On May 5th, 2017, ALLIES Board Member Dr. Bob Harper received the Dr. Robert W. Rupert Award  at the annual California Council for Adult Education (CCAE) State Conference in Long Beach, CA. CCAE is the largest professional organization serving adult Education in California.

The Robert W. Rupert Award is awarded by the CCAE State Awards Committee when it wishes to recognize and honor an individual whose impact on adult education has been widely acknowledged.  The recipient’s leadership and contributions to adult education at local, state, and national levels and to CCAE have been exceptional.

ALLIES partners know Bob Harper as the Director of Campbell Adult and Community Education (CACE) and Co-Chair of the South Bay Consortium for Adult Education (SBCAE). He joined the Campbell Union High School District in 2010 after previously holding administrative positions with school districts in Los Angeles, Salinas, Pacific Grove, Watsonville-Aptos and San Mateo. Bob has more than 40 years of experience in adult and career education, education policy/advocacy, strategic planning, school finance, curricula and instruction, workforce development and community outreach. Bob has a BA in English and teaching credential from UCLA, an MA in adult education from CSULA, an Ed.D. from UCSC with dissertation research focused on immigrant integration and adult education. Bob was member of the Workforce Investment Boards in three counties, currently serving on the work2future WIB in San Jose. He has worked as a consultant with UCSC and several community-based organizations in adult learning/transformation theory, competency-based instruction and assessment, and program evaluation. He has chaired over 40 accreditation visits to schools in California and Hawaii.

Currently Bob serves as the Vice President and state Legislative Chair for the California Association of Adult Education Administrators, and on the Field Partnership Team of the California Department of Education, the advisory committee to the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN), and the state boards of the California State Consortium for Adult Education, and the California Council for Adult Education.

Bob’s passion for serving Adult English Learners and his vision for Adult Education and Immigrant Integration add great value to ALLIES and our region.
Congratulations!

In February 2017, New American Economy (NAE) released Map the Impact, an interactive tool showcasing the contributions of immigrants in all 435 Congressional districts, the 55 largest U.S. metro areas, all 50 states, and industry sectors across the economy. With information on immigrant tax contributions, spending power, entrepreneurship, workforce, homeownership, demographics, voting power, and more, Map the Impact shows that the foreign-born are helping to grow the economy everywhere. Map the Impact also features hundreds of stories and videos featuring local leaders in all corners of the country talking about why immigration matters to them.

The map serves as a go-to resource on the power that immigrants wield in the United States, and an advocacy tool for users to take action on the issue. With many features, Map the Impact provides users a way to see how immigrants are contributing to their congressional district, check sector-specific information on how immigration impacts industries like Tech and Agriculture, and share stats and graphics directly with elected officials via social media.

Visit Map the Impact for information that illustrates the influence of immigrants in America on states, cities, districts, and key issues.

About New American Economy: NAE brings together more than 500 Republican, Democratic and Independent mayors and business leaders who support immigration reforms that will help create jobs for Americans today. NAE members include mayors of more than 35 million people nationwide and business leaders of companies that generate more than $1.5 trillion and employ more than 4 million people across all sectors of the economy, from Agriculture to Aerospace, Hospitality to High Tech and Media to Manufacturing. Learn more at www.NewAmericanEconomy.org

RSVP now for the ALLIES Spring 2017 ESL Provider Network (EPN) meeting on Friday, April 28th, 12:30 – 3:00 PM at the new Foothill College Sunnyvale Center.  Please use the following link to register: https://goo.gl/forms/ekcoDtPY2KKRLPU23

The EPN is a twice yearly convening of ESL providers in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. It is a unique opportunity for ESL practitioners representing community colleges, adult schools and community based organizations serving adult English Learners to make connections, learn from each other, share collaboration success stories, get policy updates and stay connected with ALLIES. Community organizations serving the immigrant population (such as legal and social services providers), public libraries and local government agencies are welcome and encouraged to attend.

We look forward to seeing you on April 28th!

ALLIES held its 13th bi-annual ESL Providers Network meeting on Friday, October 28th, 2016 at Cañada College in Redwood City. The meeting was attended by 63 ESL instructors, counselors, and administrative staff representing 7 Community Colleges, 11 Adult Schools and 24 Community Based Organizations in the bi-county Silicon Valley area. Paul Downs (ALLIES) and Ilse Pollet (ALLIES) facilitated the meeting. The outcomes for the meeting were to update attendees on recent ALLIES and public policy developments and engage EPN members in the ongoing development of the ALLIES and South Bay Consortium for Adult Education (SBCAE) Immigrant Integration Pathway project, along with providing a networking opportunity for ESL practitioners.

Practitioners from over 25 organizations provided valuable input on the initial Immigrant Integration concept maps. Attendees were invited to evaluate proposed goals and subgoals in one of the following areas of immigrant integration: English language proficiency, first language literacy, educational and career advancement, financial security, health and well-being, providing for family, credentials and residency and participation in civic and community life. Thank you to all who participated.