We are educators and advisers, determined to help students
succeed and equip them to obtain family
sustaining wages and become self sufficient. We
provide quality, well-informed, culturally-inclusive
teaching and advising for college and careers.
We value contextualization --
teaching basic skills in a context
that is meaningful and relevant
to our adult learners.
We value cultural awareness.
Nota:
Learn in-depth information about numerous cultures:
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/country-profiles.html
Tips for Cross Cultural Communication
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cultural-services/articles/ten-tips-cross-cultural-communication.html
We use the College and Career Readiness
Standards guide our teaching.
Nota:
College and Career Readiness Standards
http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/CCRStandardsAdultEd.pdf
We strive to promote critical thinking
skills and use Webb's Depth of
Knowledge to improve our instruction.
Nota:
Using DOK to increase rigor:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/webbs-depth-knowledge-increase-rigor-gerald-aungst
We advise students
to help them persist
in education and
reach their goals.
We incorporate online
learning into our classes.
A report prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor, Flexible Learning Options for Adult Students,
notes that traditional program models—e.g., daytime classes 3 times a week for 1.5 hours over
several months—“fail[s] to meet the needs of most adult workers…who must study part-time and fit
their learning around work and family responsibilities” (Choitz & Prince, 6). Adult students need
flexible schedule options and accelerated paths for gaining skills that will lead them to economic
stability and self-sufficiency. Shortened, modularized curricula and online learning are identified as
best practices for meeting student needs and helping them persist
Nota:
Flexible Learning Options for Adult Students
http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/FullText_Documents/ETAOP%202008-09%20-%20Flexible%20Learning%20Options%20for%20Adult%20Students.pdf
We use the Reading
Apprenticeship framework
to helps our students
become strong readers.
Part of Hopelink
& the local
community
Nota:
Hopelink
http://www.hope-link.org/
City of Bellevue Human Needs Update
http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/humanservices_needs_update.htm
City of Shoreline Human Services
http://www.cityofshoreline.com/government/departments/community-services/human-services
Poverty rate of families in
Bellevue nearly doubled
from 2000 to 2012 (City of
Bellevue Human Services
Needs Update 2013-14, 33)
Nota:
City of Bellevue Human Services Needs Update
http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/humanservices_needs_update.htm
As of 2012 “over 1/3 of Bellevue
residents were foreign born” (Bellevue
Human Services Needs Update, 29)
Nota:
City of Bellevue Human Services Needs Update
http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/humanservices_needs_update.htm
Area-wide demographic
data shows that more than
half of King County’s recent
population growth is due to
immigration (“King County’s
Changing Demographics,”
2013).
In fiscal year 2014, Hopelink
served 60,800 individuals in
transportation and community
services. In community
services alone, Hopelink
served 22,086 individuals.
In quarter 1 of fiscal year 2015, Asset Building (which includes Adult
Education, Employment, Financial Literacy,
Housing, and Case Management) served 487 households. The
average monthly household income at
entry was $848.00.
The average monthly household income at exit was $1330 --
a 57% increase.
64% of households exited with
improvement in at least one of these
areas: Education, Employment, Housing
Stability, and Income
32% of households utilized
Hopelink's food banks.
26% of households received
financial assistance.
Part of the state-wide and
national movement to build a
skilled workforce and to equip
people for living wage careers.
Nota:
State Board of Community and Technical College / Basic Education for Adults (BEdA)
http://www.sbctc.edu/
Ready to Work: Job Driven Training and American Opportunityhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/skills_report.pdf
42 percent of new entry-level jobs…in the U.S.
require a one-or-two-year college credential” and “67
percent of all jobs in Washington State will require
college education by 2018” (SJI’s ABC’s of College
Navigation Guide, 9-10).
Nota:
ABC's of College Navigation:
http://www.seattlejobsinitiative.com/wp-content/uploads/SJI_CollegeNavGuide_vFINAL_5.10.12.pdf
Only 9% of projected job openings from
now until 2018 will be available to those
without a high school diploma or
equivalent (“Projection of Jobs and
Education Requirements Through 2018,”
26)
Nota:
Projection of Jobs and Education Requirements:
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED524310.pdf
Seattle Jobs Initiative (SJI) surveyed 50 local, entry-level
employers on the importance of soft skills. Results show
that more than 75% of employers believe soft skills are “as
important as or more important than technical skills” (The
Importance of Soft Skills in Entry-Level Employment..,. 5).
Nation-wide results from the The Business Council’s May
2013 Survey of CEOs mirrors SJI’s results: over 90% of
employers indicated teamwork and critical thinking skills
as very/most important to the success of their businesses;
the same employers believe that less than 40% of our
workforce is equipped with such skills (8).
Nota:
The Importance of Soft Skills
http://www.seattlejobsinitiative.com/wp-content/uploads/SJI_SoftSkillsReport_vFINAL_1.17.13.pdf
Students
Low income: In 2013,
60% of our students
are below 50% of King
County’s median
income; the majority
below 30%.
Diverse ages: In 2013, 43% of our
students were ages 35-54;
the remaining 57% split
equally between 18-24 and
55-74.
Highly-educated: In 2013,
77% had a college degree
from their native country
but lacked the English skills
to fully employ it in the U.S.
Whereas in 2013, only 8% of
ESL students indicated interest in
postsecondary education/training,
data from spring 2014 ESL
orientations shows that 53% of
students set goals with a college
credential as a step toward
family-sustaining employment.
Whereas 28% of students made level gains in
traditional ESL programs in 2011-12 and 34% in
2012-13, 36% made level gains in our
work-contextualized programs in 2013-14.
Significant gains have increased as well—30% of
students achieved significant gains in 2011-12,
38% in 2012-13, and 55% in 2013-14.
In our 2013 EFW classes, 65%
of students completed 80% or
more of the online
assignments in addition to
attending class.
WABERS data from 2012-13 shows that 35% of our
students obtained employment, 60% retained
employment, and 6% entered postsecondary.
In Fiscal Year 2014,
Hopelink served 169 ESL
students. 70%
completed English for
Work successfully.
15% obtained
employment.
Our students include immigrants of various statuses: green card lottery winners
from the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, refugees, asylum seekers, and U.S.
citizens. We also serve people on non-immigrant visas such as H4 visas.
Nota:
United States visa and immigration information
http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/immigrate.html
http://sji.gov/PDF/Immigration_Status.pdf