Adult literacy intersects with almost every socioeconomic issue—parenting, health,
workforce development, and poverty. To address these issues effectively, we must
invest in educating parents and workers. Adult education helps break the cycles of
intergenerational illiteracy and poverty by giving adults the skills they need to be
successful as workers and parents.
The value of adult low literacy to our economy in additional wages and the reduction
in costs for public support programs is estimated at more than $200 billion per year.
Increasing adults’ level of education is a sound investment. Yet, public funding of
adult education has declined over the last 15 years. Most adult education programs
have long student waiting lists. They are able to serve only a fraction of adults who
need services.
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