National Coalition for Literacy

By Washington Partners, LLC

After months of anticipation, today is the day.  The sequester has been triggered.  Congress and the White House, in spite of reassuring the public for months that it was just “too awful” and they would never let it happen, failed to come up with an alternative.  Because of a policy known as forward funding, most education programs will not feel the impact of the sequester until the fall.  But not all programs.  Head Start and Impact Aid will feel the cuts immediately in the remaining months of this fiscal year.

Today, President…

—By Washington Partners with Jackie Taylor

The President sent his fiscal year 2013 budget to Capitol Hill last week to mixed reviews.  Republican Members were quick to criticize the proposal as too costly at a time that requires fiscal restraint.  Democratic Members offered muted praise and caution regarding the deficit and pending sequestration if the government doesn’t get its fiscal house in order.

For education advocates, the top line news was good.  The President has proposed a modest increase for education—a 2.5 percent bump, or $1.7 billion over FY2012.  As with past Obama budgets,…

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…

—A Public Policy Update on Adult Education and Literacy, Part II

By Jackie Taylor

For those of us who work in adult education and literacy, it’s no surprise that many of our programs have waiting lists of adults who want to improve their basic skills or learn English. In a recent Washington Post article, community colleges now also face similar demands: Adults want new skills but…

—An NCL WIA Reauthorization Priority

Article by Art Ellison,  Policy Committee Chair,  National Council of State Directors of Adult Education

An annual federal appropriation of at least $1 billion for adult education would represent the lowest possible figure that would indicate a serious commitment to the needs of undereducated adults in this country. The state grant appropriation level of $614 for FY11 contained in the budget submitted to Congress by the Obama administration would need to be increased by Congress to $386 million in order to reach the $1 billion level for next year.

A [ Read More → ]

The National Coalition for Literacy requests immediate action now on Appropriations for Adult Education and Family Literacy:

Action: Please call, email, or fax your two Senators with this message:

“Please increase funding for adult education to at least $750 million to provide services to potential students placed on waiting list for services.”

Talk about the need and demand for services in your area. Share the 2009-2010 NCSDAE Adult Student Waiting List Survey and discuss the waiting list numbers in your program or

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Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants, National Leadership, EL / Civics, and Even Start

By Jackie Taylor, NCL Policy Co-Chair

On February 1, 2010, the President released his budget proposal for FY2011. Below is the proposed budget for Adult Basice and Literacy Education State Grants, National Leadership, EL / Civics, and Even Start, as found in the Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Summary, retrieved from the Department of Education website .

Please post your comments or questions in the Comments box below.

• What are your reactions to the proposed budget?
• From your perspective, what are the implications for

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