Colleagues,
Current events are bringing the idea of meritocracy to the forefront and I hope to have a constructive conversation about how this impacts our adult learners move into postsecondary education and how we need to prepare our students. While the majority of individuals do not resort to college cheating, how do we balance the opportunities for our at risk families?
- Spending on enrichment programs for children has increased for affluent families but remained the same for middle income families.
- Test prep classes and tutors are often made available to more affluent families.
How do we provide the opportunities for our families to experience these types of support and enrichment programs help both academically and with social / emotional skills such self-confidence and comfort in new experiences?
And how do we prepare our teachers and support staff to meet this need?
I look forward to the conversation?
Sincerely,
Kathy Tracey
Comments
Colleagues,
I invite you to review this article on building social capital. From the article, "Social capital, as argued by sociologist James Coleman, is defined as those intangible resources that come embedded within interpersonal relationships or social institutions. They can be as strong as that of family members, friends, colleagues or fellow students, or as weak as distant LinkedIn connections. But when push comes to shove, a connection can mean the difference between a job and unemployment, between a college acceptance and rejection—even between sticking with high school and dropping out."
While the article is focused on K-12, your adult learners also need the guidance in building social capital. How can you adapt the ideas into your adult education program? Do you also develop programming and strategies for adult learners to build social capital?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Kathy