Exploring the Impact of Federal Workforce Policy on Publicly Funded Adult Literacy Education: State Administrators' Perspectives

• In Event: Adult Literacy and Adult Education Posters

Abstract

Many participants in adult basic education (ABE) programs enter with assessment scores suggesting they may have difficulty with basic reading tasks. However, little is known about how well publicly-funded ABE programs are serving these adult learners, or how policy shifts toward a focus on employment have impacted the literacy-related services available to this portion of the student population. The analysis in this paper explores data generated in a series of focus groups with state administrators of adult education. The research question guiding the analysis is: How do state administrators describe the impact of workforce-focused federal policies on publicly-funded literacy services available to adults identified at enrollment as reading at Educational Functioning Levels (EFLs) 1, 2, and 3?

Author

• Amy Pickard, Indiana University - Bloomington