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Improved literacy is key to success and upward mobility
Adult Education and Literacy Notes
High School, Postsecondary, and Career Education Notes
Legislative Policy Notes
Research and Evaluation Notes
Improved literacy is key to success and upward mobility
International Literacy Month may encourage attention to low literacy during September, but the literacy problems in this nation expand beyond one month out of a year. In 1992, the National Adult Literacy Survey found that as many as 90 million adults have skills that will limit their ability to find full-time employment, earn high wages, or vote. Sadly, when findings from the current 2002 assessment are released sometime next year, we expect similar results. America is an economic superpower, spending more per capita on students than almost any other industrialized nation. Yet our literacy rates are at best average when compared to our international counterparts.
This low literacy rate is the driving reason why the Bush Administration is making a concerted effort in K-8 improvement and high school transformation. We are working to ensure all students leave school fully prepared for a future of education and high-skilled employment. And for those adults who have already fallen through the cracks of our educational system, now is the time to improve the quality of adult education services, so that we equip adults to meet the same standards for college readiness that we set for high school graduates in reading and mathematics.
Last week, President Bush and Secretary Paige announced the State Scholars Initiative, a program funded in part through OVAE, as a way to increase the number of high school graduates fully prepared for post-high school learning and high-skilled employment. The Initiative is available for all students, regardless of college, technical school, university, or employment after graduation. The same principles need to be applied to adult education, ensuring all adults -- regardless of their backgrounds -- are equipped with literacy and numeric skills to succeed in today's marketplace. It is never too late to learn. As we continue International Literacy Month, it is important to remember that improved literacy is the key to success and upward mobility.
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Adult Education and Literacy Notes
International Literacy Day Celebrated at UN
Dr. Richard La Pointe and Cheryl Keenan celebrated International Literacy Day September 5 by participating in a Leaders' Roundtable on literacy at the United Nations, along with the Mongolian Ambassador to the UN, the managing Director of the World Bank, New York's Mayor Bloomberg, and an adult learner. In addition to providing the learner for the panel, New York's Literacy Assistance Center partnered with UNESCO and the International Literacy Network to celebrate the success of adult learners and literacy practices for the day.
Census Shows Big Payoff for Education
Over an adult's working life, a bachelor's degree is worth about a million dollars, says a new Census Bureau report. High school graduates can expect to earn $1.2M between ages 25-64. Adults with a bachelor's degree can earn an estimated $2.1M. People who attended some college courses, but did not earn a degree can expect to earn about $1.5M, while people who earned associate's degrees can expect $1.6M. In 2000, 84 percent of US adults over age 25 had completed high school and 26 percent had earned a bachelor's degree or higher-both all-time highs.
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High School, Postsecondary, and Career Education Notes
Record Enrollments for Grades K-12
Record numbers of students are expected to enroll in public and private elementary and secondary schools this fall for the seventh year in a row, according to "Projections of Education Statistics to 2012," released by ED's National Center for Education Statistics. College enrollment will also break the previous year's record for the fifth year in a row. The report forecasts that elementary and secondary school enrollment will continue to rise in 2005, then decrease in 2010, before increasing by 2012. College enrollment is expected to rise from 15.6 million in 2002 to 17.7 million in 2012.
ED Announces State Scholars Initiative
President Bush and Secretary Rod Paige, along with OVAE's Assistant Secretary Carol D'Amico, unveiled the State Scholars Initiative on August 29, 2002 in Arkansas. The State Scholars Initiative is a new partnership among the business and education communities to encourage students to take more rigorous courses. Students who complete these rigorous courses will be better prepared for two- and four- year colleges, universities, apprenticeships, military training, and technical training programs. The State Scholars Initiative empowers all students with the academic tools needed to succeed in whichever postsecondary educational endeavor they choose.
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Legislative Policy Notes
OVAE Welcomes Policy Director Dan Bonner
Veteran ED employee Dan Bonner joined OVAE September 3 as Director of the Policy Analysis Staff. Bonner will play a key role in our work on reauthorization of adult and vocational education legislation. Bonner launched his 14-year ED career as Director of Policy and Planning with the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. His tenure there included service in a variety of positions: Acting Assistant Secretary, Deputy Assistant Secretary, and Supervisor of the Eisenhower Professional Development Program. Bonner holds degrees from Fordham and NYU. Welcome Dan!
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Research and Evaluation Notes
NCES announces new report on Voc Ed Offerings in Rural High Schools
Rural schools were less likely than schools in other areas to offer vocational education programs for occupations that were projected to be fast-growing, according to the 1999 Fast Response Survey System "Survey on Vocational Programs in Secondary Schools." The report finds that suburban and urban schools offered similar numbers and types of programs, while rural schools offered fewer programs. This difference in offerings may reflect differences in local labor markets.
Contributors:
Barbara Gilbert
Ricardo Hernandez
Sarah Newcomb
To ask questions, provide comments, or receive email notification of the next issue, please email the Office of Vocational and Adult Education at Office of Vocational and Adult Education.
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Last Modified: 01/31/2008
