Federal Policy

Adult Education and the Shutdown

/ The Old Crank

(Update Below)

Most everyone working in the field of adult education is already aware of this, but for those who are wondering, federal funding for adult education is generally not affected by the federal government hoedown shutdown. Workforce Investment Act (WIA) dollars—the biggest source of federal funding for adult education—are forward funded, meaning that states obtain their WIA Title II funding for the fiscal year that began today during the prior fiscal year. As a result, there shouldn’t be a major impact on adult education during the shutdown.

There are, of course, other federal programs that provide funds or support to adult education. There are AmeriCorps members, for example, who work at adult education programs. But they will not have to pack up and go home—any previously awarded CNCS grant or cooperative agreement should not be affected. (I have read at least one story suggesting that AmeriCorps members would not receive their living allowance stipends during the shutdown, but based on my experience running an AmeriCorps program, I don’t understand why this would be the case, unless the AmeriCorps project grant wasn’t due to be awarded until after September 30th.)

Another example: Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). A few adult education programs (mainly in urban areas) receive CDBG funding, and some reports (such as here and here) are suggesting  that some municipalities may experience delays in accessing these funds, even if they were already obligated for fiscal year 2014, because federal officials may not be available to approve disbursements.

I’m sure there are other examples, (let me know if I’ve missed any), but again, I think the impact on adult education—at least in the short run—is going to be pretty minimal.

Bear in mind, however, that there are several federal programs relied on by some low-income people enrolled in adult education that will be affected. The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has just published a brief report, What a Federal Government Shutdown Could Mean to Low-Income People, that is a useful guide to those programs.

UPDATE: The National Skills Coalition has a preliminary rundown on the impact of the shutdown on certain employment and training programs. Also, as this blog post points out, this is not the best week to be doing literacy research—at least if you are looking for NAAL literacy estimates—since the NCES Web site, like most other federal government Web sites, is offline.

 

Adult Education in the U.S. Department of Education’s Draft Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2014-2018

/ The Old Crank

Every four years, the U.S. Department of Education releases a new strategic plan. A draft is released first in order to get input from the general public and key stakeholders. The draft plan for 2014-18 was released last Friday. You can take a look at it here.

I’ve pulled out the language that most directly relates to adult education. Most of it, unsurprisingly, is under the one goal that explicitly references adult education: “Goal One: Postsecondary Education, Career and Technical Education, and Adult Education.”

Under this section, the Department says it must “ensure that all students—recent high school graduates and adult learners alike—are well prepared for college and careers, help more of them enroll in postsecondary education, and increase the number of those who complete programs of study with a degree or certificate.” (my emphasis)

In the very next paragraph, in a discussion that seems aimed more at higher education, the Department asserts that “students deserve to know that, whether they enter a college, university, postsecondary career training program, or adult education program, the credential they earn will be affordable and its value will be recognized as an indication that they possess the necessary knowledge and skills for success in the workplace and in life.“ (my emphasis) However, I didn’t see anything later on that describes what they mean by an “affordable credential” in an adult education context, or how to ensure that the value of such a credential is recognized.

This section also notes the need for the reauthorization of key federal legislation, including the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), (the largest source of federal adult education funding), “in order to support the implementation of more rigorous high school standards and postsecondary and adult education reforms that will increase student achievement and career and civic success.”  (my emphasis)

Weirdly, there are no “indicators of success” for adult education under this goal. Increasing degree attainment among 25-34 year olds comes closest, but this wouldn’t be a particularly accurate indicator of success for adult education specifically, since this cohort wouldn’t necessarily all be products of the adult education system.

Moving on to the objectives under Goal One: under Strategic Objective 1.1, the plan proposes to “close the opportunity gap” by increasing access to college and/or workforce training, “especially for underrepresented and/or underprepared populations (e.g., low-income and first-generation students, English learners, individuals with disabilities, adults without high school diplomas, etc.).”  (my emphasis) It notes that many students are ill-prepared for the “academic rigor” required for postsecondary success—and then turns specifically to discuss the adult education population, and adult education programs:

The Department is… concerned about the sizable number of adults who lack foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Because of this, too many adults cannot enter or complete a postsecondary education or training program. Data on educational attainment and skills show that there are at least 30 million Americans without basic literacy skills in need of educational credentials for work. The social and economic consequences are severe for these adults and their families, as well as for their communities, where large numbers of low-skilled adults can limit economic development. The current adult education system is not equipped to handle this challenge, serving less than 3 percent of the need. The Department will work to transform this system and create an adult learning infrastructure that better meets the demand for high-quality English language, literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills. This infrastructure must accommodate the increased demand for skills from industry and business, as well as for services that may result from comprehensive immigration reform. (my emphasis)

Interestingly, there is no discussion as to how or whether such infrastructure should accommodate the needs articulated by the customers of these services, or a strategy to identify those needs.

The discussion then turns to standards, proposing the adoption of internationally benchmarked college- and career-ready standards so that high school students “graduate with the competencies needed for postsecondary success.” But there is no suggestion that adult education standards should be adopted in order to achieve similar competencies for students coming out of adult education, despite the fact that postsecondary success is clearly articulated earlier as a critical outcome for adult education students.

Adult literacy is also discussed under Strategic Objective 1.3:

The success of the American economy and culture—as well as our national security—depends on the talent of all Americans. The President is committed to increasing the number of students earning degrees and credentials through postsecondary education and has encouraged every American to complete at least one year of education or workforce training beyond high school. One-third of postsecondary students drop out within four years without completing a degree or certificate, and more than 30 million adults function at low literacy levels that inhibit their ability to succeed in college and the workforce. Ensuring that all Americans have the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in college and in the workforce will require higher standards of educational excellence, leading to dramatically improved high school and adult education outcomes, which, in turn, will lead to postsecondary outcomes that produce more graduates with certificates and degrees. (my emphasis)

Here again, adult education—in this case adult education outcomes—is framed as an element of an overall objective related to college access/completion.

Adult education doesn’t really come up again until Goal 4, which concerns equity:

The Department is committed to pursuing equity at all stages of education, from birth through adulthood, in institutions of early learning, K–12 schools, career and technical and postsecondary education, as well as in adult education, and workforce development programs. The Department’s goal is to ensure that all—not just a subset—of the nation’s children, youths, and adults graduate high school and obtain the skills necessary to succeed in college and/or to pursue a meaningful career. (my emphasis)

And that’s basically it. Surprisingly, there is no mention of adult education under the section concerning technology, and nothing in the plan at all related to parental involvement/engagement, let alone family literacy or strategies to strengthen the role of parents in preparing their children to be school-ready. It’s conceivable I missed something because I read it through pretty quickly, but I don’t think so.

It’s hard to read the plan and not come away with the impression that the Department views adult education primarily in terms of how it relates to postsecondary attainment. Even here, however, there are places where adult education isn’t particularly well-integrated into the plan. For example, under Strategic Objective 1.3, the plan pledges support for programs that increase postsecondary persistence and completion, with a commitment to “provide funding for and disseminate information on strategies that foster successful transitions, including transitions between secondary and postsecondary education, two-year and four-year colleges and universities, postsecondary education and employment, and/or postsecondary pathways within or across career fields.” (my emphasis). Note that there is no specific mention her of the transition from adult education to postsecondary, or career pathways strategies in adult education contexts.

If you or your organization are interested in submitting a comment on the draft, you have until Friday, October 4th, 2013 at 5pm (EDT) to do so. Send your comments to strategicplancomments@ed.gov.

The Perpetual Budget Crisis

/ The Old Crank

Friends of mine who only vaguely follow the federal budget process (i.e. normal people) sometimes ask me why the government seems to be in perpetual crisis mode regarding the budget, debt ceiling etc. This blog post from Jared Bernstein offers several suggestions that make sense to me:

How Did It Come to This?

That’s an important question that I’ll largely leave to political scientists.  Someone the other day suggested that once Congressional leaders could no longer dole out earmarks to members of their caucus, they lost an important disciplinary tool—“break with your leaders and you won’t get that bridge!”  The political scientists I’ve asked about this say, “maybe,” but the Hill vets tend to put a lot of weight on this explanation.

I’ve argued that wealth concentration has interacted with money in politics such that folks like the Koch’s can buy the politics they—not the parties’ leaders funded by establishment money—want (they can also buy the “think tanks” to explain why they’re right [sic]).

And, as budget expert Maya MacGuineas noted the other day on a panel we were on together, don’t underestimate the damage done by not having a budget.  All this fiscal patchwork—“continuing resolutions”—means there’s never a lasting agreement on receipts and outlays that both sides have hammered out together.  That creates endless oxygen for the renegades to get their crazy on.

Finally, it really does seem to be the case that the obstructionists are doing the bidding of their constituents.  One House R was quoted in the paper the other day saying, essentially: the folks back in my district would rather see me work to shut down the government and default on the debt then compromise.  And I’m gonna listen to them, not Boehner and Cantor.

I might add one more: it appears that the people doing the negotiating really don’t like each other very much.

Health Literacy Problem “Poses a Challenge for the Success of the Affordable Care Act”

/ The Old Crank

According to the National Journal, the Congressional advisory committee on Medicare (MedPAC), is concerned that poor health literacy discourages patient involvement in treatment decisions and substantially increases the cost of Medicare.

The article also reminds us why health literacy should be of particular concern to President Obama in the coming months:

The health literacy problem also poses a challenge for the success of the Affordable Care Act. Once the exchanges open on Oct. 1, the millions of new patients added to the system in the coming years are expected to have high rates of health illiteracy, as many of them may not have had health insurance before.

As noted in the article, improving health literacy “is a stated priority for HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.”