Introduction

Image of a red apple This guide is a resource for new and experienced administrators of small adult schools. It identifies some of the major challenges facing those administrators and outlines some suggested solutions.

Many administrators of small adult schools work in isolation because their schools are located in remote rural areas. They often do not have the funds or time to attend professional development workshops or conferences that can provide helpful information, ideas, and resources.

This guide provides some of the information and support that administrators need to manage a program that most likely is different from other programs they oversee or have overseen in the past. Serving as administrator of a small adult school can be challenging but, at the same time, can be infinitely rewarding.

Education Code numbers are cited throughout this guide in parentheses (EC00000.0). Administrators are encouraged to consult the referenced codes, if they have questions.

Background

Adult Education programs were established in California in 1856 to provide services to recent immigrants. For more than 120 years, these programs grew significantly. In 1978, Proposition 13 established caps on the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) that adult schools can claim, and it defined ten authorized areas in which adult schools can claim ADA apportionment. Since then, adult schools caps have increased by a legislated 2.5% in years when funds were available to support that growth.

In 1992, seeking to establish new schools in underserved areas, the California Department of Education, in partnership with adult education advocacy groups, recommend legislative changes that resulted in development of “start-up” adult schools throughout the state. These new schools initially were given 15 units of ADA to begin their programs. According to the 2002-2003 data from the California Department of Education, there are currently 377 adult schools in California, 195 with caps of 100 units of ADA or less.

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