National Coalition for Literacy

Today, February 13th, the President released his FY2013 Budget Proposal. According to the summary, adult education is proposed to be funded at $595 million, with $15 million to go towards the Workforce Innovation Fund for competitive grants. While some may see this as level-funding, others may not since the Workforce Innovation Fund is proposed to come from existing state adult education grants. These formula grants are being tapped to provide the proposed Workforce Innovation Fund, which is not a new trend (See last year’s 2012 Budget Proposal).

Additionally, 11 million would go to National Programs; and approximately $75 million to go towards English Language Learning and Civics. In addition, the Pathways Back to Work Fund included in the American Jobs Act is provided $12.5 billion in funding, $10 billion of which would go toward promising strategies that lead to employment, which may include integrated education and training models that serve adults with low basic skills.

In general, this is consistent with what Mr. Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President on Education, reported shortly after the President’s State of the Union Address. He noted during a panel discussion with Senior Administration officials that the President knows adult education is important, which is why he continues to fund it.

However, over the last decade, we’ve seen a significant downward trend in federal funding for adult education. See this new Adult Education Funding Fact Sheet from the Center for Law and Social Policy for more information.

The budget summary for adult education is excerpted below. Tell us, do you think that adult education should be level funded for 2013? Why or why not? What’s needed from adult education to move our country forward and are these proposed resources sufficient? Share your comments below.

Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants assist adults without a high school diploma or equivalent to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for postsecondary education, employment, and economic self-sufficiency. The request includes $15.0 million to support a Workforce Innovation Fund (WIF) that would be jointly administered and funded by the Departments of Education and Labor. >From the $125 million available for the WIF from all sources, the two agencies will work together to award competitive grants that encourage innovation and identify and validate effective strategies for improving the delivery of services and outcomes for all beneficiaries under the programs authorized by the Workforce Investment Act. This investment would create strong incentives for change that, if scaled up, could improve the effectiveness of the workforce preparation and training system.

The forthcoming reauthorization of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, which is Title II of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), provides the opportunity to better align the Adult Education program with Federal job training programs and the postsecondary education system. The Administration’s proposal for reauthorization would streamline service delivery, require rigorous content standards and aligned assessments, ensure that workforce and adult education providers engage with employers, strengthen accountability requirements, promote innovative programs that support the use of career pathways models, and increase the level of support for adults in correctional settings.

The request for State Grants includes $74.7 million for the English Literacy/Civics Education set-aside to help States and communities provide adults learning English with expanded access to high-quality English literacy programs linked to civics education. Funds proposed for National Leadership Activities would continue to support activities intended to increase the literacy and workforce skills of our Nation’s native-born adult population, as well as the ongoing need to address the English language acquisition, literacy, and workforce skills gaps of the immigrant population.