Report Calls Adult-Ed Programs Inadequate

Workplace Suffers, Md. Officials Say

Nearly 1 million Maryland adults lack high school diplomas or need English language instruction even as the demand for highly trained workers is increasing, according to a Maryland State Department of Education report.

The waiting list for adult education services across the state has about 5,000 people, with the largest number of people seeking instruction in English as a second language, the report said. The programs serve 36,000 to 38,000 people annually, the report said.

Maryland spent $77 per student in fiscal 2003 compared with an average of $477 per student in East Coast states on general equivalency classes, instruction in English as a second language and other literacy programs. Only Rhode Island fared worse. Maryland education officials do not promote their programs or recruit students because there's no room for additional students in classes, the study said.

"We're not even in the ballpark," said Patricia Bennett, program manager for adult education and literacy at the Maryland State Department of Education. "We have historically spent about $77 per student, which is about the cost of a textbook these days."

Business leaders familiar with the study said this week that the shortage of skilled workers is driving businesses away from the area and damaging the economy.

"The higher the quality of the workforce, the more skilled the workforce, the more attractive the state of Maryland becomes to businesses and employers to want to relocate in Maryland . . . or to stay here in Maryland and expand their businesses," said Bob Burdon, president and chief executive of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce.

Al Porter, chairman of the education committee for the Prince George's Chamber of Commerce, said he is particularly concerned about the impact on his county.

"We're on the cusp of a booming economy in Prince George's County, and if we don't have the employee base to take the jobs, I think it's going to speak to the long-term viability of our county," Porter said.

The task force that prepared the report recommended that the state spend $26.5 million over the next four or five years to strengthen adult education programs. The panel, consisting of business leaders, educators and politicians, was established by State Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick in 2004. The report was presented to the State Board of Education in December, and state officials briefed reporters this month.

"It is absolutely essential to Maryland's economic development as well as the well-being of families that these individuals have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and learn English," Grasmick said.

State officials said they expect federal funding for adult education programs to be cut by 74 percent in fiscal 2007, which could force 18,000 students out of instruction.

The money shortage has also made it hard to recruit qualified teachers, many of whom work only part time in adult education programs, the panel said. Maryland's teacher training schools do not offer many graduate-level courses on adult instruction, and there is no state certification requirement specific to adult education, the report found.

But there is more to the teacher shortage problem, said Tom Israel, executive director of the Montgomery County Education Association. The pressure on teachers to meet state and federal standards has limited the time they have to teach additional classes in the evenings. "The more the pressure is ratcheted up for student achievement in K to 12, the less time people have to take on the extra responsibilities," Israel said.

Nonetheless, Israel said, K-to-12 teachers are finding more of a need for adult education programs, particularly because they are encountering more parents who are not able to speak English well enough to participate in parent-teacher conferences or help their children with homework.

The task force members said the insufficiency of adult education has also hurt the workforce. Since World War II, the economy has shifted from a focus on manufacturing to technology, biosciences, health care and other services. The earning power of school dropouts has declined in the past three decades as the economy has shifted to jobs that require more skills.

The study found evidence that the state's adult education programs have helped place students in the workforce. Of those adults who enrolled in remedial programs, 94 percent achieved a higher literacy level or continued their education, and 74 percent earned general equivalency certification. Of those students who had been unemployed, 64 percent got jobs.

The panel made recommendations, including that the state increase enrollment in adult programs by 17 percent. The panel also suggested that the state establish a funding formula for adult programs and publish an annual performance report to encourage accountability. The state should increase its share of funding, taking part of the burden off local governments and bearing at least 40 percent of the cost, the report said.