Today, we continue posting testimony by adult learners and staff who testified at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s budget hearing on Tuesday, April 27th. Adult Education and Family Literacy is facing a potential cut of almost one million dollars. The DC Council will vote this Wednesday, May 26th on whether to restore funding to adult education and family literacy.
by Ashley Simpson
My name is Ashley Simpson and I am an adult education instructor in the nationally recognized Even Start family literacy program at Mary’s Center in Adams Morgan. The mission of our program is to empower the families we work with through programming that is culturally sensitive and directly applicable to their lives. Our program is unique in that adults and children attend school together. Parents attend English as a Second Language, computer, and literacy-based parenting classes while their children are next door in preschool and early childhood classrooms. Twice a week we bring the parents and children together to work on literacy building activities that they can continue at home. In addition, we also offer Child Development Associate (CDA) certification courses for our students to have professional skills and an economic opportunity.
Funding from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is crucial to this empowerment. In our program, these monies are used to pay for staff, materials, technology, training, and administrative costs. Additionally, because of these funds, we have always been able to offer our classes at no cost to our students; something they tell us is essential to their ability to participate. We have seen a consistent demand for our services and we regularly have a wait list of students, especially those who have infants and toddlers. This year we added an extra class to serve more families, yet our waiting list continues to grow.
Our program is one that produces results. In the 2008-2009 school year we served 204 adults and 171 children at two sites. For those families who had 60 hours or more of instruction:
- 88% of post-tested adult students improved 3-8 points on the CASAS reading assessment
- 66% of the students who had the goal of obtaining or retaining employment accomplished their objective
- 85% obtained a library card
- 88% attended parent-teacher conferences
- 91% of parents reported reading to/with their children
- 86% increased the number of reading materials in their homes
- 84% participated in neighborhood, school, community, or political organizations
Though these statistics document student learning and growth, the real success is what lies behind these numbers. Yesterday, when I told my students that I would be coming to speak with you today, I asked them what they would like me to say. They were full of great suggestions. But, the thing that I heard repeatedly from them is that our classes give them a voice. We don’t just teach them to speak English, but also give them the self-confidence to use it, even when faced with conflict, discrimination, or fear. Through the help of our program they are able to advocate for their children at school, they ask questions when they don’t understand what a doctor is saying, and they defend themselves when they feel mistreated. Our families are all immigrants, the majority of whom are women. For some it is even their first time attending school, ever.
Recently I read the landmark book, Half the Sky, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The book focuses on what I, and the authors, believe is the key to ending poverty in developing countries. However, I would also argue that it is this same key that can combat poverty here in the US as well. The solution is simple – empower women; give them opportunities for education and economic advancement and they, in turn, will invest more in their families and communities. Our program, and many others like it in Washington, DC, does just that. So, members of the council, realize that this is a choice that affects not just adult education students, but also their families and their communities, our community. Thank you for your time and consideration of this crucial need in our city.
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