of my life blew up and I had to “face facts” and do the hard thing - always harder if I postponed doing it to avoid the pain of change.
So let’s ask Chatty…
HOW TO GET IT RIGHT
Dear Chat GPT, “ What helps people and organizations to change?”
Chatty responded:
Clear Vision
Leadership Support
Communication
Training and Resources
Involvement and Participation
Feedback Mechanisms
Cultural Alignment
Incremental Steps
Support Systems
Measurement and Evaluation`
Chatty didn’t mention humor but I think it’s pretty important and I hope this letter brought you a chuckle or two.
Of course, what I most hope is that if you are attending this year’s CAEP Summit or planning next year’s Summit, that you’ll consider weaving these facts and ideas into your conversations, networking, and workshops in order to bring Adult Ed in California into alignment with the State of California’s priorities.
Maybe even more importantly, do it to bring Adult Ed into alignment with itself since Climate Change is an equity issue and CAEP and all Adult Ed organizations - CCAE, COABE, AAACE, etc. - make clear that equity is foundational to the purpose of Adult Education.
VISIBILITY, ACCESSIBILITY, POSITIONALITY
For a while now, I’ve been working in a volunteer capacity to raise awareness, share knowledge, provide resources, and serve as a facilitator in conversations on how we can increase Climate Literacy, Green Job Pathways, Emergency Preparedness, Campus Sustainability, and Community Resiliency in Adult Education - in California and beyond.
And that’s all well and good. But we all know that this is something that should be provided in a top down, institutionalized, made available to everyone working in the field, with easy to find, high caliber curricula and training kind of way. Climate Literacy and Green Job Pathways should be on the drop down menus of CAEP, CalPro, OTAN, and every Regional Consortium in the state. This would set up Adult Ed to be the ideal partner for anyone looking to get in on a grant, develop a green job pathway, ensure the local Climate Action Plan is truly equitable and includes the communities served by Adult Ed, etc. etc. etc.
I mention partnerships because I recently made a connection with an organization which received a grant - and they were excited about the idea of connecting with their local Adult School to implement it. Before I mentioned Adult Ed to them, the idea of reaching out to their local Adult School had never occurred to them. I would say that’s not just because Adult Ed has an invisibility and erasure problem - it does - but also because Adult Ed doesn’t position itself to be a partner with organizations of this type. Adult Ed erases itself in this area. Never mentioning Climate Change ensures no one will think of it when looking to tackle the problem together - and share that grant $$$.
PUBLIC GOOD FOR PUBLIC MONEY
If you want to learn more about any of this, you can always visit Adult Ed Sustainability. - the website I run thanks to donations made to my Buy Me A Coffee fund (thank you, donators!). I’ve personally donated lots of time and money to this effort - sometimes questioning why I’m doing this and always telling myself, “I’m just serving as a bridge till the State picks things up.” A pretty rickety bridge, sometimes, too! ;-)
You’ve got the $$ I pay in taxes. My $$ and the $$$ of the billions of us who live here in California. Billions of us in the sight lines of extreme heat, drought, floods, rising seas, storms, and Climate Chaos of so many kinds.
Please use our $$$ wisely and spend some of it to increase Climate Literacy, Green Job Pathways, Emergency Preparedness, Campus Sustainability, and Community Resiliency in Adult Education.
Our future as a state rests in part upon your choices.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Eagleton
Retired Adult Ed Teacher
Caregiver to Elder Mom and Mama Earth
Mom and Auntie to Young People who Deserve a Healthy, Vibrant Future
Comments