Educate & Elevate Campaign Contributes to Success of $35M Increase in Adult Education Funding to Support American Economy and Adult Learners

CICERO, N.Y., May 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgetown's Center for Education and Workforce reports that by this year, 63% of all U.S. jobs will require education beyond high school. Yet, nearly half of the U.S. workforce—about 88 million adults aged 18 to 64—has only a high school education or less, and/or low English proficiency. Adult education helps to close this gap and provide workers with the skills needed for the jobs of today and tomorrow, an important Educate & Elevate campaign message that resonated across the country with policy makers.

For the past 14 months, the national Educate & Elevate campaign brought together more than 55,000 adult educators to proactively educate policy makers about the importance of adult education and how it is an investment in America's future. Leadership from the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE), the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education (NCSDAE), 47 national level partners, the state associations and professional development consortiums, and Dollar General effectively mobilized the nation in support of adult education through a campaign website, social media, communications toolkits and proactive outreach efforts.

"The Educate & Elevate campaign was created at a time when our adult education system expected a reduction of $87M in funding," said COABE Executive Director, Sharon Bonney. "Our collective outreach and education efforts resulted in more than 80,000+ connections with legislators by individuals from the adult education field resulting in a $35M increase in funding."

This funding is critical to individuals ages 16 and older who no longer are enrolled in school and are functioning below the high school completion level. Adult education programs not only teach these individuals the foundations of reading, math and English, they also equip learners with college and career readiness skills that lead to employment or the transition to postsecondary education.

"Adult education is a critical component to making sure America has the skilled workforce needed to compete," said NCSDAE Executive Director and campaign partner, Pat Tyler. "Surveys indicate that more than 90 percent of American businesses do not believe workers have the right skills; we have to ensure that all workers are ready to help employers compete."

Educate & Elevate has earned six prestigious 2017 Davey Awards for integrated campaign, its website and video. The campaign website offers education advocates tools and resources, infographics, videos, fact sheets and success stories including a short documentary from PBS "The Success Files." Information on these tools, as well as how to access adult education programs may be found at https://educateandelevate.org/social-media-room/

About COABE

COABE is comprised of educators, administrators, mentors and guides working to improve educational outcomes for adults and build communities. Its nearly 21,000 members create new opportunities for adult students who need a wide variety of educational support. Learn more about the Educate & Elevate campaign and how you can be involved at www.EducateandElevate.org.

Contact: Sharon Bonney
Phone: (315) 395-2789

SOURCE Coalition on Adult Basic Education

Related Links

http://www.EducateandElevate.org