I spend a lot of time contemplating the need that drives our work at Designers for Learning. It’s challenging to get the right mix of relevant statistics to frame the problem/need, empathy to share the human cost/importance, while avoiding condescension (e.g., labeling/deeming other humans as being “less than”). So, here’s today’s latest attempt.
I’ve probably written … ok, self-plagiarized … 100 variations of these paragraphs over the past 5 years, but here goes attempt 101. This time I’m writing it for an academic audience … heavier on framing the need with numbers than with empathy 😉
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A massive gap exists between needed and available support for adult basic skills education. A recent large-scale international study of adult competencies reveals millions of adults do not have the basic skills necessary to fully participate in society (Rampey et al., 2016). Assessment data from this international study suggest large segments of the 16-65 working-age population perform at or below the lowest proficiency levels in core competency domains that are crucial to participating in the workforce, including literacy (17%), math (27%), and problem-solving in technology-rich environments (64%). In the US alone, over 30 million adults would benefit from basic literacy education, but fewer than 1.5 million (less than 5% of those in need) are served within government-funded adult education programs (NRS/OCTAE, 2017). The rest receive ad hoc instructional support within a heterogeneous mix of informal community-based education programs, or (more likely) receive no educational support to improve their skills.
Skill attainment is essential for finding employment in living-wage jobs. In 2017, the median weekly wage for adults without a high school diploma was $520, considerably lower than those with a bachelor’s degree (126% higher), an associate’s degree (61% higher), or high school credentials (37% higher) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). Integrated education and training, now a required element for federally funded adult basic education programs, blends academic skills with technical skill development to prepare students for careers in critical business sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and technology. Unfortunately, there is lack of quality instructional resources in this area that this project aims to support. With millions struggling to improve their basic skills, there is an enormous opportunity for the instructional design community to offer our expertise to help this underserved need.
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