May is a month of celebration, a fresh start to hard work, and a time to congratulate GED graduates.

We want to recognize the incredible effort and resilience of our GED learners. This past year had more obstacles than any of us could have ever imagined, and yet our graduates persevered while preparing for the next milestones in their lives.

Next week is our official GED Grad Week celebration, but we want to use this month as a time to reflect on the grit and determination of our graduates. They not only had to study during a pandemic, but many were working multiple jobs and caring for children that may have been home. In many situations, financial burdens surrounded their every move.

This class of graduates succeeded while navigating virtual learning, social isolation, and limited in-person test and preparation options, all while experiencing the uncertainty of what was to come. Many of these new graduates are also the first to be credentialed through the Online Proctored GED test. They are a testament to why we created the remote testing option and how it is helping students start and complete their journey despite uncontrollable circumstances.

We all enter this graduation season with more awareness about the world we live in, the shortcomings of opportunities for those from historically marginalized communities, and our duty to make this a better place for all. Despite their background and where they started, all GED graduates should know that they have a bright future ahead of them and have educators, colleagues, friends, and family members who are rooting for their success every step of the way. We are all committed to being advocates for GED graduates and their dreams.

Educators, we could not do this without you. I want to thank you for how you have been a part of your learners’ journeys. Your support and dedication have not gone unnoticed. These times have introduced so many challenges to how you reach and connect to your learners. This includes, but is not limited to, adopting virtual learning while balancing the demands of your own families and other commitments during a pandemic. You have been a source of confidence for your learners, and your consistency and adaptation are admirable. We know that you have gone above and beyond, and we are grateful for you.

Let each of us connect with and continue to support our graduates in a way we haven’t in the past. Our graduates have made a monumental achievement in a world turned upside down—a milestone worth celebrating and an inspiration to us all. The sky is truly the limit.

Stay well, stay connected, and let’s keep changing the world one learner at a time.

–Vicki Greene, President of GED Testing Service

Graduation season is in full swing, and we’re excited to celebrate the accomplishments of our GED graduates during our weeklong event.

On our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), we will be sharing posts from students, graduates, educators, employers, family, and friends to celebrate GED graduates worldwide.

This year we’re asking graduates to share what kept them motivated and pushed them to succeed despite the many challenges presented during the pandemic.

We need your help to make this year’s event a success! Please share your words of encouragement, shoutouts to your grads, and congratulatory messages through videos and posts using the hashtag #GEDGradWeek and tagging @GEDTesting.

We have created a social media toolkit to give you step-by-step instructions on sharing your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts. By tagging us and using the event hashtag, we can see your posts and reshare our accounts. This year we’ve even created GED giphy stickers to add to your Instagram story posts.

You can access the toolkit here: https://ged.com/wp-content/uploads/Grad-Week-Social-Media-Guide.pdf

We also encourage you to join our Facebook event page, where you can join fellow educators and GED graduates worldwide sharing posts all week long.

We’re looking forward to seeing all your posts in celebration of GED graduates!

Engaging your adult learners in advocacy is one of the best ways to garner support for adult education programs.

The COABE Ambassador Training program has helped educators and student leaders become advocates for adult education funding and resources at the local, state, and federal levels. It not only helps garner support for adult education programs, but also provides real world opportunities for learners to practice and apply their skills and knowledge.

The award-winning program was started in Arizona through Pima Community College’s Adult Education program and has since been adopted by COABE to help educators and learners across the country.

The training program consists of four major components that help with skills and knowledge development:

• Awareness–learning statistics and research that support advocacy for adult basic education and high school equivalency credentials.
• Stories–sharing student experiences that highlight the life-changing impact of adult education programs.
• Public speaking–how to best share your story in-person, on social media, or by phone; what to say based on who you are talking to.
• Meeting with officials–how to set up meetings; participating in mock meetings with public officials, how to continue relationships with officials after a meeting.

Students of all education levels are encouraged to sign up to become ambassadors. The program is designed to be flexible and incorporates teacher support throughout the process. Student ambassadors participate in COABE’s Capitol Hill Day events, state and local days on the Hill, and other activities. Many of the students graduate and continue ambassador work, utilizing their leadership skills as they are the best example of how adult education programs change lives for the better.

GED graduate and college student Megan Linzy shared her story:

I attended the Adult Basic Education and Literacy program at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges: West Davenport Center (EICC: WDC). After three years of studying, I graduated with my GED diploma in 2013.

In 2020, the Dean of Adult Basic Education and Literacy at EICC: WDC Scott J. Schneider nominated me to represent Iowa as their Adult Basic Education Ambassador. I attended COABE’s Ambassador Training virtually in June of 2020.

Due to my learning disabilities, I suffer from anxiety that has improved with education, but speaking in public was still a fear that I face even today. The Ambassador program gave me the tools that helped me build my confidence over time.

As Adult Basic Education students, we must speak up if we want to create change in how adults are educated. The COABE Ambassador program is a course where you will learn how the government system works, who your representatives are, and how you can tell your story to help impact changed within your own personal communities and at a federal level.

Since my graduation with my GED in 2013, I enrolled at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges to earn my associate degree in Education in Davenport, Iowa. Today, I am enrolled in online courses at Bellevue University, where I am earning my bachelor’s degree in Adult Education and plan to be completed in 2022. Today I am also employed full-time at the EICC: WDC as an Office Coordinator. I oversee the registration process of our Adult Basic Education students.

Every day, students like Megan share their stories and show how powerful adult education is and the necessity to have funding to keep programs running and available to others.

The COABE Ambassador Training program is currently accepting new ambassadors and being offered in an online format. Please share this information with your students and encourage them to participate. To get involved, email Jessica Wabler at ambassadorcoordinator@coabe.org.

If you’re looking for ways to promote your adult education program or classes, check out our free marketing materials.

GED.com has a dedicated section for Educators and Administrators. Under “Teaching the Test,” you can view Free Classroom Materials, Teaching Resources, Professional Development, and Prep Products.

The “Promote Your Program” section links to printable flyers that you can customize for your program. They are available as pdf downloads in English and Spanish.

You can also visit the GED PrintHub site to order professionally designed brochures, flyers, pamphlets, and more. All materials are free outside of the shipping and handling costs.

We are always looking to update our resources for educators and programs. Let us know what marketing materials you would like to see added to our website in the comment section.