WASC FOCUS ON LEARNING VISITING COMMITTEE REPORT
SAN MATEO ADULT AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION

Chapter I: Student/Community Profile

San Mateo County occupies an area of approximately 449 square miles directly south of San Francisco, on the Peninsula. It includes a number of cities connected by Highway 101. Originally a series of bedroom communities for affluent San Franciscans, by the year 2000, the population had grown to 707,161. The County's population density now is the fourth highest in California.

Povulation and Ethnic Distribution
Over the last 20 years, the County has seen a steady influx of immigrants. Latinos and Asians/Pacific Islanders each represent over 20% of the population, and 32% are foreign-born. The majority of Latinos are from Mexico, with smaller numbers from Guatemala and Peru. Asian /Pacific Islander countries of origin most represented include China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Polynesia, Tonga, and Samoa. The 2000 U.S. Census reported the White population dipped below 50%. Today the County is one of the country's most diverse in terms of ethnic and cultural distribution.

The graying of the County's population is a significant factor. While the California average is 10.6% over the age of 65, iri some cities in the County the over-65 population is 15% and in Millbrae it is 21 %.

Unemvloyment Rate and Per Cavita Income
Over 67% of the jobs are White Collar, with large segments in Clerical, Managerial, Sales, and Professional. Services, particularly in hotels and restaurants, and craftsmen make up the majority of the Blue Collar positions. The major employer for the area continues to be the San Francisco Airport. Although the unemployment rate has risen from a low of 1.3% in 2001 to 4.6% in 2003, it is significantly lower than the California average.

San Mateo is a relatively affluent area with pockets of poverty. Five percent of families live below the poverty line and ten percent of single female-headed households. Per capita income in the main population centers averages $36,000 with a household average of $68,000.

The School
San Mateo Adult School operates on a year-round schedule Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Fridays, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In 2001, the School served 14,416 students in ten mandated areas, 735 students in fee-based classes, and 228 students in grant funded classes. Each year the School reaches its CAP in large part due to growth in the Older Adult and ESL programs. This growth matches that of the population in the service area.

The School includes a Main Campus and 42 off-campus locations including senior centers, convalescent hospitals, churches, recreation departments, and elementary schools.

Since the last accreditation, the School has upgraded in two major areas: (1) technology and (2) advisement and counseling. Each program area has had enhanced access and staff training to incorporate technology in the classroom and clerical areas; and the ABE/GED, High School Diploma, and Vocational programs have devoted more resources to advisement and counseling. In addition, an Employment Development Department counselor is on campus one day each week to assist students.

Staff
Of the 140 teachers, 22 are full time. There are 2 full-time administrators, 4 program coordinators, 12 instructional aides, 7 full-time and 3 part-time clerical, 3 student services aides, 3 custodians, 1 campus aide, and 3 non-teaching credentialed positions.

Student Profile .
Hispanics make up 45% of the student population and a large part of the ESL program. Nearly 85% of the students in the Older Adult program are White. There is substantial Asian representation in both ESL and non-ESL programs. The School neighborhood has the largest number of Hispanic households and the largest number of people living in poverty in the mid-Peninsula area.

Enrollment
The School offers the following courses: Basic Education, Adult Secondary, English as a Second Language, Citizenship, Adults with Disabilities, Vocational, Parent Education, Older Adult, Health and Safety, Home Economics, Fee Based, and C-BET.

In 2001-02, 45% of the student body enrolled in ESL, 18% in the Older Adult Program, 9% in Vocational, 8% in Adult Secondary, and 7% in Adults with Disabilities, with smaller percentages in the remaining programs.

Significant Findings:

The increase in the older adult population has had a significant influence on programmatic decisions.