To ensure America's future : building a national opportunity system for adults : strengthening links between adult education and community colleges

Author / Creator

Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy

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Online

Physical

Summary

This report is a call to arms. It comes at a pivotal time for both the adult education system and the community college sector. The gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" in American society i...

This report is a call to arms. It comes at a pivotal time for both the adult education system and the community college sector. The gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" in American society is growing, and the main pathway to the education and training needed to hold decent jobs and function well as parents and citizens is through the community college door. This has long been the case, but we are at a historical juncture. We ignore present realities at our own peril. We can't afford to keep doing business as usual. A growing number of adults lack a high school credential. Too few adults are enrolled in ABE, ESL, and GED or other diploma programs, and too few are making the transition to community colleges. We are reaching only about three million adults with current programs, a fraction of the need. Moreover, efforts to address the challenge are fragmented and underfunded. It is time for community colleges to make service to underprepared adults a much higher priority. These people represent a substantial portion of America's current and future workforce. They come from cities and towns all across the country, from every large urban center and every small rural area. In fact, most colleges embrace economic and workforce development already, but to benefit themselves, and to benefit their present and future students and their communities, they need to go well beyond their present role. And supportive policies and funding from government will be needed to help them. The same is true of the adult education system in all its parts -- K-12 systems, community-based organizations, libraries, and others that make up the national provider network--Foreword.

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