Division of Adult and Career Education Home

Executive Director's Message

Removing Barriers. Changing Lives...

Who is DACE?

The Division of Adult and Career Education (DACE), funded entirely through state and federal adult education categorical funds, provides access to high quality pre- and post-secondary education and training opportunities in local communities throughout L.A. Unified. DACE specializes in serving adults with high barriers to employment and higher education.

DACE is both a national and state leader in adult education, serving over 68,000 students annually in programs such as English as a second language, academic and high school studies, and career and technical education. DACE also administers the largest apprenticeship training program in the country with 61 trades and 41 individual program sponsors. During the 2018-19 school year, the DACE apprenticeship program served over 10,000 registered apprentices.

Is DACE a centrally or locally administered program? – Both.

DACE is very similar to a local district with a centralized team to assist schools with operational, instructional and fiscal support. There are 11 main centers and over 140 satellite locations. At the school level, principals work with stakeholders to design school offerings and schedules that meet the needs of the communities they serve.

How is DACE organized?

DACE is organized to achieve maximum efficiency in the following key areas:

Governance – California Adult Education Program (CAEP), i.e., state funding, is allocated through the Los Angeles Regional Adult Education Consortium (LARAEC) to member districts. The DACE Executive Director serves on the LARAEC Executive Board, ensuring that the interests of adult learners in L.A. Unified are represented.

Performance – A significant portion of DACE funding is earned through achievement of performance-based student success outcomes. DACE is a state leader in agency performance.

Strategic Planning – DACE has been highly successful in aligning efforts with federal, state, district and regional adult education and workforce development initiatives. This has resulted in additional revenue from various state and local grants and contracts, which are reinvested in the schools to improve programs and provide better services to students.

What will be the major focus areas for DACE in the next three years?

Improving student access to career training pathways and accelerating student achievement across all DACE schools – This includes scaling up Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs as well as offering co-enrollment opportunities for students.

Implementing high-quality, site-based professional development across all schools with an emphasis on meaningful
faculty engagement – In this effort, both school leaders and teachers must be empowered to create a culture of learning with clear expectations for effective teaching and identifying best practices that will ensure student success.

Providing comprehensive support to adult learners – This involves a multi-tiered strategy in which all students will receive access, opportunity, inspiration, recognition, and encouragement so they can successfully transition to the workforce and/or further education and training.