​Join Us for a Week of Adult Education Advocacy


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Join adult education leaders, learners and advocates to learn about the transformative nature of adult skill building, career and technical education, high school equivalency, English as a second language, and credential attainment. 

Adult education is changing lives:
Providing economic mobility
Education and career success for adults! 

Join us to make an instant and lasting impact on adult education.

Friday Sept. 24th 
11am- 1pm CST/12pm- 2EST

Register Here​

Twitter Storm!

Please Tweet about and use these #hastags and infographics below during AEFL Week.

​The more your tweet the LOUDER OUR VOICES BECOME!!
​During Adult Education and Family Literacy Week (AEFL Week) we will celebrate successes in our field and engage in many activities that will raise the visibility of our collective work in the field of adult education.
IACEA Activities for AEFL Week
 

Follow @COABEHQ and #AEFL2021 for National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week news. Even better, tweet about adult education and family literacy yourself! Raise awareness of adult education and family literacy among your followers. Here are some sample tweets you can use/adopt:
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Monday -   Adult Education, Jobs and the Economy
  • Workers with HS diploma and above are less likely to be on gov’t support, saving states and federal gov’t money. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA #adulted
  • College degree gap needs to be filled by adults currently in workforce. Not enough HS grads to meet demand. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA #adulted
  • Adult Education supports jobs and the economy. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA #adulted

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  Tuesday - Adult Literacy/Family Literacy/Workplace Literacy
  • 36M adults in need of raising basic reading & math skills. Get the facts about #adulted: http://ow.ly/BP8KM #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • 50–80% of adults in #adulted may have a learning disability, explaining in part why they were not successful in public schools #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • ~ 85% of all people w/learning disabilities have difficulty reading (Natn’l Institute of Child Health & Human Development) #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • A mother’s reading skill is the greatest determinant of her children’s future academic success, outweighing all else #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA #famlit
  • There is no substitute for the parent’s / primary caregiver’s role as a child’s 1st teacher, best coach, & most concerned advocate #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • Teach the parent; reach the child. Support family literacy programs. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • Teaching parents reading strategies increases child’s language and literacy outcomes. Support family literacy programs #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA #Workplace Literacy
  • Adult workplace literacy programs help workers gain new levels of skills as new demands arise. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
 
Wednesday- High School Dropouts/Poverty
  • Students who drop out tend to earn less and have a lower quality of life. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • Many HS drop-outs must work multiple jobs just to support their family. C more adult literacy facts: #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • #AdultEd lifts people out of #poverty: Higher salaries, good job opportunities, higher savings, better working conditions. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA



Thursday - Immigration and Integration
  • Adult Ed helps immigrants integrate into the U.S. See more about #adulted’s role:  http://ow.ly/BP9oi #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • Limited English language proficiency is a barrier for immigrants to meaningful employment in the U.S. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • English language proficiency is critical to obtaining jobs commensurate with immigrants’ competencies. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA

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Friday  - Funding/ Return on Investment of Adult Education
  • Preserve and invest in adult education. #AdultEd drives economic mobility for adults & families and economic recovery for America. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • Health literacy programs raise adults’ understanding of medical problems b4 they become critical = medical cost-savings #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • #AdultEd benefits the economy: Increased tax revenues, business productivity, consumption, decreased public assistance. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA
  • #AdultEd benefits people: Higher salaries, better job opportunities, higher savings, improved working conditions, prof. mobility. #AdultEdLiteracyWeek #AEFL2021 #IACEA 
  

 Share Video for AEFL WEEK


We need your help to advocate for Adult Education.
​Take a quick minute to make a video and answer the question.

What does Adult Education Mean to You?   

Advocacy Talking Points for Adult Education


We urge you to join in our advocacy efforts, to tell the stories of our students, and to emphasize the unique and critical role Illinois Adult Education plays in educating Illinois families, communities, and our economy. 
  • Why State Funding Matters
  • Adult Education and Literacy WORKS
  • ​​When ADULT EDUCATION WORKS, We ALL BENEFIT
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​Let them know the following key points:
  • State funding must be maintained in order to continue to receive federal funding.
 
  • Adult Education is needed now more than ever – during this pandemic, our services become even more important as our learners are extremely vulnerable to the economic downturn from COVID-19 and therefore need extra support.
 
  • Adult Education saves millions in reduced food stamp and Medicaid costs and adds more jobholders and taxpayers – it is virtually the only program in the state that consistently produces more in savings than what was invested.
 
  • Many of our programs and learners do not have access to the technology needed to participate in distance learning.  We need to upgrade software, hardware, and training to increase capacity.
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  • In FY 2019 ICCB funded adult education programs in Illinois provided services to 59,769 students.  (Illinois Community College Board Report to the Governor and General Assembly) and Illinois State Library Literacy programs served 11,418 adult learners who read below the 9th grade level. (Guide to the Secretary of State Literacy Effort 2020)


​Adult Education and Literacy WORKS by assisting Illinois residents:
​
  • Achieve GED/high school equivalency
  • Improve basic literacy skills
  • Get a job and/or go to college achieving a higher standard of living
  • Pay more taxes and make other fiscal contributions
  • Increase success for the next generation as educated parents
  • Have lower incarceration rates (saving $21,000/year average per person NOT in prison)
  • Improve health and get healthcare
  • Become voters
  • Achieve higher rates of citizenship
  • Volunteer and become engaged in their communities


There is much unmet need:
  • More than 1.3 million of Illinois’ 12.7 million adults have less than 12 grades of formal education.  Included in this number are close to 415,915 adults with less than a 9th grade education.
 
  • Approximately 2.8 million adults speak a language other than English as the primary language in their home. English literacy skills for the entry and advancement in the labor force are needed by many of these residents.

​Do you think adult education is important?
Do you value your work and the work of others in the field?

​If you do, then now is the time to stand up for ADULT EDUCATION and for our students.
   Contact Us