AleCampaignStrategies

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Campaign Strategies

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Talking Points

TALKING POINTS 2006 Budget for Adult Education

We hope that you find these “Talking Points” helpful as you make the case for continued strong support for the education of under-educated and limited English proficient adults. Don’t feel like you need to cover every one of them in your calls and letters and please, DO add your personal experiences and stories-they are very powerful.

• The Administration’s 2006 Budget cuts Adult Education by $369 million, a 66% reduction. The proposal endorses the concept of leaving no child behind at the same time it leaves millions of adults behind, including parents. No American should be left behind when it comes to access to education.

• The Title of the press release accompanying the budget is entitled, “President’s FY 2006 Budget Focuses Resources on Students Who need them the Most.” But the budget proposal ignores the needs of dropouts and individuals with low levels of literacy that cannot access the K-12 system and have families who depend on them for support. Among these under-educated and limited English proficient adults are tens of thousands of young adults who have just recently found themselves unable to meet new high standards for high school graduation.

• The 2006 Budget proposal does not acknowledge the 30-year old factory worker with low levels of literacy and no high school diploma whose job has been abolished and who needs to improve his/her academic skills in order to get a new job.

• A statement was made at the budget briefing that the new high school initiative, community colleges and Pell grants were programs that could address the needs currently met by adult education.

The High School Initiative is a positive step towards addressing the needs of current students but is no comfort to those who have dropped out of school over the past 15-20 years, are unemployed or underemployed or who are still unable to meet new high school graduation standards and are seeking to obtain a high school diploma or its alternative.

Students without a high school diploma or its equivalent cannot access Pell Grants or regular community college programs so we are puzzled as to how they could replace the current adult education system.

• At the Budget briefing it was stated that adult education may not be the best way to meet the needs of program participants. The budget document itself states there is 'little or no evidence of effectiveness’. Yet adult education programs have documented strong performance, have met their performance standards and there is NO evidence the new high school initiative proposal will work. Why abandon a program which has successfully met the needs of participants for one with no track record?

• A statement was made at the Budget brief that we need to assess what, if any, is the federal role in providing adult education. The federal program was originally created because states were not meeting the needs of high school dropouts, welfare participants, immigrants and other individuals with low levels of literacy without a high school diploma or its equivalent.

• The statement regarding the federal role does not address the fact that many participants are immigrants in need of English language skills. Meeting the needs of our nation’s immigrants is a federal responsibility.

• There is no other system built to meet the many varying needs of adult education students and the public policy priorities that are served when their needs are met. Examples: a more highly trained and competitive workforce; intergenerational literacy and increased success of education reform efforts; increased voting and other forms of civic participation, decreased recidivism in corrections and more successful preventive health.

• The most recent National Adult Literacy Survey indicates there may be over 90 million individuals with low levels of literacy. Current federal, state and local efforts can only meet the needs of 3,000,000 individuals a year. Under the President's budget figure the number of students served in a year would drop to 900,000. (States can add their own data)

• To keep our economy strong, we must meet the needs of today’s workforce at the same time we are preparing tomorrow’s workers in the K-12 system. To stay strong, we cannot leave these adults behind. Public schools provide only two percent of our nation's workforce annually. Most of the labor force is already working and many need adult education as a foundation for further training.

• We cannot continue to outsource jobs because we do not have skilled individuals to fill vacant positions.

• To keep our nation strong, we must not only have a strong defense, but a strong economy based on our investment to educate each and every individual to the highest level possible.

• The President’s budget analysis indicates that adult education programs have “little or no evidence of effectiveness”. In fact,in 1998 Congress set performance indicators for adult education programs. Each year the US Department of Education has negotiated performance levels on these indicators with the states and each year a vast majority of the states have met or exceeded these levels. (States can put in their own data)

• The Office of Budget and Management rated adult education programs based on measures that adult education does not use. OMB established common measures for workforce programs, then applied them to adult education programs. Adult education and workforce training programs are not the same. Adult education programs do not have the legislative authority to collect data on some of the common measures established by OMB. Further, much of the documented success of adult education programs available to the administration was set aside and ignored. The result is that adult education programs are determined to have “little or no evidence of effectiveness” because they have no authority to collect data the OMB used to measure success and the available data were discarded.

• During the budget briefing officials justified reducing federal funds for adult education services because “education is a state issue”, not a federal issue. This makes no sense in view of Administration initiatives to affect K-12 edudation. If adult education is not a federal issue neither is K-12. Also, a significant number of adult education students served in these programs are limited English proficient. Immigration is a federal, not a state issue. While states contribute a significant amount to these programs the combination of state and federal funds provides a high quality model of federal/state cooperation.

Policy Committee of the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education
2.16.05 (and Edited by Debbie Yoho, 2.17.05)

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Literacy Assistance Center Advocacy Web Page

http://www.lacnyc.org/support/fedbudget.htm

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Literacy Resources/Rhode Island Advocacy Web Page

http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/advocate.html

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Telephone Call Scripts

From Pennsylvania

TELEPHONE CALL SCRIPT:

When you call, you will likely talk to either an aide or someone answering the telephone who is keeping a tally of the calls they receive on this issue. You may only have time to identify yourself and state your position against the cuts so be sure to do that first.

Give your name and address.

Say you are a constituent and a registered voter.

Say you are calling because you are against the President's proposed cuts for adult education and Even Start in the FY2006 budget, and you want the adult education funding to be maintained.

If you have time, say why adult education is important to you.

Student stories are very persuasive. They can talk about how adult education has made a difference in their lives, e.g., helped them get a job or a better job, become a taxpayer, obtain a high school credential, or obtain health insurance for themselves and their family.

Teachers can talk about individual student stories or their own commitment and passion for adult education and why it's important to the community, the state and the country.

Administrators can talk about how many individuals are served annually by their program, the goals that students achieve, how the federal funds leverage state and local support, and the importance of adult education.

Volunteers can talk about why adult education is important to them, and why they donate their valuable time to teach someone else in their community.

Board members or businesspersons can talk about why the program is important.

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Advocacy Letter Guidelines

From New York (via Kentucky)

Advocacy Letter Writing Guidelines

In order for our campaign to be ethical and effective, it is vital that we follow these guidelines:

  1. Any e-mails, faxes, or phone calls must be sent or made during an individual’s non-working hours. (Lunch hours are appropriate, as long as guidelines 2-4 are followed.)
  2. E-mails must be sent from a non-work-related e-mail account. Free e-mail accounts are widely available at sites such as yahoo.com and hotmail.com. If individuals do not have Internet access at home, we encourage them to visit local libraries or ask for the assistance of organizations and businesses.
  3. Calls must not be made from a work-owned phone.
  4. Faxes must not be sent from a work-owned machine.

Helpful Hints

  • One-page letters are the best; be sure to include your name and contact information.
  • If possible, fax and mail your letter. Your fax will get there immediately, and mailing your letter will increase the number of letters your representative/senator receives.
  • Mail your letter to the district offices of the representatives and senators (addresses found on next page). Because of U.S. Mail screenings, it could take weeks for your letter to arrive via “snail mail.”
  • If you e-mail, write “Increase funding for adult education” in the subject line. Be sure to state first that you are against President Bush’s proposed cut of adult education and family literacy funding and that you want the funding to be restored to its current level. Also state that you are opposed to the block granting of adult education and job training proposed in the 2006 budget.

(This also included names, addresses, phone numbers, faxes and emails of Kentucky legislators.)

These guidelines were posted to the AAACE-NLA electronic List 2.16.05 by
Charlene Brown
ABE Coordinator
Jefferson County Public Schools
Adult and Continuing Education
Jacob Annex
3670 Wheeler Avenue
Louisville, KY 40215
502-485-3797

From Massachusetts

Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education

TIPS FOR ADULT LEARNERS
WRITING TO STATE LEGISLATORS

Here are some things which are important to include in a letter to your state legislator.

  1. You are a resident of the legislator's district.
  2. You are a registered voter (if you are).
  3. You are a student at _______(name of your adult education center or program).
  4. Why being in this program is important to you; why you believe adult education programs are important.
  5. If you had to wait to get into this program, tell how long you waited.
  6. Ask your legislator to maintain funding for adult basic education so more adults like you can learn to read and write better, learn to speak English better or study for their high school diploma.

50 MILES STREET GREENFIELD, MA 01301 TEL 413-774-6455 FAX 413-774-6495

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Sample Letters

From Pennsylvania

LETTER WRITING SUGGESTIONS:

Follow the suggested telephone script outlined above.

Whenever possible, mail and fax your letter. The fax will get there immediately, and mailing your letter will increase the volume of letters that your Representative receives.

DRAFT LETTER:

Subject: Maintain funding for Adult Education and Even Start

Dear

I am writing to oppose the proposed cut to adult education and Even Start and want the funding to be restored to its current level.

As a __________(administrator, teacher, board member, volunteer, businessperson, learner), I know first hand of the importance of these programs.

[insert a couple sentences from personal experience].

Please do not destroy the adult education system. These programs are needed in my community.

Sincerely yours,



Name Address

From Kentucky

Date

Senator/Representative xxxxxxxxxxxx
Address Line 1
Address Line 2
Address Line 3

Dear Senator/Representative xxxxxxxxxxxx,

I am strongly opposed to President Bush’s proposed cut for adult education and the William F. Goodling Even Start Program because of the devastating impact it would have on communities, states, and the nation at large. I am also opposed to the block granting of adult education with job training proposed in the 2006 budget.

Cutting adult education and family literacy funding is saying to the world that the United States is unconcerned about educating its citizens, helping families, fostering economic stability, and competing in the global marketplace. Adult education and family literacy programs are especially critical for Kentucky. According to the Kentucky Adult Literacy Survey (1997), 40% (almost one million) of the 2.4 million working-age adults in Kentucky function at the two lowest levels of literacy and are living at or below the poverty level. More education leads to more (and better) employment, which, in turn, leads to a better economy.

Adult education is about much more than helping adults obtain their GEDs (although it is still an integral element); this is why it’s essential to oppose block granting of adult education with job training. In addition to serving potential GED graduates, adult education and family literacy programs also serve: the ever-growing population of immigrants and refugees; adult learners, including older and non-traditional students, who require remediation before beginning college coursework; non- and low-level readers; and individuals who require remediation to advance career opportunities. In addition, adult education and Even Start programs are essential for the current and future success of our nation’s children.

Please support me, a registered voter and your constituent, in opposing President Bush’s proposed adult education and family literacy budget cuts, as well as his proposed block granting of adult education with job training. It is critical to the future of our community, our state, and our nation.

Sincerely,

Jane A. Citizen


This sample letter was posted to the AAACE-NLA Electronic List 2.16.05 by
Charlene Brown
ABE Coordinator
Jefferson County Public Schools
Adult and Continuing Education
Jacob Annex
3670 Wheeler Avenue
Louisville, KY 40215
502-485-3797

From Massachusetts

SAMPLE LETTER TO INVITE LEGISLATORS TO VISIT PROGRAM

Date

Representative/Senator _____________
State House – Room _____
Boston, MA 02133

Dear Representative/Senator ______________,

On behalf of (name of program), an adult learning center/program in your district that receives state funding to provide adult basic education services, I am writing to cordially invite you to visit our program during (month, or specific date and time).

The (name of program) serves approximately (provide number) adults each year, many of whom are seeking to become more economically self-sufficient, provide for their families, help their children with schoolwork and participate more fully I their communities. Our services, including (range of services), enable adults to achieve these educational, employment and personal goals.

We would very much appreciate the opportunity to show you first-hand how the state funds appropriated by the legislature are helping constituents in your community to change and improve their lives by learning to read, write, speak English or obtain a high school credential.

Include if applicable:

  1. names of other programs jointly sponsoring the event
  2. whether the legislator will be expected to speak formally to a group
  3. highlights of the event’s program
  4. whether legislator is receiving an award or formal recognition
  5. whether any other legislators are also invited

I will call your office within a few days to discuss this invitation in more detail. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Name
Title

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Lesson Plans and Curricula for Advocacy and Civic Engagement

from Massachusetts

Government and Politics Resource Page

http://abeged.com/gov/Govt&Politics.html

Helping Your Students Talk to legislators

http://alri.org/esquare/civic/helpin.html

People and Politics, A civic Literacy Curriculum

http://hub1.worlded.org/docs/politics/people.htm

Your Government, your Taxes, Your Choices

"What is the purpose of this curriculum?

As citizens, employees, and companies in the state of Massachusetts, we pay many different taxes and receive a variety of services in return. Most of us are aware of the taxes we pay and some services that the state government provides. However, many don't know enough about taxes paid and how services are distributed to judge whether the system is fair or unfair. And perhaps fewer realize they can act on behalf of themselves or their communities to address the injustices that may exist in some of these transactions.

This curriculum has been designed to address these very issues with the adult basic education students throughout the state of Massachusetts. This is a population that is likely greatly affected by many decisions related to taxes and the services they fund, but may have little knowledge of the processes involved or how to take action. As adults, students, parents, workers, and community members, adult basic education students are vital contributors to the state's economy and have a vested interest in state government. Regardless of students' status as citizens and voters, they can participate fully in all lessons found in this curriculum. They will find that they can advocate proactively on behalf of themselves and their communities."

http://mcae.net/curriculum/index.html

From Kentucky

Writing a Letter to Your Legislator
(A correspondence lesson plan for the adult learner)

Sample letter included here.

1. In a small group or one-on-one, discuss the costs, benefits, and importance of adult education. Sample questions might be:

  • “How has participating in adult education helped you?”
  • “How has being an adult ed student changed you life?”
  • “What do you expect your life to be like after attending GED or ESL classes?”

2. Lead the discussion to address how legislators by law must make decisions concerning the state’s budget. Sample discussion questions could be:

  • “Do you think it’s okay to make cuts in education?”
  • “In your opinion, what areas of the budget should get top priority when receiving funding?”
  • “How would it affect you personally if the cuts in education result in a reduction of adult ed services?”

3. Next, discuss with students how they can make a difference in legislation by letting their voices be heard. One way of being heard is through writing a letter to the students’ legislators.

4. Have students brainstorm how adult ed classes have had an effect on them or other family members. Make a list of their ideas and experiences, then share and discuss with others in the class

5. Demonstrate for the students how to write a simple letter using the basic, minimum three-paragraph format, that includes an opening, middle, and closing. Show students the sample letter that is enclosed with this lesson plan.

  • Opening: Introduction, using a positive tone
  • Middle: Personalize the importance of the adult ed experience
  • Closing: Ask the legislator to not cut funding

6. Work with students on the letters using the writing process, following through with editing and making revisions. Once letters are ready to be sent, demonstrate how to properly address envelopes, and refer to the links on the KAACE website to locate the appropriate addresses of the legislators. To save on postage costs, place all the envelopes in one large envelope.

7. Encourage students to save copies of all correspondence. As documentation, please make copies of all student letters and forward them to:

Missy Brownson Bradley, Adult Education
Jacob Annex
3670 Wheeler Ave.
Louisville, KY 40215
Email: mbrowns1@jefferson.k12.ky.us
Phone: 502-485-7027
Fax: 502-485-3609


Sample Letter:

February 1, 2004

Representative XXX 580 Bannister Road Frankfort, KY 41034

Dear Representative XXX,

We live in the same county and you are my representative. I even voted for you in the last election. I appreciate what you have done for my family and me. But I am concerned the cuts that you might vote for will hurt adult education. Let me explain.

I have been working on my GED. Since I quit high school I have been making minimum wages in one job after another. I couldn’t keep a job long enough to get benefits, and I couldn’t even think about any promotions because I didn’t have a high school diploma. I finally decided that I wanted things to change. I began classes at the adult ed center, and after working really hard for the past 6 months, I am ready to take the GED test. It will be a proud moment for me and my wife and kids. My life has changed. Even my kids are respecting me more. Now I can be a real role model for my kids.

I hope that you will think about the people who might not get the same chance in life that I did if funds are cut. We need adult education classes. Cutting them will only hurt those who want to get ahead. I hope you will consider voting no on any cuts on education, but especially adult education. Everyone deserves a second chance.

Sincerely,

Thomas D. Downs


Contact Your Legislators!


FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES’ CONTACT INFORMATION HERE: http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/whoswho/hsedist.htm

FIND YOUR SENATORS’ CONTACT INFORMATION HERE: http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/whoswho/sendist.htm

FIND YOUR LEGISLATORS’ E-MAIL ADDRESSES HERE: http://162.114.4.13/whoswho/email.htm


From the Kentucky Association for Adult and Continuing Education web page http://www.kaace.org

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Fact Sheets

From Massachusetts

FY2005 ADULT BASIC EDUCATION FACT SHEET: WHAT’S AT STAKE

Adult basic education (ABE) services teach adults who lack high school level skills.

  • ABE includes English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), General Education Diploma programs (GED) and adult basic education (non-reader to pre-GED), with targeted services in Workforce Development, Family Literacy and Transition to Higher Education.
  • ABE services include classroom instruction, one-to-one tutoring, computer-assisted instruction and distance learning.
  • ABE services are delivered by a diverse provider network composed of community-based organizations (CBOs), local education agencies (LEAs), community colleges and correctional institutions.

FY2006 ABE BUDGET REQUEST

Hold to the amount in the Governor’s House 1 FY06 Budget of $35.8 million (an increase of $8 million over the FY2005 appropriation of $27.8 million) for ABE line item #7035-0002 under the Massachusetts Department of Education to increase ABE capacity, intensity and access to services, and strengthen the ABE infrastructure to serve more adults.

The need for ABE services is great.

  • More than 1.1 million (1/3) of the state’s 3.2 million workers do not have the skills required to perform in the state’s rapidly changing economy and need ABE services. (MassINC, New Skills for a New Economy, 2001):
    • 667,000 workers have a high school credential but still lack basic math, literacy, language and analytic skills to perform in the typical 21st century workplace.
    • 280,000 are high school drop-outs who lack necessary skills.
    • 195,000 are immigrants with limited English speaking skills who need to learn to speak English.

The consequences of poor skills for individuals, families, communities and the state are great.

  • Families headed by adults without a high school diploma suffer severe economic consequences. (MassINC report,The State of the American Dream in MA, 2002)
    • Since 1979, earnings of full-time, year-round workers without high school diplomas decreased by 27% while fulltime workers with a high school diploma gained 1.6%.
    • 21.7% of families headed by high school drop-outs are poor.
    • 55% of families headed by single women who are high school drop-outs are poor. (OVER)
  • Mothers who are enrolled in ABE programs spend more time with their children talking about school, helping with homework, going to school activities and meeting with teachers, all of which are essential for a child’s success in school. (National Center for Family Literacy)
  • Adults with low literacy skills are half as likely as their more educated neighbors to vote. (National Adult Literacy Survey, 1993)
  • 68% of the incarcerated adults and youth in Massachusetts have literacy levels below the 8th grade. (National Adult Literacy Survey, 1993 :The Policy Information Center of Educational Testing Service)

The demand for ABE services is far greater than the services available.

  • Only 1 out of 2 adults (49%) who tries to enroll in ABE services each year can actually enroll because there aren’t adequate resources to fund needed programs in the state. (Mass. Department of Education, 2003)
    • 22,500 adults are currently on waiting lists for ABE services (non-duplicated count) because there aren’t adequate resources to fund needed programs in the state.
    • Waiting lists vary from 2 to 8 months for ABE and 6 months to 2 years for ESOL.


Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education
50 Miles Street
Greenfield, MA 01301
Phone: 800-339-2498
Fax: 413-774-6495
Email: office@mcae.net
Website: www.mcae.net

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Some Strategies from Massachusetts Practitioners and Students

Here are some ideas from a regional advocacy meeting held in Boston on February 16th:

1. Mobile Phone Literacy Advocacy

Many students and practitioners have cell phones. Some have phone plans which give them long-distance minutes. Staff members could be asked to bring their cell phones to a meeting -- or to the classroom with the students. Students could be asked to bring a cell phone to class, too. In class, you could do a telephone lesson (oral language skills for native or non-native speakers of English) involving talking with an elected official. You could role play it first and then -- those students (or staff) who wished to -- could take a break and call a legislator's office. If it's daytime, they'll talk to a person. If it's evening -- using a different set of oral skills -- they will probably talk with an answering machine. (That counts, too.) After the break, those who called can process what they learned from the experience. This is an area where staff may be as new (and nervous) as students, and it's a great WAITT strategy (We're All In This Together!) If you do this, let us all know how it went.

2. In or Out? -- what the loss of federal funds would mean for your students

Speaking of WAITT -- at WAITT House in Boston, a community-based adult basic education program, a couple of years ago when our state adult education funds were threatened (we did succeed in getting them restored, and now our Governor has proposed a sizable increase for next year) students there came up with a dramatic way to get the idea across of what the cuts would mean to them. A piece of paper for each student was put in a container. Since the cuts proposed were 50%, half of the papers said "Whew, you get to stay." The other half said "We're sorry but you can't stay in the program." Every student drew a piece of paper with their fate on it. And then they talked about what that would mean for them. In your state, you could calculate what the federal cuts would mean in the federal adult education state grant line item, and if you have any Even Start students, be sure to "zero them out" the way the Administration budget does. This was a very powerful experience at the WAITT House.

3. Include students in the planning

If you have area or regional meetings -- so practitioners can discuss how to organize to effectively reach legislators -- invite groups of students, too. At our meeting today, there was a group of students who were on their program's Advisory Council. They came to get the information to take back to all the other students. They spoke up -- and agreed that hand-written letters would get legislators' attention because they would know they weren't mass produced.

4. Legislator as Teacher

Invite Congress people to come to your program to visit -- especially during the upcoming break when they will probably be "in the district." At a program in Cambridge, Massachusetts legislators are not only invited -- they are asked to teach a lesson, for example about how government works. This can be a very effective way to reach legislators, and a good learning experience for all.

5. Writing Letters in Class

Can you ask students to write letters to legislators in class? Absolutely. It's a writing assignment, like any other. BUT -- you cannot require them to mail the letters. The content of the letter -- and whether or not to send it -- should be up to them. You might want to have some envelopes and stamps, however, for those who say they _would_ like to mail them.

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CLASP Report: President's Budget Sabotages Pipeline of Skilled Workers

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) recently posted this on its web site, http://www.clasp.org:

President’s Budget Sabotages Pipeline of Skilled Workers by Julie Strawn and Amy-Ellen Duke. CLASP estimates that nearly half a million people—at least 470,000—would be denied literacy, Adult Basic Education, GED, and English as a Second Language services due to the President’s proposed budget cuts. This analysis includes a table of state-by-state data estimating the impact of the proposed cuts.

http://www.clasp.org/publications/adult_ed_budget_cuts.pdf

CLASP also put out a press release based on this analysis:

http://www.clasp.org/publications/adult_ed_budget_pr_022205.pdf

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Maine Letter to Legislators

2006 Federal Budget for Adult Education
Concerns of the Maine Adult Education Association

We are very grateful for the past support of the Maine Congressional Delegation in providing opportunities for adult learners and would like to highlight the following issues with the 2006 budget proposed by the President: the 66% cut proposed for the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, the elimination of Even Start Family Literacy funding, and the elimination of Carl Perkins funding.

The 2006 proposed budget cuts Adult Education and Family Literacy Act funds by $369 million, a 66% reduction. The proposal endorses the concept of leaving no child behind at the same time it leaves millions of adults, including parents, behind. The budget also eliminates Even Start, a family literacy program that has been successful in reaching families traditionally most in need and difficult to serve, and the Carl Perkins program, which, in Maine, has been a source of support for vocational offerings and college transitions programs offered by adult education.

Maine Impact: Maine receives $1,904,783 in AEFLA funding, $862,547 in Carl Perkins funding for Adult Education, and $1,014,181 for Even Start. The projected loss for Adult Education in Maine in the 2006 proposed budget is $3,174,374 – 20% of the funding currently spent on the academic program areas by Maine’s adult education programs.

The most recent National Adult Literacy Survey indicates that there may be over 90 million individuals with low levels of literacy. Current federal, state and local efforts can only meet the needs of 3 million annually. With the 66% cut this number would decline to less than 1 million.

Maine Impact: 55,000 individuals are served in academic program areas. With the 66% cut this number could decline to less than 20,000.

The budget proposal ignores the needs of dropouts and individuals with low literacy levels that cannot access the K-12 system and who often have families to support. Increasingly, among these under-educated and limited English proficient adults are tens of thousands of young adults who have just recently found themselves unable to meet new high standards for high school graduation.

The budget proposal does not acknowledge the older dislocated workers with low levels of literacy and/or no high school diploma who must retrain to get a new job. The public schools provide only 2% of the workforce annually. Most of the workforce must come from the adult population and employers calling for a more highly educated workforce.

Maine Impact: Adult Education programs in Maine have served over 3000 dislocated workers in the past two years from more than 100 companies. With the loss of AEFLA and Perkins funds the ability to respond to this ongoing need would be severely curtailed.

At the budget briefing by the Bush administration, it was stated that adult education may not be the best way to meet the needs of program participants, questioning evidence of effectiveness. Yet adult education programs have documented strong performance and met performance standards since such standards were instituted by Congress in 1998. The elimination of the Even Start Family Literacy program was justified by the President in remarks to a business group, based on outdated and flawed data and ignoring recent evidence of success, yet just this week First Lady Laura Bush highlighted family literacy programs in a speech on March 1 as highly successful and the foundation supported by Barbara Bush is devoted to family literacy programs.

Maine Impact: Maine programs have led the way in integrating new data collection and evaluation methods and have received regular positive evaluations from the national level. All programs can attest to the tremendous impact adult education has had on generations of Maine people.

The Office of Management and Budget rates workforce programs on measures that are not used by adult education, mainly because programs do not have the legislative authority to collect such information as social security numbers. The result is that the documented success of adult education programs was apparently ignored in favor of measures for which data was not available. This allowed the administration to render a “little or no evidence of effectiveness” rating to justify the cuts.

The public policy priorities that are served when the needs of adult learners are met include: a more highly trained and competitive workforce, increased English proficiency of immigrants, intergenerational literacy, increased success of education reform efforts, and increased civic participation. There is no other system in our nation designed to meet the many and varying needs of adult learners.

This is a time when adult education programs are being seen as a critical component of workforce development efforts locally and at the state and national levels. It is a time to invest in programs not devastate or eliminate them.

Prepared by Cathy Newell,
Executive Director, Maine Adult Education Association
March 2, 2005,
with assistance from the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education

Contact Information:
www.maineadulted.org
maea@megalink.net
207.875.2722

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Pittsburgh, PA newsletter with how-to-do-it strategies for contacting Legislators

This is a link to a Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council newsletter.pdf of a newsletter than has some excellent talking points, strategies for how to write a letter to a lehislator and lots of plain language tips in an easy-to-read user-friendly format. http://www.gplc.org/advocacynews.pdf

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