Adult Learning

Adult learners include those with little education who want to improve their literacy skills to help them transition to college, immigrants who want to learn English, students who have dropped out of school and want to get their secondary credential or take the high school equivalency tests, and adults seeking to improve their employment skills.
 

Our Work

The Adult Education Research and Technical Assistance Center (AERTAC) at AIR conducts research and provides technical assistance to states and local programs to improve the adult education system by promoting quality instruction and support services through better professional development, evaluation, strengthening accountability, and increasing the use of promising practices such as technology in instruction.

Our projects help improve adult learners’ basic skills and English language ability to enable them to obtain secondary and postsecondary credentials, succeed in postsecondary education, and become more employable.

Contact
Image of Larry Condelli

Larry Condelli

Institute Fellow and Managing Researcher
AIR Expert Mariann Fedele-McLeod

Mariann Fedele-McLeod

Managing TA Consultant and Practice Area Director
Image of Stephanie Cronen

Stephanie M. Cronen

Managing Researcher
Related Topics
Workforce
Reading and Literacy
Related Work
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Leveraging Career and Technical Education to Prepare Students for College and Career Success

01 Feb 2023
Career and technical education (CTE) is a critical strategy for preparing youth and adults for careers and addressing the skills gap—a disparity between the skills job-seekers offer and the skills that employers need. Nationwide, AIR is supporting organizations large and small to strengthen CTE through rigorous research, evaluation, and technical ...
ADVANCE IET project logo

ADVANCE IET

The Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act released federal legislation in 2014 which requires states to provide integrated education and training services for adult learners. The Integrated Education and Training (IET) model of instruction includes a combination of adult education and literacy, workforce preparation, and workforce training activities centered around a ...
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Literacy Around the World

08 Sep 2022
Founded to actively mobilize the international community and to promote literacy as an instrument to empower individuals, communities, and societies, International Literacy Day is celebrated around the world. Learn more about the projects, people, research, and in-country technical assistance that are contributing to the effort. ...
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Alaska Adult Education Content Standards

The intent of contemporary standards-based education reform is to ensure that learners have access to instruction that supports them in developing the skills necessary for success. While the K–12 standards provide a strong foundation, adult learners need specific knowledge and skills to meet the demands of postsecondary training and employment ...
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Aligning the Registered Apprenticeship and Workforce Development Systems: A Resource

29 Apr 2022
Alignment between apprenticeship and workforce development systems benefits both systems, as well as their business and job seeker customers. This brief identifies the key dimensions of alignment, shares promising practices, and provides a checklist to assess and strengthen alignment.

Teaching Skills That Matter (TSTM) - SkillBlox Instructional Support Pilot

The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act funds over 1,600 programs each year to provide adults with foundational skills development to improve their literacy, numeracy, and English proficiency. To support these programs, the U.S. Department of Education funded the Teaching Skills That Matter initiative. Because educators need digital resources to ...

CREATE Adult Skills Network Lead

Over a million adults participate in programs each year that are designed to improve their literacy, English proficiency, and other foundational skills that will prepare them for further education and rewarding jobs. The Collaborative Research for Educating Adults with Technology Enhancements (CREATE Adult Skills Network) is designed to facilitate the ...
Graphic of Permian Basin area

Assessing the Adult Literacy Pipeline in the Permian Basin

37% of adults in the Permian Basin, a 22-county area covering large swaths of West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico, are low literate. The Literacy Coalition of the Permian Basin is committed to confronting this challenge by providing resources, increasing awareness, and convening partners to ensure efforts are aligned and ...
Illustration of Jaleh Soroui

Meet the Expert: Jaleh Soroui

Jaleh Soroui leads the AIR team that provides expertise, technical assistance, and management for the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Throughout her career, Jaleh has been at the forefront of incorporating education technology into adult education.
Man reading books at prison yard

Ascendium Distance Education in Prison Study

Increasing access to education in prison is a critical policy goal for enhancing equity and workforce development. AIR is conducting case studies of six distance and correspondence-based Prison Education Programs to examine implementation and outcomes relative to standards of quality and equity, with particular attention to programmatic and instructional practices. ...