Advocacy

At Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School (AoH), we believe in the power of advocacy to transform lives, communities, and the landscape of adult education. Our journey, spanning the last 40 years, is a testament to the unwavering commitment to championing policies that uplift adult learners and create pathways to success.

Our Successes and Needs

Our Policy Priorities 

We envision a world where no adult is limited by systemic barriers of race, gender, and more — and a world where education doesn’t just shepherd people through flawed systems, but acts to transform and reimagine those systems.

  • Literacy as Justice: We envision a world where no adult is limited by systemic barriers of race, gender, and more — and a world where education doesn’t just shepherd people through flawed systems, but acts to transform and reimagine those systems for all.
    • Create a task force focused on adult literacy to provide recommendations and next steps to improve literacy for adults in the District. This work should be connected to, and help to inform, the work OSSE and WIC are undertaking regarding integrated education and workforce training to deepen the service approach of connecting adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation and training for a specific occupation
    • The DME – in partnership with OSSE, DCPCSB, and DCPS – should create a dashboard to highlight educational outcomes of adult learners and their impact on the education outcomes of children involves several key steps and considerations. This dashboard should not only showcase educational outcomes of adult learners but also demonstrate the statistical impact of adult educational attainment on children’s education outcomes and academic performance.
    • Create adult learner focused advocacy and thought-leadership opportunities to advance adult education in the District.
  • Digital Equity: We support adult learners in changing their lives and transforming their communities by helping them navigate and maximize their educational and career journeys, while actively working to eliminate the systemic setbacks they face on those journeys. Full participation in our city and economy requires adult learners to have access to technology and to build up their knowledge and capacity.
    • Creating dedicated funding to increase digital access for adult learners and to focus on improving the information technology capacity of adult learners.
    • Invest in the development of accessible digital content and learning platforms that cater to the diverse needs of adult learners, including those with disabilities or language barriers.
    • Create a public awareness campaign to promote the importance of digital literacy and the availability of resources for adult learners – connecting them to the adult education programs in the District – for additional support.
  • Unlocking Career Pathways: We help adult learners to change their lives and transform their communities by providing them with high-quality academic and career programming that create direct pathways to economic mobility.
    • Create a campaign to promote the integral role of adult education in the District’s education and workforce continuum. This campaign should highlight the diverse educational pathways available in the District for adult learners, emphasizing lifelong learning, skill development, and workforce readiness. This campaign will require collaboration among key stakeholders (DME, OSSE, DCPCSB, DCPS, adult serving schools, and programs) to integrate adult programs seamlessly into the city’s educational framework
    • Establish partnerships between businesses in high-demand sectors, government agencies (DME. OSSE, UDC, DOES, WIC, DMPED), and community stakeholders to promote and connect adult learners in the District with high-demand career opportunities.
    • Adult education programs give hope, support, and equip learners with the preparation and confidence needed for the jobs our city has to provide but first they need exposure. Develop partnerships with employers and government agencies to create opportunities to introduce adult learners to various high-demand career pathways in the District and the region This opportunity should include highlighting success stories of adult learners who have transitioned into high-demand careers and opportunities for peer-to-peer mentorship.

Policy and Budget wins

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