ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA – APRIL 10, 2018 – Rowland Unified Superintendent Dr. Julie Mitchell announced that Rocky Bettar, Director of Adult Education/Career Preparation, has been named as the statewide Adult Education Administrator of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). Bettar is considered an industry expert in the adult education field by his peers. He has been a leader in adult education since 1995 when he was named Director of Rowland Adult & Community Education. He is an advocate for Adult Education at the local and state level, serving in many roles in ACSA, such as Region XV Adult Ed Chair and as State ACSA Adult Ed Council President. Bettar will be honored at the 2018 ACSA Leadership Summit November 8-10 in San Diego.
“To be recognized by State ACSA as Adult Ed administrator of the year is very humbling,” said Bettar. “This recognition does not occur without the support of our board and district administration as they see the value of Adult Education in RUSD. But most importantly, the teachers and staff at RACE are the ones that allows our school to be what it is in our district community and I am just the beneficiary of this award. This award is truly our schools and the district’s. Without them, it would not have happened.”
Bettar is proud to have grown the Rowland Adult & Community Education (RACE) program, collaborating with the adult learners since many are parents of the TK-12 students in the district. “As we look to the future, the landscape for adult education has changed and now that we are part of a consortium and have dedicated funding, hence the flex years which damaged Adult Ed in the state is a thing of the past, we are ramping up program and services,” said Bettar. “We currently offer classes at 16 different locations in our district boundaries. We are expanding our Distance Learning opportunities for our ESL students, expanding this to five elementary sites during the morning, we have created what is essentially individual learning plans for our adult diploma and GED students, which we call ACES, Adult Compact for Educational Success and continue to explore and try different things that will resonate with the adult learner.”
Under Bettar’s leadership, the school has been awarded the California Golden Bell for its’ Community Based English Tutoring program, and has attained a 6-year WASC Accreditation in every WASC that the school has done since 1995. Bettar has also been instrumental in Career Vocational Education in Rowland Unified, founding the unique Career Pathways Program where every high school student in Rowland Unified is exposed to two or more Career Technical Education (CTE) courses in a student’s area or career interest to graduate. Pathways are in 8 of 15 industry sector areas and students can also choose to earn a Certification of Completion in a career pathway that further develops professional and personal skills including participation in an internship.
Rowland Adult & Community Education Rowland Adult and Community Education (RACE) will be holding its 47th annual Open House on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in conjunction with Adult Education Week. RACE provides classes such as Parent Education, free English as a Second Language (ESL), Distance Learning, Citizenship, High School Diploma and GED preparation classes, and a variety of foreign language and general interest classes and online classes. The Recreation program also provides a wide variety of programs for both kids and adults. For more information about the classes or Rowland Adult and Community Education, call (626) 965-5975 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday or 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday or visit http://race.rowland.k12.ca.us.
The Association of California School Administrators is the largest umbrella organization for school leaders in the United States, serving more than 17,000 California educators. ACSA's top priority is advocating for public school students in kindergarten through grade 12, as well as adult learners. Our mission is to be the driving force of education in California and beyond. For more information visit www.acsa.org
The Rowland Unified School District has garnered numerous state and national awards and is proud of its 19 schools with 15,000 students in the communities of Rowland Heights, Walnut, La Puente, City of Industry, and West Covina. More than 5,000 adults (16+) are also served by the Rowland Adult and Community Education School. For more information about Rowland Unified, the community can call (626) 965-2541 or download the free Rowland USD Mobile App for iOS and Android phones/devices that has news, school calendars, a safety Tip Line, and helpful parent and District resources. The public can also follow Rowland schools on Facebook.com/RowlandUSD Twitter @RowlandSchools or visit www.RowlandSchools.org.