|  | | | An Overview of Adult Basic Education | | | The Minnesota Department of Education groups all adult literacy programming under the subheading Adult Basic Education (ABE). The mission of ABE in Minnesota is to provide adults with educational opportunities to acquire and improve their literacy skills necessary to be self-sufficient and to participate effectively as productive workers, family members, and citizens.
ABE operates within a statewide consortia system. There are 53 consortia within Minnesota made up of school districts and community-based organizations (CBOs) at over 500 sites. Within ABE programming, there are over 1200 teachers and 3,600 trained volunteers serving 80,452 students in fiscal year 2005. Within this student group,
- 48% studied English as a Second Language.
- 27% studied Basic Skills.
- 19% studied for a GED or adult diploma.
- 6% focused on workforce preparation (description of each of these programs can be found below). Of these learners, 19% were unemployed, 19% were on public assistance, and 72% were incarcerated.
ABE operates under both state and federal law. The state law (which provides 83% of ABE funding) is M.S. 123D.51. No operating or administrative monies are provided to the MN Department of Education (MDE) under the state ABE law. Federal funds are provided under Title II of the Workforce Investment Act. Title II is called the “Adult Education and Family Literacy Act”. Administrative policies are established by the Adult Basic Education Office of MDE. The state MDE-ABE office employs seven staff to provide administrative oversight and technical assistance to over 500 programs and 1,200 ABE educators statewide.
Funding for adult basic education comes from a variety of sources: federal funds, state funds, as well as individual donor gifts. In the 2006 Fiscal Year, state and federal funding for ABE programs was $43,326,456.
Within this subcategory, there are a variety of primary services available.
Here is a list of the largest of these primary services:
- GED – General Educational Development diploma. This is the national high school equivalency program that includes a set of five tests: Math, Reading, Writing, Social Studies, and Science.
- Adult Diploma- This is a program available for eligible adults leading to a high school diploma from a sponsoring Minnesota school district.
- ESL – English as a Second Language. This program is for learners whose native language is not English.
- Basic Skills Enhancement – This program is for learners who need goal-specific elementary or secondary level basic skills such as work-related math, functional literacy (for example, banking skills), reading or writing assistance. Generally, this program is considered as “brush up” for an adult learner’s skills and not a program leading to a diploma or GED.
- Family Literacy – This unique program service adults and their children as a family unit. It features instruction for adults in literacy, instruction in parenting, and educational/developmental services for children.
- Workforce Preparation – This program provides literacy skills related to learners’ need to obtain, retain, or improve their employment. “Workforce Education” provides basic academic and literacy skills to learners who are already employed by a specific business, industry, or company and is typically provided at the learners’ place of employment. “Employment Readiness” programs include general employability skills (for example, resume development, interview skills, career awareness, job seeking skills, etc.) and instruction in soft skills that are essential in the workplace.
- Citizenship/Civics Education – This program prepares Minnesota non-citizens for U.S. citizenship. It includes application preparation and English language instruction. Civics education includes content related to general civics knowledge and participation in democratic society.
Learners also come into ABE programming with a variety of goals. ABE practitioners work with learners to help them identify their goals and work towards accomplishing them. Here is a list of the kinds of goals that adult learners are making:
- Attain employment or better their current employment
- Achieve high school equivalency (GED or Adult Diploma)
- Attain skills necessary to enter post-secondary education and training
- Exit public welfare and become self-sufficient
- Learn to speak and write the English language
- Master basic academic skills to help their children succeed in school
- Become U.S. citizens and participate in the democratic process
- Gain self-esteem, personal confidence and a sense of personal and civic responsibility.
For more information:
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MN LINCS - Minnesota center for adult basic education
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