KLee: Assignment 3

 History of Adult and Community Education in the 1960’s 

Kailah Lee 

Ball State University 

EDAC 631 Adult and Community Education 

Dr. Bo Chang, Professor 

January 29, 2023

Your Name	Commented On
Kailah Lee

Original blog post: https://myblog012923.blogspot.com/2023/01/history-of-adult-and-community.html

History of Adult and Community Education in the 1960’s

Introduction

A recession kicked off the 1960s, with the unemployment rate at 7%. In his campaign, John F. Kennedy pledged “to get America moving again”; he projected 4%-6% economic growth, and lowering the unemployment rate below 4%. The recession preceded the third longest economic growth in the U.S. history, from October 1960-February 1961. Factories moved their productions to automation, leaving unskilled workers who lacked basic education with the inability to apply for others jobs.  The Federal Reserve started tightening monetary policy in 1959 and eased off in the 1960. By the end of the decade, median family income had increased from $8, 540 to $10, 770. 

Once in office, President Kennedy and Lydon Johnson urged Congress to increase federal funding for education, which led to creating new programs. Their efforts received opposition primarily from Republicans, Southern Democrats, and community leaders concerned about using government funds because federal bills normally added clauses involving school desegregation. An increase of legislative responses focused on educational and training programs for adults that were unemployed, undereducated, and unskilled were introduced. 

The civil rights movement was a struggle for social justice that primarily occurred during the 1950s &1960s for Black Americans to attain basic rights and privileges under the law in the United States. Although the Civil War abolished slavery, it did not prevent 

discrimination from happening especially in the Southern states. By the mid-twentieth

century, Black Americans were tired of the violence and experiencing prejudice, with the support of many White Americans organized an unprecedented fight for equality. 

Highlights

Since World War I (1914-1918), the military played a leadership role in developing content, programs, techniques and instructional methods for adults with minimal education.  During World War II (1939-1945), 300,000 illiterate men were enlisted into the US Army and given a 90-day education overview to bring their reading skills to a fourth-grade level. Project 100,000 also known as McNamara Folly was initiated in 1969. The curriculum, methods, and diagnostic techniques of the project was adopted by civilian educational programs throughout the United States. 

A series of Congressional Acts in the 1960s issued millions of dollars in aiding for education. This attention highlighted the need for additional adult education programs and led to The Area Redevelopment of (1961), The Manpower and Development Act of 1962, Vocational Education Act of 1963, Economic Opportunity Act (1964), Civil Rights Act (1964), and the Adult Education Act of 1966.  The objective of each Legislative Acts was to advance the social, educational, and finances for individuals who were affected by following a plan to invest in the private sector to stimulate new job creation.

        The Area Redevelopment Act of 1961 funded $394 million package, followed a plan of investing in the private sector to stimulate new job creation.  Specifically, it targeted businesses in rural and urban areas, and authorized $4.5 million annually over four years to promote vocational training programs.

The Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962 was a three-year program focused on retaining workers displaced by technology, but failed to improve the conditions. In 1962 the Committee on Education and Labor within the House of Representatives conducted hearings regarding the categorical federal support for basic adult education. By 1964, employment was improving, however, disproportionately levels of unemployment and undereducated rates among African Americans and Hispanic Americas adults remained high. 

In 1963 President Kennedy asked Congress for a comprehensive civil rights bill, prompted by massive resistance to desegregation. After his assassination, President Lyndon B. Johnson continued gathering the support needed to get the bill passed. In 1964 passed Public Law 88-352, the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national creed. However, adults with little education still had a hard time finding employment. The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was passed focusing on adult basics education (ABE) legislation became the standard for the Federal Government’s initiative in addressing adult illiteracy. In 1966, Congress passed legislation removing adult education from the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) and giving authority to for programs to the Office of Education (OE). Currently, the adult education program U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED OVAE) and Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL). 

Influential Factors

There are several prominent factors that impacted adult education in the 1960’’s including adult educators, programs /organizations, and social events. Paulo Freire was a Brazilian educator and philosopher.  In his observation, Freire shared that education is used by those in power to oppress, by keeping people in specific social and economic statues. He also blamed it for dehumanizing people by not treating them as free. After being deported from Brazil, Freire relocated to the United States for his liberal beliefs and teaching the poor to read and write in 1964. His teachings inspired

economic recession and civil rights events. 

Malcolm S. Knowles was an American educator that introduced the term andragogy which means adult education. According to Knowles andragogy is “the art and science of adult learning, thus andragogy refers to any form of adult learning” (Kearsley, 2010). He is credited for his influence in the development of the Humanist Learning Theory and the use of learner constructed plans for guiding experiences. Knowles suggested, adults learn differently than children. His andragogy theory allows adults to use their experiences to create new learning and build upon knowledge already obtained. “Knowles believes that preparation for learning is related to the relevance of learning to adult life, and that they bring an ever-expanding experience that can serve as a learning resource”(Pappas 2013).

Organizations and agencies that provided support to further adult education in the 1960’s were The Adult Education Association of the United States and National Advisory Council on Adult Education. The Adult Education Association of the United States focuses their efforts on continuing education and training during adulthood, offer professional and non-professional adult educators the opportunity to continue the educational growth, promote equitable development of educational services for adults, and collaborate with international adult education agencies (Adult Educational Association, 1994). The National Advisory Council on Adult Education (NACAE) reports annually on federal involvement in adult education and general statistics since 1965. Its primary focus is to provide factual information to the executive branch and Congress as well as being a reference the adult education community. The impact of programs and organizations can be measured the continuous enrollment in adult education programs over the years. 

There were multiple leaders who worked tirelessly to shed light on social change.  In his “I have a Dream Speech” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, spoke poverty, desegregation, and racial injustice. Presidents John Kennedy lobbied for more education for unemployed adults, civil rights.  President Lyndon B. Johnson pushed for establishing diversified programs that combated poverty in local communities, and job training and education.  

Implications

The growth and acknowledgement of Adult Education in the 1960’s is the result of the federal government’s response the nation’s economic recession and civil right crisis. The federal government has the power to make changes at the local and state level by offering financial funding. 

There are many significant lessons learned from the 1960’s that affected adult education.  In order to create and sustain a better community of everyone accessible, qualitative, nonbiased education must be available to all adults. The federal responded to the needs of the country by establishing legislative reform. The Smith-Lever Act (1914) which matched federal, state, and local funds to help adults who did not have adequate education understand successful practices of farming, marketing, and family and living development. The programs are listed of federal funded basic skills programs.  The extension program of this act centered its attention on providing educational services to rural and urban areas. In 1964, the Library Service Act (1956) released funds to begin delivery services of library services to economically and socially disadvantaged, disable, homebound adults.  

The federal government’s response to the Civil Rights Movement and recession was the creation of the Economics Opportunity Act of 1964, sought to rectify inequities of education disadvantages of individuals 18 years old or older the opportunities to develop reading, language, and writing skills to obtain or maintain employment. Two years later in 1966, the program was moved to the U.S. Office of Education. Within the following years, services of the Education Amendments for adult basic and secondary-level programs were established in all of the 50 states. “Never before have the social and individual needs of and forces in the U.S. be called so strongly for a well-conceived and far-reaching program of continuing education. In response to the needs, adult education activities are growing rapidly and they are moving beyond the older vocational and agriculture emphasis….If we are to build  upon these resources, to meet the urgent needs fir adult education, to make possible the ‘Great Society and capitalize on the present favorable climate, there is however, a compelling need more and better leadership in the field”. -Thurgood Marshall

Table 1. Summary of the History of Adult & Community Education 

Area	Summary
Background	Civil Rights Movement (social, political, education, economic discrimination)  Economic Recession (Poverty, unemployment, unskilled)
Highlights	The Redevelopment Act (1961) Manpower and Training Act of (1962) Vocational Education Act of 1963 Civil Rights Act (1964) Economic Opportunity Act (1964) Adult Education Act (1966)
Influential Factors	Leadership: President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B.  Johnson, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Educators: M.S. Knowles
Implications	Knowledge obtained- strong funding provided by the federal government, social justice, and unbiased education for

Resources

Adult Education Association. (1994). Adult education association (AEA-USA)/American association for adults and continuing education (AAACE) records.

Retrieved from: Adult Education Association (AEA-USA)/American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) Records An inventory of its records at Syracuse University

An American Heritage. (2013). A Federal Adult Education: A legislative History 1964-2013. 

Retrieved from: Federal Adult Education—A Legislative History

Pappas, Christopher, (2013) eLearning Industry.com, The Adult Learning Theory, Andragogy of Malcolm Knowles

Retrieved from: The Adult Learning Theory - Andragogy - of Malcolm Knowles - eLearning Industry

History.Com (2023). The Civil Rights Movement 

Retrieved from: Civil Rights Movement: Timeline, Key Events & Leaders - HISTORY

U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration & Management. (2023) The Legal: The Civil Rights Act of 1964

Retrieved from: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/civil-rights-center/statutes/civil-rights-act-of-1964#:~:text=In%201964%2C%20Congress%20passed%20Public,hiring%2C%20promoting%2C%20and%20firing. 

Wikipedia (2023) Adult Education 

Retrieved from: Adult education - Wikipedia

ThoughtCo.com Adult Education Associations and Organization (March 2018) 

Retrieved from: Adult Education Associations and Organizations (thoughtco.com)

CAnderson, Assignment 5: Perspectives of Adult Education

Cheryl Anderson
Perspective of Adult Education
Interview Analysis
March 1, 2023
Dr. Bo Chang

Group Members	Roles	Commented on
Cheryl Anderson	Group leader	Group 3
	Project coordinator

Introduction: The Interviews

Adult education is a term that truly has a life of its own. Personally, I believe adult education to be the continued development of a human being throughout their adult life. All our experiences, trials, the people we meet…all shape who we are and who we become in the future. Every day is a new day to learn something. I wholeheartedly believe that the day you stop learning is the day you die. Adult Learning can literally be anything that causes growth and change.                                             

                                                  

After reviewing each interview several times, I have decided to comment on interview one. I think it is very interesting to see the different perspectives people have of adult education. Dr. Sharan Merriam remarks that the perspective of adult education depends on the lens you see it through. For example, she stated, “If you’re in business and industry, you’ll see it as HRD (Human Resource Development) or OD, Organizational Development, and if you’re in education you’ll see it as education developing the person in the skills they need for today’s world” (Merriam, 2019). Trying to give a precise definition of adult education would be like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. Each person has a different view, depending on what it means to them personally. 

Discussion

Taking on many dimensions, adult education encompasses Adult Basic Education, Vocational Education, Continuing education, Labor education, Migrant adult education, Parent education, Public School adult education, and even Veteran education, to name a few. With that said, I would like to discuss what I learned from the interview and the “lenses” adult education is seen through, using real people I personally interviewed. To gain insight as to what many adults think “adult education” is, I interviewed several in various occupations and levels of income. Most were educators, one was a NICU Nurse, and three others were support staff at my school. 

Choosing a variety of people of varying ages and experience helped me more clearly understand how the lens we look through is developed through the experiences we live. Mickey Anderson, Cafeteria Manager, age 59, has a wealth of experience. He has already retired from law enforcement, earned a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Management, and retired from the Army. In the Army, he taught adults in the culinary arts, teaching them skills to deliver a balanced, flavorful meal to the troops in his unit. He and his team were invited to many forts to cook for change of command ceremonies, been to Korea to run a kitchen, and spent a year in Poland supervising and preparing meals for several DFACS (Dining facilities). Currently, he manages the Midwest School cafeteria with his assistant, Krisi Paris. He oversees operations including ordering, inventory, meal planning, food preparation, and service. Being a cafeteria manager ensures operations are following all food, safety, and sanitation regulations. 

Mr. Anderson’s assistant, Krisi Paris, age 50, also has experience working with adults, training them at a cafe, run by a local entrepreneur. Her responsibilities included training kitchen staff in safety procedures and menu service. She has also held other jobs like this where she supervised adults and trained them in SERV safe, teaching regulations for food temperatures, cleanliness, and handling/serving of food.  

Moving on, the most experienced teacher, Mrs. Cynthia Hurley, age 61, is a specialist in Middle and High School Special Education. She has been teaching for 30 years and has taught professional development to other special education teachers. She teaches them new techniques and strategies to improve student success. She also teaches them about IEP’s and rules and regulations associated with serving special needs students. Her special education support staff, Jesse Marker, age 42, has no experience teaching adults, but 13 years’ experience supporting high school students in need of services for success.  She enters classrooms and supports students in understanding instruction and assignment guidelines. She can often break down lessons into smaller chunks to aid understanding. Mrs. Marker holds a high school diploma and some emergency medical training, serving as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician on the Salt Creek Emergency Services. Marcia Jones, age 46, also serves on the Salt Creek Emergency Services Ambulance with Jesse. Marcia is an Educational Support Person, supporting students in behavior expectations and restorative justice. 

Next, I would like to introduce some other educators I work with. Keri Malson, age 44, has taught adults through Sheridan College in Buffalo, WY, and students in grades 5-8 in Language Arts for 8 years. Keri holds several degrees including a Master of Education in Literacy, 6-12 Math Bachelor’s degree, and a Master’s of Middle School Language Arts. Mathew Korkow, age 37, is My school’s current administrator. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Education; 6-12 Social Studies and a Master’s in School Administration. He has been an administrator for 6 years, after having taught Social Studies for 3 years prior. My final educator is Tyler Brownlow, age 25. Tyler holds a bachelor’s degree of Secondary Education; 6-12 Social Studies. He has taught for 2 years now. Though not a direct educator, our school counselor, Bethany Stripling, age 42, holds a master’s degree in School Counseling. She teaches social skills classes in each grade level at our school and sets up many opportunities for students to explore varying careers by inviting professionals from the community and supporting students in job shadowing in their desired careers. 

As I round out my list of interviewees, Rachelle Clarkson, age 34, is a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) nurse, working at Denver Children’s Hospital for 4 years now. She holds a Bachelor of Nursing and specialized certification for working with premature and critically ill infants. Finally, Wanda Hatley, age 61, is my school’s Campus Supervisor. Wanda has had experience as a probation officer and tutor for adult prisoners trying to earn GEDs. She retired from Law Enforcement and works as a Campus Supervisor in retirement.  

“Perspectives of adult education”

So, what is adult education? Dr. Sharan Merriam states it depends on the lens you are looking through. Something I found intriguing was the higher the education level, the more diverse the meaning of adult education. Further, younger adults that I asked all had similar responses about Adult Education being night school, preparation for a GED, hobby classes, and attending college. My own administrator told me that Adult Education is “going to college to better ourselves for more career opportunities” (M. Korkow, personal communication, Feb. 16, 2023).  B. Stripling echoed the same thought. One of the Educational Support Personnel, J. Marker believed adult education to be “professional development, education for older people, such as Medicare and Medicaid information, learning what their next steps should be after retirement, certificates, but not really college” (J. Marker, personal communication, Feb 17, 2023). 

Continuing my quest for knowledge, I move to my cafeteria staff, and his assistant. Mr. Anderson sees adult education in a much broader context. He stated, “I believe it is going back to school and learning a new skill, not necessarily college, but maybe a canning class geared more towards older adults looking for new skills and hobbies” (M. Anderson, personal communication, Feb. 16, 2023). His assistant, Ms. Paris feels adult education is “learning new skills, updates on current skills like computer technology, stuff we need because we’re not getting it, life skills, and medical coding” (K. Paris, personal communication, Feb. 16, 2023), also having a broader context for her definition. 

Coming to educators whom I interviewed, Mrs. Hurley’s vision of Adult Education is lifelong learning that is necessary and enjoyable. She further elaborated that “Adult Education can help change your focus, keep you younger and help your brain to maintain its plasticity” (C. Hurley, personal communication, Feb. 16, 2023). In contrast, a young Middle School History teacher, age 25, described Adult Education as night classes for people who dropped out of high school or did not finish basic skills and are looking for an opportunity to earn more money through skills education. This would include those who choose to earn a GED and possibly anyone seeking a new hobby.  

While Tyler embraced the idea of adult education including hobby classes, K. Malson held the perspective that it could basically be anything. Her specific examples included, “workshops, professional development, certification programs in various skill sets, licenses for lots of stuff, not necessarily going to college” (K. Malson, personal communication, Feb. 17, 2023). Keeping with K. Malson’s definition, M. Jones not only felt the same, but further included adult education being a second chance. Many of those I interviewed saw adult education as a second chance to gain skills and continue learning. W. Hatley, Campus Supervisor, believes adult education to be a second chance to get a better education, GED, diploma, degree or perhaps learn some technical skills. My final interviewee, R. Clarkson, age 34, sees adult education as a “chance to better myself and keep learning new things. Taking classes to keep my certifications current or move to the next level of nursing, becoming a charge nurse and possibly teaching others” (R. Clarkson, personal communication, Feb. 19, 2023). 

Conclusion

While I interviewed many more not mentioned here, they all seemed to echo the same ideas. The older, more educated people saw adult education as an opportunity for lifelong learning and my younger interviewees saw it more as night school and GED preparation, or even trade school, and hobbies. The irony of it all is that they are all correct. As far as the lens each person sees adult education through, I believe experiences, parenting, and background lend to each person. The lens we all look through shapes our ideas of what adult education is and should be. 

Implications

As an educator myself, I believe I have the responsibility to my students to open their eyes to the plethora of opportunities that lay ahead of them. I teach in a Pre-K through Twelfth grade school. It is a small community where 72% of the kids live in poverty. Many of their parents have not graduated high school and several more collect welfares and do not require their children to attend school regularly. There is a lack of support for the school and our scores on state tests are not something to brag about. With that said, I personally teach sixth through twelfth grade Math and Sciences. I have amazing relationships with my students and do have a great influence on them. Implications for me include using this influence to open their lenses to opportunity.                                                                                      

Because we live in a small community, many of my students do not see past this small town and do not have the confidence to venture beyond it. My hope is to not only open their eyes but give them the confidence to rise to the challenge.  Students grow confidence, not because of praise, but because of accomplishing tasks and goals successfully. In addition, they see me as confident and competent, and I am always “real” with them. I do not pretend to know everything, I own my imperfections and if I make a mistake, I apologize or make it right for the child. Modeling these skills helps them see they are safe and can try new things without harsh criticism. Teachers have a very significant, lifelong impact on all their students. This impact involves not only the teaching of academic skills, but as importantly, the fostering of student self-esteem. Reinforcing self-esteem in the classroom is associated with increased motivation and learning. This in turn offers the opening to giving them a “lens” to view opportunity through. 

Being such an influence on my students, I will also share the lens I see education through. I want my students to know that college is not the only way to go. There are so many other opportunities for them to explore. The more I share my views of what education is, the more exposure my students will get to outside opportunities. In addition, I would like to offer parent nights at my school for their parents. If they see education can be so many things, and not just for kids graduating high school, perhaps they will pursue an interest from their past or find a new interest that can elevate their life situation. So, one last time, what is adult education? It completely depends on what lens you see it through. 

References

Edwards, R. G. (2013). From adult education to lifelong learning and back again. Philosophical Perspectives on Lifelong Learning, 305–310. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6193-6_4 

Foley, G. (1999). Learning in social action: A contribution to understanding informaleducation. Global Perspectives on Adult Education and training, 163. St. Martin's Press, Inc., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. 

Jacobs, R. L. (2006). Perspectives on Adult Education, Human Resource Development, and the emergence of Workforce Development. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 20(1), 21–31. https://doi.org/10.1002/nha3.10240 

Kapoor, D., & Abdi, A. A. (2009). The Meaning of Adult Education. In Global Perspectives on Adult Education: African, Asian and Latin American perspectives (pp. 3–8). essay, Palgrave Macmillan. 

Merriam, S. (1977). Philosophical Perspectives on Adult Education: A critical review of the literature. Adult Education, 27(4), 195–208. https://doi.org/10.1177/074171367702700401 

Owusu-Agyeman, Y. (2019). An analysis of theoretical perspectives that define adult learners for effective and inclusive adult education policies. International Review of Education, 65(6), 929–953. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-019-09811-3 

Anderson, M. (2023, Feb. 16). Personal communication [interview]

Brownlow, T. (2023, Feb. 16). Personal communication [interview]

Clarkson, R. (2023, Feb. 19). Personal communication [interview]

Hatley, W. (2023, Feb. 16). Personal communication [interview]

Hurley, C. (2023, Feb. 16). Personal communication [interview]

Jones, M. (2023, Feb. 16). Personal communication [interview]

Korkow, M. (2023, Feb. 16). Personal communication [interview]

Malson, K. (2023, Feb. 17). Personal communication [interview]

Marker, J. (2023, Feb. 17). Personal communication [interview]

Paris, K. (2023, Feb. 16). Personal communication [interview]

Stripling, B. (2023, Feb. 16). Personal communication [interview]

Summary Table:

Introduction:  I introduced the ideas of adult education, including my own, based on what we have learned in this course and using interview 1.

Discussion: I discussed how each person has his/her own perspective of what adult education means, such as, night school, college, GED, continued personal development, after interviewing several different people at differing age levels.

Implications: I explained that it is my job, as a teacher, to open eyes to just what adult education opportunities are available and model the life-long learning myself.