Kick off discussion to Adult Education and Family Literacy Awareness Week
Date and Time
Sep 21, 2015 6:30 pm
Location
Brookland
625 Monroe St NE, Washington, District of Columbia, 20017
Sep 21, 2015 6:30 pm
Brookland
Join Busboys and Poets and Academy of Hope for a discussion on adult low literacy and breaking this cycle of generational poverty.
What is the District’s strategy for addressing the issue of adult low literacy and breaking this cycle of generational poverty? What role can employers play in helping adults with basic skills thrive in the workforce? What barriers do adults—especially English language learners, returning citizens, and those balancing the demands of family and employment—face as they return to school? What best practices can we learn from other states and jurisdictions, so that DC can become a leader in adult education and workforce development.
Low literacy and low educational attainment are root causes of poverty, unemployment, homelessness, and poor health. Adults without a high school diploma are more than seven times as likely to live in poverty as are those with a credential, and without the skills necessary to even enter the job market, many remain unemployed or underemployed.
Moderated by:
Lecester Johnson who is the Chief Executive Officer of Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School.
Meet the panelists:
Andy Shallal is an artist and social entrepreneur. He is the founder of Busboys and Poets and Eatonville Restaurant. Both restaurant concepts create an environment where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted. Spaces to feed the mind, body and soul and where art, culture and politics take center stage.
Franklin Garcia was elected US Representative (Shadow) for the District of Columbia on November 4, 2014. He is working to bring full democracy to more than 650,000 people in our nation’s capital by helping make the District of Columbia the 51st State in the union. He is part of a Statehood Congressional Delegation that includes two Senators and one US Representative.
Antoinette Mitchell is the Assistant Superintendent of Postsecondary and Career Education in the Office of the State Superintendent of Education in Washington, D.C. Before serving in this position, she served as Dean of the School of Education at Trinity Washington University.
Councilmember Elissa Silverman has focused her career on making the District and its government accountable, responsive, and accessible to residents through her work as a budget analyst, reporter, and progressive reformer. Now she's putting those skills to work as a member of the D.C. Council.
Free and open to all!
