Learn about potential changes in Federal support for adult education: what they mean for New Jersey, and what they mean for advocacy.  March 22, 2018.  11:00 AM to noon.

​Art Ellison (New Hampshire's Director of Adult Education and longtime adult education advocate) will review what is happening at the federal level in terms of adult education funding.  Although there is currently an effort to increase funding, it is also possible that funding will be significantly reduced. Art will discuss key points of the legislative process/schedule to keep in mind while planning advocacy efforts. 

Hal Beder and Barry Semple (of NJALL) will review what these potential changes mean for adult education in New Jersey and the urgent need for coordinated advocacy across the state. 

There will be built-in time to share ideas and ask questions. 

Building Quality Programs Together
​The NJALL Annual Conference will take place at Brookdale Community College on May 11, 2018,  9:00 AM - 3:45 PM.  Ira Yankwitt from the Literacy Assistance Center in New York is our Keynote Speaker.  There will be  twenty-seven workshops, and time for networking with other adult educators and browsing vendor displays.  The registration fee covers lunch and coffee.

Workshop topics include: Building Coalitions for Adult Education, Making Inferences for Reading Comprehension, Increasing Learner Motivation, Numeracy, Designing workplace Literacy Programs and many more.

In addition, selected winners from NJALL's Adult Learner Writing Contest will read from their work and discuss how to support students as writers.

We cannot accept any on-site registrations or payments.  If your organization is paying by purchase order, please send a copy of the purchase order along with the names of those attending to [email protected].  Purchase orders must be received by May 1, 2018 to guarantee registration.

Any cancellations must take place by Mary 1. 2018 to ensure a refund.

Please send any questions to [email protected]

Scholarships are available for outstanding students who have earned a high school diploma through an adult education program in New Jersey. 

​Adult educators: Will one of your students/graduates win a 2018 NJALL scholarship?  They may not apply unless YOU encourage them to do so.  Students can get the application by clicking on the button below.  The application is available on March 1, 2018 and must be submitted by April 30, 2018.

You can also help students by donating to our Scholarship Fund,  NJALL has been providing scholarships to selected students since 1992.  Each scholarship provides up to $750 per semester for full-time enrollment (pro-rated for part-time) in a higher education program, up to a maximum of $6000 per student.
You can donate on line via our PayPal account, or you can follow this link to get a form with information about sending in a check.

​Last year NJALL held its second annual adult learner writing contest. The five entry categories were fiction, non-fiction, memoir, poetry and photography.  Several winners read their work and received their awards at the annual NJALL conference on April 8th, 2016.  All of the winners and selected other submissions have now been collected in our magazine entitled Insight. 

You can download a free pdf of the magazine at this link.

We'd like to thank all of the students who participated and all of the teachers and tutors that made it possible. It is an honor to read the students' work, and we are happy to be able to share it with you now.

The call for submissions for this year's contest was distributed and submissions collected.  Come to this year's conference to hear winners read from their work.  

​The New Jersey Association for Lifelong Learning wants to make clear that we stand by our brothers and sisters who are facing the brunt of the racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia and transphobia that has marked the post-election period. As an organization we denounce such behavior as at odds with our standing concern for the health, safety and happiness of our diverse society. Adult education has a long history of fighting for social justice, and this moment calls for a renewed commitment to the field's democratic and egalitarian values. To honor the heritage of the brave learners and teachers that came before us, we must stand up to bigotry and work together to make our communities safe and welcoming.

 As you are aware, there have been an alarming number of reports of violence and intimidation targeting selected communities all across the country. We have heard about countless public acts and about more personal forms of aggression carried out by roommates and classmates. It seems that no place has been spared overt and inflammatory acts of bigotry.

 For a copy of the complete statement, click here.

 African-Americans have been hung in effigy, been called racial slurs to their faces and had their property defaced with racist graffiti. People have been told "get ready to start picking cotton again" and told to move to the back of the bus. Students in one school in Pennsylvania walked down the halls with a Trump sign shouting "White Power." This is not an isolated act, as assertions of white power and white supremacy litter social media. The KKK has already announced a victory parade.

In addition to anger and bigotry aimed at African-Americans, immigrants and US citizens alike have been told to "go back to their country." Children as young as kindergarten have been heard chanting "build the wall!" at their classmates who appear to be immigrants. Muslims, and individuals whom bigots presume to be Muslims, have been physically attacked and threatened with additional violence. Incidents of anti-Semitism have also been reported, with swastikas painted on store fronts and some Nazi flags have been seen flying.

Women have been groped and have been told that now it is legal to sexually harass them. You can even buy hats that repeat Trump's infamous words about grabbing women by their genitalia. In addition, gays, lesbians and transgender people have also been the target of hateful language and threats. Rainbow flags have been set alight while still attached to homes, and cars have been destroyed in order to send the message that the LGBTQ community is not welcome and cannot feel safe.

None of this bigotry is new, but the sheer amount and intensity of the expressions of this hatred has fundamentally changed the country. Almost immediately, millions of our fellow Americans have started to feel increasingly afraid and vulnerable. Now is the time for all of us to stand up to bigotry, intimidation and violence.

Please contact NJALL at  [email protected] if you have any information you would like to share, if you have ideas for actions that we can take to move forward, or if you simply need a place to connect with others who share your concerns.

The New Jersey Association for Lifelong Learning wants to recognize outstanding contributions in the field, so we are asking for nominations from our network of professionals and participating organizations for the following:  

1.  Lifelong Learning Leadership Award
This award is for an outstanding individual or group demonstrating responsibility, influence, courage, motivation, inspiration, direction or guidance, and has made an outstanding contribution to lifelong learning through research, program design and development, publications, effective and innovative use of funds, service to the profession, etc.

 2.  Teacher of the Year Award
This award is presented to an adult educator who has demonstrated professionalism and exemplary performance in the field of lifelong learning. 

​Nominations are due by April 12, 2018. 
Awards will be presented at the NJALL conference on May 11, 2018

Warner Student Life Center
Brookdale Community College
Lincroft, NJ