The Importance of Adult Education History

Poverty and adult literacy became a major concern in the 1960s. This decade provided several contributions to the development of the adult education field. Following Kennedy’s lead of increasing adult literacy, President Lyndon Johnson and Congress passed the Anti – Poverty Act in 1964, which included the Economic Opportunity Act, Title II, Part B. Under this provision, the state and federal governments supplied $18.6 million in grants for the first adult basic education program and various other state programs that encouraged adult literacy (Stubblefield and Keane, 1994). The resources were the responsibility of the Office of Economic Opportunity at that time but today, the Office of Education receives and manages the funds. Another major landmark in adult education history was the passing of the Higher Education Act in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson. This act gave college and university students financial assistance by creating scholarships, and providing federal student loans; it also established the National Teachers Corps (Stubblefield and Keane, 1994). In addition, it dispatched money to post-secondary schools that had community service programs. In 1966, the Adult Education Act established adult literacy programs as federal programs instead of state programs. In an attempt to increase employability, this act created and expanded programs to help those 18 and older, who were having difficulties reading, writing, and understanding the English language (Stubblefield and Keane, 1994). It also allotted money for experimental projects and instructional training of teachers.

Understanding the history of education helps us to understand the field and provides framework for our practices, and the improvement of our practices as well. An old cliché says “You don’t know where you are going until you understand where you have been.” Past trends of education often re-emerge over time. Our knowledge of a past event can help us predict how to deal with resistance to...