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America’s Adult Education System Is Broken. Here’s How Experts Say We Can Fix It.

Experts say that more money is critical to improving the national system. many states have developed creative solutions in spite of their limited funding..

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Series: The Right to Read: Examining the Toll of America’s Literacy Crisis

One in five American adults struggles to read at a basic level. ProPublica examines the causes and consequences of America’s literacy crisis to illuminate a path forward.

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They never got the help they needed with learning disabilities. Or they came to this country without the ability to read English. Or they graduated from schools that failed to teach them the most crucial skills.

For a number of sometimes overlapping reasons, 48 million American adults struggle to read basic English, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That may leave them unable to find and keep a decent job, navigate the signage on city streets, follow medical instructions and vote . They’re vulnerable to scams and face stigma and shame.

The main remedy available is adult education: free classes where they can improve their reading and earn a high school credential.

But the infrastructure for adult education is profoundly inadequate, a ProPublica investigation found — and, as the nation’s persistently low literacy rates reveal, the government’s efforts haven’t done enough to address the problem. About 500 counties across the nation are hot spots where nearly a third of adults struggle to read basic English. This contributes to disproportionate underemployment. In communities with lower literacy, there is often less economic investment, a smaller tax base and fewer resources to fund public services.

“It’s in our best interest to make sure that, regardless of why people didn’t get an education the first time around, that they get one now,” said Amanda Bergson-Shilcock, a senior fellow at the National Skills Coalition who focuses on adult education and workforce policy.

ProPublica interviewed experts, students and educators about some of the best ideas for improving adult education. While many experts have said that more money is critical to improving the national system, many states have developed innovations in spite of their limited funding. There are ways to help adults overcome low literacy, and making that help more widely accessible would solve larger problems, both for individuals and for their communities.

Give adults with the lowest literacy skills more attention.

Strict federal standards prompt states to push adult students to get a high school credential as fast as possible. Students who need more time can flounder in such a system. “It’s so hard to get students at the basic level. They are lacking so much,” said Andrew Strehlow, who directs adult education for Rankin County School District in Mississippi.

The expectation of steady academic gains can be challenging for adult students, particularly for those who have not learned in a classroom in more than a decade. “If you are reading at the sixth-grade level and someone said you have three months to pack in six years of high school because that’s the end of the program, realistically, how many will do it? None,” said Diane Renaud, who directs the St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center in Detroit. Research has shown that some programs even resort to pushing out struggling students from their classes.

Some programs have focused on providing students with more one-on-one support. The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District offers each student the chance to work with a coach who calls and encourages them as they work toward a high school credential. Jill Hersha, the library’s literacy services manager, said many of the program’s students had worked in the hospitality industry for years and lost their jobs. “But they hadn’t been in school in forever,” she said. Coaches help them define their goals and move forward, step by step.

Increase the availability and flexibility of classes, especially in rural areas.

ProPublica found that large swaths of the country lack adult education classes, and residents must travel dozens of miles to enroll in programs. In Mississippi, about 1 in 5 counties lacks a state-run program. In some parts of rural Nevada, people must take virtual classes or drive up to 70 miles, said Meachell LaSalle Walsh, who directs adult education at Great Basin College in Elko. Even in urban areas, inflexible class scheduling may make it difficult for people to attend.

To increase accessibility, some states have developed partnerships to ensure programming is available across vast areas. A decade ago, after a state report found its vast adult education system uncoordinated and fragmented, California reconfigured it into regional consortia that could better assess local needs and collaborate with community groups. In each of the 71 regions, local community colleges and school districts work together to align their teaching materials, collect data on students across programs and make sure they offer distinct services. The new structure helps ensure students can access programs, regardless of where they live. “The idea is to work together to meet the needs of the students and the workforce within that region,” said Carolyn Zachry, the state’s adult education director.

Train educators on how to work with adults with disabilities.

Experts estimate that as many as half of adult students have learning disabilities, which are sometimes undiagnosed. Many programs don’t have resources to work with these students. “They are horribly underserved,” said Monica McHale-Small, education director for the Learning Disabilities Association of America. Nationally, less than 5% of adult teachers are certified in special education, according to federal data . Last year, in the entire state of Tennessee, there was only one teacher for adults who was certified in special education.

Some states have developed centralized programs to show teachers how to work with adults with disabilities. Minnesota funds the Physical And Nonapparent Disability Assistance program, which gives workshops and consults with programs on best practices. “Individuals who have disabilities, especially the hidden disabilities, you wouldn’t know unless they disclosed it, and they may not have ever even been diagnosed,” said Wendy Sweeney, who manages the organization. “It’s important that we make sure the teachers have some strategies to work with a student in their class and help them with their learning.”

Invest more money in adult education programs.

The federal government provided about $675 million to states for adult education last year, a figure that has been stagnant for more than two decades, when adjusted for inflation. And while states are also required to contribute a minimum amount, ProPublica found large gaps in what they spend. Lower funding leads to smaller programs with less reach: Less than 3% of eligible adults receive services. “When there’s no awareness by these legislators at the state or federal level, they just don’t put the extra money in,” said Michele Diecuch, programs director at the nonprofit ProLiteracy.

This year, Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia introduced a bill to expand access and increase the federal adult education budget by $300 million over the next five years. The House passed the bill this spring, but it’s hung up in the Senate and unlikely to become law anytime soon. Some states have also increased their funding for adult education in recent years. After cutting more than a million dollars from adult education in 2021, Georgia chose to restore that money in its upcoming state budget. It also raised pay for full-time state employees by $5,000, which helps some but not all adult education teachers. State lawmakers often need a big push from advocates and educators to increase funding, said Sharon Bonney, chief executive officer of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education. “Talk to your governor about the value of the work that you do, because when governors understand that they’re much more likely to fund it,” she said.

Increase teacher pay and add more full-time teachers.

Most adult education teachers work part time or are volunteers, leading to high turnover and inconsistent instruction. In Tennessee, more than a third of staff teachers are uncertified, and more than 80% only work part time. (Uncertified teachers must take training modules on adult education, according to the state’s labor and workforce department.) Leslie Travis, adult education coordinator at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Athens, dreams about what she could do with more full-time teachers. “I could open a whole lot more classes,” she said. “I need to hire at least six teachers right now.” Travis landed on a less-than-ideal solution to avoid wait-listing students: crowding more than 25 students into classrooms. Similarly, in Nevada, almost all adult education teachers work part time and half of them are uncertified. “Even in Reno and Las Vegas, they’re having trouble staffing,” said Nancy Olsen, the state’s adult education programs supervisor.

Some states have found ways to provide teachers with professional development: Massachusetts and Minnesota have “train the trainer” programs, where experienced teachers train newer ones. In Arkansas, which commits a larger share of funding than other states, all teachers must be certified in education and full-time teachers must be specifically certified to teach adults or working toward a license — sharpening their ability to support nontraditional students. “It really makes a difference when you have teachers who have gone through training of how to teach adult learners of different levels,” said Arkansas’ adult education director, Trenia Miles.

Help students overcome barriers that inhibit them from attending class.

Since she dropped out of high school in 11th grade to care for her newborn daughter, Mississippi-native Rolonda McNair, 27, has long wanted to obtain a high school credential. “You’re not going to get a good paying job without having it,” she said. But between work and child care responsibilities, she could not set aside enough time to attend class. To restart her education this past summer, McNair had to stop working full time and move in with her mother, who could watch her children while she was in school. Many adult learners face similar barriers , from a lack of steady child care or transportation to job inflexibility. Educators are increasingly recognizing the importance of addressing these obstacles.

Mississippi has created the MIBEST initiative, providing some students with support like child care, transportation, food assistance, help with testing fees and career counseling. But the program relies on temporary philanthropic funding and mostly directs support to students who enter at the highest levels. “We have never had enough funding to offer that level of support to every single person,” said Nikitna Barnes, an assistant director at the Mississippi Community College Board, which oversees adult education for the state.

Pay adults to return to the classroom.

Kathryn Iski, 56, entered a Nashville, Tennessee, adult education program last year as a beginner in both reading and math. Iski, who did not attend school as a child, studied for months and progressed multiple grade levels in reading. But this June, she had to stop after her job at a Target deli required her to work overtime. After more than three months, she fell behind in her studies and had to work hard to catch up. Adult students like Iski often must skip classes when they conflict with work schedules. They may fall behind and take longer to achieve their goals.

Some of the most innovative programs combine adult education and actual jobs to encourage attendance; experts say these opportunities are rare because of insufficient federal and state funds. ProPublica’s story highlighted Detroit’s Skills for Life, which pays residents to return to school two days a week and pays them to work city jobs the other three days. Last year, in Georgia, DeKalb County’s sanitation department offered employees without high school diplomas an opportunity to take virtual classes on company time. The department also covered fees for credential exams. “We had 100% retention,” said Meghan McBride, who leads adult education at Georgia Piedmont Technical College and helped start the workplace program.

Open education programs to all students, regardless of immigration status.

A handful of states, including Arizona and Georgia, prevent adult education programs from using state funding to serve undocumented people. Arizona denies enrollment to hundreds of people each year because they did not provide evidence of citizenship or legal residence in the country, as required by a law passed by voters in 2006. In Georgia, which passed a law in 2010 requiring programs to verify that applicants are in the country legally, three federally funded groups that serve mainly immigrants and refugees are denied state funding because they allow undocumented students. Arizona’s Department of Education declined to comment on the policy’s impact on enrollment or programs. Georgia’s assistant commissioner of adult education, Cayanna Good, said undocumented immigrants without programs to serve them are falling through the cracks.

In these states, undocumented immigrants who want to learn English, obtain a high school credential or improve their reading skills have few choices, and even fewer that are free. This decision comes with a price, according to adult education expert Bergson-Shilcock. “The ‘price’ in this case is not only lost earnings and tax revenue from less-educated workers, but the human cost of creating a two-tiered society in which some people are explicitly being told that their lives and aspirations are not worth investing in,” she said. “The immediate cost of educating a person is far cheaper than the long-run social costs of not educating them.”

Weave together technical and academic instruction to prepare people for jobs.

In the 2000s, adult students in Washington were, at best, obtaining high school credentials, but they were not progressing to further education or jobs that paid a living wage. “We were hemorrhaging people up and down the pipeline,” said Will Durden, a state adult education director. The programs were poorly connected to college classes or work credential programs. “You’re spending all this time learning math that doesn’t seem relevant, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to help you get ahead in life,” he said. “So students drop out.”

Washington pioneered the I-BEST program, which allows adults without high school diplomas to pursue academic skills and job training at the same time. Two teachers — one providing reading and math skills, and the other job training — work in tandem, putting lessons into context and allowing adults to advance more quickly. Recent studies show I-BEST students were more likely to attain a technical credential than adult students who did not go through the program. It has been replicated in other places, including Mississippi.

Protect a right to literacy for school children.

Experts say the best way to improve literacy rates is to teach children to read proficiently before they become adults. Even though all state constitutions include a right to an education , the U.S. Constitution does not — although 170 other countries affirm that right in their constitutions. Without this commitment, children and their families have struggled to hold schools accountable for appalling proficiency rates.

In recent years, a handful of lawsuits have challenged whether children have a right to literacy. In 2016, a group of Detroit students sued the state, claiming its failure to provide an adequate education left a district serving almost exclusively low-income children of color struggling to read, in violation of the 14th Amendment. “Literacy is fundamental to participation in public and private life and is the core component in the American tradition of education,” plaintiffs said in their complaint .

A federal judge initially dismissed the case, agreeing with the state’s position that “access to literacy is not a fundamental right.” Two years later, in 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit reversed part of the ruling , declaring students should have a “fundamental right to a basic minimum education, meaning one that can provide them with a foundational level of literacy.” Michigan settled the case about a month later, promising $94 million for literacy programs in Detroit’s schools.

Students across the country are fighting to hold states accountable to their constitutional commitments. In California in 2017, students sued for a right to literacy, arguing that it was essential to a person’s ability to participate in democracy. They eventually settled with the state. Recent litigation in Minnesota and North Carolina has also argued for access to a quality education.

“There is no defense of a system that fails to teach kids how to read,” said Mark Rosenbaum, the attorney for students in both the Detroit and California cases. “You deny students access to literacy, it’s the most effective strategy you can develop to disenfranchise communities.”

School Vouchers Were Supposed to Save Taxpayer Money. Instead They Blew a Massive Hole in Arizona’s Budget.

Arizona, the model for voucher programs across the country, has spent so much money paying private schoolers’ tuition that it’s now facing hundreds of millions in budget cuts to critical state programs and projects.

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Two Reporters Covering Education in the Midwest Followed the Money … to a School in New York

Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen are based in Chicago and cover the Midwest. But when they looked into where vulnerable Illinois students wound up, they found themselves at an unregulated, for-profit school in New York.

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Conservatives Go to War — Against Each Other — Over School Vouchers

School choice advocates are intent on expanding the availability of vouchers to fund private education at the expense of public schools, but rural residents of these targeted states are putting up some of the strongest resistance.

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These Researchers Study the Legacy of the Segregation Academies They Grew Up Around

Three young academics in Alabama are examining these mostly white private schools through the lenses of economics, education and history to better understand the persistent division of schools in the South.

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by Jeremy Schwartz , June 21, 5 a.m. CDT

How Illinois’ Hands-Off Approach to Homeschooling Leaves Children at Risk

At 9 years old, L.J. started missing school. His parents said they would homeschool him. It took two years — during which he was beaten and denied food — for anyone to notice he wasn’t learning.

by Molly Parker and Beth Hundsdorfer , Capitol News Illinois , June 5, 8 a.m. EDT

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Trump Built a National Debt So Big That It’ll Weigh Down the Economy for Years

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In Private Speech, J.D. Vance Said the “Devil Is Real” and Praised Alex Jones as a Truth-Teller

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A Judge Ruled a Louisiana Prison’s Health Care System Has Failed Inmates for Decades. A Federal Law Could Block Reforms.

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The right to lifelong learning: Why adult education matters

There are 771 million illiterate adults globally today, according to UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics . And many more do not have the adequate skills and knowledge needed to navigate through our increasingly digital 21 st century demands. How is this still possible in this day and age?

While participation in adult education is improving in some places, access to learning opportunities remains profoundly unequal, and millions continue to be left out.  

From the pandemic to the climate crisis, to the digital revolution and mass movements of populations around the world, we know that today, more than ever, it is critical to ensure access to quality education and learning opportunities throughout life for everyone, everywhere.

Here’s what you need to know about adult education and learning.

Why is adult education crucial?

The speed of today’s changes calls for opportunities to learn throughout life, for individual fulfilment, social cohesion, and economic prosperity. Education can no longer be limited to a single period of one’s lifetime. Everyone, starting with the most marginalized and disadvantaged in our societies, must be entitled to learning opportunities throughout life both for employment and personal agency. 

In order to face our interconnected global challenges, we must ensure the right to lifelong learning by providing all learners - of all ages in all contexts - the knowledge and skills they need to realize their full potential and live with dignity.

This call was highlighted in UNESCO’s flagship Futures of Education report ‘ Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education ’ published in November 2021. The right to lifelong learning will also be echoed at the Transforming Education Summit in September 2022, building upon the UN Secretary-General’s call for formal recognition of a universal entitlement to lifelong learning and reskilling in his report “Our Common Agenda”.

What is the situation of adult learning and education today?

The main challenge for adult learning and education across the globe is to reach those who need it most. That is the core message of UNESCO’s latest Fifth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE).

The report shows that while there is progress, notably in the participation of women, those who need adult education the most – disadvantaged and vulnerable groups such as Indigenous learners, rural populations, migrants, older citizens, people with disabilities or prisoners – are deprived of access to learning opportunities.

About 60% of countries reported no improvement in participation by people with disabilities, migrants or prisoners. 24% of countries reported that the participation of rural populations declined. And participation of older adults also decreased in 24% of the 159 surveyed countries.

How can we guarantee the right to lifelong learning?

The GRALE report details the crucial steps needed to guarantee the right to lifelong learning.

Greater participation and inclusion are key : Vulnerable groups, such as migrants, indigenous learners, older citizens and people with disabilities, are too often excluded from adult education and learning.

More financing is needed : Investment in adult learning and education is currently insufficient. Countries must live up to their commitment to seek investment of at least 6% of GNP in education, increasing the allocation to adult learning and education. There is wide diversity in terms of public funding devoted to adult learning and education, with only 22 out of 146 countries spending 4% or more of their public expenditure for education on adult learning and education, and 28 spending less than 0.4%.

Stronger policies are essential : Effective policies are key for adult learning and education across the globe. 60% of countries have improved policies since 2018. But we need further efforts to transition education systems to lifelong learning systems.

Progress in governance : Partnerships and cooperation between ministries, the private sector and civil society are essential for adult learning and education to thrive. Almost three-quarters of countries reported progress in governance, particularly in low-income and upper middle-income countries, and in both sub-Saharan Africa and Asia and the Pacific.

Improved quality : Effective teacher training and the professional standards for adult educators are essential to the quality of earning. Most countries reported progress in relation to quality of curricula, assessment and the professionalization of adult educators. Over two-thirds reported progress in pre-service and in-service training for educators, as well as in employment conditions, though this progress varies considerably by region and income group.

The importance of citizenship education : Responding to contemporary challenges, such as climate change and digitalization, demands citizens who are informed, trained and engaged, active, who recognize both their shared humanity and their obligations to other species and to the planet. Citizenship education is a key tool in this endeavour to empower learners to take action and help transform our collective future.

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on adult learning?       

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries reported rapid transitions to online, digital and distance learning or modifications of in-person learning arrangements. The widespread adoption of digital technology, including televisions, radios and telephones, has supported educational continuity for millions during lockdowns.

There are many examples of countries responding innovatively to the crisis to ensure the continuation of adult learning by adopting new policies and regulations to support this process, or by adjusting existing quality standards and curricula.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has also caused some regions and population groups, particularly in parts of the world where resources and infrastructure are scarce, to lag even further behind.

How does UNESCO support adult education and learning?

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning strengthens the capacities of Member States to build effective and inclusive lifelong learning policies and systems, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4. It aims to develop learning ecosystems that work across life, in every setting and benefit everyone through building capacity at local and national levels, strengthening partnerships, and offering data and knowledge.

To advance the world’s commitment to the right to lifelong learning, UNESCO is convening the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII) in Marrakech, Morocco from 15 to 17 June 2022. Participants from across the globe will come together to take stock of achievements in adult learning and education, discuss challenges, and develop a new framework for action to make adult learning and education a reality around the world. CONFINTEA VII is hosted by and co-organized with the Kingdom of Morocco.

• More about CONFINTEA VII
• Access the GRALE Report
• More about the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning

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• Lifelong education
• Right to education

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Institute for Lifelong Learning

Fifth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education

Adult education does not reach those who need it most, says new unesco report.

The main challenge for adult learning and education across the globe is to reach those who need it most. This is the key message of UNESCO’s Fifth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education ( GRALE  5 ) which was published on 15 June 2022 at the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education in Marrakech , Morocco.

Download the fifth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education

Download the summary of the fifth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education

UNESCO’s report shows that while there is progress, notably in the participation of women, those who need adult education the most – disadvantaged and vulnerable groups such as Indigenous learners, rural populations, migrants, older citizens, people with disabilities or prisoners – are deprived of access to learning opportunities.

About 60% of countries reported no improvement in participation by people with disabilities, migrants or prisoners. 24% of countries reported that the participation of rural populations had declined. And participation of older adults also decreased in 24% of the 159 surveyed countries. GRALE 5 calls for a major change in Member States’ approach to adult learning and education backed by adequate investment to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from adult learning and education.

reported no improvement in participation by prisoners, people with disabilities, and migrants.

reported that the participation of rural populations declined.

reported a decrease in the participation of older adults.

“I urge governments and the international community to join our efforts and take action to ensure that the right to education is realized for everyone – no matter their age, who they are, or where they live. Due to rapid technological and social changes as well as massive global challenges that require engaged and critical citizens, reskilling and upskilling through adult learning and education must be routine. The ultimate twenty-first century skill is the ability to learn.”

A broader range of learners

Over half of countries reported an increase in participation in adult learning and education since 2018 but challenges remain. While participation of women and youth has considerably improved, overall participation in adult learning and education continues to be insufficient.

In 23% of the 159 countries that submitted data for GRALE 5, fewer than 1% of youth and adults aged 15 and above participate in education and learning programmes. Sub-Saharan Africa led the field by a wide margin with 59% of countries reporting that at least one in five adults benefit from learning. This figure drops to only 16% of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and 25% in Europe. The high participation rate in Africa may be explained in part by a strong demand for adult literacy and second-chance education.

Quality is improving

Most countries reported progress in relation to quality of curricula, assessment and the professionalization of adult educators. Over two-thirds reported progress in pre-service and in-service training for ALE educators, as well as in employment conditions, though this progress varied considerably by region and income group. This advances the quality of adult education.

The Department of Education issued a memo in 2017 for the National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST). This action recognized the importance of professional standards in the continuing professional development and advancement of teachers, based on the principle of lifelong learning. Following release of the memorandum, the new orientations and trainings were rolled out in 2018 and 2019. A results-based performance management system for teaching personnel of the department was also updated and harmonized with the PPST.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 95)

Estonia reported that quality control measures are an important factor in developing and maintaining quality ALE curricula. The appropriateness and correspondence of the learning outcomes are assessed prior to registering them in the Estonian education information system by commissions and experts nominated by the Minister of Education and Research. Since 2015, the labour force and skills intelligence system has been used to analyse the needs of the labour market and the skills required for future economic development. Results of these analyses provide information on skill gaps, which then are incorporated into the curricula to keep it up to date. The effectiveness of the provision of these skills is overseen by the Estonian Quality Agency for Higher and Vocational Education.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 89)

Romania’s Second Chance programme supports adolescents, young people and adults from diverse backgrounds who have not attended or completed primary or secondary education. In order to ensure quality provision of the programme, the following elements were included:

a modular curriculum; a credit system for basic education; evaluation; certification and recognition of skills previously acquired by learners to ensure an individualized training programme; training programmes for teaching staff; provision of learning materials that meet learners’ needs.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 88)

Costa Rica reported on its holistic approach to promoting active and global citizenship through ALE. Where citizenship is concerned, diverse experiences demonstrate that making it part of a dedicated subject is not enough. Nor is it enough for citizenship to run through the curriculum. Citizenship education must guide the entire process of teaching and learning; therefore, it involves the whole community of educators and learners. For instance, there has to be consistency between theory and practice. Lectures cannot focus on ethics and civic values but be coupled with authoritarian teaching practices. Responsibility and rights are only learned if their conceptualization goes hand-in-hand with practice, and the practice itself is conceptualized. Hence, Costa Rica is redefining key relationships: adult-adolescent, teacher-student and school-community.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 99)

Peru reported approving curricular programmes for ALE as a result of work sessions with teachers and students. In particular, these programmes have been adapted to the characteristics, needs and expectations of adult learners. The changes included:

provision of materials; validation of content; development of competences which were identified by young adults and adult learners; scaffolding approaches to learning at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels; provision of training and guides for adult educators.

The main thematic areas covered by the curriculum are rights and citizenship, environment and health, territory and culture, and work and entrepreneurship.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 90)

Different ALE providers in Malaysia – from public and private universities and colleges to polytechnics and community colleges and training centres – conduct evaluations and pursue continuous quality improvement to promote learning outcomes from programming every semester, as required by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). The MQA developed several guidelines for ALE quality, including:

The Code of Practice for Programme Accreditation (COPPA) Edition 2 (2018)

The Code of Practice for Programme Accreditation: Open and Distance Learning (COPPA:ODL) Second Edition (November 2019)

The Code of Practice for TVET Programme Accreditation (COPTPA) (October 2019)

Kenya reported launching its new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) in 2019. This aims to ensure that every learner is competent in seven core areas at the end of each learning cycle:

communication and collaboration; critical thinking and problem-solving; imagination and creativity; citizenship; learning to learn; self-efficacy; digital literacy.

The country’s National Education Sector Strategic Plan (NESSP) (2018–2022) provides equivalences and linkages between these competences and the formal curriculum for accreditation purposes. This means that informal learners have the opportunity to re-integrate into the formal system.

Learn more (Grale 5, p. 89)

Uganda reported progress in improving quality in ALE by relating literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills to the specific context, needs and interests of communities. This programme promotes integration as key to developing and implementing a multi-pronged, multidisciplinary approach to adult education and system enhancement. Through this mix, there are deliberate efforts by partners to mobilize various kinds of participation in ALE at all levels of implementation that involve different government departments. This approach promotes local community resource contribution in addition to financial support from different government departments.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 98)

Germany reported the launch of an online portal that uses ICT to promote literacy, second language learning and basic skills training. More than 6 million adults in Germany have a low level of literacy; for about half of these, German is not their mother tongue but their second language. Around 40% of migrants in Germany have difficulties reading and writing in the German language. The VHS learning portal (www.vhs-lernportal.de) provides a free online learning programme for German as a second language, literacy education and basic skills training. By 2020, the learning portal had 425,000 users (around 400,000 learners and 25,000 tutor-teachers). Importantly, this platform is free.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 93)

Citizenship education key for sustainable development

Responding to contemporary challenges, such as climate change and digitalization, demands citizens informed, trained and engaged, active, who recognise both their shared humanity and their obligations to other species and to the planet. Citizenship education is a key tool in this endeavour. In a special thematic chapter, GRALE 5 shows that close to three quarters (74%) of countries are developing or implementing policies in relation to citizenship education.

In Algeria, the Promoting of Education, Altruism and Civic Engagement (PEACE) project, involves Algerian university students and young leaders with special needs jointly addressing social problems within their communities. Project activities aim to achieve four primary objectives: enhance the capacity of Algerian universities and civil society organizations to collaboratively provide students with voluntary and career opportunities; provide project leadership, with planning and training on employable skills; increase student participation in community service projects; and maximize future programme sustainability by building on current government and donor initiatives, strengthening existing civil society networks, creating new partnerships and building local training capacity. 

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 146)

The Association of Women and Society was founded in 1994 in Egypt to work in slum areas to support deprived people in exercising their basic rights. The association seeks to build effective models of partnership between public, private and non-government actors, to build coalitions and alliances at the national, regional and international level, to develop the values of active participation in the formulation and follow-up of policies, and to implement programmes and projects in the areas of education, training and lifelong learning as a key pillar in the process of advancement, development and sustainable community development.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 140)

The Civic Education Information Service for Female Iraqi Leaders programme was initiated in 2010 by Souktel (an Iraqi technology company) and Mercy Corps, an international development agency, as part of the agency’s Empowering Women Peace Builders project in Iraq. The aim of mobile services in the context of this programme is to connect female community members in leadership positions in rural regions of Iraq with peers or mentors in other parts of the country. 

The programme increases women’s awareness of how the government and other communities work, giving women in rural areas an equal opportunity to engage in political and social spheres. 

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 141)

In an effort to promote access to education and general socioeconomic development, a group of Palestinian educators and social workers established the Trust of the Programme for Early Childhood, Family and Community Education (the Trust) in 1984 as a non-profit NGO with funding from the German government and several international foundations. The Trust primarily endeavours to: develop and maintain the Palestinian identity; improve quality of life for the Palestinian people; and promote social responsibility, community empowerment and development among Palestinians in Israel and the Palestinian territories through intergenerational and community/family-based educational and leadership training programmes. 

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 150)

In India, in many rural villages, girls’ movements are restricted and forced marriage still exists. As part of a project supported by ASPBAE (the Asia South Pacific Association For Basic And Education) and UIL, a group of young, marginalized girls in villages have come to realize that they have the agency to learn, question and change their worlds. They have become Shodhini.

Shodhini is a Sanskrit word meaning female researcher and also the title of an action research project on rural girls education by the Youth-led Action Research (YAR) on girls’ education. The Shodhini not only learn about their own communities; they also reach out to girls in other villages so that they too can feel empowered to take life into their own hands. This process of reflection, analysis and action that the Shodhini go through, is the very heart of education for sustainable development and global citizenship education. 

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 142)

In 2009, Thailand implemented an adult community education policy, led by the Office of Non-formal and Informal Education, to promote community learning centres and citizenship learning in community activities such as discussion forums, religious activities, art and culture programmes sports and democracy-related programmes. 

CLCs are a significant feature of learning opportunities in many Asian countries. According to the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in Bangkok, ‘as many as 170,000 CLCs operate throughout the region, which is widely considered to have responded most rapidly and positively in recognizing the importance of institutionalizing lifelong learning at local level within easy reach of community members’(UIL and NILE, 2017).

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 149)

The Global Citizenship Education and Learning Programme for Adults in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania was founded with the support of UNESCO, and as part of the National Capacity Development for Education Programme (CapED) to pilot programmes integrating GCED into literacy and non-formal education programmes. Literacy programmes are of particular relevance in Mauritania, where universal education has not yet been achieved and ALE is under-funded. The responsible Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Original Education, under the guidance of UNESCO, developed a plan for GCED and the prevention of extremism through education.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 130)

Germany’s new government included in its policy programme special provisions for vocational training. It is committed to supporting personally motivated lifelong learning, expanding the education grant (BAföG), opening up the subsistence allowance for part-time training, promoting further training at the same level of the German qualifications framework as well as for a second fully qualified training, significantly increasing the funding rates and allowances, and closing gaps in funding for BAföG.

Adult education centres and other non-profit educational institutions will be supported through investments in digital infrastructure. The recognition of competences acquired informally, non-formally or abroad will be simplified and accelerated. For people who are unemployed and entitled to basic income support, fully qualifying training courses are funded as part of further vocational training, regardless of their duration, leading to an upgrading of professional qualification.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 147)

Activities reported by Kenya to implement its strategic plan (2018–2020) to integrate ICT in teaching, learning and assessment of adult and continuing education (ACE) include:

Conducting a baseline survey of infrastructure across all levels of learning in ACE; conducting a needs assessment to identify gaps in integrating ICT in ACE curricula, and subsequently addressing these gaps in design and delivery; continually training ACE instructors and trainers on integrating ICT into teaching practice; developing and/or acquiring more ICT resources across all levels of ACE; using e-learning as a mode of delivery for ACE programmes; developing a monitoring and evaluation framework for assessing the impact of ICT integration on teaching-learning processes of ACE.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 138)

A new higher education qualification type, the Undergraduate Certificate (UC), was added to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) to support a short-course measure in the Australian Government’s COVID-19 higher education relief package. The UC was introduced to support workers affected by the pandemic through providing opportunities to reskill, upskill and improve employability. It qualifies individuals with knowledge and skills for further study, professional upskilling, employment and participation in lifelong learning. The UC is the first undergraduate shorter-form credential to be formally recognized under the AQF. It certifies completion of six months of full-time study towards an existing AQF qualification from Level 5 (higher education diploma) to Level 7 (bachelor’s degree).

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 104)

The aim of Romania’s teaching-learning process on environmental protection, conservation and biodiversity for a school-based ‘second chance’ programme is to deepen understanding and help learners understand the importance of science-based sustainability. The curriculum covers the following elements:

Sources and consequences of air and water pollution and measures for prevention; ‘Feeding relationships’ with flora and fauna (including aquatic varieties) and activities of people in plains and mountain environments; Protecting natural and necessary resources of soils, rocks, minerals, fuels, wood and food; Forests, gardens and orchards as living environments and in relation to local communities and resources.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 156)

Increase in adult learning and education financing needed

GRALE 5 shows that much more needs to be done to achieve the level of investment required for adult learning and education to realise fully its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. There is wide divergence in terms of public funding devoted to adult learning and education, with 22 out of 146 countries spending 4% or more of their public expenditure for education on adult learning and education, and 28 spending less than 0.4%. While the COVID-19 pandemic has put domestic budgets under further pressure, under-investment in adult learning and education hits socially disadvantaged the hardest.

The Government of Malaysia increased scholarships, incentives and budget allocations for ALE and lifelong learning programmes offered to specific target groups. In particular, spending was aimed at improving ICT for provision for adults in general; vouchers to young adults to support TVET and reskilling; funding for Indigenous peoples to enhance literacy and entrepreneurial skills; and cross-departmental budgets to support adult learning in fields related to health and social protection.

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 66)

Latvia identified investment in low-skilled youth and adults as a priority in a number of policy documents and support programmes, including the Education Development Guidelines 2014–2020 and the National Development Plan.

There is an emphasis on helping young people aged 15 to 24 to remain in education. The total indicated funding for this work is EUR 37.5 million.

A programme called ‘Implementation of initial vocational education programmes as a part of the Youth Guarantee’ aims to help young people aged 17 to 29 obtain professional qualifications.

A project called ‘Know and Do’ aims to improve the motivation of young people aged 15 to 29 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). 

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 67)

Mauritius reported that its Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) is responsible for ‘look[ing] after and promot[ing] the development of the labour force in Mauritius in line with the requirements of a fast-growing economy’ and offers various schemes and projects that prioritize training for unemployed graduates. For example, the Graduate Training for Employment Scheme (GTES) aims to enhance the employability of unemployed graduates by providing them with skills as per the requirements of an evolving job market. This scheme ensures the training and placement of unemployed graduates for a period not exceeding one year, with the possibility of employment. The HRDC invested the equivalent of approximately USD 130,000 for the training and placement of these graduates in 2017–2018. 

Learn more (GRALE 5, p. 68)

Non-formal ALE receives 0.6% of the national budget allocated to the social development sector in Uganda. In absolute numbers, the government has been allocating 2 billion Ugandan shillings (approx. USD 500,000) annually to this sector to implement adult literacy activities. Funds for central government activities are disbursed to the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, while funds for field activities are transferred to local governments under a single consolidated social development sector grant or fund. Yet, according to Uganda’s reporting, information regarding the overall funding of adult literacy and education is problematic, scattered between several ministries, such as education, health, social development and agriculture. In addition, development partners can contribute to funding of government activities on literacy and basic skills, particularly for disadvantaged populations. 

The Government of Jordan allocates direct funding to different groups in its budgets for adult learning and education. For example, funding to provide appropriate services to elderly men and women focuses on those with disabilities and special needs. 

Jordan’s Ministry of Education allocates a budget for non-formal education programmes, including adult education and literacy programming, for an evening studies programme, and for a culture promotion programme for school dropouts. For the unemployed, the Ministry of Labour holds a budget for the provision of training opportunities for reintegration into the labour market. Finally, the government also supports education and training programmes for Syrian refugees. These programmes are funded primarily by external sources.

About the Global Report on Adult Learning and Education

Published by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning , the Global Report on Adult Learning and Education monitors the extent to which UNESCO Member States put their international commitments regarding adult learning and education into practice. The reports combine survey data, policy analysis and case studies to provide policy-makers and practitioners with sound recommendations and examples of good practice. Five reports have been published since 2009.

About the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education

From 15 to 17 June 2022, participants from across the globe came together for the Seventh International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VII) in Marrakech, Morocco. They took stock of achievements in adult learning and education, discussed challenges, and developed a new framework for action to make adult learning and education a reality around the world. CONFINTEA VII was hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco and co-organized with UNESCO.

Conference website  

About the Journal

Focus and scope.

The journal is placed in the field of Adult Education. The key term Critical Issues reflects our strategic goal of developing a critical dialogue between adult educators on critical issues that call into question stereotypical perceptions, and questions may remain open, given their ambivalent, controversial, neglected, misunderstood or underdeveloped approach to the literature. Thus, we hope that the journal will contribute to the promotion of ideas and principles of Adult Education with an emphasis on critical reflection and learning for change. 

As relevant to the field of the journal might be considered critical issues within the field of Adult Education that indicatively involve:

• Research, good practices and proposals on crucial issues regarding transformative processes and critical approaches in education, society, governance, policies and other areas of interest, related to the field of Adult Education.
• Redefinition or reassessment of problematic perspectives, theoretical views, or social phenomena.
• Exploration of multiple, different, alternative, ambivalent, controversial perspectives.
• Challenge of taken-for-granted or unjustified assumptions and  practices. 
• Analysis of the power dynamics of a situation. 
• Exploration of disregarded or undermined, however interesting and challenging perspectives.

Article template

Peer Review Process

Research articles under submission are assessed by conduct of parallel “double-blind” evaluation, i.e. are anonymously sent (without mentioning the writers’ specifics) by the journal’s Editorial Board to two members of peer review panel with specialization to the scientific thematic areas of the journal.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Editorial Board

Members of the Greek Adult Education community

ANASTASIADIS PANOS , University of Crete, Greece

ARMAOS REMOS , Hellenic Open University, Greece

BABALIS THOMAS , National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

FRAGKOULIS IOSIF , Hellenic Open University, Greece

GOULAS CHRISTOS , University of Neapolis, Cyprus

GIOTI LABRINA , Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

KARAGIANNOPOULOU EVANGELIA , University of Ioannina, Greece

KARALIS THANASSIS , University of Patras

KEDRAKA KATERINA , Democritus University of Thrace, Greece

KORONAIOU ALEXANDRA , Panteion University, Greece

KORRE PAVLI MARIA , Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

KOULAOUZIDIS GEORGE , Hellenic Open University, Greece

KOUTOUZIS MANOLIS , Hellenic Open University, Greece

LINTZERIS PARASKEVAS , National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

PAVLAKIS MANOS , Frederick University, Cyprus

PHILLIPS NIKI ,  Hellenic Open University, Greece

POULOPOULOS CHARALAMPOS , Democritus University of Thrace, Greece

PROKOU ELENI , Panteion University, Greece

RAIKOU NATASSA , University of Thessaly, Greece

SIFAKIS NIKOS , National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

TSIBOUKLI ANNA , National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

VAIKOUSI DANAI , Hellenic Open University, Greece

VALKANOS EFTHYMIOS , University of Macedonia, Greece

VERGIDIS DIMITRIS , University of Patras

ZARIFIS GIORGOS , Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Members of the international Adult Education community

BUERGELT PETRA , University of Canberra, Australia

FABRI   LORETTA ,   University of Siena, Italy

FEDELI MONICA , University of Padova, Italy

FINNEGAN FERGAL , National University of Ireland, Ireland

FLEMING TED ,   Columbia University, USA

GOUGOULAKIS PETROS , University of Stockholm, Sweden

HOGGAN CHAD , North Carolina State University, USA

HOGGAN KLOUBERT TETYANA , University of Augsburg, Germany

IRELAND  TIMOTHY , Federal University of Paraiba, Brazil

KASL ELISABETH , Independent Scholar, USA

LAWRENCE RANDEE LIPSON ,   Columbia University, USA 

MARSICK VICTORIA , Columbia University, USA

MAYO PETER , University of Malta, USA

NIKOLAIDES ALIKI , University of Georgia, USA 

POPOVIC  KATARINA , University of Belgrade, Serbia

STRIANO MAURA , University of Naples Federico II, Italy

TAYLOR KATHLEEN , Saint Mary’s College of California, USA

WELCH MARGUERITE , Saint Mary’s College of California, USA

The National Documentation Centre ( www.ekt.gr ) is a national infrastructure. Since 1980, it actively engages in the collection, organization and dissemination of scientific and technological information in Greece and internationally. EKT’s strategic priority is the aggregation, organized online dissemination and preservation of quality-assured scholarly and educational content in a single research infrastructure.

EKT’s vision is “Access to Knowledge”. To this end it implements Open Access policies in research, supports the transfer and dissemination of scientific knowledge, collaborates with research, education and cultural institutions for the aggregation, organization and dissemination of digital content and provides innovative services in scientific information.

EKT provides reliable ePublishing services as part of its scholarly content aggregation and dissemination activities . Its integrated online ePublishing environment is developed with open-source interoperable technology. This affords the incorporation of EKT’s infrastructures into the continuously developing international infrastructure environment.

EKT’s ePublishing services ( http://epublishing.ekt.gr/ ) are directed to public and extended public institution publishers of accredited scholarly journals. They include, most significantly, the organization, documentation and organized dissemination of metadata and content of scholarly journals, the training and consulting services on issues such as intellectual property, the standardization of editorial processes according to internationally accepted standards, the inclusion of content and metadata in international content indexers and harvesters via interoperable systems.

• National Documentation Centre (EKT)

Journal History

The journal of the HAEA began to be published in 2004, exclusively for its members. At that time there was very little Greek-language bibliography on Adult Education. So, there was a big gap that needed to be filled in order for the interested Greek public – which in the meantime was increasing due to the proliferation of adult education programs, as well as the relevant studies that had begun in Hellenic Open University and other universities – to be able to come into contact with the scientific approaches, the trends and the research data of the field.

This role was assumed by the journal Adult Education , which began to build an epistemological tradition. On the other hand, the journal had secured the support of leading scholars, such as Peter Jarvis, Collin Griffin, Alan Rogers, Phil Race, who contributed as scientific advisors. Moreover, the journal was not limited to the publication of articles, but had additional columns concerning book reviews, portraits of scholars, news and actions from the field, and emblematic texts that influenced the theory and practice of adult education.

Since then, the journal has remained steadfast in its goals. 49 issues were published continuously, every four months, which hosted after the review of an editorial board, a large number of papers of Greek scholars, as well as translations of articles, tributes to special topics, interviews, reviews, portraits.

However, things have changed over time. The Greek community of Adult Education expanded significantly and made its presence felt in the international arena with publications, presence in conferences, European programs, international collaborations. We felt that many abroad were interested in our views. At the same time, the need for the work of Greek scholars to be made public as widely as possible was created.

For these reasons, the journal, maintaining its basic principles, became from October 2021 bilingual (Greek – English) and open access, so that its content is disseminated to as many as possible, to achieve the attraction of high-level articles from all over the world and to increase the international recognition of authors.

The journal's title is now Adult Education: Critical Issues , identifying that the term "critical issues" signifies:

• redefinition or critical evaluation of problematic considerations, theoretical approaches or social phenomena

• questioning perceptions or practices that are taken for granted

• investigation of various, different, alternative controversial or opposing considerations

• investigation of unrecognized or undervalued considerations that are however interesting and provocative.

Developed By

• Français (France)
• Español (España)

Information

• Online ISSN: 2732-964X

Performance Assessments for Adult Education: Exploring the Measurement Issues: Report of a Workshop (2002)

Chapter: 6 challenges in adult education, 6 challenges in adult education.

T he discussion during the workshop highlighted a number of key challenges that must be addressed when performance assessments are used for accountability in the federal adult education system: (1) defining the domain of knowledge, skills, and abilities in a field where there is no single definition of the domain; (2) using performance assessments for multiple purposes and different audiences; (3) having the fiscal resources required for assessment development, training, implementation, and maintenance when the federal and state monies under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 are limited for such activities; (4) having sufficient time for assessment and learning opportunities given the structure of adult education programs and students’ limited participation; and (5) developing the expertise needed for assessment development, implementation, and maintenance. This chapter discusses these challenges and their implications for alternatives identified by workshop presenters.

DEFINING A COMMON DOMAIN OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Varied frameworks.

One very critical stage in the development of performance assessments is defining the domain of knowledge, skills, and abilities that students will be expected to demonstrate. In her remarks, Mari Pearlman said that in

order to have reliable and valid assessments to compare students’ outcomes across classes, programs, and states, a common domain must be used as the basis for the assessment. This poses a challenge to the field of adult education because, as several speakers pointed out, there is no consensus on the content to be assessed. As Ron Pugsley, Office of Vocational and Adult Education of the Department of Education (DOEd), reminded participants, Title II of the WIA specifies the core measures that states must use in reporting student progress (see Table 2-1 ), but the content underlying these measures is not operationally defined in the same way by the states and sometimes not even by all the programs within a state. In many testing programs, there is a document (called a framework) that provides a detailed outline of the content and skills to be assessed. But on the national level, no such document exists for adult education, and few states have defined the universe of content for their adult basic education programs. Hence, the extent to which specific literacy and numeracy skills are taught in a program can vary greatly depending on the characteristics of the student population and available staff.

To address this variation in instructional content, the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) began the Equipped for the Future (EFF) initiative in 1993. Sondra Stein explained that NIFL used the results of its survey of 1,500 adults to identify the themes of family, community, work, and lifelong learning as the main purposes for which adults enroll in adult basic education programs (see Figure 6-1 for the EFF standards). NIFL then specified content standards for each theme and is now in the process of developing performance assessments aligned with the content standards. Some states (Maine, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington) have adopted the EFF framework and are working with NIFL in the assessment development process, while others are in the process of developing their own assessments. Although EFF represents an important movement toward common content for adult basic education programs, not all states have adopted its framework at this time.

Comparability of Performance Assessments

As discussed in Chapter 5 , workshop presenters described two approaches for identifying performance assessment tasks: the critical indicator approach and the domain sampling approach. Both approaches require delineation of the domain. In order for results from one version of the assessment to be comparable to results from another version, there needs to

FIGURE 6-1 EFF Standards for Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning

SOURCE: NIFL, 2002.

be a common domain with agreed-upon critical skills and knowledge and types of tasks that allow students to demonstrate these skills and knowledge. While these two approaches may be feasible on a limited level, such as in a program or within a state, it will be much more difficult to apply them across states or nationally.

USING PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS FOR MULTIPLE PURPOSES

Throughout the workshop, participants enumerated the varied uses for assessments in adult basic education: for diagnostic purposes, to meet

accountability requirements, to provide feedback to students and/or teachers, and for program evaluation. As Pamela Moss explained, different purposes bring different kinds of validity issues, and David Thissen, Stephen Dunbar, and Jim Impara noted that it is difficult, if not impossible to develop one assessment that adequately serves such varied purposes. However, several speakers talked about ways performance assessments might be developed to serve the purpose of the NRS (National Reporting System). As suggested by Mark Reckase, Mari Pearlman, and others, the structured portfolio has the potential of serving the dual purposes of meeting accountability requirements and providing feedback to students. But for it to do so, the menu of content and tasks must be broad enough to meet the accountability requirements for the domain and to have enough examples to provide meaningful feedback to students.

Computer-based assessment could also serve the two purposes, and it has the advantage of providing rapid feedback to the student. According to Bob Bickerton and Donna Miller-Parker, use of computer-based assessment in adult basic education has been limited because of accessibility issues, costs, and training of staff. Henry Braun cautioned that it would be important to determine the types of learners for whom this modality would be appropriate before initiating its use for accountability purposes.

One factor that will need to be considered when performance assessments are used for accountability is the process of calibrating the performance assessments to the scale used for the NRS. Wendy Yen and Braun emphasized that a true calibration requires that the assessments be based on the same domains. While the developers of the tests with benchmark scores specified in the NRS attempted to calibrate their tests to the levels in ABE or ESL (depending on the test), various workshop presenters said that the calibration process was not technically accurate. Yen observed that these tests “have different content and have been developed under different criteria.” She said that these conditions are not sufficient for the more stringent linking procedures such as equating or calibration. These linking procedures require equivalence of test content and examination of item and test statistics, among other things. Yen also noted that several National Research Council (NRC) reports, such as Uncommon Measures: Equivalence and Linkage Among Educational Tests (1999c) and Embedding Questions: The Pursuit of a Common Measure in Uncommon Tests (1999a), have addressed the issue of linking results from different assessments. She observed that linking issues will need to be addressed when performance assessments are used to measure students’ movement on the NRS levels. She

cautioned that in order for multiple performance assessments to be developed and calibrated to the NRS, they would need to measure the same domains. If they do not, then the less rigorous process of social moderation could be used to ascertain the match between scores on the assessments and the NRS levels. However, several workshop participants questioned whether social moderation was sufficiently rigorous for use in a high-stakes environment.

HAVING THE REQUIRED FISCAL RESOURCES

Assessment development and staff training.

As described in Chapter 2 , states have limited funding to spend on assessment development, staff training, implementation, and maintenance. Several presenters emphasized both the importance of having adequate development and training processes to support the creation of quality performance assessments, and the substantial cost of these activities. In his presentation, Reckase estimated that the cost for development of a performance assessment system could total $1.5 to $2 million.

Some of the expenses are one-time costs and some recur with each administration. One-time costs are those associated with initial implementation of the assessment. Recurring costs are the expenses for ongoing item or task development, administering the test, and scoring examinees’ responses. As mentioned earlier in this report, the cost for scoring responses to performance assessments or constructed-response questions is substantially higher than that for scoring selected-response questions. In addition, costs for the development of these assessments can be higher. Tasks used on performance assessments are easily memorized and, unlike selected-response items, often cannot be reused. Administration costs can also be hefty, given the time, materials, and resources required to administer performance assessments.

Eduardo Cascallar estimated that a performance assessment of language ability that he developed cost $120 per administration. Judy Alamprese noted that the current cost for an external degree program is approximately $2,000 per student, and Mark Moody stated that it is approximately $60 per student (for 180,000 students) for Maryland’s MSPAP, and this amount doesn’t cover the cost of test administration. States’ Leadership funding under WIA, which has ranged from $100,000 to $7.5 million per state per year (with most states at the lower end of this range), provides the money

states use for development and training activities. Because the federal allotment is the sole funding for these activities for most states, it is unlikely that individual states can afford substantial costs for implementing a performance assessment program. In light of this, workshop presenters suggested other options, such as the formation of consortia in which states work together or in conjunction with publishers to develop and score performance assessments. These ideas are further discussed in Chapter 7 . However, the challenge to fiscal resources also extends to the administration of these assessments, especially when the national average expenditure per student in adult education programs is $374, and the 10 states with the lowest expenditures averaged only $156 per student (program year 1999).

Assessment Implementation and Maintenance

The creation of performance assessments, including specifying content domains and developing scoring rubrics as well as providing staff training, is only a portion of the cost of using these assessments. Implementing a performance assessment system and maintaining and refurbishing assessments are ongoing costs that programs must take into consideration. John Comings estimated that adult education programs could afford to spend only about $50 per student for assessment; this is inadequate for implementing a performance assessment system, according to Richard Hill, Impara, Reckase, and other speakers, given the experience of the National External Diploma Program in adult education or the K-12 system. While the presenters pointed out that there were cost differences in using the various alternative approaches to performance assessment that were suggested, none of the other assessments would cost as little as $50 per student.

Cascallar and other speakers observed that, in addition to implementation costs, there are costs associated with updating and revisions, particularly if the assessment is to meet the desire of many program staffs to have assessments that are dynamic. These updates include new development to keep the assessment current, refining scoring rubrics (particularly in the use of structured portfolios), and updating training manuals. The costs for these activities would need to be subsidized by the states or budgeted as part of the ABE programs’ operational costs. In addition, there are costs associated with training staff to administer performance assessments and providing the necessary materials and other resources. A final but important cost is associated with external review of the assessments

and the system. Under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal government has taken the lead in the evaluation of K-12 assessment systems. (Massachusetts is one of many states that also hire external reviewers.) Kit Viator emphasized the value of external review, commenting that it is important to let others have access to materials and come to their own independent conclusions about the strengths and weaknesses of the program.

HAVING SUFFICIENT TIME FOR ASSESSMENT AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Time is one aspect of the adult basic education service delivery system that poses significant challenges for the use of performance assessment. Time is a limited commodity for most adult education students. As mentioned in the overview and by a number of presenters, adult education students spend a limited amount of time in instruction, and they have limited time for carrying out performance assessments. Speakers queried whether this amount of time provided a sufficient “opportunity to learn.” If the instructional time is not sufficient for learning, then the assessment may not be a reliable test of students’ educational progress. The speakers noted that student persistence in regularly attending classes and completing a course of study is a critical factor for most adult education programs. Lack of student persistence appears to be a characteristic of the system that is unaffected by attempts to remedy it.

In suggesting alternative ways to construct performance assessments, Reckase described the challenge of addressing the “information channel” in which the goal is to assess as much skill and knowledge as possible within a specified amount of time. As stated earlier, Reckase estimated that 50 to 100 selected-response items can be administered to an adult in an hour, while no more than 10 performance assessments can be given in the same period of time. With the current levels of student persistence, students’ patterns of participation in adult basic education, and the limited number of hours that some programs operate, the amount of time required for adminstration is a critical factor to consider when state and local administrators are determining the feasibility of using performance assessment.

DEVELOPING EXPERTISE

A refrain heard throughout the workshop was the need to have trained and qualified individuals for all phases of performance assessment development, administration, and scoring. A number of presenters observed that the technical expertise of most adult basic education program staff is not sufficient for them to undertake assessment development. Assessment development is a technical field with stringent guidelines, and several presenters suggested that states and programs work collaboratively with psychometricians in the assessment development process. One possible role for adult education staff in the development process might be to provide the applications of content that can be used in the development of assessment tasks.

Another strategy might be to use assessment approaches that minimize the requirement for trained staff to administer and score the assessments, such as computer-based assessment. When both the administration and the scoring can be done electronically, staff do not have to perform these functions. If program staff are to be responsible for assessment administration and scoring, then experts are needed to provide professional development on a periodic basis. All of the activities involved in developing, administering, and scoring performance assessment systems require not only expertise but also time and fiscal resources.

In the United States, the nomenclature of adult education includes adult literacy, adult secondary education, and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) services provided to undereducated and limited English proficient adults. Those receiving adult education services have diverse reasons for seeking additional education. With the passage of the WIA, the assessment of adult education students became mandatory-regardless of their reasons for seeking services. The law does allow the states and local programs flexibility in selecting the most appropriate assessment for the student. The purpose of the NRC's workshop was to explore issues related to efforts to measure learning gains in adult basic education programs, with a focus on performance-based assessments.

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More outreach and access are needed in adult education, panel says

Barriers to adult education

Raising awareness and marketing, helping communities overcome barriers, broader benefits of adult education.

Despite efforts across various sectors, adults throughout California continue to struggle to access education opportunities that can be critical for their family’s economic mobility.

The panel at EdSource’s roundtable, “Adult education: Overlooked and underfunded,” discussed how adults and their families can benefit from adult education, the common barriers to access and ways to overcome them.

“During the pandemic, our emergency room took in some of our most at-need people and triaged them to the right medical care that they need,” said John Werner, the executive director of Sequoias Adult Education Consortium at Thursday’s discussion. “Adult schools do very similar work with education.”

Panelist Francisco Solano grew up in Mexico, where he earned a high school education but had no interest in continuing his schooling. About 16 years ago, he came to the United States and found himself working for salad-packing companies.

He eventually enrolled in adult education classes at Salinas Adult School and is now wrapping up a doctorate in molecular biology at UCLA.

But the road through his adult education was “exhausting” and “not convenient at all.”

“That’s what I see with my peers,” Solano said. “They are not able to get out of that lifestyle because it’s so difficult for them to be able to have a job that secures rent and food for the families and, at the same time, find time and resources to go to school or try something else.”

Solano also believes that larger companies do not want migrants like him to succeed because that would take away a source of cheap labor.

Rural areas — where barriers associated with time and distance are greater — have a high need for adult education.

Steve Curiel, the principal of Huntington Beach Adult School, said not enough conversations about adult education are held at the policy level because most people in elected positions are unlikely to understand the critical role it plays, having experienced more traditional educational journeys.

Carolyn Zachry, the state director and education administrator for adult education at the California Department of Education, stressed the importance of raising awareness and sharing stories like Solano’s among potential students.

“That gives the courage to come forward and to walk in those doors of that school,” she said. “And once they’re inside those school doors, then that school community wraps around them and really supports them.”

Werner also emphasized the importance of actively seeking students. He mentioned specific efforts to speak to individuals at local community events, like farmers markets and flea markets. A TV or radio presence can also be helpful, he said.

Numerous organizations are enacting measures to expand access to adult education, including creating remote and virtual options as well as providing child care for students while they are in school.

Several panelists agreed that virtual learning can be a helpful way to bring educational opportunities to adults at home — though Kathy Locke, who teaches English as a second language in Oakland Unified, emphasized the importance of in-person instruction, so adults can learn the skills they need to succeed online.

“The more marginalized, the greater your need in terms of English level, the harder it is to access the technology to be able to use the technology to do distance learning well,” Locke said.

To improve access to online learning, Curiel said the Huntington Beach Adult School has provided laptops and channels for internet connection.

Providing child care is another way to help reduce barriers for adults.

“Our classes provide babysitting for our students to be able to come with their children. Their children go to child care, and then they’re able to come and learn,” Locke said.

“I think that as a district, we really named that as a barrier and really put our money where our mouths were, I think, and made that a priority to get adults in our classrooms, so that they can do the learning that they need.”

Adult education also helps support a child’s education, the roundtable panelists agreed.

For example, a child’s literacy benefits when parents attend English language classes, Locke said. And parents are more likely to be involved with their child’s education later on.

“If you want to help a child in poverty, you have to help an adult in poverty,” Werner said. “Only the adult can go get a job tomorrow.”

More From Forbes

At the heart of education, an insoluble problem.

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Hard to measure with a ruler.

Once we’ve taught, how do we know what students have learned? How do you measure what is going on inside a person’s mind?

Designing assessments is one of the most challenging pieces of education (and vast numbers of classroom teachers are required to do it on their own). There are numerous obstacles on the path to assessments that tell us what students actually understand.

If the assessment task is too simple, it becomes hard to distinguish between understanding and mimicry. We can teach a barely verbal infant, a parrot, and an AI bot to correctly complete the phrase “two plus two equals...” but that doesn’t mean they actually understand what the phrase means.

Even assessments of more complex learning can result in regurgitation rather than actual comprehension. Every student has been in at least one class that could be passed by simply spitting back to the teacher what she had delivered to the class.

The clearer a teacher’s expectations are, the easier it can be to simply game the system. But if the teacher’s expectations are not clear, she will have trouble deciding whether the students failed to comprehend the material or to understand what the assessment requires. Finding the sweet spot is difficult.

More complex assessments also run into the question of how much of the students’ troubles are a failure in understanding and how much are trouble in conveying that understanding. If you have asked for an essay answer, did the student come up short because of a lack of understanding, or because of a lack of writing skill? Or did the question itself include some cultural bias that interfered with student understanding of the task?

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The common assumption is that if the student really knows the material, she’ll have no trouble expressing her understanding. But how many adults have had the “I know what I want to say, but I can’t quite figure out how to say it so you’ll understand” experience? Many persons have trouble translating understanding into communication, and many other persons can communicate quite effectively about things they do not understand at all.

Add to that the common insistence that students complete a test within limited time and with no assistance, parameters that are often ignored with problem-solving in the real world. Tests are meant to measure the messy insides of a human mind with neat and orderly units.

Most importantly, we have no way to check if an assessment gives us a perfect understanding of student achievement, because we have no perfect measurement to which it can be compared.

At best we can check validity and reliability . Validity checks to see if we’re measuring what we mean to measure; are we using a ruler or scales to measure the weight of an object? Is the assessment task closely related to that which we want to assess? Reliability checks to see if the test gets consistent results; does the ruler find the same length every time we use it to measure the same object?

When the PARCC tests were launched to assess student achievement of the Common Core standards, a common criticism was that they were not valid tests . Value-added evaluations of teachers based on those test scores turned out to be unreliable , varying from year to year.

For classroom teachers, all of these issues should lead to a constant year-to-year fine tuning of assessments. But for the state’s Big Standardized Tests or tests like the SAT and ACT, tweaking has to be done very carefully, because part of the tests’ selling point is that the results can be compared year to year. States have the additional challenge of setting cut scores; where do they draw the line between proficient and just good enough? That’s a process that may have as much to do with politics as with education.

Witness the current mini-firestorm set off by the College Board “recalibration” of Advanced Placement test scores, which has dramatically increased the number of students with high scores on the tests. Is it grade inflation, or is it “matching the reality” of the grading in college course for which AP courses are supposed to count? As several commenters have noted, it’s a threat to the College Board’s marketing to let the mask slip, to admit that the tests are not some objective perfect measure of student achievement.

The answer, in part, is that the AP tests are, like every other test given to students, an imperfect measure of student achievement that is made up by human beings and administered under artificial circumstances.

None of this means that students should never be assessed. As G. K. Chesterton wrote, anything worth is doing is worth doing badly. We have plenty of testing professionals and experienced educators who can help us get closer to the mark. But it’s important to remember that assessments are not handed by via burning bush, perfectly accurate and objective. This is why wise teachers use many and varied assessments, and don’t depend on a single test to perfectly measure the contents of a young human mind.

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Sona 2024: A quick look at main issues

Highlights: Sona 2024

PH PRESIDENT FERDINAND MARCOS JR. composite image from Inquirer file photos

As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reports the state of the nation for the third time on Monday (July 22), the themes of his administration have remained the same.

Here’s a quick look at some of the major issues, the current situation, what’s been done, and what’s been promised.

WEST PHILIPPINE SEA

Asserting sovereignty.

Amid increasing aggression by China, Marcos Jr. said the Philippines should go beyond just filing diplomatic protests:

Graphics by Ed Lustan

* 65 (filed as of December 2022)

* 150 (filed as of June 2024)

* 20 (filed in the first six months of 2024)

Facing China

West Philippine Sea reefs have been occupied by China, and the damage is immeasurable:

• Panganiban or Mischief Reef – 995.93 hectares
• Zamora or Subi Reef – 798.44 hectares
• Kagitingan or Fiery Cross Reef – 797.63 hectares
• Calderon or Cuarteron Reef – 312.01 hectares
• Burgos or Gaven Reef – 114.12 hectares
• Scarborough Shoal- 764.45 hectares
• 7,000 hectares-coral reefs damaged by China in the South China Sea
• 3,700 hectares—coral reefs damaged by China in WPS

READ: Marcos: Philippines will not lose one inch of its territory

Chinese structures inside PH waters

To assert its disproven claim in the West Philippine Sea, China has built outposts to use as bases for military and other purposes:

• Calderon or Cuarteron Reef
• Kagitingan or Fiery Cross Reef
• Burgos or Gaven Reef
• McKennan or Hughes Reef
• Panganiban or Mischief Reef
• Zamora or Subi Reef

READ: AFP wants China to pay P60M for June 17 attack

ENERGY, NATURAL GAS

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has repeatedly underscored the critical role of the Malampaya gas field, the Philippines’ only source of indigenous natural gas.

Malampaya gas field

• Proven reserves: 2.7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
• 85 million barrels of condensate.
• Contributes 20 percent of Luzon’s electricity needs.
• Supplies gas to four power generation plants in Batangas (Sta. Rita, San Lorenzo, San Gabriel, and Avion) with a combined capacity of 2,011 megawatts (MW).
• Scheduled to produce 146 billion cubic feet of gas per year.
• In April, as the Luzon grid was placed on red and yellow alert status, gas supply from Malampaya peaked at 290 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD), exceeding the Malampaya wells’ current maximum capacity of 262 MMSCFD.
• The Malampaya Consortium generated and remitted more than $13.5 billion (P749.3 billion) to the national government between 2001 and 2023.

SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

READ: Malampaya contribution to gov’t revenue: $13B

Extended for 15 more years

Marcos’ thrust for energy security was followed by:

• In May 2023, Marcos Jr. signed the renewal of Service Contract 38, extending the Malampaya gas field’s operation until February 22, 2039.
• The extension of SC 38 for full production of the Malampaya field through its remaining gas reserves of about 147 billion cubic feet.
• The contract requires a minimum work program of geological and geophysical studies and drilling of at least two deep water wells during Sub-Phase 1 from 2024 to 2029.
• DOE said the extension would jump-start the exploration and development of other fields in the area believed to hold up to 210 billion cubic feet more of natural gas.

SOURCES: DOE, INQUIRER.NET ARCHIVE

READ: 15 more years: Bongbong Marcos signs Malampaya renewal deal

What’s next?

• A $600 million (around P33.7 billion) worth of investments was committed by the Malampaya Consortium — led by Enrique Razon’s Prime Energy.
• A $69.9 million (P3.88 billion) contract was awarded to the American offshore drilling company Noble.
• Noble’s special ship “Noble Viking” set to drill two deepwater development wells in the Camago and Malampaya East fields and a third exploration well in Bagong Pag-Asa, located approximately 15 kilometers north of Malampaya.

SOURCES: DOE, INQUIRER.NET ARCHIVES

READ: 80% success rate predicted for new Malampaya gas wells

• Reports noted that in recent bidding, power plants using imported LNG secured at least 2,400 MW out of 3,000 MW of power supply contracts. These plants opted for imported LNG over the more cost-effective local Malampaya gas.
• No contracts were awarded to plants using local Malampaya gas.

AGRICULTURE

Increasing productivity.

Increasing agricultural output has been a consistent theme of the Marcos administration since its first days in power.

• 97.5 percent (target rice sufficiency in five years)
• 12 percent (agriculture sector growth in 2023)
• 9 percent (agriculture contribution to GDP)
• 20.8 percent (share of agriculture in employment as of May 2024)

Protecting local farmers

As President Marcos Jr grapples with the challenges of raising agricultural productivity and keeping prices in check, experts remind the administration of its duty to protect Filipino farmers.

• P24.83 per kilogram (farm gate price of palay in first quarter 2024)
• P24.63 per kilogram (farm gate price of palay in second quarter 2024)
• 15 percent (new tariff on imported rice under E0 No. 62)
• P17 to P18 per kg (projected farm gate price of palay as result of E0 No. 62)

SOURCES: PSA, DR. TEODORO MENDOZA

POVERTY ALLEVIATION

Lowering poverty rate.

In his first Sona in 2022, President Marcos Jr. announced the government target of lowering the poverty rate to 9 percent in 2028:

• 16.2% (4.04 million households. Poverty rate in 1st semester 2018)
• 18% (4.74 million households. Poverty rate in 1st semester 2021)
• 16.4% (4.51 million households. Poverty rate in 2023)
• 230,000 (households out of poverty first quarter of 2023)
• 16 million families (out of poverty if a 9 percent rate is achieved)

Poverty and wages

The connection between poverty and wages is undeniable:

• 37 percent (value of average wage compared to living wage needed for a family of five)
• P1,210 (Daily living wage for a household with five members)
• P442 ( Current average nominal minimum wage)

SOURCE: IBON FOUNDATION

Feeling poor

The polling firm Social Weather Stations regularly measures perception of poverty:

• 58 percent (respondents who said they were poor in SWS polling last June)
• 59 percent (respondents who said they were poor in SWS polling in 2008)
• 16 million (self-rated poor households in June, higher than 12.9 million in March)

Government intervention

The economic team of President Marcos Jr. announced steps to keep more people from falling into the poverty pit:

• 5 million (households tagged as beneficiaries of the cash aid Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program)
• P26.7 billion (budget set aside for Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program or Akap, which targets poor and low-income households as beneficiaries)
• P3,000 (cash for Akap beneficiaries)
• P18.3 billion (released in 2023 to 9.2 million beneficiaries)

SOURCE: INQUIRER.NET ARCHIVES

RICE PRICES AND INFLATION

Marcos’ promise to lower the cost of rice to P20 per kilogram has remained elusive.

Prices of rice have remained above the target and have contributed to inflation:

• 3.7 percent ( inflation rate last June)
• June 2023: 5.4%
• July 2023: 4.7%
• Aug. 2023: 5.3%
• Sept. 2023: 6.1%
• Oct. 2023: 4.9%
• Nov. 2023: 4.1%
• Dec. 2023: 3.9%
• Jan. 2024: 2.8%
• Feb. 2024: 3.4%
• March 2024: 3.7%
• April 2024: 3.8%
• May 2024: 3.9%
• June 2024: 3.7%

Inflation drivers

Food and alcoholic beverages still had the highest inflation rate at 6.1 percent.

• 22.5 percent (rice inflation last June)
• 23 percent (rice inflation last May)
• 23.9 percent (rice inflation last April)
• P48.55-P50.91 per kg (average cost of local regular and well-milled rice)
• P48.85-P53 per kg ( average cost of imported regular and well-milled rice)

What’s being done?

• P29 per kg (the price of rice now available in Kadiwa outlets for the poorest of the poor)
• EO 62 (issued by Marcos in June to bring down the cost of rice by P6-P7 per kg and lowering the tariff on imported rice to 15 percent)
• P26.6 billion (ayuda allotted in 2023 last as inflation rate hit 8.8 percent)
• EO 50 was extended in 2023, keeping modified rates on import duties for rice, corn, meat

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has pledged to transform the Philippine education system to improve global competitiveness and literacy rates. Here’s a summary of the current situation and progress.

PH students rank poorly in PISA reports

Previous reports by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reveal a troubling situation for education in the Philippines: Filipino students consistently perform poorly, falling behind their peers in other countries in reading, mathematics, science, and creative thinking.

READ: Filipino students rank poorly in Pisa 2022 report on creative thinking

READ: PH students still among lowest scorers in reading, math, science – Pisa

Most school buildings are long overdue for repairs

• 327,851 (school buildings in the Philippines)
• 104,536 (school buildings in good condition)
• 100,072 (school buildings needing minor repairs)
• 89,252 (school buildings needing major repairs)
• 21,727 (school buildings set for condemnation

Not enough classrooms

The country saw a shortage of 159,000 classrooms for the 2023-2024 school year — a huge jump from the previous year’s deficit of 91,000 classrooms.

SOURCE: DEPED

Lack of teachers

DepEd reported that 89,506 teaching positions have yet to be filled.

What’s been done

• Curriculum reforms
• Infrastructure investments
• Salary increases and benefits
• Improve Philippine rankings in international assessments like PISA
• Increase budget allocation
• Strengthen digital learning

INFRASTRUCTURE

In his first Sona, President Marcos Jr. pledged to continue and expand the Build, Build, Build infrastructure program.

More infra projects underway

So far, these have been achieved or are on target:

• 3 (projects completed between 2023 and 2024 worth P21.35 billion)
• 65 (projects ongoing which are 35.14 percent of total infrastructure flagship projects)
• 30 (projects approved for implementation)
• 5 (projects pending approval).
• 36 (projects in preparation stage)
• 46 (projects in pre-project preparation)

Completion target

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) noted that at least 70 of these infrastructure projects are expected to be completed by 2028, including:

• Flood risk mitigation for Cagayan de Oro River
• Samar Pacific Coastal Road
• Disaster risk and climate change adaptation in low-lying areas of Pampanga Bay.

Completed projects

From July 2022 to November 2023, the DPWH had already completed several projects:

• 7,715 kilometers of roads
• 969 bridges
• 2,410 flood control projects
• 6,439 rain water collector systems
• 389 kilometers of farm-to-market roads
• 12 kilometers of farm-to-mill roads
• 5,116 classrooms

SOURCE: DPWH

Record-high spending

Marcos Jr. has repeatedly said in previous Sona that he would pursue infrastructure development which would require high spending levels:

• 5 to 6 percent (GDP share of spending for infrastructure)
• 5 to 6 percent (Department of Budget and Management allotment from the national budget in December 2022 for Build, Better, More the Marcos administration’s updated Build Build, Build program)
• 6.3 percent (projected share in GDP of infrastructure spending by 2028)

SOURCE: DBM

Progress so far

• P1.42 trillion (infrastructure disbursements in 2023 or 5.8 percent of GDP)
• P216.8 billion (infrastructure spending and capital outlay from January to March 2024, a 10 percent increase from P196.7 billion in the same period in 2023)
• P1.47 trillion (total infrastructure spending projected in 2024 or 5.6 percent of GDP)
• EO No. 9 was issued by Marcos to simplify the process of licenses, clearances, permits, and other requirements for infrastructure projects

SOURCES: DBM, DEVELOPMENT BUDGET COORDINATING COMMITTEE

READ: Bongbong Marcos to continue Duterte’s infrastructure program

READ: Let not the ‘golden age of infrastructure’ end – Marcos

More infra promises

In previous Sona, Marcos listed infrastructure projects for completion by his administration:

• Upgrade airports and build new ones
• Promote undiscovered tourist spots.
• Continue ongoing infrastructure flagship projects.
• Railway projects
• Mega Bridge Program

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J.D. Vance on the Issues, From Abortion to the Middle East

Like Donald J. Trump, the Ohio senator has been skeptical of American intervention overseas and argues that raising tariffs will create new jobs.

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By Adam Nagourney

• Published July 15, 2024 Updated July 17, 2024

Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio, Donald J. Trump’s newly chosen running mate, has made a shift from the Trump critic he was when he first entered politics to the loyalist he is today. It was a shift both in style and substance: Now, on topics as disparate as trade and Ukraine, Mr. Vance is closely aligned with Mr. Trump.

Here’s a look at where the senator stands on the issues that will most likely dominate the campaign ahead and, should Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance win in November, their years in the White House.

Mr. Vance opposes abortion rights, even in the case of incest or rape, but says there should be exceptions for cases when the mother’s life is in danger. He praised the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. As he ran for Senate in 2022, a headline on the issues section of his campaign website read simply: “Ban Abortion.”

Mr. Vance has said that he would support a 15-week national ban proposed by Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. He has also said the matter is “primarily a state issue,” suggesting states should be free to make more restrictive laws. “Ohio is going to want to have a different abortion policy from California, from New York, and I think that’s reasonable, he said in an interview with USA Today Network in October 2022.

Mr. Vance has been one of the leading opponents of U.S. support for Ukraine in the war with Russia. “I think it’s ridiculous that we’re focused on this border in Ukraine,” he said in a podcast interview with Stephen K. Bannon, the former Trump adviser and longtime ally. “I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.”

He led the battle in the Senate, unsuccessfully, to block a $60 billion military aid package for Ukraine. “I voted against this package in the Senate and remain opposed to virtually any proposal for the United States to continue funding this war,” he wrote in an opinion essay for The New York Times early this year challenging President Biden’s stance on the war. “Mr. Biden has failed to articulate even basic facts about what Ukraine needs and how this aid will change the reality on the ground.”

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Kamala Harris' 2020 campaign was a mess. If she replaces Biden, this time could be a lot different.

WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris had one great day in her ill-fated 2020 presidential campaign: her first.

Then came a rapid collapse.

The freshman senator who announced her candidacy in January 2019 before 20,000 cheering supporters in Oakland, California, dropped out in December before a single vote had been cast.

By the time she quit, Harris lacked money, a message and a cohesive campaign operation — all ingredients of a successful candidacy.

It was a hard fall for someone whose youth and biracial identity evoked the appeal of the last Democratic president, Barack Obama.

“I have mixed emotions about it,” her rival and the eventual winner, Joe Biden, said upon hearing she had withdrawn from the Democratic nomination contest. He called her a “first-rate intellect.”

Now, Harris is set to get another shot. As the sitting vice president, she is a leading candidate to succeed Biden after his exit from the race, receiving his immediate endorsement. Other elected officials might step forward to challenge Harris, dividing Democrats and clouding the general election picture ahead of a November showdown with Donald Trump.

“I know there are people working behind the scenes who think she may not be the best one suited to take us to victory,” said Maria Cardona, a member of the Democratic National Committee’s rules panel, speaking before Biden's withdrawal. “If that is seen as a full-on, inorganic tactic that is being led by senior people within the Democratic Party, there will be a civil war inside the Democratic Party the likes of which we will not survive.”

With only a few months to wage a campaign against Trump, Harris couldn’t afford to repeat the mistakes that tanked her last presidential bid. There would be little time to recover. Hers would need to be a virtually error-free sprint to Election Day.

When Harris gave that announcement speech before a hometown crowd five years ago, her prospects seemed dazzling. A Monmouth University poll released the week after she entered the race showed her running third in a crowded Democratic field that eventually numbered more than two dozen. With 11% support, she trailed only Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, both of whom had run presidential races before.

Harris had earned her bona fides as a former prosecutor and had distinguished herself in Senate committees as a feared interrogator who could pick apart a witness’s testimony.

A pro-Harris super PAC prepared an ad that showed her grilling Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and two Trump-era attorneys general, William Barr and Jeff Sessions.

It never aired. On the day the $1 million ad buy was supposed to begin running, Harris dropped out.

Making the leap from state to national politics proved daunting for her. Rivals like Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren had spent much of their adult lives steeped in policy.

Harris hadn’t mastered policy questions that dominated the Democratic debates. She had originally backed Sanders’ “Medicare for all” plan, but later released her own version that carved out a continued role for private insurers.

She quickly faced incoming fire from the left and center of the ideological spectrum.

Sanders’ aides denounced her proposal as a “terrible policy.” Biden’s campaign joined the attack, warning that she would undercut Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act.

“She was trying to figure out where she landed in the primary field on a bunch of issues,” one of her former California campaign advisers said. As a state official, Harris “hadn’t had to deal with that level of nuance.”

Another policy stumble marred what seemed to be her breakthrough moment. In a debate in June, she attacked Biden for opposing school busing in the 1970s.

Harris mentioned a “little girl” in California who had been bused to school every day. “That little girl was me,” she said. Within hours of the exchange, her campaign triumphantly started selling “That little girl was me” T-shirts for $29.99 apiece.

But after the debate, she struggled to offer a consistent answer to whether she believed federally mandated busing should be used to integrate schools.

A Biden campaign aide seized on the equivocation, tweeting that she was “tying herself in knots trying not to answer the very question she posed” to Biden.

This time, instead of facing off against fellow Democrats, Harris would be able to elevate one to serve as her running mate. She would have a plethora of promising choices to balance the ticket, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, all of whom won in places where Trump performed well.

Admirers say that Harris has grown in the job. Early in her campaign, she traveled to South Carolina and spoke to a group of Democratic women.

“The woman that I met in early 2019 was not as confident and was significantly more tentative in the way she presented herself to potential voters,” Amanda Loveday, a senior adviser to a pro-Biden super PAC called Unite the Country, said before Biden withdrew.

While affirming she wanted Biden to remain at the top of the ticket, Loveday said of the vice president: “The woman I met back then is very different from the woman I see on TV today. She’s grown as a leader and she has developed more confidence.”

Both Harris’ government office and the Biden-Harris campaign declined to comment for this article before Biden's withdrawal.

A campaign is akin to an expensive startup business on a national scale. It needs an inspirational candidate, but it also relies on a unified staff. Harris didn’t have one. People close to the campaign say that lines of authority were blurred between Harris’ sister and campaign chairwoman, Maya Harris, and other advisers who’d worked on her state races but weren’t blood relatives.

In November 2019, a campaign staff member wrote a letter, obtained by The New York Times , that depicted a campaign in crisis.

“Campaigns have highs and lows, mistakes and miscalculations,” wrote Kelly Mehlenbacher. “But because we have refused to confront our mistakes, foster an environment of critical thinking and honest feedback, or trust the expertise of talented staff, we find ourselves making the same unforced errors over and over.”

By that point, Harris was running fifth, her poll numbers down to 6%. Money was dwindling, accelerating the downward spiral. That fall, Harris’ campaign laid off staff and moved others from her national headquarters in Baltimore to Iowa to save money.

Any hope of reviving her candidacy with a strong showing in the Iowa caucuses in January was short-lived. On Dec. 3, Harris dropped out. She emailed staff that she “simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue.”

A Harris sequel would look nothing like the original, former advisers said. She’d be buoyed by a Democratic Party that would coalesce behind her, desperate to defeat Trump. Donors who’ve bailed on Biden might take a fresh look at the race with a younger candidate atop the ticket.

She would also likely inherit the parts of Biden’s campaign that are working — like the massive field and data operation s that are designed to drive voter turnout. While Biden’s most senior aides would likely be gone, many rank-and-file campaign staff with long resumes may choose to remain.

Harris’ background as a prosecutor could prove advantageous in a future debate. Rather than sparring with fellow Democrats over health care and education policy, she would be boring in on Trump’s criminal conviction in Manhattan.

“Literally everything” would be different, starting with her pitch to voters, a longtime Harris adviser told NBC News. “It is a three-month sprint and not a two-year slog.”

Peter Nicholas is a senior White House reporter for NBC News.

Katherine Doyle is a White House reporter for NBC News.

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World Trends And Issues In Adult Education On The Eve Of The Twenty-First Century

• Published: September 1998
• Volume 44 , pages 485–506, ( 1998 )

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The forces of globalization today seem to have overwhelmed the historical political-cultural mission of adult education. Both in the North and the South, adult education is asked to contribute directly to productivity and thereby to competitiveness in the global market. The social component that survives is expected to help in coping with globalization. Voices of conscience and sanity have been raised at world summits in Rio (1992), Cairo (1994), Copenhagen (1995), Beijing (1995), and elsewhere. However, policies, plans and practices have not matched the declarations and agendas from the summits. The programs spawned by the Education for All conference of 1990 side-lined adult education, and so did the Report to UNESCO of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-First Century (1996). The Fifth International Conference on Adult Education held in Hamburg during July 14–18, 1997 was marked by renewed commitment and solidarity. However, challenges of problematizing globalization, democratizing development, and socializing humanity for life together in the new century remain.

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AI and Copyright: 3 Key Issues

There are three critical copyright issues that arise with the use of generative AI. In this video, we touch on the legal and ethical complexities around data ingestion for AI training, the potential for AI-generated outputs to infringe on existing works, and the challenge of securing copyright protection for AI-created content.

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Jonathan Band Copyright Attorney Counsel to the Library Copyright Alliance

Cliff Lynch Executive Director The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)

Gerry Bayne: Imagine a college or university using generative AI to create personalized learning materials for students or streamlining administrative tasks or conducting research. While the potential benefits are immense, these advancements bring significant copyright concerns that impact higher education. Here are three issues to consider with artificial intelligence and copyright.

Jonathan Band: The ingestion of data for purposes of training in LLM is controversial because huge amounts of data, copyrighted data are being ingested, and the people who own those copyrights, some of their attitude is as well, wait a minute, why is my stuff being ingested without my permission? The legal issue is, is that copying an infringement and in the United States, the relevant exception would be fair use. That is the issue in a lot of the ongoing litigation. Is the copying necessary to create these training databases? Is that a fair use or not?

Cliff Lynch: When you talk to people who make their living doing creative work, they are furious. One of the big mistakes that I think the academic legal community is making in general right now is they're doing this very sort of academic analysis about fair use, and they don't understand that there is a significant portion of the population that is absolutely furious.

Jonathan Band: The second issue has to do with, is the output similar to existing copyright works and is it therefore potentially infringing? Clearly, the user who's asking all these prompts would be liable. Kind of the more difficult question is what would be the liability of the service provider? AI companies are going to try to prevent that by filters. This is going to really be an issue with images, which I think will be the easiest one, so all the comic book characters, they have reference shorts so that you can't produce something or you shouldn't be able to produce something that looks like the historic Wonder Woman or Superman or whatever.

Cliff Lynch: You can talk about the potential for these large language models to produce infringing works, and I think there certainly is potential there, but when you really talk to copyright people, there's this kind of messy area about work in the style of, and I'm really very concerned that we're going to see a lot of activity in that, in the style of that is going to be very problematic as we go forward Here.

Jonathan Band: It is a very messy area of law. In general. If things were identical, it's easy. If they're very different, it's easy, but this whole intermediate area of trying to figure out, okay, well, is this an expression or idea? Very, very hard, and it's got to be hard here too. The third copyright issue is can you receive protection for a work that you've created using this generative ai? Imagine that you, with a bunch of prompts, you've created a very nice image, and now can you receive protection for that image? The general rule in the United States and in most countries, except for the United Kingdom, is that you need to have human creativity. All the human creativity can receive protection. How much of it is you and how much of it is the ai? The C office, at least for the time being, is taking the position that even if you ask lots of prompts, what comes out is not protectable, but then after you take that and then you kind of do something with it, then it could be protectable, but it's got to have a certain threshold which has not yet been determined.