National Adult Ed & Fam Lit Week 2014: More Facts & Stats

From World Education:

Adult Ed Facts 

(Download these adult education facts)                   

What Is The Adult Education System?

The adult education system refers to programs across the US that offer instruction ranging from basic literacy and numeracy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to high school diploma equivalency, and college and career readiness.

Need: In the US, over 30 million adults do not have a high school diploma and 20% of US adults with a high school diploma have only beginning literacy skills. The US ranked 21st in numeracy and 16th in literacy out of 24 countries in a recent assessment of adults' skills.ⁱ Two-thirds of U.S. adults scored at the two lowest levels of proficiency in solving problems in technology-rich environments. Yet, the publicly funded adult education system is able to serve only slightly over 2 million young and older adults per year.ⁱⁱ There are waiting lists for classes in all 50 states.ⁱⁱⁱ Current funding cannot begin to meet the need.

Providers: Adult education programs operate as free-standing organizations or as part of school districts, community colleges, municipalities, multi-services centers, libraries, faith-based organizations, housing developments, workplaces, and unions. Instruction is delivered by mostly part-time teachers and volunteer tutors.

Teacher Preparation: Given that the majority of adult education teachers do not receive pre-service training beyond an orientation, in-service training is critical to ensure high quality services.

Funding: The national, average annual expenditure per adult learner is around $800. By contrast, the national, average annual per-pupil expenditure on public elementary and secondary education nationally is over $10,000. Adult education programs receive less than 10% of the amount of federal, state, and local funding that goes to K-12, and less than 5% of what is spent to support higher education.^iv

Who Are The Adult Learners?

Working Poor or Those Looking for Work: In 2010-11, 41% of adults enrolled in adult basic education were unemployed and 31% were employed; the rest were not in the labor force.^v Enrollments in adult education have skyrocketed across the nation during the recession as adults are laid off and unable to find new jobs.

Youth: Every year, over three million youth drop out of school.^vi They join the 6.7 million youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither enrolled in school nor participating in the labor market.^vii When they decide to complete their education, they enroll in adult education.

Immigrants: By 2030, nearly one in five US workers will be an immigrant.^viii English Language Learners are a rapidly growing population across the nation.

Parents: Most adult learners are parents and primary caregivers of school-age children. Many are motivated to return to school by wanting to serve as better role models for their children and help their children succeed in school.

ADULT EDUCATION IS AN ECONOMIC IMPERATIVE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND THE NATION.

A robust adult education system is an economic imperative for the economic prosperity of individuals and the nation. The US is falling behind other countries and cannot compete economically without improving the skills of its workforce. High school graduates and dropouts will find themselves largely left behind in the coming decade as employer demand for workers with postsecondary degrees continues to surge.

• Full-time workers with a high school diploma earn almost $10,000 more per year than those without a diploma. If they have some college, but no degree, they earn $14,000 more on the average.^ix College graduates working full-time earn about $17,500 more a year than high school graduates.
• Adults without a high school diploma are more than twice as likely to be living in poverty as high school graduates^x and over three times more likely to be unemployed than adults with college degrees.^xi
• By 2018, 63% of all US jobs will require education beyond high school.^xii Yet, nearly half of the US workforce—about 88 million of 188 million adults aged 18 to 64—has only a high school education or less, and/or low English proficiency.^xiii

Adult Education Helps Children and Families Thrive.

One in four working families in our country is low income, and one in every five children lives in poverty.^xiv Studies have concluded that programs designed to boost the academic achievement of children from low income neighborhoods would be more successful if they simultaneously provided education to parents.

• A mother's education level is the greatest determinant of her children’s future academic success, outweighing other factors, such as neighborhood and family income.^xv
• Higher levels of education correlate to lower rates of chronic disease, such as asthma and diabetes, and fewer hospital visits for children and their caregivers.^xvi
• In the U.S., the odds of reporting poor health are four times greater for low-skilled adults than for those with the highest proficiency—double the average of the other 23 countries that participated in the assessment of adult skills.^xvii

Adult Education Strengthens Communities and Democracy.

People with more education earn higher incomes and pay more taxes, which helps communities to prosper. They are less likely to be incarcerated and more motivated and confident to vote and make their voices heard on questions of public policy.

• Federal, state and local governments stand to gain $2.5 billion in tax revenue and reduced expenses for every 400,000 adults who earn a high school diploma.^xviii
• Adult education makes communities safer. Inmate participation in adult education reduced recidivism by 29% according to a study of three states.^xix Over 40% of all incarcerated adults in the US have not completed high school.^xx
• Voting is strongly correlated to educational attainment. The voting rate for adults without a high school diploma was less than half the rate for those with advanced degrees in 2008.^xxi
• In the U.S., more than in most other countries, 60% of those with lower academic skills feel that they have no influence on public decisions and the political process.^xxii

National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week - Facts & Stats about Adult Literacy in the US

September 22 - 28, 2014 is National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week.

The National Coalition for Literacy has many resources available on this page.

ProLiteracy provides an International Literacy Day and National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week Toolkit.  It has a lot of helpful information to help you get the message out the need for literacy in the US and around the world.


Here are some facts about Adult Literacy from the ProLiteracy Toolkit:

Adult Literacy in the United States

 

More than 36 million American adults struggle to read, write, do math, and use technology above a third grade level. The recent Program for the International Assessment of Adult Literacy (PIAAC) examined the United States and 23 other industrialized countries and found:

• The U.S. mean literacy score was below the international average—ranking 16th out of 24 countries.

• Only twelve percent of adults in the U.S. performed at the highest proficiency level on the literacy scale.

• Only nine percent of adults in the U.S. performed at the highest proficiency level on the numeracy scale.

• Only six percent of adults in the U.S. and 8 percent of adults under 35 in the U.S. performed at the highest proficiency level on the problem-solving/technology scale.

 

 

More Facts about Adult Literacy in the US
 

*  Current federal appropriations for adult basic education in the U.S. total just over $600 million, which provides funding to serve just three million individuals.

*  There is a correlation between a low literacy rate and a low paycheck.

• Just 35 percent of individuals with below basic skills are employed full time, while 64 percent in the proficient category have full-time jobs.

• The salaries of adults with below-basic literacy skills are, on average, $28,000 less than salaries of adults with proficient skills.

• Single mothers who lack a high school degree are much more likely to be on welfare than women who have a high school degree.

• Women with low literacy are twice as likely as men to be in the lowest earnings category of $300 a week or less.

• Minimum wage workers increased wages by 18 to 25 percent within 18 months of exiting an adult education program.

Health

• People with low skills are four times more likely to have poor health (two times the national average).

Employment

 

• The percentage of employed adults in the U.S. who performed at the highest proficiency level was lower than the international average of employed adults who performed at the highest proficiency level.

• The U.S. has the highest levels of income inequality and literacy skills inequality.

Education

• Americans with a high school diploma or less scored lower in literacy, on average, than their counterparts in the other 23 countries.

• People who come from low educated families are 10 times more likely to have low literacy skills.

• The difference in literacy proficiency between people with the lowest and highest education

levels was greater in the U.S. than in any of the other 23 countries.

Demographics

• The percentage of black and Hispanic adults in the U.S. who performed at the highest proficiency level on the literacy scale was lower than the percentage of white adults.

• Literacy differences between native-born and foreign-born Americans were greater than the average internationally.

• The difference in average literacy scores between the youngest and oldest Americans was

smaller than in any other country.

Civic Engagement

• Low-literacy Americans are far more likely than high-literacy Americans to express low political engagement and understanding.

 

 

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ADULT LITERACY IN THE UNITED STATES

Current federal appropriations for adult basic education in the U.S. total just over $600 million,

which provides funding to serve just three million individuals.

There is a correlation between a low literacy rate and a low paycheck.

• Just 35 percent of individuals with below basic skills are employed full time, while 64 percent in

the proficient category have full-time jobs.

• The salaries of adults with below-basic literacy skills are, on average, $28,000 less than salaries

of adults with proficient skills.

• Single mothers who lack a high school degree are much more likely to be on welfare than women

who have a high school degree.

• Women with low literacy are twice as likely as men to be in the lowest earnings category of $300

a week or less.

• Minimum wage workers increased wages by 18 to 25 percent within 18 months of exiting an adult

education program.

Health

• People with low skills are four times more likely to have poor health (two times the national average).

Employment

• The percentage of employed adults in the U.S. who performed at the highest proficiency level

was lower than the international average of employed adults who performed at the highest

proficiency level.

• The U.S. has the highest levels of income inequality and literacy skills inequality.

Education

• Americans with a high school diploma or less scored lower in literacy, on average, than their

counterparts in the other 23 countries.

• People who come from low educated families are 10 times more likely to have low literacy skills.

• The difference in literacy proficiency between people with the lowest and highest education

levels was greater in the U.S. than in any of the other 23 countries.

Demographics

• The percentage of black and Hispanic adults in the U.S. who performed at the highest proficiency

level on the literacy scale was lower than the percentage of white adults.

• Literacy differences between native-born and foreign-born Americans were greater than the

average internationally.

• The difference in average literacy scores between the youngest and oldest Americans was

smaller than in any other country.

Civic Engagement

• Low-literacy Americans are far more likely than high-literacy Americans to express low political

engagement and understanding.

5

ADULT LITERACY IN THE UNITED STATES

Current federal appropriations for adult basic education in the U.S. total just over $600 million,

which provides funding to serve just three million individuals.

There is a correlation between a low literacy rate and a low paycheck.

• Just 35 percent of individuals with below basic skills are employed full time, while 64 percent in

the proficient category have full-time jobs.

• The salaries of adults with below-basic literacy skills are, on average, $28,000 less than salaries

of adults with proficient skills.

• Single mothers who lack a high school degree are much more likely to be on welfare than women

who have a high school degree.

• Women with low literacy are twice as likely as men to be in the lowest earnings category of $300

a week or less.

• Minimum wage workers increased wages by 18 to 25 percent within 18 months of exiting an adult

education program.

Health

• People with low skills are four times more likely to have poor health (two times the national average).

Employment

• The percentage of employed adults in the U.S. who performed at the highest proficiency level

was lower than the international average of employed adults who performed at the highest

proficiency level.

• The U.S. has the highest levels of income inequality and literacy skills inequality.

Education

• Americans with a high school diploma or less scored lower in literacy, on average, than their

counterparts in the other 23 countries.

• People who come from low educated families are 10 times more likely to have low literacy skills.

• The difference in literacy proficiency between people with the lowest and highest education

levels was greater in the U.S. than in any of the other 23 countries.

Demographics

• The percentage of black and Hispanic adults in the U.S. who performed at the highest proficiency

level on the literacy scale was lower than the percentage of white adults.

• Literacy differences between native-born and foreign-born Americans were greater than the

average internationally.

• The difference in average literacy scores between the youngest and oldest Americans was

smaller than in any other country.

Civic Engagement

• Low-literacy Americans are far more likely than high-literacy Americans to express low political

engagement and understanding.

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

LA Fam Lit Under the Knife Again

LA Family Literacy, the program just saved through grassroots action, is under the knife again.

 

LAUSD is slated to purge all teaching staff at 5 Family Literacy sites & close the other.

 

From their website:

How You Can Help

Please Send a Message to LAUSD:

Keep The Same Sites and the Same Staff;

Purging The Staff Will Destroy the Program

Please support the LA Family Literacy Program by contacting Supt. John Deasy and members of the Board of Education, who promised to preserve this exemplary and nationally recognized program. (Contact information below).

Tell them that the program must keep all sites open. Further, the program depends on the experience and trust of its talented and well-trained staff. Removing all the individuals who have been serving this program will assure the program’s death.
Tell District officials they must continue the program in the same locations and with the same staff, giving staff members the opportunity to upgrade their training as needed.

Hit the "read more" link to learn more.