[NLA] Adult Literacy and Homeland Security

[Thomas Sticht]

Research Note         September 5, 2002

Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

Adult Education, Literacy Development, and Homeland Security

The federalization of security screeners at our nation’s airports has
raised questions regarding the value of a high school diploma and various
levels of cognitive ability, including literacy ability, in the world of
work (see the  news article by David Firestone at The New York Times web
site Saturday December 29, 2001 03:02 PM EST). Controversy about the high
school diploma and what it means has arisen because the regulations that
the federal government  first put into place for the hiring of airport
screeners called for the employment of just high school graduates (HSG).
But recently this requirement was modified to make it possible to retain
on the job and to hire new employees  who are non-high school graduates
(NHSG) who can pass certain cognitive tests and have a year of prior,
relevant, work experience. The controversy centers on the reports of
security experts suggesting that the employment of NHSG employees lowers
the quality of the security workforce and increases security risks.

This controversy is reminiscent of the controversy over the use of
education credentials and cognitive (literacy) test scores that have that
have been encountered from time to time in the U. S. military services.
The use of the high school graduation  indicator  of quality results from
findings in military research showing that high school graduates with
regular four year diplomas have  higher first term completion rates than
both holders of the General Educational Development (GED)  certificate or
NHSG, while the GED holders do better than NHSG.

However, other research indicates that the effects of  HSG or NHSG status
or cognitive ability test scores may be different if motivation for
service is considered. For instance, the effects of both higher cognitive
ability and having a high school  diploma may be offset to a large extent
by a willingness to delay  entry into military service.  In one study a
first term completion rate of about 75 percent was found for HSG
applicants regardless of their cognitive ability or whether they entered
into military service right after applying for service or after waiting
seven or more months in the delayed entry program.  However, for NHSG, it
was found that the longer they waited in the delayed entry program after
applying for service, the higher their retention rate became. In fact, the
lowest  cognitive ability, NHSG recruits who waited for seven or more
months to enter into active duty  had a completion rate of 70 percent,
almost as good as higher ability HSG recruits (Sticht, 1992, p. 53).

Additional research has shown that in terms of job performance as
indicated by either skill qualification tests in the Army or promotion
tests in the Navy, NHSG who have stayed in the service through basic
training and job technical training may sometimes perform less well, or
just as well, or even somewhat better, than HSG in different studies
(Sticht, 1992,pp. 57-62).

Literacy Education In Defense

Despite the generally higher standards for education and basic skills upon
entry to the armed services that have been in place for over twenty years,
the Department of Defense (DoD)  still maintains Voluntary Education
programs that provide basic skills education for  Army, Navy, Marine Corps
and Air Force personnel. While enrollments declined in the AELS by 28
percent from 1996-2000, and basic skills programs offered by the American
Management Association corporate membership from 1993 through 2000
declined by 50 percent (see the  AMA Survey on Workplace Testing for
2001), enrollments in the DoD basic skills programs increased by over 50
percent from 26,136 in 1996 to 39,413 in 2000.

The 1996 DoD basic skills program enrollments were equivalent to the
enrollments in the AELS for Delaware, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode
Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming combined.

For the five year period from 1996 through 2000, a total of 166,040
personnel enrolled in the DoD basic skills programs, which are provided
free during duty hours for military personnel. This policy recognizes  the
value of continuing adult education for all personnel as a means of
enhancing morale, increasing job proficiency of a general nature,
enhancing personnel promotability, and helping personnel cope with
everyday demands of life so that they are not unduly distracted from their
military missions.

The lessons from the DoD regarding the use of motivation-related
techniques such as delayed entrance to identify those adults without high
school diplomas who are likely to persist in their security jobs, coupled
with the provision of prior service and on-the-job continuing education in
literacy skills and knowledge development, seems to me like an enlightened
approach to workforce needs.

It seems to me that a well implemented set of practices based upon a sound
and adequately supported  policy of lifelong learning for our nation’s
undereducated adults could help our nation meet both our needs for
workforce development for economic growth and our social and defense needs
for homeland security.

Reference:
Sticht, T. (1992). Military testing and public policy: selected studies of
lower aptitude personnel. In: B. Gifford & L. Wing (Eds.). Test policy in
defense: Lessons from the military for education, training, and
employment. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers (pp. 1-77).










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