Adult Education and Family Literacy Week: September 12 - 18, 2011
Economists predict that nearly two-thirds of the jobs in 2018 will require a postsecondary education, yet at least 90 million adults have low basic skills and may be unprepared for these higher-skilled jobs. Despite the need, federal adult education funds provide services for only 2.1 million adults each year and state revenue crises combined with flat federal funding under the federal Adult Education and Family Literacy Act prevents states and local programs from serving students who need further education.
The Adult Education and Family Literacy Week highlights the importance of programs across the country that help low-skilled adults prepare for postsecondary education, career advancement, and employment in family-sustaining careers.
Help support adult education. Here’s how you can join the Adult Education and Family Literacy Week:
- Learn more about AEFL Week and find other ideas at www.ncladvocacy.org/aefl.html.
- Share information about the importance of Adult Education widely with your networks. View a fact sheet on how adult education supports our country’s national priorities.
- Host a local AEFL Week event. Need ideas? Visit the NCL Blog to read what others plan to do. Email photos of your event to NCL for inclusion in a photo slideshow. NCL will also pin your photos to the Campaign Map.
- Tell your friends about adult education by sharing the AEFL week action alert on Facebook.
- Blog about the importance of funding for adult education and English language services or the need for a modernization of adult education policy. Send your blog post to the National Coalition for Literacy and they will feature your article here.
- Tweet about the importance of Adult Education using the #AEFLWeek hashtag. Here are some sample tweets for you to use:
#AdultEd lifts people out of poverty: Higher salaries, good job opportunities, higher savings, better working conditions. #AEFLWeek #poverty
At least $160M more needed to serve adult students placed on waiting lists for #AdultEd or English language acquisition services #AEFLWeek Limited English language proficiency is a barrier for immigrants to meaningful employment in the U.S. http://bit.ly/amDVni #AEFLWeek
1 in 7 adults can’t read job apps, prescription labels, or ballots. What will you do to help? #AEFLWeek
Additional Resources
Though budget challenges persist, states and local providers are finding new ways to infuse innovation into adult education. CLASP highlights some of this innovation in the following resources: