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Administration Recommendations for Adult Education to Congress
Adult Education and Literacy
High School, Postsecondary, and Career Education
Trend Watch
Administration Recommendations for Adult Education to Congress
On March 4, 2003 Assistant Secretary Carol D'Amico testified to the House Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness on improving Adult Education for the 21st Century. An excerpt appears below. The written testimony can be viewed in full at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/AdultEd/aetest030303.doc.
The Federal system of support for adult literacy programs has not been able to fully address the gap between the literacy skills needed to effectively function in the labor market and the current level of literacy possessed. Tens of millions of adults do not have the reading, language, computational, or English skills they need to be self-sufficient or to continue to adapt to the changing demands of the global information economy that characterize our Nation's present and future. As a result, my office is approaching reauthorization from two directions. First, we have consulted widely with our constituents to develop a broad vision for how diverse institutions can come together to raise literacy levels and promote better outcomes. Second, we have sought to define the appropriate role of the Federal government in achieving that vision.
I advocate expanding our vision by thinking creatively about the literacy education system. A system that includes employers, community agencies, social service agencies, libraries, volunteer literacy providers, and any source that can help prepare students for employment and self-sufficiency through increased opportunities for postsecondary education or training. A quality adult education system would achieve the following:
- Adults will learn the core academic skills they need for current and future education, training or work opportunities.
- Adults will complete the high school-equivalent level of adult education possessing the basic reading, language, English-language, and computational skills they need to go to postsecondary education or training or employment without the need for remediation.
- Students will be able to find educational options close by that fit their schedules.
- Programs will be equipped to meet the special needs of students with disabilities.
- Students will improve their skills quickly when they participate.
- Adults will learn in a context that is appropriate to their individual needs.
Adult Education and Literacy
Case Studies Suggest Successful Transitions
Five community colleges offer successful transition programs that also share common elements of success, says a report from the nonprofit Workforce Strategy Center. These colleges created transitions that integrated developmental and academic content, helped faculties teach in new ways, found resources to support the program, and produced promising outcomes in job placement and earnings. According to Building Bridges to College and Careers: Contextualized Basic Skills Programs at Community Colleges, all faced similar challenges that included enrolling and engaging lower-skilled students and providing evidence of long-term impact.
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High School, Postsecondary, and Career Education
Nation Still At Risk? Hoover Foundation Assesses
The Hoover Institution's Koret Task Force on K-12 Education released their report, Our Schools and Our Future: Are We Still at Risk. The report concludes that schools have not improved since A Nation at Risk was published. Fundamental changes are needed in the incentive structures and power relationships of schooling itself, according to the Task Force. " Those changes are anchored to three core principles: accountability, choice, and transparency," says the report. The Hoover Institution hosted a symposium in Washington, D.C. on February 26 to discuss the task force's findings. Secretary Rod Paige delivered remarks at the event.
State Policies on Community College Workforce Development Studied
Findings of a survey of 45 state higher education leaders on policies to guide and support workforce development programs at community colleges are available in a recently released report. State Policies on Community College Workforce Development: Findings from a National Survey includes state funding categories, current policy issues, and primary challenges. Community colleges are the lead agency for workforce education and training in 19 states. The report was published by the Center for Community College Policy at the Education Commission of the States.
Federal Website for FREE Educational Resources
The Department of Education updates daily the Federal Resource for Education Excellence website to make hundreds of Federally supported teaching and learning resources easier to find. Links include projects that encourage students to explore the sciences, fine tune mathematics skills, and provides parents with ideas for teaching activities at home. Subjects concerning career and technical education are updated with information from the Departments of Commerce, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Treasury, the Office of Personnel Management, and the National Science Foundation.
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Trend Watch
According to research conducted by the Manhattan Institute, between the ninth and twelfth grades, more than 1 million students will leave school without earning a diploma.
To ask questions, provide comments, or receive email notification of the next issue, please email the Office of Vocational and Adult Education.
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Last Modified: 10/02/2006
