Racial Equity Grant

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) makes this state funding available to adult basic education (ABE) institutions and/or non-profit organizations for the purpose of providing statewide services for racial equity in adult education, in consultation with the MDE adult education team.

The goal of the Racial Equity Grant is to design, conduct and report on an analysis of racial equity within the state adult education system, utilizing a racial equity lens that also includes and acknowledges other marginalized identities (including but not limited to: disability, gender, sexuality, immigration status, socioeconomic status) and considering both qualitative and quantitative means of gathering and interpreting data.

Based on the findings, the team is to make recommendations for the state and program level on how to better support equity efforts. The team is also to coordinate with the adult education Professional Development Committee to determine what ways PD could be utilized to enhance equity efforts.

Statewide racial equity in adult education activities to be provided from grantee in consultation with the state adult education team at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) are:

1. Racial Equity Community of Practice (CoP): Convene and facilitate a community of practice of adult education practitioners that will meet at least four times per year for a minimum of 24 hours annually to collaboratively:
   1. Participate in the LINCS course Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): From Awareness to Action in order to examine local program data, policies and practices using an equity lens.
   2. Review state adult education data, policies and practices with an equity lens to identify and recommend changes to the state adult education team.
   3. Select, adapt and disseminate tools, resources, and effective practices to inform racial equity efforts at the local and state levels.
   4. Make recommendations for professional development (PD) to the state adult education team and other supplemental service grantees.
2. Student Engagement: Promote adult education student voice and leadership in statewide equity efforts and activities.
   1. Focus Groups: In the first year of the grant, conduct two or three focus groups of adult education students to gather their input on racial equity in adult education in order to:
      1. Deepen understanding of findings and recommendations from previously conducted adult education racial equity surveys and data collection.
      2. Explore issues and questions that arise through the Racial Equity Community of Practice.
      3. Provide space for student ideas and insight related to racial equity.
3. Student Leadership: In collaboration with the Racial Equity CoP and informed by focus group findings, identify and promote practices that give students leadership roles and opportunities to provide input in adult education programs.
4. PD Coordination: Coordinate PD efforts with the state adult education team and other state PD providers through participation in state adult education PD Committee communications and quarterly meetings.
5. PD Communications: Communicate information and resources related to the grant activities above to state adult education consortia by entering and maintaining a list of PD opportunities in the adult education PD catalog and PD calendar, and by submitting content to statewide PD newsletter.

Grantee / Project Lead:

See Moua Leske, Program Manager of SW ABE

Project Assistant:

Addy Wolbaum, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Assistant

Consultants:

Julie Hawker, Outsource Training Providers

Minnesota Department of Education Adult Basic Education Liaisons:

Jodi Versaw, Adult Education Program Quality Specialist

Astrid Liden, Adult Education Professional Development Specialist

This project resulted in 3 surveys to capture the different perspectives within ABE:

• Administrator / Management
• Educator / Staff
• Adult Learners (including a revised survey for students residing in the Department of Corrections)

This is an ongoing project, and changes may be made to the current survey findings.

View a snapshot of the Administrator & Educator results below:

• Administrator Infographic 
• Educator Infographic

View Survey Findings and Recommendations below:

• Administrator Survey Findings and Recommendations
• Educator Survey Findings 
• ​Learner Survey Findings

More information is to come. June 2024 marks the end of this 3 year project.