I know I have quite a bit of catching up to do on this issue. Even though I have been working on a career pathway-slash-college transition project for the past year and a half, the curriculum that we produced was developed more from a foundation in workforce rather than transitioning research. Additionally, the technology plan for adult basic education in Virginia that I will be developing during the next two years will definitely need to correspond with Virginia’s transitioning efforts. So, time to brush up.

Here are a few other random thoughts about the conference:

• Kudos to the conference organizers for providing an easy way for attendees to recycle their conference swag: the name tags & neck pouch-things, the noxious little tote bags (I have approximately 4,000 of them hanging on a doorknob in my office), and the glossy conference programs.
• Having inflicted an untold number of poorly planned and ugly PowerPoint presentations on my audiences over the years (and having endured my share, as well), I decided to make this presentation different. Rather than simply present information, instead I told a story. I used humor,  along with fun, engaging images that I acquired from Flickr’s Creative Commons collections. The responses I received were extremely positive and, it seemed to me at least,  that I was able to hold the audience’s attention for the entire session. Yes, it was quite a bit of work, but it should be!  It was also quite a bit of fun to create. There’s ust no going back to those dreary, bullet-riddled slides. Like the first time I tasted a good microbrew, I just couldn’t stomach that Black Label swill anymore.
• There is no getting around it: Providence is quaint. I mean that in the best way, of course. I am happy that I made the decision to stay at a hotel downtown instead of at the conference hotel 12 miles away in Warwick. While I didn’t have too much time to see much of the town, I did get to go to the RISD museum, eat at Fellini Pizza(the white pizza made me squeal like a girl) and Cafe Noir, drive through Federal Hill, and walk around the very compact and scenic city.

• the establishment of a national web portal for adult basic education
• support for the development of distance learning programs in adult basic education
• creating a sustained, serious, and well-funded research effort in the field

I can’t argue with these recommendations,  but I am skeptical that these very broad and comprehensive changes will come from the top down. I don’t see any demonstration of the type of political will needed to address the very large and very serious educational issues faced by both  K12 institutions and the field of  ABE.

Furthermore, the field of adult basic education is fairly balkanized and uncoordinated and is lacking the necessary leadership to help make these types of large changes happen. Until we build a unified professional field, adult basic education will be beholden to the whims of the political power brokers, most of whom don’t give a second thought to high school drop-outs or English-language learners. How long have we waited for those at the top to act?

Despite my cynicism, this report coincides with a number of positive developments  in the field of adult basic education: the slow but thrilling progress of the Adult Education and Economic Growth Act of 2009 through the House and Senate (sponsored by Virginia Senator Jim Webb and including lots of new funding for technology initiatives in ABE, among other things). And the upcoming Summit on the Future of Adult Education in the New Digital World at VCU (in which Senator Webb will provide some recorded remarks) that will hopefully create the necessary space for identifying and developing the needed leadership and vision for adult basic education in the future.