History of Adult and Community Education in the 1960s

 

Peggy Dessing

Ball State University

EDAC 631: Adult and Community Education

Dr. Bo Chang

02/06/2022

History of Adult and Community Education in the 1960s

Your Name	Commented On
Peggy Dessing	Victoria Dixon Shane Lanning

 

Introduction/Social Background

The 1960s was one of the most significant decades of change. In the 1960s, we see the Civil Rights movement, which was the initiative to end social segregation and racism and provided African Americans equal access to restaurants, transportation and other public facilities. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, which further helped with the next couple of movements that were made in this decade (US Timeline, 2014). The Voting Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed the requirement of potential voters to take a literacy test in order to vote, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968 helped by expanding these securities to voting and housing and helped fight against racially motivated hate crimes (Federal Adult Education, 2013).

These acts then paved the path so that the federal government could start seeing a greater benefit to education. With the help of presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson two other movements were made and signed by Lyndon B. Johnson. These two men lobbied for increased federal aid, new programs were able to be developed for future generations (The 1960s Education, 2019). There were grants that helped with extension programs. These programs helped to aid the poor, specifically in the development of community resources, the unemployed, unskilled and the under-educated. These programs were developed to help with literacy issues and basic skills.

The Vietnam war was calling for mandatory service from young men. Most young men who were able to afford to go to college went to college, while most of the under-educated and lower class-men, those who couldn’t afford college, were sent off to Vietnam. The military saw quite a few under-educated and used funds to help with education programs for their soldiers.

The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 established the Adult Basic Education Program (Ulin, 1976). This program helped with unemployment by providing job training, and adult education.  The Adult Education Act of 1966, Title III, was created under the Amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This helped adults expand their language and improve their education to help prepare them for better jobs that could help them become overall better citizens (Ulin, 1976). The Vocational Education Amendments of 1968 helped to extend and improve adult education programs and also helped provide funding for new programs. These programs included work-study, occupational and technical courses, but was also for students 16 or older who had not been able to finish high school. This act helped lower the age from 18 to 16, the definition of what the age of an adult was (Federal Adult Education, 2013).

Highlights/ Influential Factors

Federal legislation for adult education began in 1964. The Government has encouraged adult learners by providing funds to help expand programs for adults that would otherwise be hindering their productivity (Rauh, Joseph, et al, 2014). It seems as though the government was doing this to in turn help themselves, by producing people who are highly educated to help the growth of the nation.  The Economic Opportunity Act in 1964 helped address illiteracy in adults.  This act helped to expand adult education opportunities with help from the state that were funded by the Federal Government. Different parts that led to the approval of other federal bills include, the awareness of quality education for children and adults, constant changes needed in the workforce, technology advancements and the increase of competition from other countries (Federal Adult Education, 2013).

The Adult Education Act of 1966 was focused toward statistics, education of the aging, literacy, basic adult education, community development, education for public affairs, leisure time education and human relations (Federal Adult Education, 2013).  While examining the role in adult education at the federal level, there were three main areas that were looked at:

-        Education for government employees, both civilian and military:

Government training was focused mainly on professional, administrative and technical fields. Executive Order 11478 in 1969, was focusing on equal opportunity employment (Ulin, 1976). They were pushing employees at some of the lower levels to participate in training programs and skill training to be able to advance into more financially secure positions. There were programs established for the education of service personnel, so they could earn at least a high school level education.

-        Manpower development and training programs:

The Area Redevelopment Act (1961) and the Manpower Development and Training Act (MDTA 1962) were put into place to help with aid for the unemployed due to lack of training (Ulin, 1976). In 1963 amendments were made to the MDTA that helped with funding training for basic educational skills to unemployed adults and children who were no longer in school. This training would help to prepare them for other advanced training programs that would help them find better jobs.

-        Program to develop literacy and basic skills:

The Library Services and Construction Act of 1964 helped to fund library services to adults who were handicapped, institutionalized, economically and socially disadvantaged or unable to leave their homes (Rauh, Joseph, et al, 2014). Employment was improving, but there were higher levels of unemployment for blacks, immigrants or other citizens who were not able to speak English and the folks who were under-educated. Vocational programs and the manpower development didn't prove effective for this group of individuals due to lack of funding. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the executive orders that went along with it helped prohibit discrimination in employment practices based on race, sex, age, religion or national origin (Federal Adult Education, 2013). The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was when the Adult Education Program was established.  President Johnson created this as a memorial to President Kennedy to help the government have a role in the education of underpaid adults in the community. President Johnson called this his “War on Poverty” (Federal Adult Education, 2013). This act focused on the people who were 18 or older and unable to read, write, or obtain employment.

Implications

There were so many advancements in our history that we can be proud of.  The 1960s brought about an integral part of adult education by bringing awareness to lifelong learning for those who may not have been able to experience it. Because people now had the chance to partake in adult education, more individuals were taking advantage of it. A considerable amount of funding was provided toward training programs, extended learning and on-the job training for individuals. there was more funding for the under-privileged and minorities, which helped pay for the vocational programs and training.

Adults have been able to reach for better goals in life with the availability and advancement in adult education. As the United States expanded and grew, more and more work opportunities became available. As immigrants came, there was a need for education in order for them to be able to become part of the workforce and have a productive and stable economic workforce. Many states started providing schools in the evenings to accommodate adult immigrants who needed to learn English.

The Vocational Education Amendments of 1968 improved programs and funding for new programs. These new programs include work-study programs, occupational courses, and guidance and counseling training. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act Amendments of 1967 were put in place to strengthen, improve and extend programs for elementary and secondary education (Wikipedia, 2022). This is still in place today, helping fund low income schools that otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford certain training programs or the materials needed to educate the students.

Lastly, the civil rights movement helped to create job opportunities that never would have been available to people. It was the beginning of the end of the social, political and economics discrimination that were suffered by the victims of this behavior. The education system will continue to need the funding from the government as there are more students now, more than ever that are wanting to continue their education.

 

 

Table 1. Summary of the History of Adult/Community Education

Areas	Summary
Social Background	John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Movement/Civil Rights Act of 1964 Voting Rights Act Vietnam
Highlights	Adult Education Act Economic Opportunity Act
Influential Factors	Area Redevelopment Act 1961 Manpower Development and Training Act 1962 Library Services and Construction Act 1964
Implications	Vocational Education Amendments 1968 Elementary and Secondary Education Act Amendments of 1967 Advantages of education for less fortunate

 

 

 

 

 

References

Federal Adult Education: A Legislative History 1964-2013. (2013, November). Available at: https://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/Adult_Ed_History_Report.pdf

Rauh, Joseph, et al. “The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” Library of Congress, 10 Oct. 2014, https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/civil-rights-act-of-1964.html.

The 1960s Education: Overview. Encyclopedia.com. (2019). Available at: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/culture-magazines/1960s-education-overview

Ulin, Jessie K. (1976). The Adult education act 1964-1974: An historical perspective. Washington: U.S. National Advisory Council on Adult Education.

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED123454.pdf

U.S. timeline – 1960’s. (2014). Retrieved from

http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1960.html

           Wikipedia contributors. (2022, January 12). Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elementary_and_Secondary_Education_Act