OCTAE CONNECTION: FLASH EDITION
February 24, 2015
Data from the OECD
Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies’ Survey of Adult
Skills, which tested adult skills in literacy, numeracy, and problem
solving in technology-rich environments, found that 36 million Americans have
low literacy skills, nearly 24 million of whom are part of the workforce. In addition, nearly 46 million Americans
struggle with numeracy. These skills
issues have significant negative impacts on individuals, their families, and
their communities. In contrast, higher skills are linked to improved economic
and social outcomes, such as better employment, earnings, and health; social
mobility; and greater civic engagement.
To address the need to connect so many Americans with learning
opportunities, OCTAE has released the report Making
Skills Everyone’s Business: A Call to Transform Adult Learning in the United
States . (View the video announcement from
Acting Assistant Secretary Johan E. Uvin.)
Grounded in evidence and informed by effective and emerging
practices, Making Skills Everyone’s
Business offers seven strategies that hold great promise for improving the
conditions that create and perpetuate poor literacy, numeracy, and problem
solving. These strategies do not distinguish between public and private
obligation, nor do they compartmentalize actions at the federal, state,
regional, tribal, or local levels. Instead, they are based on the principle of
shared responsibility and acknowledge that America’s skills challenge is too
large to address by any stakeholder group independently.
Many OCTAE stakeholders contributed to the development of
this report through attending engagement events or hosting roundtables on adult
skills in their own communities. OCTAE greatly appreciates all of the input we
received and the ongoing commitment to excellent services for youth and adult
students.
Please spread the word about this new report by forwarding
the link and accompanying video to your community stakeholders. Together, we
can empower instructors, tutors, workforce development specialists, librarians,
and other practitioners serving adult learners to develop collective strategies
that provide all U.S. adults the opportunity to improve their foundation skills
and access middle-class careers.
This report is just one of OCTAE’s ongoing efforts to
promote adult learning. For continually updated news about our work, visit OCTAE
Connection, the OCTAE blog,
and the www.ed.gov/AEFLA page.
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