PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

There is a great deal going on in professional development in adult education and literacy in Texas. In this and ensuing issues we are going to highlight such efforts. In one effort, under the leadership of Trina Smith, the TLRC staff has been working diligently with a steering committee over the past several months to create an innovative professional development plan for Adult Education/Literacy (AEL) administrators. The steering committee members who have worked on various phases of the project include:

Four hundred and fifty other administrators have been surveyed for their input. Through a statewide effort they have developed a job description, recommended personal attributes, duties, and tasks for the AEL administrator. Additional activities planned are:

create and distribute a mentoring/coaching guide called a "Personal Advisor Resource" or (PAR) to be used by novices to tap into the expertise of seasoned administrators

offer a series of professional development "Skill Booster" workshops across the state

create an electronic listserv to enable ongoing communication between administrators statewide

create a portfolio development and assessment process leading towards a professional certificate

We are excited about this new learner-centered, competency-based model and will keep you informed as the model develops. Please call Trina Smith at 1-800-441-7323 to receive a free, preliminary copy of the model or to provide us with your comments and input. In the next issue we will feature what the Adult Education Professional Development and Curriculum Consortium has done and will be doing in the area of professional development.