Community type
Small city surrounded by large rural region; population of 334,000

Location
Anchorage, Alaska

Geographic region
Northwest

Partners
Nine Star Enterprises; public agencies, such as schools, One-Stop Centers and Job Centers, and the state divisions of vocational rehabilitation, employment security, and public assistance, among others; private organizations, such as the Cook Inlet Tribal Council; and nonprofit and community-based organizations, such as the Anchorage Literacy Project and the Human Resources Company.

Population served
Adults needing adult basic education, English literacy, family literacy, welfare-to-work transition, and job-readiness services.

Lessons learned

• Geography is a powerful incentive for partnerships. Nine Star and its partners provide 65 percent of the adult education services in Alaska, serving a region that covers 27,220 square miles. Without partnerships, this level of service would not be possible, especially in more remote areas.
  
  
• What makes the partnership work: committed leaders and staff; partners take a long-term view of their work; partners share resources without worrying about who gets the credit; partners divide the work according to their individual strengths and expertise; partners put clients first.

Partnership highlights

• In 2002, approximately 7,300 adults participated in programs offered by Nine Star and its partners
  
  
• Each year, some 960 GED diplomas are earned by students enrolled in programs run by Nine Star and its partners, representing almost 50 percent of all GED diplomas earned in the state.
  
  
• Nine Star collaborates on adult education efforts at the state, regional, and local levels.
  
  
• Partners sponsor a One-Stop Academy four times yearly to train staff from all agencies to understand all available services and how to refer clients to them.
  
  
• By collaborating with the Department of Public Assistance, Nine Star brought English literacy services to clients in the Hmong community and developed special expertise in working with Southeast Asian clients.
  
  
• Partners share staff training and coordinate class and instructor schedules and curriculum.

Resources
Grants from the state Departments of Adult Education and Labor and regional Department of Health and Human Welfare; in-kind support from other community-based organizations.

Contact

David Alexander, Director
Nine Star Enterprises
125 West 5th Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
907-279-7827
davida@ninestar.com

www.ninestar.com