[NLA] Legislative victory for adult literacy

[Garrett Murphy]

In response to Andrea Wilder's question about what "adult education"
encompasses---

Section 203(1) of Title II of the Workforce Investment Act (Title II's short
title is "The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act") defines "adult
education" as "..services or instruction below the postsecondary level for
individuals --
(A)who have attained 16 years of age;
(B) who are not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school
under state law; and
(C) who--
(i) lack suficient mastery of basic educational skills to enable the
individuals to function effectiely in society;
(ii) do not have a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent,
and have not achieved an equivalent level of education; or
(iii)are unable to speak, read, or write the English language."

	Please note that conditions A, B, and C must all be met, but the
requirements of C can be met by i or ii or iii.

The terms "literate" and "literacy" first appear in the text of the Act in
Section 202. Purpose. The section reads, "It is the purpose of this title to
create a partnership among the Federal Government, States, and localities to
provide, on a voluntary basis, adult education and family literacy services
in order to --
(1) assist adults to become literate and obtain the knowledge and skills
necessary for employment and self-sufficiency;
(2) assist adults who are parents to obtain the educational skills necessary
to become full partners in the educational development of their children;
and
(3) assist adults in the completion of a secondary school education."

	There is also a definition of "literacy in Section 203(12) which reads,
"The term literacy " means an individual's ability to read, write, and speak
in English, compute, and solve problems, at levels of proficiency necessary
to function on the job, in the family of the individual, and in society."

	Section 203(2) defines "Adult Education and Family Literacy Activities" by
crosswalking to Section 231(b) which lists required local activities.  They
are:
"(1) Adult Education and literacy services, including workplace literacy
services.
(2) Family literacy services.
(3) English literacy programs."

	There are also definitions of "English literacy program", "Family literacy
services" (4 prescribed activities must be provided), and "Workplace
literacy services" in Section 203.  There is not a definition of "adult
education and literacy services", per se.

I hope that this has been helpful.     Garrett Murphy


-----Original Message-----
From: nla-admin at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:nla-admin at lists.literacytent.org]On Behalf Of AWilder106 at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2002 7:09 PM
To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
Subject: Re: [NLA] Legislative victory for adult literacy


Nancy,

Does "adult education" just apply to GED?  And "adult literacy" apply to
ABE?
 I am trying to get straight on terms.  Is there general agreement on use of
these terms? Is it just usage, or funding, too?  Thanks.

Andrea
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