Accessibility Tools

Welcome to Vermont Adult Learning!

Vermont Adult Learning helps adult learners, ages 16 and older, acquire reading, writing, math, and computer skills to earn high school diplomas/GEDs. We teach English Language Learners skills to advance educationally and at work. We engage in workforce development. Our services are offered at no cost and are available in person and online. Text VAL to 833-900-0907 or contact a Learning Center nearest to you to learn more!

Note for in-person learning: We no longer require masks in our learning centers. Anyone at high risk or wishing to continue wearing a mask for other reasons is welcome to do so. We will continue to have masks available in our centers for those who need them.

Those who choose to wear a mask do so because it is a decision they have made for their health and safety. Vermont Adult Learning expects that decision to be respected. If you have concerns about your safety, please let us know so we can discuss options to address them.

Learning Matters Blog and VAL Updates

As schools reopen, VAL offers an alternative path (8/20/2020) - Vermont schools are preparing for September openings amid COVID-19. School administrators, in consultation with staff, families and public health officials, have been working hard to reinvent our educational systems in ways that provide students with rich learning while keeping students, staff and the public safe. While some schools are looking at returning to in-person classes, others are planning to continue virtual instruction; most are expecting to use some combination of in-person and virtual instruction. Social distancing and frequent sanitizing will be the new normal in schools. Some students will adjust easily and thrive in this new normal; some students will…

Paul Dragon appointed to Board of Trustees (8/17/2020) - Paul Dragon has been appointed to the Vermont Adult Learning Board of Trustees. Over the past 15 years, he has worked at the Agency of Human Services in several roles, including the Deputy Secretary for the Agency, the Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, and most recently as the Director for Field Services. In each of these roles, he has sought to bring the Agency’s vision of holistic and integrated services to Vermonters. As the Director of the Healthcare for the Homeless Program in Burlington, he led the development of the Safe Harbor Clinic and the Pearl Street Clinic.…

Dee Gilbert appointed to Board of Trustees (8/17/2020) - Dee Gilbert has been appointed to the Vermont Adult Learning Board of Trustees. She is the Assistant Director for Employer Relations and Outreach in the Center for Careers and Internships at Middlebury College. She fosters employer relationships in order to provide high quality and diverse employment and internship opportunities to students. Gilbert has a passion for helping people set and achieve goals and brings sixteen years of Human Resource experience in higher education. She is active in her church and has served as a volunteer for Vermont Adult Learning since 2013. “I am excited to serve on the board of Vermont Adult…

Student Voices: What is White Privilege? (8/13/2020) - What is white privilege? What is Black Lives Matter? Recently I’ve been hearing a number of people say, “all lives matter,” which is true: every life matters. BLM isn’t saying one life is more important than another. The people in the BLM movement are trying to bring awareness and justice to multiple African-American lives that have been taken for no reason. Most people just want to turn away and pretend it didn’t happen or give the killers a slap on the wrist. BLM wants to bring consciousness to racism which is, sad to say, still alive in many ways. Parts…

Tina: Finding a Tactile Way to Understand a Complex Issue (8/11/2020) - We, as a nation, find ourselves in a complex period regarding law enforcement. Documented instances of excessive use of force by police have raised the national consciousness. The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, graphically displayed via video, drove home the lethal consequences of police officers abusing power. Tina is a member of Vermont Adult Learning’s (VAL) Class of 2020, earning her diploma at age 53. She is a survivor of trauma, which affects her ability to understand complex issues and synthesize information. She worked very hard, with support from VAL teachers, to complete all…