NJALL Policy Paper

Post Secondary Transition: Completing Adult Literacy Is Only Halfway There

As fifteen years of economic research has shown, the earnings of GED recipients are about half way between what high school dropouts and high school graduates earn. Adults who do not speak English well earn about half as much as native English speakers. Are we educating our learners merely to take their places among the working poor? Not necessarily. With completion of one year of community college and an earned certificate, the economic future of adult literacy completers improves dramatically.

This NJALL policy paper argues for two recommendations:

• Establish a high-level task force between the SETC, the Commission on Higher Education and other stakeholders to study the transitions issue and recommend a state policy response.
• Accept one year of post secondary education and a certificate as the new standard for completion of adult literacy education and insure that resources are adequate to meet this standard.

Click here to download the policy paper today and be sure to forward the link to your colleagues.