Patsy Egan, director of Adult Basic Education Teaching and Learning Advancement System (ATLAS), recently presented at the international Literacy Education and Second Language Learning for Adults (LESLLA) symposium in Brno, Czechia, where researchers, instructors, and policymakers gathered to discuss adult language learners with little to no first-language literacy.
Egan co-presented a workshop with Janet Isserlis of Brown University honoring the life and work of Heide Spruck Wrigley, a pioneering scholar whose work shaped adult language and literacy education for more than four decades. Wrigley passed away in late 2025.
Egan also helped organize and present a session on the effects of increased anti-immigrant sentiment on adult education programs. The session was developed with just 24 hours’ notice following a conference cancellation and strong international interest in recent events in Minnesota.
The workshop included adult education colleagues Kate Van Roekel of Tucson and Megan Singh of Indianapolis. Together, they shared experiences from their local contexts and facilitated an international discussion on the implications of anti-immigrant sentiment on adult learners, educators and programs.
ATLAS is a Hamline center that supports professional learning and instructional improvement for Minnesota adult basic education.