Adult Education

Learn more about programs that serve adults who do not yet have a high school degree
Illustration of a large brick wall with graduation cap and books on top of the wall and two silhouetted males sitting and standing at the base of wall and looking up.
Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
Student Achievement What the Research Says Socioeconomic Status Matters in Student Achievement—But It’s Not Everything
Data suggests that a significant portion of the achievement gap could be tied to socioeconomic status.
Brooke Schultz, August 23, 2024
5 min read
Families & the Community Video Millions of Adults Lack Basic Reading Skills Needed for Good Jobs
In the U.S., 36 million adults lack the basic literacy skills needed to sustain employment -- yet education programs for this group serve only about 1.5 million, and funding continues to be cut at state and federal levels. Meanwhile, stigma can keep adults from reconnecting with the classroom. Kavitha Cardoza reports from Maine, whose governor has pledged to increase funding for adult education.
June 12, 2019
8:05
Education Opinion Getting Smart Podcast | How Personalized Learning is Transforming Adult Education
In this episode, listen in to a conversation on adult education with Tom Arnett, Senior Research Fellow at the Christensen Institute. Tom shares trends, tech, entrepreneurship in curriculum and orgs adopting blended learning.
Tom Vander Ark, November 14, 2017
2 min read
School & District Management Opinion From Content Design to Student Experience Design in K-12: Lessons from the Adult and Lifelong Learning Sector
Principles of adult learning design-learner agency, goal-orientation, relevance, connecting prior knowledge and experiences to new learning, promoting collaboration--are identical to the principles of student-centered learning design. These approaches may be valuable to us in K-12 education as we move away from textbook-based classroom design to student-centered learning design.
Contributing Blogger, September 29, 2017
5 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion 10 Current and Emerging Trends in Adult Learning
We live in a world where the unexpected is the norm, and the only thing we can really be sure of in the future is that change will occur rapidly. What does this mean for adult learning? Here are 10 current and emerging trends.
Tom Vander Ark, September 20, 2017
8 min read
Professional Development Opinion Personalizing Adult Learning
One Boston high school developed a system of personalized adult learning when the school used four key culture shift levers.
Contributing Blogger, August 14, 2017
6 min read
Federal Report: Michigan Lawmaker to Be Tapped for Adult Education Post at Ed. Dept.
Tim Kelly, a GOP member of the state legislature, told the Detroit News he expects DeVos to tap him as assistant secretary of technical and adult education.
Alyson Klein, May 16, 2017
1 min read
Teaching Opinion Designing Meaningful Adult Learning Experiences
An experience of project-based learning--and reflecting on it--helped teachers at High Tech High understand not only the what and how of the project, but also the why.
Contributing Blogger, September 26, 2016
5 min read
School & District Management $100 Million in New Research Awards Highlight Adult Education, Social Learning
IES announced new research grants in a wide array of topics.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 18, 2016
1 min read
Families & the Community Program Uses Graphs, Data to Help ELL Families Track Student Performance
Graphs and data help parents, who are English learners with low literacy skills, understand their students' academic progress through a WestEd program.
Corey Mitchell, May 17, 2016
2 min read
Equity & Diversity Losing Bilingual Support Staff Can Affect ELL Students, Parents
Layoffs of bilingual secretaries in several Detroit schools come at a time when the U.S. Department of Education and other organizations have called for districts to redouble their efforts to connect with English-language learner parents.
Corey Mitchell, December 10, 2015
3 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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Federal Opinion What Mexico Gets Right About Adult Ed.
A national commitment to adult education could transform the U.S. economy, writes high school teacher Scott Goldstein.
Scott Goldstein, December 1, 2015
6 min read
Education Democratic Presidential Candidate Jim Webb Has Stressed Adult Education
Webb was a Democratic senator from 2007 to 2013, and worked on English-language learner and testing issues while in the U.S. Senate.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 2, 2015
1 min read
Federal New Presidential Candidate Jim Webb Has Stressed Adult Education
Webb was a Democratic senator from 2007 to 2013, and worked on English-language learner and testing issues while in the U.S. Senate.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 2, 2015
1 min read