National Coalition for Literacy

. . . in Title I and Title II. [i]

—An NCL WIA Reauthorization Priority

Article by Jackie Taylor

In the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), several terms are defined in the beginning of the Titles. These definitions are then used as a foundation for crafting the legislation. WIA Title II authorizes federally-funded adult education and family literacy programs. You can find definitions for Title II in Section 203. As times change and the country’s needs change, definitions are added or altered to address these needs.

The problem arises when definitions within legislation (such as Titles I and II of WIA) and across legislation (such as WIA, immigration reform, health reform, and so forth) are not aligned. It can impact who is served, who can serve them, and the types of activities that can be carried out. Misalignment of definitions can create barriers for adult learners to access services. So, similar to the NCL priority for aligning Title’s I and II, the Coalition believes it is important to emphasize the need to be consistent within and across all legislation in the definitions used for adult education and family literacy.

What are your thoughts or comments on this issue?

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[1] Please see http://www.ncladvocacy.org/currentpolicy.html, WIA Side-by-side Analysis, Section 203, Definitions, Column 2, Coalition Proposal.