Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center

Read the latest round-up email to learn about online training events in May and June: https://valrc.preview-beefreecontent.com/p2sn

Find out how to share your expertise and suggestions through VALRC’s Professional Development Interest Survey and Book Club Survey, and be sure to check out the highlighted curriculum resources.

Read the April round-up email to find upcoming online training events, resource highlights, and more: https://valrc.preview-beefreecontent.com/gBpC .

Also learn how to share your input with VALRC via the Professional Development Interest Survey and Book Club Survey.

The Virginia Department of Education and the Secretary of Education are hosting a series of Listening Sessions across the Commonwealth to hear from Virginians about how to highlight successes and work together to strengthen public education by supporting educators and students.

Interested division leaders, educators, parents, students, and community members can share their current education-related experiences at a session in their region:

Commonwealth Listening Tour: Speak Up for Virginia’s Future | Virginia Department of Education The Virginia Department of Education and the Secretary of Education are hosting a series of Listening Sessions across the Commonwealth to hear from Virginians about how we can highlight successes and work together to strengthen public education by supporting educators and students.

We're kicking off the new year with plenty of professional development opportunities for Virginia adult education practitioners! Check out our January & February resource round-up here:

valrc.preview-beefreecontent.com The following professional development opportunities are offered to Virginia adult education practitioners as well as adult education partner organizations.

VALRC will close for winter break on December 22, 2025, and will reopen January 5, 2026.

We wish peace and joy to you and yours this holiday season!

Visit our website to find resources, including on-demand learning and a preview of our planned 2026 professional learning communities (PLCs) and webinars.

ALL IN 2025 National Survey of Adult Education Teachers - Please provide your input so that Virginia is represented!

For more information & survey link: https://valrc.preview-beefreecontent.com/4L4Y

If you are an adult education teacher in any context, working full-time, part-time, or in a volunteer capacity, please take 15 minutes to complete this survey…and share it with your colleagues!

Do you know someone interested in becoming a certified ESOL instructor?

VCU offers a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate Program designed for individuals who are interested in teaching English to multilingual students—locally, internationally or online.

Applications are now being accepted for the next cohort starting August 19, 2025.

Courses are taught by highly credentialed instructors possessing master's or doctorate degrees in TESOL or linguistics, with extensive experience teaching in intensive language programs in the U.S. and abroad.

Learn more & apply: global.vcu.edu/tefl

We appreciate our adult education teachers across Virginia! Thank you for your unwavering dedication, compassion, and tireless commitment to empowering adult learners every day. You transform lives, open doors, and make learning possible for so many.
Your impact reaches far beyond the classroom. You give hope, build confidence, and light the path to a brighter future. Today—and every day—we celebrate YOU.

From Roanoke to PBS: Support Blue Ridge Literacy’s Big Night!

Blue Ridge Literacy is marking 40 years of empowering adult learners—and you’re invited to be part of the celebration!

Join them tonight, May 1st, from 6:00–7:00 p.m. for a livestreamed Watch Party and Panel Discussion as they premiere highlights from their upcoming Buzz4Good episode, airing soon on PBS.

🎉 Watch live: facebook.com/events/686736333963494

This special event features inspiring stories from adult learners, including Georgia Liagki, a leader with Virginia's Adult Learner Leadership Council, plus the incredible volunteers and instructors who make BRL's mission possible.

Don’t miss this powerful evening of community, conversation, and celebration!

How to Use the Consumer.gov Website With Your Students

The Adult Learning Department of the DC Public Library invites you to their next Adult Literacy Best Practices meeting where Consumer Education Specialist at the Federal Trade Commission, Kira Krown, will conduct a tour of the website highlighting its features designed for both students and educators.

Friday, May 9, 2025 from 2:00–3:00 p.m.
Zoom link: https://bit.ly/FTCsite

Questions? Contact Ben Merrion, Education Specialist, at [email protected].

Consumer.gov is a plain English site for adult learners and adult educators that gives information about managing money, understanding credit and debt, and avoiding scams.

Don't miss this opportunity to equip your adult learners with the knowledge and tools they need!

We need your input for the next issue of PROGRESS!

For our upcoming issue of Virginia's adult education and literacy publication, we’re seeking stories from educators, programs, and learners that illustrate the real-life outcomes and powerful transformations happening every day in adult education. Whether it's through personal journeys, program milestones, creative visuals, or compelling data—if it shows the value and heart of the work we do, we want to see it.

For more information and how to submit: https://valrc.beefreecontent.com/Q5Ng