A second Chance Adult education opens eyes, opens doors

De Anne Heacock's English and history students are well-mannered, eager to learn and enthusiastic. They always do their homework, participate in class discussions and listen attentively.

Even though they are enrolled in a K-12 district school, they are not children or teenagers. Heacock's "dream class" is made up of adults ranging in age from 18 to nearly 80, many of them immigrants or welfare recipients. Most are working toward a high school diploma.

The joy of teaching adult education classes may be the best-kept secret in the teaching profession, says Heacock, a basic subjects teacher at Ford Park Adult School in Montebello and a member of the Montebello Teachers Association (MTA). "I love it because I don't have to worry about discipline. I don't have to do parent conferences or yard duty. What I am able to do is 'pure teaching,' which is why I'm truly passionate about this job."

While the joy of teaching adults may be a well-kept secret, it's no secret that adult ed has, for the most part, also been ignored and largely underfunded. Despite frequent success stories, it's often one of the first programs on the chopping block when times get tough.

In California, adult education is "the most neglected portion of the education system," according to a state Senate research publication, "Adult Education: Will It Meet the Challenges of the Future?"

Adult education maintains a low profile, but its classrooms are highly utilized and demand is on the increase. In some communities, such as Elk Grove and Los Angeles, classes have long waiting lists. Nonetheless, adult education teachers consider themselves the "Rodney Dangerfields" of education, because they get no respect.

"I don't think people know what we do in adult education," says Phyllis Butland, chair of CTA's Adult Education Caucus. "The perception is that we teach basket weaving - or something like that - which couldn't be farther from the truth."

In reality, adult schools help communities deal with significant social and economic issues. They teach immigrants to speak English and become good citizens. They help dropouts earn a high school diploma or the equivalent GED. They help laid-off workers - or those without marketable skills - to change careers and support their families.

Adult education offerings are as varied as the communities they serve. Some classes cover life skills, like parenting and job-hunting. Others offer enrichment opportunities, such as financing retirement or travel planning.

California served about 2.1 million people in adult education programs during 2001-02 (the most recent figures available). Women account for 60 percent of those enrolled. Approximately 41 percent are Latino. Sixty-five percent are under age 40. Two-thirds are enrolled in ESL classes, adult basic education and vocational education classes.

The typical adult learner has two children, works two or three jobs (all part-time without benefits) and depends on public transportation.

High school students can enroll in adult education classes if they lack enough credits to graduate, but they must attend outside of regular high school hours. In some districts, 20 percent of high school seniors would not be able to graduate without adult education classes.

"People have no idea how many adults - and immigrants - are fully participating in our tax base and our society due to adult education," adds Butland, who teaches English as a Second Language at the Bella Vista Adult School in Montebello. "Adult education is important, because it bridges the gap between K-12 education and the community."

K-12 school districts operate 54 percent of adult education programs in the state. Community colleges administer 40 percent of adult education classes, most of which offer noncredit coursework. Six percent of the programs are administered by community-based organizations.

Both K-12 and community college adult education programs are free (except for books and materials) for most basic education and ESL classes.

Many programs offer free child care. Students who bring a well-behaved child to class may sometimes find that the teacher is willing to turn a blind eye. Some teachers say they would rather look the other way than tell someone dealing with a child care emergency that they have to leave the classroom.

Many classes are open entrance/open exit, meaning students can enter or leave the class whenever they choose. "They aren't locked in because many of them have to work or have family responsibilities," says Butland. "They are coming and going all the time. It can be a big challenge for teachers."

But it's a challenge that's well worth the effort, she adds. "When we teach adults to improve their literacy and improve their ability to function in society, it not only helps them, it also helps their children to do better in school and contribute to society."

"I had one mother and daughter who studied here together," recalls Butland. "They got their high school degrees here together. They went on to college and got their bachelor's degrees together. They were in the same graduating class. For me, there's a special payoff in helping people and seeing how they advance."

Growing pains

The first adult education class in California was held in a San Francisco church basement in 1856. It was designed to teach English to Chinese and European immigrants who flocked to California during the Gold Rush. By the end of the century, adult classes were held in all major cities in the state and instruction had been expanded to include academics and vocational subjects.

While adult education was blossoming, it took almost 70 years before formal recognition was achieved. In 1923, the State Plan for Adult Education was developed, which led to the establishment of the Division of Adult Education within the California Department of Education. In the 1960s, adult education was expanded to address basic education and literacy needs, as well as the need to learn English as a second language.

Adult education has played an important role in U.S. history. During World War II, defense workers were trained through adult education. Following the war, adult education provided workforce training to ease the transition into the postwar economy. After the Vietnam War and other conflicts large and small, adult education helped meet the needs of large numbers of refugees.

The number of immigrants who arrive without much education is continuing to grow. An analysis of data from the 2000 Census shows:

• The number of residents without a high school degree has increased by 11 percent.
• The number of residents with less than a ninth-grade education has increased by 17 percent.
• The number of residents over 5 years of age who do not speak English "very well" at home has increased 42 percent.

Funding to meet growing demand is unlikely to materialize anytime soon. An outdated formula distributes funding unevenly around the state with some programs getting more than they need and others not getting enough. The reason is revenue limits on the amount of state funds per average daily attendance (ADA) that an adult school can claim were capped in 1979 following passage of Proposition 13. As a result, funding for adult schools reflects California's needs more than two decades ago rather than today's needs.

"Whatever number of students you had in 1978 determines how much money you get now," says Ernest Kettenring, a United Teachers Los Angeles member and adult education advocate. "Fresno has had a big population shift within the last 25 years and can't get an increase in funds. And Elk Grove is another extreme example."

When districts get more money than they need, the leftover is returned to the state's general fund rather than redistributed where needed. Sen. Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach), a former adult education teacher, introduced legislation to make things more equitable, but Gov. Gray Davis vetoed it.

"I'm introducing legislation to correct this again," says Karnette. "SB 1309 would allow districts that need additional ADA to use the unused money from districts not meeting their cap."

In general, the rate of compensation for adult schools is much smaller than for K-12 schools. It takes 525 hours of attendance (three hours a day for 175 days) to equal one unit of ADA. The 2003-04 reimbursement from the state for each unit of ADA is $2,242. However, many students attend classes for more than three hours per day.

California community college funding for noncredit adult education courses is based on a formula that yields approximately $2,114 per full-time equivalent student.

In comparison, the 2003-04 average revenue limit per ADA is $4,841 in unified school districts and $5,587 in high school districts.

Because adult education is taught in both K-12 districts and community college sites, there has been much discussion over where it belongs. Former California Gov. Gray Davis sought to consolidate adult education programs and house them solely on community college campuses. When the idea drew unprecedented outrage among the state's K-12 adult education teachers, the plan was shelved.

"I remember a time when some community college administrators were trying to push adult ed out, saying it belongs in K-12," says Paul Martin, who teaches noncredit adult ed English, career planning and computer classes at Pasadena City College Community Education Center. A member of the Pasadena City College Chapter of the Community College Association, he believes that students are more likely to continue their education if classes are held on community colleges "because they are mixed in with students of that mindset."

"I believe adult education programs should be at the community college level, because we're working with adults, not kids," says Mabel Duncan, another Pasadena City College staff member who teaches basic high school subjects. "Community college is an extension of the education process, and it's much more likely that these students will further their education if they are taking classes at a community college."

Others believe that since the curriculum is K-12, it's better to leave it in K-12 districts. They also argue that adults who don't even have a high school diploma may be intimidated by the thought of attending a college facility.

There are many advantages for students when adult ed is available in K-12 districts, says Butland. Books are free, free childcare is often available for children aged 2-5, and classes are often within walking distance of home. It also promotes whole-family literacy to have children and parents attending school together.

Both K-12 and community college-based adult education programs have their place, says Kettenring, who serves on the UTLA Adult and Occupational Education Committee and publishes The Voice, an adult education newsletter.

"Part of the problem is that adult ed is neither fish nor fowl. If you were designing adult education from scratch, it probably wouldn't be this way," he says. "But community colleges are doing a wonderful job of providing services and K-12 is doing a wonderful job. I wouldn't advocate that either one be overthrown. I think we're going to have to continue with a dual system one way or another."

Can adult ed keep up?

The demand for adult education might increase if large numbers of students fail California's High School Exit Exam (HSEE). "The HSEE may spawn higher percentages of high school dropouts who could benefit from adult education services in the future," warns the state Senate report.

"There have been concerns that implementation of the exit exam will result in more students finding their way into adult education, but that hasn't occurred yet," says Jean Scott, administrator of the Adult Education Office for the state Department of Education. "The issue has been raised."

High schools once offered an abundance of vocational education programs for students who were not college-bound. However, these classes have vanished as budgets have been cut and higher standards have been put in place in an attempt to reach the state's goal of having all students meet University of California requirements. Some teachers fear that students who can't meet the standards will drop out of high school at an earlier age.

"I think we need to establish a very close link between high schools and adult programs because high school dropouts may take years to find their way into adult education programs on their own," says Kettenring. "If adult ed was used the way it should be - by being more tightly integrated with high school - we wouldn't have dropouts. They could just transition into adult education, which excels at providing remedial and vocational education."

For this to happen, adult education must be part of the state's Master Plan for Education, an effort to build a cohesive educational system over a 20-year period. Kettenring has attended all of the Master Plan meetings in Sacramento and testified about the role that adult education should play. "I kept raising objections that adult education was essentially being left out of the Master Plan instead of being used as a resource to support the larger educational structures of the state," he says.

After Kettenring met with Sen. Karnette, plans were made to form a task force of adult education teachers, administrators and community members to recommend to the Legislature how to best integrate adult education in the Master Plan.

As a response to the Master Plan hearings, a Select Committee on Adult Education was also formed in the state Assembly.

Assembly Member Carol Liu (D-La Canada Flintridge), who chairs the committee, says adult education was left out of the Master Plan early on "because people were focused on K-14, and adult education is a kind of a never land. Yet, it has an audience - a very strong and passionate audience - of people who attend adult school and teachers who deliver services."

Plans are under way to combine the two committees into one joint committee. Some of the issues that will be looked at, says Liu, are how to deliver adult education services, how to make the programs accountable, how to fund them and how to collect data in a way that helps the decision-making process.

"There hasn't been much discussion about adult education in a long time," says Liu. "The committee has opened a Pandora's box of basic issues and concerns. We can look forward to eventually making recommendations, but we have not come to any conclusions. But we have finally started to have a conversation about adult education, which many people find exciting."