Adult Education 1990-1999 Cathcart

I commented on Group 2 Petra Kenzevich & Group 3 Antonette Payne

Adult Education 1990-1999

Chris Cathcart

Ball State University

EDAC 631 - Adult& Community Education

January 27, 2014

 

 

Abstract:

This paper seeks to provide a brief overview of the historical context and status of adult education during the period between 1990 and 1999. Particular attention is paid to major events of the period and how they relate to the development of educational and labor practices of the period. Focus is given to the growth in diversity at every level in both traditional and non-traditional adult education settings. Consideration is also given to the strengths and shortcomings of technology improvements and market forces of the time.

 

Introduction

The 1990s represented an era of great change and instability for the United States. It was a time of great financial upswings that would later lead to near tragic market declines in later years. From this there was the dotcom age where almost anyone with an idea and an interested investor could start a business and instantly become rich seemingly with no real product or service to be had. There were also considerable advances in the world of technology such as portable music players, phones and other computing devices aimed at a more convenient access to knowledge and information for everyday life. These advances led to similar improvements for employment rates and salary for college graduates and skilled workers of the time, although the percentage increase may have differed depending on a person’s individual level of educational attainment. “College graduates enjoyed much larger increases than those with less education, except for the lowest education group; people with graduate training saw even greater increases” (Leigh & Gill 1995)

Also during this period the political landscape changed with events like the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The US took on oppression in the Middle East through the efforts of the Gulf War and also dealt with the prospect of domestic and international terrorism with the tragic Oklahoma City and World Trade Center bombings? Despite these and other setbacks and the world pushed for greater globalization and free market access. This shift was aided by the rise of the internet and other information outlets that provided more and better opportunities for progressive thinking among people of different cultures.

While education has continually been represented as an ever shifting topic of discussion for the political and cultural landscape regardless of era of interest, opportunities to focus on the needs of adults as a part of the workforce were significant in the 90s. Specifically, there was a marked increase in the level of interest and participation in adult education during the period from 1990 -1999 which is represented by growth in most traditional age categories with the exception of adults 34-44. Issues such as an aging workforce, increasing minority demand for educational opportunities and the rise of distance and alternative learning models as a result of technology advancements were among the driving forces of the evolution of adult education during the period.

Highlights and Influences

As stated above the level of participation in adult focused education grew from 1990-1999. Comparing the change from 1991 to 1999 several trends became evident. In the early 90s the participation rates of younger and older adults were generally lower than those of middle age adults. As the end of the 90s approached older adult’s participation levels were lower than all other categories of adult participants (Creighton & Hudson 2002). Some of this decline could be the result of an increased reliance on new technology as the delivery method for adult programs. As the move to more alternative delivery methods occurred the older population may have become isolated and slower to adapt to the changing landscape in the earlier stages.

Another area of transition was the shift in educational participation by the minority community. In the early 90s the number of non-Hispanic blacks trailed that of non-Hispanic whites considerably however in 1999 there was no evidence of any significant differences in participation levels among any minority groups when compared with non-Hispanic whites (Creighton & Hudson 2002). This represents one of the biggest shifts in the nature of education in general during the 90s was the growth of minority interests. According to a study by Antonie Garibaldi “black and Spanish-speaking children comprise the majority in the countries largest metropolitan school districts.” (1986). This trend continued throughout the late 80s and is still rippling through even today. While this is the case there was a disproportionately low number of similar racial distributions with regard to teachers and facilitators in the classroom.

The four main types of adult education of the period were:

• Job/Work related education –All organized, systematic education and training activities in which people take part in order to obtain knowledge and/or learn new skills for a current or a future job, to increase earnings, to improve job and/or career opportunities in a current or another field and generally to improve their opportunities for advancement and promotion. (OECD, 2002)
• Non-work related courses – All courses taken that offer personal enrichment or skills development that is unrelated to current or future job prospects.
• Adult Basic Education - basic reading, writing, math, and problem-solving classes; English language lessons; GED preparation; and other basic educational services for adult learners
• Credential Programs – education required for a specific licensing that is necessary to practice in a given field.

The two most popular types of adult education of the time were Job/work related education and non-work related courses. Based on the factor of age mid-age adults (35-44) participated in work related educational opportunities at higher rates than both younger adults (16-24) and older adults (55-65). It is unclear why this disparity of age in work related training exist It is thought that employers may not have been willing to invest in the development of younger adults and thus did not afford them the opportunities to participate as mid-range adults could. On the other hand, older adults are thought to have seen less benefit to this type of training as many were choosing not to work at all in favor of retirement (Creighton & Hudson 2002).

            Returning to the subject of race Hispanics suffer the most in these two areas. Participation is lower in work related training due to barriers of language or lack of access due to unaccommodating work patterns. They also participate less in non-work related training however it is implied that this may be more related to lower educational attainment levels.

Implications and Conclusions

          The 1990s represent an era of much change and growth for the global landscape of education. In the US the focus shifted to one of a more diverse view point with a need to provide opportunities for the growing minority populations as well as a growing population of adults aging out of the workforce. The implications of these shifts were far reaching. To cope with the growing diversity and knowledge gaps educators needed to develop programs that would be successful to a broader audience than previously seen. Consideration needed to be given to women and minorities who were quickly overtaking the traditionally white dominated landscape of work and education. Technology improvements led to greater access to information and training however while convenient it did not provide all the answers because it was not as readily accessible to all parties as it needed to be. Considerations needed to be given to older populations looking for new skills or to explore new interests outside work.

As the world grew smaller and people were allowed to come closer to globalized understanding education became more and more complicated in the 1990s. It was a time of great achievement on many fronts however the weakness of the system was not in its potential but in the established systems that were not reinforced to build on the coming wave of demands. This instability is what led to some of the hardship and failures in the early to mid 2000s.

References:

U.S. Department of Education (2002). Participation Trends and Patterns in Adult Education: 1991 to 1999. 2002 Statistical Annual Report. Washington, DC: Creighton, Sean & Hudson Lisa

Leigh, Duane E. & Gill, Andrew M. (1996) Labor Market Returns to Community Colleges: Evidence for Returning Adults. The Journal of Human Resources, 32(2) pp. 334-353

 

 

 

Social Background	Increased focus on globalization of market place, greater access to information, growing technology bubble, financial market instability
Highlights	Changing demographics in the classroom, growth in female professional population, aging of adult workforce
Influences	Growing number of black and Latino populations seeking education, desire for greater access to information and training, Shift to global economic trends
Implications	Under-prepared education system,