MONTGOMERY COALITION FOR ADULT

Public engagement: education, advocacy, & communityeducationusing data and stories, mcael educates and engages the public on the power of adult english language learning to transform individual lives and the impact that adult english classes have on the health and economic well-being of our county.advocacymcael works closely with the montgomery county government, businesses, schools, and local organizations to advocate for the needs of the coalition and the people we serve.communityto ensure that we are addressing the needs, goals, and lived experience of current and potential learners, mcael has intentionally created welcoming, structured spaces for shared ideas and input: the mcael advisory group (mag), made up of esol administrators and instructors, provides regular input on programming to ensure that we are responding to the current needs of programs, instructors, and learners. Our newly launched learner leadership group (llg) elevates learner voices so that their ideas, goals, and experiences are reflected in mcael's network programming and advocacy. Mcael builds strong connections through in-person and online convenings, meetings, and conferences for the programs and the community.in fiscal year 2024, mcael served 514 instructors and program staff through professional development workshops and meetings (total meeting attendance, includes duplicates). All told, mcael connected with more than 50 separate organizations through its workshops and meetings for program staff and instructors, biennial professional development conference, and through providing e-news, instructional resources, technical assistance, etc. With funding from montgomery county, mcael awarded about $1.4 million and $1.3 million in grant funding in fiscal years 2024 and 2023 respectively. The funding supported 21 organizations for 27 programs and 23 organizations for 31 programs, for the years ending june 30, 2024, and 2023 respectively. The coalition serves about 16,000 adults annually.