The Change Agent

World Education, Inc.

The Change Agent is a social justice-themed, biannual online magazine written by and for adult learners and educators.

What This Includes

Skills addressed: Resilience, Written Communication, Problem Solving, Diversity & Inclusion, Civic Engagement, Stress Management

Learner resources

Social justice-themed magazine containing news articles, opinion pieces, and poems written by adult learners and educators
Readings can be selected by theme or reading level
Audio files accompany many of the readings
Opportunity to write for the magazine and join the editorial board

Instructor resources

Lesson plans and learning activities for each reading
Index with article reading levels, along with audio files for selected readings
Lesson packets by theme, with some adapted for distance learning in PowerPoint format
Grid showing alignment between articles and the College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education
Tips and strategies on how to use The Change Agent in instruction

Key Takeaways

Writing by adult learners provides high-interest reading material for grade-level equivalencies 2–12 and ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) learners.
Relevant issue themes, such as “Good Jobs, Not Just Any Jobs,” “Career Pathways,” “Talking About Race,” “Pandemic and Mental Health,” provide class-ready materials for talking about and building learner resilience, problem solving, and other personal and workplace success skills.
Subscription provides access to all issues, including back issues, as well as audio files for selected articles that can be downloaded and shared with learners and housed on a learning management system.
Webinar recordings for professional development and guidance for teaching with The Change Agent can be accessed as part of the subscription.
Free materials for teaching about race and other social issues help teachers facilitate discussions to raise awareness and connect issues to learners’ experiences.

Background

The Change Agent magazine was first developed in 1994 by the New England Literacy Resource Center at World Education to help teachers and learners read about and develop skills to advocate for adult education funding. After a receptive response from the field, World Education decided to produce more issues and continues to do so. Each issue explores a different topic and features writings by adult learners. Learning activities and additional resources, such as graphics and cartoons, provide teaching materials for the classroom. The website includes audio recordings of articles, leveled texts, and links to activities aligned to the College and Career Readiness Standards. The Change Agent is currently only available as an online magazine.