I argue that local adult literacy programming involves consciousness and praxis that obscures and renders invisible the social relations of race and ethnicity, and a key mechanism that enacts these processes in Canada are the Essential Skills Framework. Race and ethnicity, as social relations, have both a muted and active presence in the…

In Pakistan, adult literacy programs are offered to enable learners to function effectively to attain individual, family, and social sustainability, but these programs are continuously reporting low participation. This study aimed to explore the reasons behind low participation, employing a descriptive phenomenological design to examine the…

The importance of professional development to the success of adult education cannot be emphasized enough. In a field with many part-time educators, and where recruitment and retention of adult educators is an ongoing challenge, professional development plays a critical role in attracting, retaining, and developing teachers, administrators, and…

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a multicycle international survey of adult skills and competencies sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The survey examines a range of basic skills in the information age and assesses these adult skills consistently across…

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a multicycle survey of adult skills and competencies sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The survey examines a range of basic skills in the information age and assesses these adult skills consistently across participating…

The Foundation Skills Framework (FSF) is a work-based model developed in 1999 in response to a need for common language and understanding of the skills needed by Pennsylvania's workforce. Through funding provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE), the original project was designed to…

For more than 70 years, the federal government has supported efforts to improve adult literacy and other basic skills. Many adults need help with basic skills like reading, writing, mathematics, and English proficiency to succeed in the American workforce. Congress has long provided resources to help individuals address these educational…

These appendices supplement the full report "Linking Adult Education to Workforce Development in 2018-19: Early Implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act at the Local Level. Evaluation Report. NCEE 2023-001r" (ED626771). They provide additional information about the analyses conducted for the report and present…

Despite increasing demand in distance education, relatively little is known about the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics as well as basic skill levels of adult distance education participants at the national level in the US. This study analyzed the US data from the 2012/2014 and 2017 Program for International Assessment of Adult…

One of the primary goals of adult basic education programs is to help individuals develop the reading, writing, and math skills necessary to access stable employment opportunities. In the US, this need has been largely overlooked by the burgeoning educational technology sector. To understand how learning technologies might support these learners…

This reflection essay reports on a book reading inquiry circle (BRIC) on Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" by English as a second language (ESL) faculty from a college located in the Greater Seattle area. Since professional development is usually not provided for ESL faculty in basic skills programs due to lack of funding at the…

In the most recent assessment by the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), approximately 19% of adults in the United States scored at or below Level 1 in literacy (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2019a). Adults who performed at Level 1 were only able to identify one key piece of information from…

Basic skills -- including literacy, numeracy, ESOL and digital skills -- are key to support adults' life chances and the need to invest in them is increasing. Investing in higher level and technical skills is important for economic recovery and future prosperity. But a sound base of basic skills are both essential in their own right and provide…