An Analysis and Illustration of U.S. Adult and Workforce Education Policy

Abstract

Systematic policy analysis regarding the area of adult and workforce education (AWE) in the United States is limited in the literature. This article presents the results from a historical analysis of federal-level U.S. policy documents spanning the years 1914-2014. We performed a systematic content analysis utilizing a context justification approach to analyze 19 pieces of U.S. legislation to discern broad patterns and trends in the area of AWE policy development. The benefits of examining policy through a lens of governance and system-level trends include gaining a clearer understanding of the evolution of key policy dimensions and how they contribute to shaping current circumstances in the field. Our analyses suggest the importance of historical conditions in shaping policy characteristics. We conclude that it is essential to understand these policy characteristics in order to seek the necessary information to more strategically advocate for AWE in the 21st century, and highlight areas where further inquiry is needed.

Adult Basic Education Under WIOA Title II Implementation: An Integrative Literature Review

“…The history of ABE policy is critical for understanding our current juncture (see Rose, 1991 andRoumell et al, 2019 for historical analyses). Though U.S. federal adult education policy can trace its roots further back (e.g., the Morrill Act of 1862), the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) of 1964 marks the start of direct involvement in ABE (Eyre, 2013) by establishing the Adult Education Act of 1964, increasing federal intragovernmental partnerships, and connecting adult education to Johnson's War on Poverty (Roumell et al, 2019).…”

“…The history of ABE policy is critical for understanding our current juncture (see Rose, 1991 andRoumell et al, 2019 for historical analyses). Though U.S. federal adult education policy can trace its roots further back (e.g., the Morrill Act of 1862), the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) of 1964 marks the start of direct involvement in ABE (Eyre, 2013) by establishing the Adult Education Act of 1964, increasing federal intragovernmental partnerships, and connecting adult education to Johnson's War on Poverty (Roumell et al, 2019). During the "stabilizing years" (Eyre, 2013, p. 13) of the 1970s, the federal role in adult education grew via additional funding, expanded services for secondary education, more bilingual programs for adults (Rose, 1991), and increased focus on job-related training, such as the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973.…”

“…The current federal ABE legislation, Title II of WIOA, built on WIA but also initiated a new wave of adult education policy (Roumell et al, 2019), one of performance accountability, decreased funding (Bergson-Shilcock, 2020), and intensified focus on economic development (Belzer, 2017). As illustrated in this program memorandum from the Department of Education Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, the "critical services" that AEFLA programs provide under WIOA reflects the emphasis on economic outcomes (Uvin, 2015, p. 2):…”

“…Since WIOA became law in 2014, scholars have explored relevant topics such as the historical evolution of U.S. federal adult education policy (Belzer, 2017;Roumell et al, 2019), accountability (Pickard, 2021a(Pickard, , 2021b and family literacy under WIOA (Clymer et al, 2017). Nevertheless, due to WIOA's recency, the field has yet to produce a comprehensive literature review on the implementation of this policy.…”

Accountability in Adult Basic Education: The Marginalization of Adults with Difficulty Reading

“…The obvious elephant in the room is the need for more funding. Approximately, 2.5% of federal spending on education is targeted toward adult education, and ABE makes up only about a third of that (Roumell et al, 2019). Furthermore, federal funding for public adult literacy programs has been reduced by 18% since 2001, and substantial additional cuts have been proposed (National Skills Coalition, 2018).…”