Louks, Lyston – EDAC631 History of Adult Education: The Great Depression

History of Adult Education

Lyston Louks

EDAC-631

Spring 2022

Dr. Bo Chang

January 29, 2022

 

Your Name	Commented On
Lyston Louks	Gabby Lloyd
	Peggy Dessing

Adult Education During the Great Depression

Introduction

The Great Depression took place from 1929 to 1941, and was a period of turmoil and uncertainty for the United States. Unemployment skyrocketed after the stock market crashed, and many were uncertain of how they would be able to feed their families. Due to the power that the United States held, it created a worldwide economic downturn. In some places, unemployment reached a staggering 80 percent (Marx, 2011). People who came from wealthy backgrounds experienced financial burden as they never had before, especially during the economic boom that took place just before the Depression. Many families with multiple children began to become even more resourceful, cooking meals that were filling, but not as nutritionally dense. Even today, those who lived through the Great Depression often exhibit the same behaviors from that time period, such as not letting anything go to waste. 

During this time, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the president, and his goal was to get Americans back on their feet amid the Depression. This sparked the creation of many social programs. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration, or FERA, was created to handle the economic crisis by distributing emergency funds to Americans who needed assistance. The FERA also created a small-scale program to distribute food to prevent starvation. The Federal Housing Administration, or FHA, was also created to give those in need a lower interest rate on their homes, to prevent many families from becoming homeless. Roosevelt also helped to pass legislation creating unemployment insurance, and other social programs that are still seen today. One of the most famous pieces of legislation was the New Deal, where financial assistance was seen as a right for those who needed it.  

Highlights

The Great Depression was one of the main issues that impacted adult education during the 1930s. During the late 1920s, a movement began to increase enrollment across the country, as a push for higher education. As the Great Depression began, enrollment rates were surprisingly rising, but not significantly. Students who attended private colleges began attending more affordable, local schools. While schools were receiving funding as a part of the New Deal to hire some of the nation’s unemployed workforce, universities were continuing to cut back on spending. 

With these spending cuts, instructor salaries were lowered, and many universities were unable to hire more faculty. This created issues for young people entering the field, as they were unable to find faculty positions. Instructors already within these institutions were pressured to pass students who were paying, simply to keep their money coming in, even if they were not putting in any work. Schools were desperate to keep students enrolled and spending their money. 

Influential Factors

As a part of the New Deal, Roosevelt began an initiative to get adults into higher education. One of the programs created was the Emergency Education Program, which aimed to educate adults, increase literacy, and provide vocational training for those who were unemployed due to the Great Depression. This program also gave aid to unemployed teachers, but they had to begin teaching adults within a higher education setting. 

Implications

Based on the Great Depression, we can learn more about how to aid the field of higher education during economic slumps. While we have not seen an economic crisis nearly as severe as the Great Depression, we have experienced recessions and periods of high unemployment, such as the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when people were furloughed from their jobs due to stores, factories, and restaurants closing. Providing support for both educators and students during times of economic depression is essential to the field of adult education. 

 

Table 1. Summary of the History of Adult/Community Education

Areas	Summary
Social Background	The Great Depression created financial insecurity for most Americans This created a global domino effect, where many other countries were affected. Franklin D. Roosevelt created many social programs to combat the depression.
Highlights	Surprisingly, enrollment rates during the Great Depression were rising, rather than falling.  Schools cut back on funding and cut salaries. Instructors were pressured to pass paying students who did not put in effort.
Influential Factors	The Emergency Education Program was designed to assist adults with educational and employment needs. Part of this program moved educators from elementary education into higher education.
Implications	The Great Depression has taught us that during periods of economic crisis, both students and faculty need financial support.

 

References

Dass, P. (2014). Deciphering Franklin D. Roosevelt's educational policies during the Great Depression (1933-1940). [Doctoral dissertation, Georgia State University]. Educational Policy Studies Dissertations. 

Ice, R., & Nolan, B. (1998). Adult education programs of the New Deal: The case of Oklahoma, 1933-1942. Adult Education Research Conference. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://newprairiepress.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=2011&context=aerc

Lynch, M. (2016, September 2). Comprehending how the Great Depression influenced American education. The Edvocate https://www.theedadvocate.org/comprehending-great- depression- influenced-american-education/

Marx, J. D. (2011). American social policy in the Great Depression and World War II. VCU Libraries Social Welfare History Project. 

Pells, R. H. (2011, October 11). Great Depression. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/ Great-Depression

Schrecker, E. (2009, June 16). The bad old days: How higher education fared during the Great Depression. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/ the-bad-old-days/