Building a full-time teaching corps in adult education

Good morning, friends.  My agency (Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council) was cited in a U.S. Department of Education report as a good example of an agency that has built a full-time teaching corps.  I've been asked to comment on what it takes to do this and what the benefits are.  I think other writers, like our colleague Stephanie from Durango, CO, has spoken eloquently about what the benefits are.  There is a direct benefit to students from having a full-time teaching staff.  Those staff members have time to do lesson planning on paid time, to attend professional development, and to meet with students outside of class time.  They simply have greater commitment to the field than the part-timers.

When I first joined this field in the 1980's I observed the rapid turnover of teachers due to their part-time status.  Many of the part-timers were seeking full-time employment, and they left adult education programs quickly.  This rapid churn created a lot of time in interviewing and hiring for administrators, and I could see it was not building a field of employees with expertise.  Do we want people who make adult education their career, and so get a high level of training and expertise?  If so, we need full-time teachers.  The average length of employment of our staff at Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, at the last time we calculated it, was nine years.  That means we have a number of staff, including teachers, who have been with us for fifteen years, and a few less than five years.  This would not be possible if we were staffed completely with part-timers.

Fortunately, in a nonprofit organization, we control the employment practices of the organization.  We are not under a school board or community college.  So, as a leader, I was able to shape the full-time teaching corps according to my beliefs.  I wanted people who, as I said, plan to make adult education their career.  I want to send them to training on learning differences, refugee issues, college and career readiness, use of technology in the classroom, and many other topics.  I don't want them to leave quickly and take all their expertise somewhere else.  I want it to be used to benefit our students.  And so I have built our hiring practices on having full-time teachers (with full benefits) only.  There is a lot of financial pressure that comes with this policy, since government funds have been cut.  Fortunately, we have a development department that raises over $1 million annually in private donations to supplement the government funds that we receive.  Again, I feel blessed to be located in a nonprofit organization that can set its own policies. 

I believe our field will continue to be a stepchild of the educational system until we have more full-time staff and teachers with solid credentials and expertise.

Comments

Hello Don,

I have long been inspired by what the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (GPLC) does, and the talented teachers and administrators you have hired. Many people view community-based not-for-profit organizations as (what one Massachusetts state senator once referred to as) "educational soup kitchens," or programs who in their service to marginalized people are themselves marginalized. GPLC is an outstanding example that not all community-based organizations must live hand-to-mouth (although sadly many do), that some are strong and successful.

I would like to hear from you and program administrators of other community-based, not-for-profit adult basic education programs that have strong, stable models, that hire full-time teachers, and do not have rapid teacher turnover. In particular, I would like to know both from you Don, and from other program administrators, how have you been able to build private, not-for-profit, community-based programs that are strong and successful?

Thanks.

David J. Rosen

Moderator, Program Management CoP

djrosen123@gmail.com


 

David:  Thanks for your comment and questions.  How have we been able to build a nonprofit adult education agency that is strong and successful?

Here are some thoughts about this:

1.  Pennsylvania is a state which makes its adult education funds available to nonprofits on an equal basis with community colleges and school districts.  We compete for state and federal funds (WIOA Title II and state adult literacy monies) based on our expertise and our outcomes with students, and not based on being an LEA (local education agency in the public sector).

This policy has been in place for over twenty years and has served to unify the field in our state.  Many states don't have this policy, and in those places nonprofits are not eligible for government grants, or they have a special government funding stream just for nonprofits.

2.  We are experts in nonprofit management, and not just adult education.  As an administrator, I spend a great deal of time building a very strong board of directors, which is made up largely of business executives.  They become advocates for adult education in the community, and they help to raise funds. 

3.  From the beginning in the 1980's the organization has had a culture of continuous quality improvement.  This means we use our student data in more ways that most programs use theirs.  We don't just use it for reporting to funding sources.  We examine trends in the data and use it to test ideas that can improve our services.  If you don't have full-time staff and teachers, it's very hard to do this type of data analysis and sharing among staff.  One of our staff used to teach a class called "Using Data for Decision-making" that was offered throughout the state.

4.  We spend a lot of time doing marketing and public relations for our agency and for the issue of adult education.  I estimate that we generate more media articles about the topic than any other adult education agency in Pennsylvania.  This leads to community support and better understanding of adult education issues.  We have a full-time public relations director who is on a first-name basis with education reporters in the media.

5.  We have run AmeriCorps programs in our agency since 1994.  Many AmeriCorps members get exposure to the field of adult education through their year(s) of service, and we get to know them.  A number of them move on to become full-time teachers in the field, since they became "hooked" during their AmeriCorps year.   Instead of coming into our field from elementary or secondary education, they come from a year or more of adult education experience, and they are more likely to stay because of that.

I'm sure there are many other reasons for our success, David, but these are the ones on the top of mind at the moment.  Let's continue the discussion.

These are great insights, Don. It would be great to hear reactions from other non-profit education managers, for example about:

  • What has helped their program to grow strong, and possibly to hire (more) full-time teachers
  • What was the most important insight from Don's thoughts about what has enabled GPLC to become a strong program

and, of course, to see other questions for Don.


David J. Rosen

Moderator, Program Management CoP

djrosen123@gmail.com