Preparing America’s FuturePreparing America’s Future

Enhancing the Quality ofEnhancing the Quality of

Adult Education and Family LiteracyAdult Education and Family Literacy

Hans MeederHans MeederDeputy Assistant SecretaryDeputy Assistant Secretary

Office of Vocational and Adult EducationOffice of Vocational and Adult Education

U.S. Department of EducationU.S. Department of Education

Archived Information

Overview of today’s session

• Adult Literacy OverviewAdult Literacy Overview

• Bush Administration Education PolicyBush Administration Education Policy

• Preparing America’s Future InitiativePreparing America’s Future Initiative

• OVAE Activities on Adult EducationOVAE Activities on Adult Education

• Questions and DiscussionQuestions and Discussion

Economic Implications Economic Implications of Literacy of Literacy

• An adult without a high school diploma earns 42% An adult without a high school diploma earns 42% less than an adult with a high school diploma.less than an adult with a high school diploma.

• Low literacy skills cost business and taxpayers $20 Low literacy skills cost business and taxpayers $20 billion in lost wages, profits and productivity billion in lost wages, profits and productivity annually.annually.

• 50% of the chronically unemployed are not 50% of the chronically unemployed are not functionally literate.functionally literate.

• 41-44% of adults who scored in Level 1 on the 41-44% of adults who scored in Level 1 on the National Adult Literacy Survey (1992) were in National Adult Literacy Survey (1992) were in poverty compared with 4-6% of adults who scored poverty compared with 4-6% of adults who scored in the highest level.in the highest level.

What is Literacy?What is Literacy?

The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 defines literacy as “an individual’s ability defines literacy as “an individual’s ability to read, write, speak in English, to read, write, speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual and in job, in the family of the individual and in society.society.

• 21-23 percent-- or some 40 to 434 million of 21-23 percent-- or some 40 to 434 million of the 191 million adults in this country -- the 191 million adults in this country -- demonstrated skills in the lowest level of demonstrated skills in the lowest level of prose, document, and quantitative prose, document, and quantitative proficiencies (Level 1)proficiencies (Level 1)

• 25-28 percent -- or about 50 million– adults 25-28 percent -- or about 50 million– adults nationwide, demonstrated skills in Level 2 on nationwide, demonstrated skills in Level 2 on each of the literacy scales. (NALS)each of the literacy scales. (NALS)

The literacy skills of The literacy skills of America’s adultsAmerica’s adults

State Administered Adult State Administered Adult Education Programs Education Programs

• LEAs-LEAs- 46%46%• Community/ Technical College- 10%Community/ Technical College- 10%• 4- Year Colleges- 1%4- Year Colleges- 1%• CBOs- 10%CBOs- 10%• Correctional Institutions- 11%Correctional Institutions- 11%• Public/Private Non-Profits- 13%Public/Private Non-Profits- 13%• Other- 9%Other- 9%(Program year 2000) Data not available from CA,WA, (Program year 2000) Data not available from CA,WA,

& WY& WYBackground #5Background #5

Improving the Quality of Adult Improving the Quality of Adult Education and Family Education and Family

Literacy ServicesLiteracy Services

Expanding Access to Adult Expanding Access to Adult learninglearning

Four Pillars of Four Pillars of President Bush’s President Bush’s

Education AgendaEducation Agenda

Pillar #1 Pillar #1 Raise Academic Raise Academic

AchievementAchievement

• Raise expectations for all studentsRaise expectations for all students

• Close the achievement gapClose the achievement gap

• Measure and report achievementMeasure and report achievement

Pillar #2Pillar #2Focus on What WorksFocus on What Works

• Identify Research Based Education Identify Research Based Education strategiesstrategies

• Focus dollars and energy on Focus dollars and energy on proven strategiesproven strategies

• Communicate what works to Communicate what works to practitionerspractitioners

Pillar #3Pillar #3Reduce bureaucracy and Reduce bureaucracy and

increase flexibilityincrease flexibility

• Provide maximum flexibility for Provide maximum flexibility for practitioners to do their jobs.practitioners to do their jobs.

• Move from culture of compliance Move from culture of compliance to culture of accountability for to culture of accountability for performance. performance.

Pillar #4Pillar #4Increase options for Increase options for

studentsstudents• Reduce “one-size fits all” approach Reduce “one-size fits all” approach

to education. to education.

• Provide more opportunities/choices Provide more opportunities/choices for studentsfor students

• Give parents good information. Give parents good information.

• High School InitiativeHigh School Initiative

• Community College Workforce InitiativeCommunity College Workforce Initiative

• Adult Learning InitiativeAdult Learning Initiative

High School InitiativeHigh School Initiative

• Preparing every Preparing every American youthAmerican youth to complete high school and be well to complete high school and be well prepared for a future of prepared for a future of postsecondary education and postsecondary education and employment.employment.

Community CollegeCommunity College Workforce Initiative Workforce Initiative

• Supporting community and Supporting community and technical colleges to fulfill their technical colleges to fulfill their potential as an engine of education, potential as an engine of education, career preparation, workforce career preparation, workforce development and economic development and economic development. development.

Adult Learning InitiativeAdult Learning Initiative

• Energizing and expanding Energizing and expanding Adult Adult Learning Learning to bringing higher levels to bringing higher levels of literacy and English fluency to of literacy and English fluency to millions of underserved Americans.millions of underserved Americans.

Adult Education Enrollment Adult Education Enrollment (1999-2000)(1999-2000)

• Adult basic EducationAdult basic Education 1,065,7711,065,771

• English LiteracyEnglish Literacy 1,102,2611,102,261

• Adult Secondary Adult Secondary

EducationEducation 723,863 723,863

TotalTotal 2,891,8952,891,895

Learner Characteristics Learner Characteristics (1999-2000)(1999-2000)

• American Indian/ Alaskan Native- 48,532American Indian/ Alaskan Native- 48,532• Asian or Pacific Islander-Asian or Pacific Islander- 214,688214,688• Black (non Hispanic) - 614,475Black (non Hispanic) - 614,475• Hispanic - 1,029,606Hispanic - 1,029,606• White (non Hispanic) - 984,594White (non Hispanic) - 984,594

Background #7Background #7

Participant Status at EnrollmentParticipant Status at Enrollment(1999-2000)(1999-2000)

• Disabled Adults- 135,113Disabled Adults- 135,113• On Public Assistance- 282,303On Public Assistance- 282,303• Adults in Correctional Facilities- Adults in Correctional Facilities-

239,142239,142• Adults in Community Corrections- Adults in Community Corrections-

71,72971,729• Other Institutionalized- 49,170Other Institutionalized- 49,170• Employment and Training- 93, 374Employment and Training- 93, 374

Overview of the Workforce Overview of the Workforce Investment Act and the National Investment Act and the National

Reporting System Reporting System

WIA Performance AccountabilityWIA Performance AccountabilityRequirements for StatesRequirements for States

• States must establish States must establish performance standardsperformance standards for the for the measures.measures.

• States must States must report annuallyreport annually on the core measures to on the core measures to the U.S. Department of Education.the U.S. Department of Education.

• States must consider States must consider program performanceprogram performance on the on the performance standards performance standards when funding local when funding local programs.programs.

• States have the option to consider States have the option to consider additional additional outcome measuresoutcome measures of their own when assessing local of their own when assessing local performance.performance.

Measuring and Reporting Measuring and Reporting Performance in Family Literacy Performance in Family Literacy

ProgramsPrograms• No family literacy performance measures are No family literacy performance measures are

included in Adult Education and Family included in Adult Education and Family Literacy ActLiteracy Act

• National Reporting System for adult National Reporting System for adult education contains two family/child related education contains two family/child related performance measures for optional reporting performance measures for optional reporting

• States are free to identify and collect state States are free to identify and collect state approved family literacy measures, optional approved family literacy measures, optional national measures provide a limited set of national measures provide a limited set of common measures.common measures.

OVAE Activities to Improve and OVAE Activities to Improve and Expand Adult Education ServicesExpand Adult Education Services

National Reporting System National Reporting System Refinements and TrainingRefinements and Training

• Ongoing review of data items and quality of Ongoing review of data items and quality of data within the National Reporting System.data within the National Reporting System.

• Coordination with state and local program Coordination with state and local program administrators to improve the measures.administrators to improve the measures.

• Professional development of state and local Professional development of state and local programs to use data for reporting AND for programs to use data for reporting AND for program improvement.program improvement.

Identify Effective Practices in Identify Effective Practices in Reading in Adult Education and Reading in Adult Education and

Family LiteracyFamily Literacy

• Collaborative of NICHD, OVAE and NIFL.Collaborative of NICHD, OVAE and NIFL.• Rigorous, random-assignment methodology Rigorous, random-assignment methodology

to test various educational approaches for to test various educational approaches for increasing reading comprehension and increasing reading comprehension and fluency among adults in adult education and fluency among adults in adult education and family literacy programs. family literacy programs.

• Request for applications has been published; Request for applications has been published; applicant workshops being held around the applicant workshops being held around the country.country.

National Assessment of National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) 2002 Adult Literacy (NAAL) 2002

Household SurveyHousehold Survey

• Purpose -- provide a nationally representative and Purpose -- provide a nationally representative and continuing assessment of English language literacy continuing assessment of English language literacy skills of American adults. skills of American adults.

• Data will be correlated to the 1992 National Adult Data will be correlated to the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey. Literacy Survey.

• The NAAL seeks to:The NAAL seeks to:

1.1. DDescribe the status of adult literacy in the U.S.escribe the status of adult literacy in the U.S.

2.2. RReport on national trendseport on national trends

3.3. IdenIdentify relationships between literacy and tify relationships between literacy and selected characteristics of adults.selected characteristics of adults.

Impact Study of Effective ABE Programs/Practices

• Examine the instructional techniques and Examine the instructional techniques and strategies that correlate to improved reading strategies that correlate to improved reading achievementachievement

• How much reading improvement is there among How much reading improvement is there among first-level learners?first-level learners?

• What are the characteristics of first-level adult What are the characteristics of first-level adult learners compared to reading improvement?learners compared to reading improvement?

• How do program operator decisions relate to the How do program operator decisions relate to the amount of improvement in reading skills or reading-amount of improvement in reading skills or reading-related behaviors among first-level learners?related behaviors among first-level learners?

ESL Impact Study

• Measure the employment earnings impact of participation in English as a Second Language programs for adults.

• Discover how ESL participation affects short and medium-term employment earnings.  

Work-based Learning Research and Evaluation

 • Examine work-based learning --

– its scope– the skills that employees actually gain– investment needed by employers– emerging models of work-based learning,

and – how federal and state policies impact

employer training and education decisions.

Review of International Review of International Adult Learning Policies and Adult Learning Policies and

PracticesPractices

• International literacy surveys do not International literacy surveys do not focus on “why” adults are more or less focus on “why” adults are more or less literate.literate.

• Create series of reports on practice and Create series of reports on practice and policy in countries with advanced or policy in countries with advanced or developing adult learning systems -- developing adult learning systems -- European and Asian nations. European and Asian nations.

Adult Learning Futures Project

• 12-18 month comprehensive review of how 12-18 month comprehensive review of how American adults currently access learning -- basic American adults currently access learning -- basic adult education services, English acquisition adult education services, English acquisition programs, family-literacy programs, work-based programs, family-literacy programs, work-based learning, skills training through postsecondary learning, skills training through postsecondary education, and advanced higher education. education, and advanced higher education.

• ALF Will support and inform future efforts at ALF Will support and inform future efforts at reauthorization of the Adult Education and Family reauthorization of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act. Literacy Act.

Adult Learning Research to Practice Partnership

• Develop user-friendly resources, dissemination processes, and professional development models.

• Ensure that research findings inform practice and policy, and –

• practice and policy guide and inform research. • Involve all levels and players in adult education

systems – federal, state and local administration, teacher professional development, supporting organizations.

Learning for the Future Community Partnerships

• Foster the expansion of adult learning, targeted to low-literate Foster the expansion of adult learning, targeted to low-literate adults.adults.

• Engage Community-based organizations, Faith-based Engage Community-based organizations, Faith-based organizations, libraries and businesses.organizations, libraries and businesses.

• Support adult learning through the coordinated efforts of Support adult learning through the coordinated efforts of trained volunteers linked to formal services offered through trained volunteers linked to formal services offered through schools and community colleges. schools and community colleges.

• Develop model training resources, implementation guides, and Develop model training resources, implementation guides, and lessons learned guides that can be broadly adopted by other lessons learned guides that can be broadly adopted by other communities. communities.   

Discussion and QuestionsDiscussion and Questions

• What are the greatest needs to improve adult What are the greatest needs to improve adult education services in family literacy programseducation services in family literacy programs

• Are family literacy programs recognized & Are family literacy programs recognized & supported by adult education program supported by adult education program directors?directors?

• What state and/or federal policies are most What state and/or federal policies are most helpful?helpful?

• What state and/or federal policies are most What state and/or federal policies are most problematic? problematic?

For more information:For more information:

Hans MeederHans Meeder

Office of Vocational and Adult EducationOffice of Vocational and Adult Education

U.S. Department of EducationU.S. Department of Education

C/o Peggy ZelinkoC/o Peggy Zelinko

Peggi.zelinko@ed.gov

202-205-5451202-205-5451