Adult Education and Family Literacy Week Uplift Success Nationwide

Adult Education Transforms Lives and Serves as a Talent Pipeline.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, September 16, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) during National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, which is commemorated annually and passed by congressional resolution. The week brings the field of 82,000 adult educators and millions of learners together to highlight successes as it calls on federal, state, and local lawmakers to increase funding for the more than 2,380 local programs that services to millions of adult learners nationwide.

Adult education continues to help learners break barriers and change the trajectory of their lives. According to the National Reporting System, 73% of learners that entered programs with the stated goal of achieving their high school equivalency, such as the GED, obtained that goal.

Adult education provides equity as 78 percent of adult education student are people of color, and adult learners typically check at least one of the following: aged out of foster care, former offenders, single parents, migrant and seasonal workers, those exhausting TANF, legal immigrants, individuals with disabilities, and high school non-completers. Many adult education learners enter the local program in search of reading, writing, math, technical, digital and workforce readiness skills that will put them on the path to a better-paying job or help them gain entrance to a community college. Some also express the desire to read to their children or to be able to help their children with their homework. Adult education programs offer training in foundational digital skills, which are increasingly required in today's workplace but lacking in nearly 1 in 3 workers in the U.S., according to a recent study conducted by the National Skills Coalition.

National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week began Sunday and runs through Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. The week includes a variety of activities designed to raise the visibility of work in the adult education field and to celebrate the successes.

Specifically, COABE is urging Federal lawmakers to increase funding for the Adult Education State Grants program to $810 million for fiscal year 2025 and to incorporate the rest of COABE’s priorities in a final WIOA reauthorization bill.

According to the Institute of Education Sciences, there are more than 51.4 million adults with low literacy skills and 75.1 million adults with low numeracy skills. "Additional funding is needed to provide millions of learners who have often faced incredible life barriers, with a hand up and out of poverty into family sustaining jobs and community college." said Sharon Bonney, Chief Executive Officer of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education.

COABE estimates the return on investment for adult education, which includes preparing adults to earn their High School Equivalency diploma, is $2.5 billion in tax revenue and reduced expenses for every 400,000 adults who earn a high school diploma—a savings of $6,250 per person.
The week's activities include a Legislative Champions’ Breakfast at the Monocle, meetings with mayors, governors, and Members of Congress that will be led by State Advocates for Adult Education Fellows, a Twitter/X "storm", and daily legislative programming to equip the field in their advocacy outreach efforts.

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About COABE
Our mission is to inspire educators so adults succeed and communities thrive. The Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE) is the leading and largest adult education association, serving as the voice of adult education nationwide. We champion increased access and investment in adult education, leading to higher-quality instruction and greater student outcomes. We employ innovative and effective strategies to reach more adults who struggle with literacy, numeracy and problem-solving.

Contact: Sharon Bonney, CEO COABE
Phone: 888-442-6223
coabe.org

Sharon Bonney
Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE)
+1 315-395-2789
email us here
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