History of Adult Education: The 1960's

I commented on Group 4 Keith Cozart and Group 1: Mary A. Henehan.

 Antonette Payne

January 27, 2014

The History of Adult Education: the 1960’s

The 1960’s was a decade of change in the United States. The headlines were filled with stories about the Civil Rights Act, Assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., Stonewall, and Vietnam. These dramatic changes in our society gave rise to changes in every aspect of American life including adult education.  In order to understand the changes that took place in adult education it is important understand the social and political context of the times. This paper will examine the background of the 1960’s, highlight major developments in adult education including the influential factors, and finally examine the implications these developments had on adult education.

INTRODUCTION

            To understand the developments in adult education, it is important to first look at the background that influenced those developments. The 1960’s was a decade of great change socially, politically, and economically. Each of the aspects paved the way for change in adult education.

            In 1961, President John F. Kennedy took office (The 1960's, 2014). He had great ambitions of laws and reforms to eliminate injustice and inequalities in the United States. Shortly after taking office he signed Executive Order 10924 establishing the Peace Corps (Statement Upon Signing Order Establishing the Peace Corps, March 1, 1961, 2014). In its first year the Peace Corps sent over 500 volunteers to nine host countries (History: 1960's, 2014).  Unfortunately his life and presidency was cut short when he was assassinated November 22, 1963.

President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in after President Kennedy’s death. President Johnson was able to use this tragedy to get many of the programs that Kennedy had championed enacted with the idea that we would create the “Great Society.” After declaring a “War on Poverty,” President Johnson was able to use his political capital to establish Medicaid, Medicare, Head Start, VISTA, and Job Corps (The 1960's, 2014). He was also able to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in an effort to end disenfranchisement of minority citizens in regards to voting (History of Federal Voting Rights Laws, 2014).

In addition to the War on Poverty, the United States saw the conflict in Vietnam escalate and the Civil Rights movement explode. Both events were the cause of many protests and riots and influenced many of the policies that were put forth during the 1960’s.  The expense of the war in Vietnam, both financial and in morale, derailed many of the promising programs. The Civil Rights Movement also split the country. The decade ended with the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr and Bobby Kennedy and the Stonewall riots (The 1960's, 2014). Although it was a decade of many positive changes there was still much that needed to be done to bring the country together.

HIGHLIGHTS IN ADULT EDUCATION LEGISLATION

Although there were many changes in adult education outside of legislation, this paper will focus on the legislative aspects of the highlights of adult education in the 1960’s as many new laws were passed during this decade. These laws lead to some of the changes that occurred and affected many areas in adult education and society as a whole. 

Like many areas of American society, Adult education was experiencing changes in the 1960s. Many but not all of these changes occurred through legislation passed during the Kennedy and Johnson Administration. Some of the key legislation passed under President Kennedy and later President Johnson included The Manpower Training and Development Act of 1962 which sought to help develop training programs for unemployed workers; (Rose, 1991)   The Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin including in educational settings (Recess Reading: An Occasional Feature From The Judiciary Committee, 2014); The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 including Title IIB the Adult Basic Education Program which was established to combat unemployment and poverty (Rose, 1991); The Higher Education Act of 1965 which created the first federally funded college scholarships (The Early History of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 2014); and finally the Adult Education Act of 1966 which expanded on the programs and funding under the Adult Basic Education Act (Rose, 1991).

Manpower Training and Development Act of 1962

            One of the first adult education legislation of the 1960’s was the Manpower Training and Development Act of 1962 (MTDA).  Despite the nation’s general recovery from the Great Depression, unemployment rates did not return to the pre-recession levels. By the 1960’s unemployment was at 11% for those unemployed for 27 weeks or more. Federal and State legislators did studies to try and find a remedy for the widespread unemployment. The MTDA was to help with recovery by training workers unemployed because of the changes in automation and technology (Kremen, 2014).

Economic Opportunity Act of 1964

            The MDTA failed to help the long-term unemployed and it was thought it was because they had poor skills. The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (EOA) was signed by President Johnson in August 1964 and included provisions about community action and development, job training and education.  It required local and community control of the programs although it was federally funded (Rose, 1991).

            Part of the EOA was Title IIB which was the Adult Basic Education Program (ABE).  The Program was originally authorized through the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) under Sargent Shriver but was administered through the Office of Education within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW). The Act provided federal grants to the states to develop pilot instructional programs for adults and appropriate teaching methods (Rose, 1991). During the first year only 14 states had received funding but all states had submitted plans and received funding by 1966.

Higher Education Act of 1965

            In November of 1965, President Johnson signed another important education law, the Higher Education Act of 1965. The goal of the Act was to provide post-secondary and higher education opportunities for lower and middle income families. It also provided assistance to smaller colleges in need and provided resources to help colleges and universities deal with national problems such as poverty and community development (The Early History of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 2014).

Adult Education Act of 1966

            Title IIB: The Adult Basic Education Program (ABE) was up for renewal in 1966 and changed to the Adult Education Act (AEA). The program was transferred to the US Office of Education (USOE) and was hailed as landmark legislation in adult education. The Act was the first time the federal government gave direct support of adult education other than for vocational or job training (Rose, 1991).

The renewed Act included education that focused on parenting and citizenry. It allowed for special projects such as teacher training, community action, and poverty programs. To meet the needs of these programs ABE teacher training programs were also established. Although they had been started in 1965, the ABE prior to renewal did not provide for funding for these teacher trainings. In 1968 it was amended and extended and allowed for private nonprofit agencies to be eligible for state grants (Rose, 1991).

CONCLUSION

The political climate of the 1960’s lead to legislation with the goal of creating a “Great Society.”  The turmoil of the time including the conflict in Vietnam, Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Civil Rights Movement created speed bumps in this “Great” plan but it did give a foundation for adult education programs. Many of the legislation in the 1960’s was to achieve the “Great Society” by dealing with the economic downturn and to reduce poverty and unemployment. Whether these programs have been successful has been debated but the vision behind them was inspirational.

Many of the programs around today are due to the legislation passed in the 1960’s. Because of legislation like the Adult Education Act of 1966 and its predecessor legislation, every state in the United States and its territories has some type of adult education program. These programs range from basic high equivalency and include trade schools, continuing education classes, distance learning classes, and degree programs. In addition with the Higher Education Act and its renewals many Americans can afford to participate in these programs because of financial assistance. It also created job through the establishment of state and local bureaucracies to oversee the funding of the programs.

Some of the adult education programs available today include Women Infants and Children (WIC) which provides nutrition, parenting and breastfeeding classes; First Aid and CPR classes available through the Red Cross and similar organizations; Suicide Prevention training for educators and community organizations that deal with teens; GED® classes; ESL/ELL classes for non-native English speakers; citizenship classes provided by Catholic Charities and similar organizations; and many more programs that receive funding to provide adult education both for community and vocational skills.

There has also been an increase in some of the programs established in the 1960’s that provide adult education including the Peace Corps and Vista programs. Literacy programs established under the ABE have decreased the number or adults in the United States who are illiterate. While these programs have not eliminated poverty and unemployment they have created a workforce with greater technological skills and more informed citizens. The 1960’s was a decade of change and one of those changes was in adult education.

Areas	Summary
Social Factors	* Civil Rights Movement * Poverty and unemployment
Highlights	*Man Power Training and Development Act of 1962 * Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 *Higher Education Act of 1965  *Adult Basic Education Act of 1966
Influential Factors	* Kennedy Assassination * “War on Poverty” * Civil Rights Movement * Unemployment and Poverty during economic growth
Implications	* Access to adult education programs in every state. *Funding for programs and participants. *Increased skill level of American workers. * Lower number of adults who are illiterate.

References

History of Federal Voting Rights Laws. (2014, January 25). Retrieved from United States Department of Justice: http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.php

History: 1960's. (2014, January 25). Retrieved from Peace Corps: http://www.peacecorps.gov/about/history/decades/1960/

Kremen, G. R. (2014, January 26). MDTA: The Origins of the Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962. Retrieved from United States Department of Labor: http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/mono-mdtatext.htm

Recess Reading: An Occasional Feature From The Judiciary Committee. (2014, January 25). Retrieved from United States Senate Committee on Judiciary: http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/history/CivilRightsAct.cfm

Rose, A. D. (1991). Ends or Means: An Overview of the History of the Adult Education Act. Columbus: ERIC Clearing House on Adult, Career and Vocational Education, Center on .

Statement Upon Signing Order Establishing the Peace Corps, March 1, 1961. (2014, January 25). Retrieved from John F. Kennedy Library and Museum: http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/2DfDYdJEAE65QLj6otQQkQ.aspx

The 1960's. (2014, January 25). Retrieved from History.com: http://www.history.com/topics/1960s.

The Early History of the Higher Education Act of 1965. (2014, January 26). Retrieved from Pell Institute: http://www.pellinstitute.org/downloads/trio_clearinghouse-The%20Early%20History%20of%20the%20Higher%20Education%20Act%20of%201965.pdf