More Credit for "Adult Education" Advocated

The Lumina Foundation for Education, a respected group devoted to increased access and success in American higher education, has published a report advocating that more attention be paid to the 54 million "working adults" in the country.

The report makes a number of recommendations. Central to its point of view, however, is that the current nationwide emphasis on P-16 initiatives (such as the College Readiness effort in Texas) does not address the real needs of the economy and society. Most interestingly (and perhaps controversially) is the report's call to transform non-credit occupational courses to credits toward a baccalaureate degree. There is no precise procedural remedy to accomplish this in the report.

Obviously such a proposal would lead to a host of follow-up questions about funding and transfer issues. Community colleges would be central to such an effort, of course, since they offer the lion's share of "certificate" programs and workforce training.

One can imagine universities having a great deal to say on this matter, too, regarding the transfer issue. Then there is developmental education. In Texas, the commissioner of higher education is recommending replacing developmental courses with non-course programs (though they would be funded through the Coordinating Board).

The entire report, "Understanding Adult Learners," is available here.