Sara Barker EDAC 631 - History of Adult Education in the 1980s

 

EDAC 631

Adult and Community Education

Sara Barker

Group 1 – Spring 2022

Ball State University

Your Name	Commented On
Sara Barker	Bryley Deneen Nichole Flick

Introduction

Social life in the 1980s in the United States was marked by conservative federal policies and trickle-down economics, the AIDS epidemic, and popular culture influenced by consumerism and wildly popular pop superstars like Michael Jackson and Madonna (Onion et al., 2018). Repercussions of the political, social, and economic upheaval that began with the civil rights movement in the 1960s were felt throughout the 1970s, and at the turn of the decade, Americans had an opportunity to elect a leader who could guide the country back into prosperity. 

President Ronald Reagan won the 1980 presidential election, running on campaign promises of lower taxes, smaller government, and an overall focus on conservatism (Onion et al., 2018). The charisma of the former movie star Reagan also helped him form a connection with his voters. His base included “evangelical Christians; anti-tax crusaders; advocates of deregulation and smaller markets; advocates of a more powerful American presence abroad; disaffected white liberals; and defenders of an unrestricted free market” (Onion et al., 2018). Some key economic points of the Reagan administration, which took up residence in the White House until January 20, 1989, included “Reaganomics” and trickle-down economics, which described how Reagan believed that giving tax breaks to wealthy Americans would eventually lead to higher wages and more jobs for low- and middle-class Americans (Onion et al., 2018). In 1982, the worst recession since the Great Depression struck the United States, but with the natural recovery of the economy came an increased fervor for Reaganomics and the administration itself. Though his conservative economic agenda called for minimal spending, this was not exactly the case for the Reagan administration, which saw the “federal government [accumulate] more debt than it had in its entire history” (Onion et al., 2018).

A focus on money wasn’t just one for the Reagan administration, but it was a key factor in influencing culture in the 1980s, as well. One of the hallmarks of the decade was the entrance of the term yuppie – a financially comfortable, college-educated Baby Boomer who owned a nice home and car, but whose success didn’t necessarily translate into happiness (Onion et al., 2018). Though some saw yuppies as an indicator of how shallow and self-centered society had become, a litany of media showed yuppie culture in a more realistic light: “a generation of young men and women who were plagued with anxiety and self-doubt” (Onion et al., 2018). Of course, certain populations denied the yuppie persona, and MTV was a contributing factor to that. Being exposed to new kinds of music through cable television created communities for counter-culture, like rap icons Chuck D and Flavor Flav in their group Public Enemy resonating with Black Americans. Young people also associated with non-yuppie music like that of Metallica and Guns N’ Roses (Onion et al., 2018).

A serious public health epidemic started to plague Americans in the 1908s. HIV, which can become AIDS, began to spread quickly, especially among gay men. Many misconceptions about HIV and AIDS were bred during this time period, as well, including that it was only a disease that affected gay men and that it was transmissible through casual contact (Onion et al., 2018). The case of Ryan White in 1985 not only dispelled many misconceptions about the AIDS epidemic but also helped to garner public support to fight the disease. White contracted AIDS through accepting blood that was donated, leading Western Middle School in Russiaville, Indiana to keep him from attending class because school officials incorrectly believed AIDS was a communicable disease in a school environment (MacNeil, 1985). White became known nationwide and spurred further public health education on how AIDS is actually spread. White was banned from school on August 27, 1985, and by September 17, President Reagan called fighting the spread of AIDS a “top priority” (Onion et al., 2018).

Highlights

In the 1980s, multiple studies measuring adult literacy in varying ways published their results. Their results painted a picture of how dire the literacy crisis of the 1980s was, and what kind of focus was needed on it. In 1982, the United States Census Bureau, funded by the United States Department of Education, mailed to 3,400 adult Americans the English Language Proficiency Survey. The Census Bureau went into this study having estimated that only one-half of one percent of adults in the United States could not read. However, their survey results were staggering: thirteen percent, or one out of eight, Americans were illiterate (Werner, 1986). The study, in essence, was not difficult, acting director of the planning and technical analysis division of the U.S. Department of Education and supervisor of the survey Robert E. Barnes told The New York Times. '''When I look at the test, I almost think I could pass it if it were given in Egyptian hieroglyphics … 'I wanted a conservative estimate. I didn't want to be accused of setting too high a standard.’ (Werner, 1986)'' Barnes was then quoted as saying the survey was not designed to give an accurate number of the total amount of illiterate adults in the United States, but rather, a baseline estimate – meaning that it was likely that far more than thirteen percent of adults were illiterate, or at least had very limited levels of literacy.

Furthermore, researchers from the Census Bureau found trends within the number of adults they found to be illiterate. Of the adults who were illiterate, 37 percent did not speak English at home. Of those, only about 14 percent were likely literate in the language they did speak at home. Barnes told The New York Times that the key indicator of illiteracy in adults in the United States was not nationality or citizenship, or even the language they spoke at home. Instead, the biggest determinant in the literacy of the survey participants was their level of education. The study found that, of adults who failed the literacy test:

• 0.8 percent had some college education,

• 6 percent had finished high school,

• 18.6 percent had some high school education,

• 34.3 percent had six to eight years of schooling, and

• 53.3 percent had five or fewer years of schooling.

Additionally, Barnes told The New York Times that out of the native English-speakers with a high school diploma, 60 percent of them earned a perfect score on the test (Werner, 1986).

Later, in January 1989, the independent research effort The Project on Adult Literacy published a report pulling from the findings of the Census Bureau survey. The Project on Adult Literacy found that the United States’ adult literacy crisis had two main factors: many adults had limited basic language skills, and, unlike Barnes’ takeaway from the Census survey, found that adults’ familiarity with English was a major contributor to one’s overall literacy that needed attention. This research effort focused on the role of the federal government in bolstering adult literacy and what more needed to be done. It also specifically identified that the “literacy problems experienced by immigrants and Hispanics are especially pressing” (Chisman, 1988). The Project on Adult Literacy called for specific measures to be put in place to support adult literacy: one, the President should make adult literacy, especially in the workforce, the main tenet of their administration and found a cabinet on adult literacy; and two, that “Congress should introduce the Adult Basic Skills Act of 1989, which would build a stronger intellectual base for adult literacy,-promote innovation in training and technology, and reinforce federalism” (Chisman, 1988). 

Influential factors

Harvard University professor of education and director of the university’s reading laboratory Jeanne S. Chall provided her perspective on the 1982 Census Bureau literacy survey to The New York Times. To her, it was somewhat valuable to find a ballpark estimate of how many illiterate adults existed in the United States, but if nothing were being done to help them become literate, the study was for nothing (Werner, 1986). Certainly, many national groups dedicated to supporting adult education and literacy agreed with her and lobbied President Reagan’s administration to ask for federal funding to increase the rate of literacy in the United States. Though the Reagan administration is remembered for its staunch conservatism and an insistence that nationwide efforts should not be federally funded, it did eventually provide funding to support adult literacy as set forth in legislation (Rose, 1991).

The legislation that supported this funding was two amendments made to the Adult Education Act in 1984, ensuring that all adults had access to “acquire basic literacy skills necessary to function in society” (Rose, 1991, p. 25). That funding was multi-faceted and touched on the areas the literacy survey directly found needed support. When the Adult Education Act was reauthorized in 1988, it dramatically increased the amount of federal dollars allocated to adult literacy by carving out $200 million from the federal budget to issue to states to reduce the number of illiterate adults in the United States. Each state received at least $250,000 for its efforts (Rose, 1991, p. 26). The new amendments to the Adult Education Act also provided for grants to be used in the workplace for English literacy programs and specifically for “commercial drivers to increase their knowledge to complete test requirements and to programs for migrant farmworkers and for immigrants” (Rose, 1991, p. 26).

Implications

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this research about adult literacy rates is how adult education is tied closely with funding from governments. The Census Bureau survey was funded directly from the U.S. Department of Education, and without that funding, the statistical floor of one in eight Americans being illiterate in the 1980s would have never come to light. Later, despite an initial unwillingness to provide additional funding, the Adult Education Act was amended to provide federal funding, and a lot of it, to support the specific areas that needed it as shown in the Census Bureau study. Whether seen as a positive or negative, there is no denying that the field of adult education, and specifically adult literacy, is inextricably tied to how well it is lobbied for and how much the government at the time wants to support its growth and future assurance.

Also a takeaway is a general focus on adult literacy. It’s safe to say that most people outside of the field of adult education think of learning to read as an activity for kindergarteners, but the issue of illiteracy can continue well into adulthood. Though the 1980s were a time of consumerism, capitalism, and Yuppies, we, as a society, cannot become so involved with our individual successes that we forget about a neighbor who may be struggling in the workplace and struggling to support their family because they cannot read. A group to remember, too, is those for whom English is not their first language, and how workplace protections and general free classes and assistance are needed for them to learn English and build a prosperous life for themselves in the United States.

Areas	Summary
Social background	Reaganomics AIDS epidemic Yuppies Music, culture
Highlights	Literacy crisis Studies find more adults illiterate than once thought
Influential factors	The Adult Education Act More funding for adult literacy programs Specific funding for those who are not proficient in English
Implications	More federal funds allotted to adult education in the name of workplace training Can’t forget that literacy is a lifelong need

References

Chisman, F. P. (1988, December 31). Jump Start: The Federal Role in Adult Literacy. ERIC. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED302675 

Kirsch, I. S., Jungeblut, A., Jenkins, L., & Kolstad, A. (2002, April). Adult Literacy in America: A First Look at the Findings of the National Adult Literacy Survey. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs93/93275.pdf 

MacNeil, C. M. (1985, August 31). School bars door to youth with Aids. Kokomo Tribune. 

Onion, A., Mullen, M., & Sullivan, M. (2018, August 21). 1980s. History.com. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/1980s 

Rose, A. D. (1991). Ends or means: An overview of the history of the Adult Education Act. ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, Center on Education and Training for Employment, Ohio State University. 

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, An American Heritage—Federal Adult Education: A Legislative History 1964-2013, Washington, DC, 2013. 

Werner, L. M. (1986, April 21). 13% of U.S. adults are illiterate in English, a federal study finds. The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/21/us/13-of-us-adults-are-illiterate-in-english-a-federal-study-finds.html