Adult Education Facts at a Glance

Health and Literacy

The relationship between adults' health conditions and their literacy skills varies depending on the condition. Adults with conditions such as hearing difficulty, a speech disability, a learning disability, or mental retardation usually have Level 1 skills. (Adult Literacy in America: a first look at the findings of the National Adult Literacy Survey, 1993)

Workplace Education

• In 1999, the following percentages of the adult population age 25 and over had graduated from high school: 85% of non-Hispanic adults 87.7% of non-Hispanic White adults, 84.7% of non-Hispanic Asian & Pacific Islander adults, 77.4% of non-Hispanic Black adults; and 56.1% of Hispanic adults. (Educational Attainment in the United States: March 1999 PDF (120K), Table A)
• The education and training requirements of the 2000-2010 projected total job openings, due to growth and net replacement are: 69.8% of jobs will require work-related training (42.7% short-term on-the-job training, 15.1% moderate on-the-job training, 6.5% long-term on-the-job training; and 5.55% work experience in a related occupation); 20.9% will require a bachelor's degree or higher; and 9.3% will require an associate's degree or postsecondary vocational award. (Occupational Employment Projections to 2010) PDF (223K), 2001, Table 6)
• A number of national and state organizations have identified Level 3 proficiency as a minimum standard for success in today's labor market. Findings from the International Adult Literacy Survey indicate that only half of the U.S. adult population 16-65 years of age reached Level 3. (The Twin Challenges of Mediocrity and Inequality: Literacy in the U.S. from an International Perspective PDF (229K), 2002, Table 5)

English Literacy

• In 1994-98 the average composite literacy score of native-born adults in the US was 284 (Level 3); the U.S. ranked 10th out of 17 high-income countries. The average score of foreign-born adults was 210 (Level 1); the U.S. ranked 16th out of 17 countries. (The Twin Challenges of Mediocrity and Inequality: Literacy in the U.S. from an International Perspective PDF (229K), 2002, Table 12)
• In 2000, the Current Population Survey reported the following educational attainment levels of the foreign-born population, as compared to the native population: 33.0% not high school graduates, compared to 13.4%; 25.% were high school graduates, compared to 34.3%; 16.2% had some college education (less than a bachelor's degree), compared to 26.7%; 25.8% had a bachelor's degree or more, compared to 25.6%. (Profile of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2000 [downloadable files] PDF (1.70MB), 2001, Figure 14-1)
• The National Household Education Survey found that for adults aged 16 or over whose primary language at home was not English: 41.9% participated in ESL classes in the previous 12 months as part of a college program; 28.9% participated to improve their communication skills; 14.1% for a personal, family, or social reasons; and 15.1% for other main reasons. (Participation of Adults in English as a Second Language Classes: 1994-95  PDF (300K), 1997, Table 2)