Dr. Carroll F. Towey, chief of the program services branch of the U.S. Department of Education, presented the Secretary's Award for Outstanding Adult Education and Literacy Programs during a breakfast Tuesday at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center.

The Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center, the new name for what had been called the Cape Girardeau Vocational-Technical School, received a national award for outstanding adult education during its annual Recognition Breakfast Tuesday.

Dr. Carroll Towey, branch chief for the U.S. Department of Education's adult education division, attended the breakfast as part of the school's celebration of Association for Career and Technology Education Week. He presented the district's adult basic education program the Secretary's Award for superior programming.

"The United States is highly pleased with all the work you and your staff have done and will continue to do for the youth and adults in Cape Girardeau," said Towey during his presentation.

Cape Girardeau was one of 10 recipients of the award this year and one of 66 since the award was first presented in 1985.

The selection process is highly competitive beginning with the fact that each state is asked to submit only two nominees. Program nominees are then judged by a national panel on the program's design, instruction, learning environment, achievement of learner goals, standards, evaluation and professional development.

"I visited Cape Girardeau during the site visitation process, and we found some really promising practices," said Towey. "This is truly one of the model programs in the U.S."

The district's strong programming, retention practices and ability to help students achieve their goals stood out among other nominees, said Towey. Transitional services, including pre-enrollment and post-graduation programming, also demonstrated the district's success in meeting the needs of nontraditional learners, he said.

Probably the most significant aspect of the programming was a "wealth of collaborations and partnerships" with area agencies and business and industry, he said. The school's ability to work with others to assist displaced workers or those needing new training made it a natural selection for the secretary's award, said Towey.

"The Cape program has a pre-employment curriculum for adult workers who became displaced through plant or factory closings that was unique among programs considered this year," he said.

During the period of the review nearly 1,400 students were enrolled in the vocational school's ABE program. Of those enrolled, 133 received GED certificates, 321 achieved learning gains, and 293 obtained employment.

"Do you realize some of these people might have been on welfare and are now earning money at jobs?" said Towey. "This is indeed an achievement of the program. And for the people who find employment through the program, it opens up a new way of life for them."