Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS)

Invitation for Directors to Attend Leadership Excellence Academy

October 1, 2013

Dear ABE Directors:

I am pleased to invite you and your leadership team members (site coordinators, lead teachers, etc.) to participate in the first national Leadership Excellence Academy (LEA) to be held in Massachusetts starting on October 29, 2013.

Research shows that program leadership is key to the delivery of quality ABE services. The LEA is built upon a foundation of research, theory, professional wisdom, and best practices to strengthen participants' skills and knowledge to lead, plan, implement, and evaluate ABE services. The LEA was developed through a national partnership between the National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium and the Center for Literacy, Education and Employment at the University of Tennessee.

As a member of the Massachusetts' LEA cohort, participants will be involved in a valuable professional development opportunity that will provide new tools and strategies to strengthen program performance. The LEA includes six modules offered over a two year period. The estimated commitment is approximately 50 hours a year which includes involvement in academy trainings, interim activities, webcasts, and a culminating learning project. Participants who complete all required assignments by the designated submission dates will receive the national certification, Certified Manager in Program Improvement.

Year 1 consists of three six-hour face-to-face workshops; two one-hour online courses; and three one-hour webcasts.

The tentative dates and locations for the three face-to-face six-hour workshops are:

Year 2 consists of two six-hour face-to-face workshops; one six-hour online course; and three one-hour webcasts.

I encourage you and/or members of your leadership team to join this exciting professional development endeavor. Based on feedback from LEA cohort graduates from other states, this professional development activity is extremely worthwhile. The application package is due October 16, 2013.

If you have any questions, please contact Sue Miller at Central MA at suem@qcc.mass.edu or 508 751-7929.

With Literacy in Mind,

Anne Serino
State Director of Adult Education