In preparation for the reauthorization of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), the Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness held a March 4 hearing focusing on adult education programs designed to provide workers with the literacy and basic skills necessary to enter the workforce.
The AEFLA is Title II of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), which consolidates federal employment, education, and training programs into an integrated “one-stop” workforce investment system. The programs under the AEFLA are carried out in conjunction with the one-stop delivery system.
Chair Buck McKeon (R-CA) noted that “the need for an educated populace is critical to our success in maintaining our place in the global economy.” Yet employers over the past five years “have noticed an increasing trend in the numbers of employees lacking the basic skills needed in the workplace,” he said. “Increasing the focus on strengthening skills in basic reading, math, and English acquisition is an important first step for adults who need those skills,” he added. Ranking Member Dale Kildee (D-MI) agreed, pointing out that there are an increasing number of immigrants in the workforce who need help with English and math acquisition. He highlighted the need for more money for adult education programs and stated that the committee has always worked in a bipartisan fashion on this issue.
Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education, Dr. Carol D’Amico, testified that adult education programs must have accountability, focus on what works, increase flexibility to states to develop their own programs, and provide options and choices for students. She challenged the subcommittee to think creatively about literacy education. Although federal funding for AEFLA programs increased by $104 million, or 21 percent, between FY2000 and FY2002, she urged that “federal funding must be used more strategically and wisely” and with greater efficiency.
Dr. D’Amico pointed out that there are tremendous gaps between segments of the adult population, and that those who are better educated fare much better in the workplace. For instance, she explained that women “with a 9th to 12th grade education but no diploma earned an average of $16,500, compared to $29,000 earned by women with an associate degree and $36,600 earned by those with a four-year degree.”
With the retirement of the baby boomers, she said, projections show there could be a shortage of “12 million qualified workers in the next decade.” Also, if “trends of the last decade continue, 80 percent of the jobs in the fastest employment sector will require some postsecondary education or certification,” she added.
Additionally, Dr. D’Amico outlined recommendations for reauthorizing legislation. Federal legislation should address the quality of educational programs, she said, and should contain provisions to support “research-based practices” and “rigorous content standards and student assessments.” The standards established under the Leave No Child Behind Act would “provide a benchmark against which states can calibrate their standards for adult students,” she noted. She also recommended that legislation should encourage the coordination of services.
Rep. Kildee acknowledged that the Leave No Child Behind Act increased standards and accountability at the K-12 levels. “How shall we do that with adult education programs?” he asked.
“Each state would set their own standards,” replied Dr. D’Amico.
“Is $600 million adequate for adult education programs?” asked Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ). “That’s about $5 per person,” he said.
“We need to do more. We can do more with what we have,” answered Dr. D’Amico.
On the second panel, Beth Buhlman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told the subcommittee that finding qualified workers was a top priority for her organization. “Sixty percent of all jobs in today’s workplace require more skills,” she said. “Business quality, productivity and profitability depend on qualified workers who can perform on the job today and adapt to the new demands of tomorrow,” she added.
Ann-Marie Pannella of MCS Industries, Inc. acknowledged that the nature of the workforce is definitely changing. She told the subcommittee that she writes memos below a fifth-grade level so that workers can read them. Nevertheless, she admonished, “We must stop seeing those lacking reading skills, whether foreign born or a failure of our education system, as being a burden to society.” She stated, “They are a resource we must develop, and we need some funding from the federal government to get started.”
Ms. Pannella had some other recommendations for the subcommittee. “Rewarding employers through tax credits for the time they are paying the employee to attend school might help,” she suggested. “Granting money to programs already in existence will help,” she urged. “If you leave no adult behind, you, in turn, leave no child behind,” she added.
Dr. RandyWhitfield of the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education agreed. “Under current law, our state leadership funds that provide professional development were reduced from 15 percent to 12.5 percent,” he said, and added, “We cannot address all the issues surrounding accountability and program quality without the help of the federal government.”
