Services & Programs>Education Services

PACE Institute

As a division of the Safer Foundation Educational Services Department, the PACE Institute provides adult literacy and GED preparation to Cook County Department of Corrections (CCDOC) detainees who voluntary request to improve upon their educational level.

PACE delivers services to six divisions within CCDOC and has an independent study program that runs from one to three hours, four times a week.

Instructional Model and Methodology

The PACE curriculum consists of three different learning domains: math, writing, and reading.

  • The math curriculum contains fifteen objectives, beginning with addition and subtraction and continuing through algebraic word problems.
  • The writing courses contain thirteen objectives ranging from sentence logic through inventive composition.
  • The reading curriculum centers on seven objectives as students learn everything from decoding to inference.

The PACE program ties the academic tasks to the mastery of each objective and allows students to use each in practical contexts.

PACE uses a variety of materials to accomplish its goal. While students use some standard adult education textbooks, particularly for reading exercises, the tutors in the program use a variety of texts, worksheets, and spontaneously created tasks to help keep students engaged so that they can achieve their goals.

CCDOC Divisions Served by PACE

The PACE Institute delivers services to six divisions within CCDOC:

  • Division I, Maximum Security‚ Males 17 and up
  • Divison III, Annex-Minimum Security‚ Females 17 and up
  • Division III‚ Maximum Security Pregnant/Medical Treatment Unit‚ Females 17 and up
  • Division IV‚ Minimum Security Drug Intense Programmed Detainees (HRDI)‚ Males 17 and up
  • Division X‚ Residential Treatment Unit (ADA Compliance), Males 17 and up

The PACE Independent Study Program serves two additional divisions:

  • Division XVII‚ Residential Furlough Detainees‚ Females 17 and up
  • Division IV‚ Minimum Security Drug Intense Programmed Detainees (HRDI)‚ Males 17 and up

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