Flick, Nichole – EDAC631 History of Adult Education, the 1990s

 History of Adult/Community Education

 

Nichole Flick

Ball State University 

EDAC 631 Adult and Community Education

Professor Dr. Bo Chang

02/05/2022

History of Adult and Community Education in the 1990s

 

Your Name	Commented On
Nichole Flick	Victoria Dixon Herman Jones

 

Introduction

The 1990s was a significant decade for education, fostering new technological advances that would shape how people learn for years to come. As a society, we were getting used to the idea of computers in our homes, instead of only in libraries or schools. Companies like Windows and AOL made it possible to search through an indefinite number of resources at once; something google would eventually make their living on. A population often overlooked during this time, however, is adult learners. There were incredibly significant themes happening societally during this time, many of which we can still recognize today.

An interesting theme in adult education during the 1990s was the rise of non-traditional aged persons going back to school, specifically Baby Boomers. This population was already larger than any generation prior, thus causing an actual boom in the need for educational resources. “...the aging of the baby boom generation into their thirties and forties has had a profound impact on the growth of adult enrollment.” (Jacobs & Stoner-Eby, 1998). Jacobs and Stoner-Eby also reported higher cumulative education levels in the nation because of this population. Building educational resources for this population became paramount, ushering in development opportunities like never before.

One of the other more prevalent societal impacts was higher accessibility to resources during this time. Today, distance learning is preferred for many because of its convenience and availability. While the idea of distance learning had been around before the 1990s, it was gate-kept by cost, resources, living arrangements, etc. Even if you could find an institution that offered distance education, it was expensive and time-consuming. Bertram Bruce (1999) supports this idea, writing, “The advent of the Internet has now led to an exponential growth in the number of distance course offerings. Where once one could point to a few special cases such as the Open University in the United Kingdom, now virtually every institution of higher education is at least considering online course offerings.” Adults could conveniently bring education into their homes, providing an opportunity that did not exist previously.

Highlights

While the 1990s brought technological advancements, it also fostered how society today studies and treats adult learning disabilities. “In recent years, adults with learning disabilities and persons in contact with them (e.g., educators, service providers, family members, and advocates) have come to realize that manifestations of learning disabilities extend throughout an individual's life” (Brown, 1984; Chelser, 1982; Cummings & Maddux, 1985; Fafard & Haubrich, 1981; Geist & McGrath, 1983; Johnson & Blalock, 1987; Lean, 1983; Polloway, Smith, & Patton, 1984; Ross, 1987; Smith, 1988; White, 1985; as cited in Ross & Smith, 1990). The inclusion of adult learners with learning disabilities shaped future societal themes; even today, the Department of Education continues this work to help people live more meaningful lives.

Literacy was also an ongoing problem that needed to be addressed. Congress found that nearly 30,000,000 adults in the United States had some form of difficulty with literacy. Available literacy programs were not available to a large population of adult learners who needed help. When they found the programs available to them, many did not have proper funding to function appropriately. Congress also saw that with the new and advancing technology, many learners would need training or be retrained before the year 2000. (H.R.751)

More people were taking advantage of these additional resources to help adult education. They had new or retrained skills and found themselves in a position to go back to work. This led to unemployment decreasing which helped to increase product consumption and profits. Because of this, the U.S. economy had an average 4 percent hike per year between 1992 and 1999.

With more public access to the World Wide Web, distance education in adult learning increased. Eliminating obstacles at traditional institutions, distance learning was able to reach the adult learners with employment constraints, those who live in rural areas or have physical limitations. (Machtmes & Asher, 2000) It opened up new methods of learning for credentialed and non-credentialed activities.

                                                                   Influential Factors

The National Literacy Act was put in place to help create new literacy programs and was signed by President George H. W. Bush in July 1991.  He stated, “I have consistently proposed increases in funding for literacy programs, including Even Start and adult education, and continues support for federal research efforts and the National Adult Literacy Survey” (Peters, G., & Woolley, J.T., 2013). Programs were put into place to help enhance literacy skills in adult learners and helped improve performance in their jobs. (McCain, 2009)

Another piece of legislation that aided the adult learner and laborer was the Workforce Investment Act that President Bill Clinton signed in 1998. This act worked again to help the economy enhance the quality of the labor force, grow productivity, and reduce welfare dependency. It helped increase earnings and retention and assisted in improving occupational skills completion by participants.

New technological advances and the World Wide Web played a crucial role in advancing adult education. Adults of all ages were taking advantage of computers that became available, if not in their homes, at most public libraries. Adult learners were becoming more skilled in all vocations.

Implications

            Education opportunities were open to people of all ages. When you have a diverse population age group, they will learn together. There was also an increase in adult learning throughout the 1990s in all ages of adult learners in different programs. Table 1 below shows that while there is some increase in Credential programs, the most significant growth was in Community organization education. This self-directed learning may be most accessible for learners to take advantage of and be the most interesting. They can select the subject that they wish to learn about.

The 1990s brought about change that would impact learners of all ages. The changes were for the young and seasoned learner alike. They were opened in both formal education settings as well as community learning. Thankfully, the government supported these opportunities, and they passed the necessary legislation to help grow the people’s skills.

Table 1.

Adult Education Participation Rates by Age Group and Provider

Provider	30–38	39–47	48–56	57–65	66–74
Credential program
1991	18.0	20.1	11.3	5.7	2.8
1999	23.9	19.8	17.1	9.8	4.8
Business or industry
1991	16.5	22.2	12.6	7.3	2.0
1999	21.7	22.6	19.6	12.1	4.8
Community organizations
1991	7.1	6.7	5.4	4.9	4.5
1999	16.4	16.6	15.1	11.2	11.5

Source: 1991 and 1999 National Household Education Surveys. N for 30–38 age group: 2,829 in 1991 and 1,168 in 1999. N for 39–47 age group: 2,686 in 1991 and 1,223 in 1999. N for 48–56 age group: 1,456 in 1991 and 1,096 in 1999. N for 57–65 age group: 860 in 1991 and 745 in 1999. N for 66–74 age group: 521 in 1991 and 548 in 1999.

Summary of Adult Education in the 1990s 

Social Background	Baby Boomers, Internet, non-traditional learning
Highlights	Literacy, economy hike, vocational skills
Influential Factors	National Literacy Act, Workforce Investment Act, Distance Education
Implications	Diverse learning, government support

Sources:

Bruce, B. (1999). Education Online: Learning Anywhere, Any Time. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 42(8), 662–665. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40016817

“Download NIPA Tables.” U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Web. All Sections, Section 1, Table 1.1.6. (http://www.bea.gov/national/nipaweb/DownSS2.asp)

Hamil-Luker, J., & Uhlenberg, P. (2002). Later life education in the 1990s: Increasing involvement and continuing disparity. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 57(6). https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/57.6.s324

H.R.751 - 102nd congress (1991-1992): National Literacy ... (1991, July 25).  from https://www.congress.gov/bill/102nd-congress/house-bill/751

Jacobs, J. A., & Stoner-Eby, S. (1998). Adult Enrollment and Educational Attainment. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 559, 91–108. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1049609

Machtmes, K., & Asher, J. W. (2000). A meta‐analysis of the effectiveness of telecourses in distance education. American Journal of Distance Education, 14(1), 27–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923640009527043

McCain, M. (2009, October 21). The Power of Technology to Transform Adult Education. https://tcall.tamu.edu/twcael/docs/pdf/power_of_tech.pdf

Peters,  G.,  &  Woolley,  J.  T.  (2013).  The  American  Presidency  Project.  http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=19831.

Ross, J. M., & Smith, J. O. (1990). Adult Basic Educators’ Perceptions of Learning Disabilities. Journal of Reading, 33(5), 340–347. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40021863