Corinne Price’s dedication to her profession manifested itself in an invigorated adult school program for Salinas Union High School District, replete with new facilities, increased budget and a student body that more than doubled.
While Price retired this year as director/principal of Salinas Adult School, since 1981 she has been the quintessential adult education leader. Now she has been named ACSA’s 2008 Adult Education Administrator of the Year.
The award, she said, is a great way to end a career, adding she is most grateful to be recognized for the work she has done alongside many other adult education administrators over the years.
“As the African saying goes, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ Well, it takes a community to operate an adult school,” Price said. “This is not and never has been a one-person job.”
Adult education is extremely important to students who are in transition and want to upgrade their skills, she said.
“For many students who attend, this is their second chance to succeed by achieving a goal they have set for themselves, like to graduate from high school or get a GED, or become skilled at a new vocation,” Price said. “For others, it is a chance to learn English, take classes to become a citizen, to gain knowledge of parenting skills, or as older adults continue to maintain their independence, just to name a few programs.”
Some of the classes are free, while others are affordable and easily accessible, and there is no age limit. The concept of lifelong learning is greatly encouraged.
“It became apparent to me early on that it was crucial for students and staff to feel connected to be successful, especially in adult education with the huge numbers of people and locations involved,” Price said.
When she began at Salinas Adult School, it was scattered in several buildings around the city, including basements of churches and inadequate facilities at post offices and convalescent homes. Price wanted a centralized adult education community. She asked for and got a start on that project with a flood-prone district property near some lettuce fields. While many believed the school would be too far from potential students, Price believed, “If we build it, they will come.”
Now, more than 22,000 students take classes through the program, and the average daily attendance jumped from a respectable 1,000 in 1981 to a whopping 2,000 today. The budget exceeds $7 million. Price became an adult educator by accident. She had actually studied to become an interior designer.
“Once I started teaching, I became captivated,” she said. “It seemed to be the right place for me. And with my background as an art major in college, I have always relied on basic concepts in design to build and create courses, programs and facilities. It is a different way to approach education, but it has worked for me.”
Price came to Salinas UHSD in 1975 as coordinator of the Creative Living Program. She served in several other capacities for the district, including facilities coordinator, before taking the helm of the adult school. She came to the U.S. from the Netherlands, and later became a naturalized citizen. As a child she traveled extensively with her parents. To complete her elementary education, she went to eight different schools in five different countries and had to learn three languages.
“You will find many cultures represented at an adult school,” she said. “For instance, in Salinas we have served students from 67 different countries. I understand what it is like to acclimate to a new country, language and culture; plus I had to work extremely hard to get where I am today, and would not have been able to do that without the support and back-up of strong educational institutions and family.
“I am passionate about adult education, as it gives adults a chance to succeed in their lives no matter when or where.”
As a staunch advocate for adult education, Price has served as ACSA Adult Education Committee chair and is a past president of the California Council for Adult Education. She understands the importance of organizational membership.
“The greatest thing about ACSA is the networking – a chance to build relationships, learn from each other and support each other,” she said.
Each of ACSA’s 19 Administrators of the Year will be featured in EdCal through Nov. 3. They will be formally honored during ACSA’s 2008 Leadership Summit, to be held Nov. 6-8 in San Diego. For more information or to register, visit ACSA Online or contact the Educational Services Department at (800) 608-ACSA or (650) 692-4300.