Adult Education Lead

Literacy Mid-South is looking to add an adult education lead to its adult learning program!

About Literacy Mid-South’s Adult Learning Program:

Since its inception in 1974, Literacy Mid-South (LMS) has been providing tutoring to adults with low literacy levels, and LMS’s Adult Learning Program (ALP) remains the sole provider of Adult Foundational Education (AFE, reading level below sixth grade) services in the city. The ALP bridges this gap for adults in our community by matching learners with low literacy or English language abilities with volunteer tutors. Tutors and learners work together to build the literacy and language skills necessary to achieve learner-identified goals.

LMS’s Adult Learning Program fills a critical service void for the more than 1 in 4 adults in Shelby County who are considered at risk for difficulty understanding or using basic texts. These adults are often not ready to enter an adult high school or HiSET preparatory program due to their reading level or are looking for a less structured educational option based on previous negative experiences with traditional schooling.

Following evidence-based practices and research into how adults learn, tutoring sessions are structured around learner-identified goals and utilize materials learners encounter in their everyday life, such as job applications. Tutors and learners work together one-on-one or in small groups to build the literacy and language skills necessary to achieve these goals, which may be professional (e.g. completing a job application, working towards a HiSET prep program), or personal (e.g. reading religious texts or helping a child/grandchild with homework).

Part-Time Adult Education Lead Job Description:

As the educational leader of the Adult Learning Program (ALP) you will increase the interactions with volunteers and learners in order to create more effective tutors and optimize learning outcomes. The Adult Education Lead will be an integral part of a small team working closely with the Adult Program Director and the Adult Program Coordinator.

This new position will allow the ALP to ensure volunteer tutors are fully supported in planning their tutoring sessions and that learners are moving at an appropriate pace to meet their goals and progress academically. This position will also provide the opportunity for integrating culturally diverse practices into our materials and trainings.

Reporting to the Adult Program Director, you will: 

Collaborate with and assist Adult Foundational Education and English Language volunteer tutors with short and long-term planning
Maintain and increase interactions with both AFE and ELL tutors and adult learners
Scaffold tutor lesson plans to maximize success working with divergent learners
Integrate culturally responsive practices and pedagogy into ALP materials and trainings
Document new processes and materials for staff and volunteers to access
Facilitate the AFE new volunteer training, and continuing education trainings
Match AFE tutors/learners

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree, with a concentration in education or literacy
• Experience teaching, with adult education experience preferred, or as a literacy specialist
• Experience working with diverse populations

About you:

• Strong interpersonal skills
• Creative with and a passion for learning
• Open to learning new ways of learning/tutoring and how AFE is done to best serve our learners
• Enjoy both working with a team and independently
• Be proficient with Google Workspace and willing to learn our database and reporting system

Nice to have:

• Bilingual

Work conditions and physical requirements:

• Hybrid – requires reliable transportation to meet tutors/learners at various locations and be in the office for staff meetings, new volunteer trainings, and continuing education trainings.
• No heavy lifting – you will be provided with a laptop to carry around to meetings
• Hours will vary – tutors and learners meet in the mornings, afternoons, evenings (there will be some driving at night), and weekends. There is flexibility in the schedule and you can work with tutors to find times to meet outside of their tutoring sessions.

Compensation:

• 25 hours per week, $25 per hour

Even if you do not meet each bullet point, please apply. Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures will best advance our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our values is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law. Read our Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging statement here.

To apply, please send a brief cover letter about why you are interested in this position, and a resume to alp@literacymidsouth.org. Please put Adult Education Lead in the subject line.

Position will remain open until filled.