Providing Adult Literacy Education Within WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act)-Funded State Systems: Challenges and Limits

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Adult Education Policy, Barriers, and Career and Workforce (Table 38)

Abstract

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA), the federal legislation that regulates and funds adult education, nominally prioritizes adults who are considered "most in need" of adult literacy services, but there are long-standing concerns that federally-funded programs might not be serving lower-performing students well. This analysis explores these concerns from the perspective of state administrators seeking to serve adults with difficulty reading. Findings suggests that limited interest from administrative stakeholders, limited instructional capacity, limited availability of programming, and limited funding present challenges to state administrators in their efforts to serve these learners. Recommendations for additional research are offered.

Author

• Amy Pickard, Indiana University