Literacy and Adult Education

More than 40 million adults have basic skills needs or limited proficiency in English that interfere with their ability to participate fully in work, family and community activities. Current funding reaches only 2.8 million of these adults each year and thousands more are on waiting lists.

More than 77 percent of community-based literacy programs currently report waiting lists. Adult education and literacy programs play a key role in the success of other federal programs, including job training and welfare reform. They also help parents support their children's education and ensure that businesses are able to meet their workforce needs.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and a key architect of the education pieces of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, issued the following statement today on the law’s one-year anniversary:
One year ago today, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was enacted with the goal of keeping our recession from turning into a deeper Depression, and saving and creating jobs. A year later, it’s clear that the Recovery Act pulled our economy back from the brink of financial collapse, protected teachers, policemen, firefighters, and other vital workers from losing their jobs, and made strategic investments in education reforms and worker training that will help lay the groundwork for a long-term economic recovery. Newspapers from coast to coast have documented how the Recovery Act has helped students, workers and families:

Improving the Literacy Skills of Children and Young Adults

Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education Subcommittee Hearing 10:00 AM, November 19, 2009 2175 Rayburn H.O.B
Washington, DC
On Thursday, November 19,  the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, chaired by U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI), will hold a hearing to review current federal literacy initiatives and explore ways to improve the reading comprehension skills of all children from birth through high school. Recent data show 69 percent of eighth graders and 65 percent of twelfth graders cannot read at or above grade level.

This Week: Hearing on H1N1 and Sick Leave Policies, and Hearing on Literacy Skills

The Committee has a full schedule this week, including:

November 17: Hearing on how employer paid sick leave policies can help slow the spread of contagious diseases, like the H1N1 flu virus.

November 19:
Hearing to review current federal literacy initiatives and explore ways to improve the reading comprehension skills of all children from birth through high school.

Note: The previously-scheduled Committee vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act has been postponed.

Subcommittee to Examine Adult Literacy

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 5, the House Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness will hold a hearing to examine best practices for improving adult education and family literacy. This is the fourth hearing the committee is holding as it works toward reauthorizing the Workforce Investment Act, which provides job training, education programs, vocational rehabilitation and other services to Americans.

WHAT:         
Hearing on “"New Innovations and Best Practices under the Workforce Investment Act"
 
WHO:            
David Beré, president and chief strategy officer, Dollar General Corporation, Goodlettsville, TN
Kathy Cooper , policy associate, Office of Adult Basic Education, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Olympia, WA
Martin Finsterbusch, executive director, VALUE, Inc.  (Voice of Adult Learners United to Educate), Media, PA
Donna Kinerney, Ph.D., instructional dean, Adult ESOL & Literacy Programs, Montgomery College, Wheaton, MD
Roberta Lanterman, program director, Long Beach Family Literacy, Long Beach, CA
Stephen Reder, Ph.D., university professor and chair, Department of Applied Linguistics, Portland State University, Portland, OR
Gretchen Wilson, Grammy winning recording artist and GED graduate, Nashville, TN

WHEN:         
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
10:00 a.m. ET
Please check the Committee schedule for potential updates »

WHERE:      
House Education and Labor Committee Hearing Room
2175 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C.
 
2181 Rayburn House Office Building | Washington, DC 20515 | 202-225-3725
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