2016 Annual Conference

This session introduces a two-year student leadership evaluation, ALLIES. In 7 states adult learners received leadership training and ran a project to meet program needs. Hear from VALUEUSA's executive director and a virtual panel of learners how the leadership project challenged them and boosted their leadership skills and learning outcomes.

The target audience for this session includes adult learners, adult basic education administrators and
instructors, educators working with English language learners and workplace programs, researchers,
and individuals interested in supporting adult learners as they find their voice in education and
contribute actively to the programs where they learn. The session would also be of interest to
employers and postsecondary educators who want to set up leadership programs for adult employees
or learners.

Adult learner leadership is believed to benefit adult learners and programs of adult basic education, English language learning, and workplace education. This belief has not been tested experimentally until the ALLIES evaluation was commissioned by VALUEUSA, the national organization of adult learners, from 2014 to 2016. ALLIES evaluated the effects of adult learner leadership. In this session the executive director of VALUEUSA and participating program staff and learners are interviewed on their experiences, successes, and challenges with a locally developed leadership project. The goal of the session is to provide sufficient information on adult learner leadership so that session participants can determine their own next steps in planning for and establishing a leadership program involving adult learners/employees.