Once the policies were adopted and disseminated, the group turned to developing standards for such overarching issues as what constitutes quality professional development.

Good teachers are at the heart of adult education. No question about that, but providing professional development to help adult educators improve their skills is a difficult sell in tight financial times. And since many adult educators are part-time, logistics become a challenge as well.

Enter the Association of Adult Literacy Professional Developers (AALPD), a national group for professional developers in adult literacy. An affiliate of COABE (Commission on Adult Basic Education), AALPD helps decision makers understand the importance of professional development for adult educators in good times and bad.

According to Jane Greiner, AALPD’s chair of AALPD and professional development coordinator for ProLiteracy, three objectives drive the organization’s work as they strive to:

• build a network of professional developers to share information and communicate fresh ideas and promising practices
• provide professional development for professional developers based on their needs and interest
• help shape policy initiatives

None of this was being done roughly 10 years ago when the association was founded.

"Our field is unique in how professional developers have to work,’ Greiner says. ’We work with teachers who are primarily part-time. Their professional development may be tied to K-12 certification in some cases. Some states require teachers to participate in PD. Others don’t. It is very inconsistent across the country."

These challenges led the group to issue policy recommendations for adoption at national, state, and local levels.

"AALPD’s policy recommendations address things like teacher working conditions, paid release time for teachers’ professional development, and how teachers can and should be an integral part of the program improvement process."

Their recommendations support the participation of adult basic education, ESOL, and adult secondary education practitioners (including paraprofessionals and adult learner leaders who are staff members) in professional development to help them be effective in their roles.

"Once the policies were adopted and disseminated, the group turned to developing quality standards for professional development in adult basic education and literacy," Greiner says. The standards, approved by AALPD’s membership in May, 2009, grew out of the policies.

"States can use the standards to look at their own professional development systems. Some have looked at standards and adopted measures to meet the standards."

Professional developers around the country are picking up on the standards.

Debra Hargrove, director of Florida TechNet and a member of AALPD’s executive committee says, "In Florida, the Department of Education has organized a PD standing committee whose purpose is to develop online modules for new and experienced teachers, administrators, and ESOL teachers. They are currently developing their instructional templates based on AALPD standards."

AALPD is also finding ways to roll out more resources.

Their website includes a wiki with links to online professional development resources and free online collaboration tools. AALPD also hosts the PD Registry, an online database of tools that professional developers can use to deliver training.

Membership is free and ongoing. To join AALPD complete the online membership form.

For more information, visit AALPD’s website, or contact Jane Greiner at 315-422-9121 ext. 283, or at jgreiner@proliteracy.org.