FREE! Adult Education Professional Development Opportunities for September 2026
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LOOKING AHEAD FOR 2026-2027
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This year the VALRC has organized our training opportunities and resources by topics with a range of options for exploring subject areas at varying levels of depth and intensity to better fit instructors’ and program staff members’ schedules, capacity, and interests.
Strands include a schedule of Professional Learning Communities, individual webinars, webinar series, self-paced tutorials, and featured instructional resources hosted on VALRC sites from which practitioners can build their PD plans.
Content strands will focus on the Science of Reading, Serving Adults with Disabilities, ESOL and Civics instruction, Career Pathways and Workforce Development, Mathematics, and Digital Navigation.
We have put together a snapshot of our fall 2026 offerings to help you plan your professional development. You can also consult the Trainings & Resource Collections page to explore self-paced training options organized by topic.
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VALRC PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR
SEPTEMBER 2026
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The following free professional development opportunities are offered to Virginia adult education practitioners as well as adult education partner organizations. Stay up to date with all VALRC's offerings by checking the event calendar regularly.
Also, be sure to check out VALRC's publications:
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- PROGRESS: Virginia’s adult education and literacy news journal. Articles provide program managers, instructors, staff, practitioners, and the public-at-large with strong evidence-based articles that can help improve practice and promote transformation.
- SPOTLIGHT: An annual online publication that seeks to shine a light on adult education learners, their experiences, and their learning through the creative process. Volume 4 is now available!
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This IET Office Hour will focus on the IET Planning Tools, located on the Adult Education Professional Development page.
Office hours will occur on the first Wednesday of the month from noon to 1p. Bring your questions!
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Getting to Know the VALRC: How to Build your Own Training Plans
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Join us for an introduction to the VALRC self-paced training options, workshops, and resources. We’ll discuss and navigate our sites and focus on building a training and PD plan that works for your needs and interests.
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Disabilities and the Adult Learner: Instructional Practices, Part 1
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This is part one of a 3-part series focused on instructional practices to help support learners with disabilities. Part one is an interactive webinar that equips adult educators with foundational knowledge on reading, math, and language processing disabilities and how they manifest in adult learners. Participants will explore practical, research-based instructional strategies alongside Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to help remove barriers and enhance classroom engagement.
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Bridge Programming for Adult Learners
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Join us to discuss examples of bridge programming to support adult learners’ transitions into and beyond occupational training, including IETs. We’ll look at Bridge curriculum examples, hear from practitioners about the challenges and benefits of offering bridges, and discuss ways to develop and deliver bridges for your programs.
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New format this year! Several PLC groups will be offered this year to help support program and administrative staff in navigating and using the LACES system. More information will follow in a separate email.
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Elections 2026 in the Adult Education Classroom
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Join us to discuss how to teach and prepare your learners for the general elections on November 3. This interactive webinar will focus on lesson plan ideas, election information for the November 3, 2026 general election in Virginia, and resources for your adult English Language Learners and new Americans.
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This PLC is geared to those who implement NEDP. More information will follow in a separate email.
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ANDE Math Course: ANDE isn’t like previous math courses you’ve taught. Available at no cost as an open educational resource (OER), ANDE is an innovative adult numeracy course designed and tested to help you more effectively support learners for success in mathematics on the GED and beyond. ANDE is a complete curriculum and brings together ready-to-use lessons and a collaborative, discussion-based teaching approach across four mini-courses, which in addition to comprehensive professional support and resources, helps adult educators create purposeful mathematics classrooms where learners feel supported and can engage in meaningful math learning that prepares them to be lifelong math thinkers and doers.
CILIA-T Civics/History Integrated Adult ESOL Instruction: This 16-module, open-access curriculum integrates U.S. history and civics content with academic English proficiency and digital skills. Developed by adult educators, CILIA-T is designed to help students expand their vocabulary, knowledge, and essential technology use, while also encouraging community participation and deep analysis of high-interest topics.
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VALRC's On-Demand, Self-Paced Learning & Resource Collection
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Visit VALRC's Training and Resource Collections: Topics include reading instruction, universal design for learning, trauma-informed practice, multilingual learning (including ESOL instruction and multilevel instruction), civics instruction, and career pathways
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- Virginia's assessment policy (newly updated!)
- Working with adults with disabilities
- Science of reading
- English language instruction
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See this announcement with more information about registering for and accessing VALRC's on-demand and self-paced learning opportunities using the Reach 360 platform.
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"Equipping the field of adult education and literacy with essential skills and resources to expand access to high-quality instruction and workforce preparation."
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