Community Type

Medium-sized city and surrounding county; population of 1.3 million.

Geographic Region

Southwest

Overview

Pima College Adult Education (PCAE) is a state-funded adult education provider housed at Pima Community College (PCC). It offers Tucson’s adult learners—mainly Latino students and, increasingly, young adults (ages 16-24)—comprehensive adult education services through three learning centers, a family literacy program, and a GED testing unit. As part of the college’s community campus, PCAE also brings its program to locations throughout Pima County by offering services at a low-income housing unit, correctional facilities, workplaces, two local Indian reservations, and other community organizations. Primarily funded by state and federal resources, PCAE receives funding and in-kind support from the United Way, the city and county, the Arizona Department of Economic Security, local correctional facilities, businesses, and corporate foundations.

Partnership Highlights

PCAE now serves more than 7,000 adults each year, but it would be unable to do so without its partnerships with the community college, local government, school districts, Head Start, social service agencies, local businesses, community-based organizations, and tribal governments. Since merging with PCC in 2000, PCAE has been developing a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with the college. The college offers PCAE increased professional development opportunities, better employee benefits, additional staff, human resources and legal support, and more funding (a result of state legislation providing extra dollars to the college for every hour adult education students spend in class). The Dean of Adult Education also participates in various committees and cabinets with other division deans, which helps increase awareness of and internal support for adult education throughout the college. In return, PCAE serves as an excellent recruitment tool for the college; each year it helps move approximately 1,000 adult education students into postsecondary education. In fact, PCAE has four staff devoted solely to postsecondary transition support (e.g., advising, holding workshops, and recruiting).

In merging with PCC, the adult education program had to relinquish some control over its budget and planning processes. Although this has caused some friction, the benefits of the partnership outweigh the difficulties. Both PCAE and the college have taken many steps to make the transition as smooth as possible. The adult education staff have been invited by the college to “just about everything.” For example, in addition to being included in the college’s professional development activities, PCAE staff also serve on several of the college’s standing committees. PCAE has reciprocated by asking other college staff to join such adult education activities as the GED graduation. PCAE recognizes that building trust takes a long time, but staff believe they are heading in the right direction.

A Partnership for Family Literacy

PCAE also has a well-established family literacy program administered in collaboration with Head Start and the Tucson school district. Sites for the program are provided by both Head Start and the school district. Each partner also contributes relevant staff and materials. The program is coordinated by the adult education Family Literacy Coordinator and a designated staff member from Head Start. PCAE serves as the fiscal agent, and the school district provides administrative support and professional development and serves as the liaison with participating families. By pooling their resources and expertise, the three partners have been able to provide area children with early childhood education and preschool activities and their parents with literacy services and vocational opportunities, such as serving as a teacher’s assistant or clerical aide. The partners have found that once the adults get involved in and excited about school, the children’s attitudes and motivation also improve.

Learners Are the Key to Success

Like all adult education programs, PCAE considers its adult learners key to its success. They are instrumental to the longevity of the program and its support within the community. PCAE considers them partners as well as students. It has a long history of hiring former adult learners for classroom assistant, clerical aide, and other support positions. Today, more than half of its employees are former students. Adult learners from each PCAE location also participate in Friends and Students of Pima College Adult Education, a group that meets regularly to discuss issues of concern to students, to propose and implement solutions, to hold leadership and public speaking workshops, and to invite elected officials to attend special forums. The group also is beginning to meet with other student groups at the college to address shared problems and is a member of the Pima County Interfaith Council, an advocacy group of local churches and educational organizations interested in bringing issues such as adult education to the attention of elected officials. The adult learners on the Council not only bring their perspective to the Council’s advocacy efforts, but they also gain leadership skills and knowledge of community issues relevant to their lives.

Supplemental Materials

• Adult ESL and the Community College, JoAnn Crandall and Ken Sheppard, http://www.caalusa.org/eslreport.pdf