FOREWORD

Through a series of surveys, the National Center for Educational Statistics seeks to provide a comprehensive picture of the scope and characteristics of adult education in the United States. A study of adults, reported in Participation in Adult Education, 1969: Initial Report, ascertained the sources used for adult education. Studies of these sources have explored adult education as offered by colleges and universities, community organizations, and through the federally funded Adult Basic Education Program.

The survey reported in this publication deals with adult education as offered by the public education system. Originally planned as a study of existing data in State education agencies, the administrative structure for adult education in some of the States prompted the inclusion in this report not only of elementary and secondary school systems but also of adult education offered by community colleges. The basic purpose of the study was to learn the kinds of adult education offered in each State and the numbers of students and instructional staff involved. Comparability was facilitated by asking that data be reported for 27 selected federally sponsored adult education programs. States were also asked to report on other Federal programs as well as adult education initiated by State and local agencies.

The National Association for Public Continuing and Adult Education (NAPCAE) requested the survey and it designated as liaison James R. Dorland, then executive director of the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education (NAPCAE's affiliate). This group appointed a task force to provide advice and assistance; the task force included James H. Fling, of Florida, chairman; John P. Moran, of Maine; and Richard R. Gartner, of Texas.

The survey was planned under the direction of Morris B. Ullman during his service as chief of the Adult and Vocational Education Surveys Branch. F. Loyal Greer served as consultant and played a major role in the preparation of the report. Harold Nisselson reviewed the technical plan. Nicholas A. Osso helped make followup contacts with the States; Geneva C. Davis and Juanita Chase assisted with preparation of material for publication. Summer interns James Hassmer, Robert G. Fellows, and Ronald Benenson helped process the data.

Personnel in every State and outlying area cooperated in providing the statistics on adult education. Their efforts and the desire on the part of the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education to develop a comprehensive report in this area were essential to the success of this project.

Robert Calvert, Jr., Chief
Adult and Vocational Education
Surveys Branch

Dorothy M. Gilford

Assistant Commissioner
for Educational Statistics

Identification of Adult Education in Each State or Other Area

Reporting Agencies in States and Other Areas

Levels of Governmental Sponsorship

Selected Federal Programs

"Other" Federal Programs

State and Local Programs

Cooperative Programs

Enrollments

15

Selected Federal Programs

Four OE Programs

17

17

Community College Adult Education

Cooperating Agencies

Components of Adult Education Enrollment Statistics

Data From Schools Compared With Data From People

Instructional Staff

Selected Federal Programs

Four OE Programs

Community College Adult Education

Cooperating Agencies

Purposes of Adult Education

19

20

20

21

Appendix A--Prior Surveys of Public School Adult Education

78

Appendix B--Selected References

89

Appendix C--Survey Instrument

92

Text Tables

Table a.

Table b.

Table c.

Table d.

Table e.

Selected Federal programs: United States, 1968-69 and

1969-70 . .

Components of adult education enrollment statistics:
50 States and D.C., 1968-69 . .

Number and percent of participants in various sources of
adult education: United States, May 1969. .

Coordinator appointed by chief State school officer to
collect and report statistics for the survey on adult
education in the public education system, by State or
other area: United States, 1968-69 and 1969-70

Administering agencies reporting, and contacted for,
adult education statistics, by State or other area:
United States, 1968-69 and 1969-70

Table f. Duplication information on figures for adult education enrollment and instructional staff, by State or other area: United States, 1968-69.

Table 1.

Detail Tables

Numbers of programs reported and grouped reportings
submitted by each State reporting agency for adult
education in the public education system according to
the different levels of governmental sponsorship, by
State or other area: United States, 1968-69 and 1969-70. . . 11

Table 2.

.

State-reported participation in 27 selected federally
sponsored adult education programs in the public education
system, by State or other area: United States, 1968-69
and 1969-70.

13

Table 3.

Table 4.

Cooperatively offered adult education as percent of all
identifiable programs reported for each level of govern-
mental sponsorship, by State or other area: United States,
1968-69 .

Enrollment in adult education in the public education system
at each level of governmental sponsorship, by State or other
area: United States, 1968-69

14

. . 23

Table 5.

Table 6.

Detail Tables--Continued

Changes in adult education enrollments, with numbers for
full-time and part-time students, and part-time as percent
of total, for each year, by State or other area: United
States, 1968-69 and 1969-70

Changes in adult education enrollments at each level of
governmental sponsorship, with numbers for full-time and
part-time students, by State or other area: United States,
1968-69 and 1969-70.

Page

24

25

Table 7.

Changes in enrollments for the 27 selected federally spon-
sored adult education programs, with numbers for full-time
and part-time students, by State or other area:
States, 1968-69 and 1969-70 ...

United

. 29

Table 8.

Changes in enrollments for the four OE-sponsored adult educa-
tion programs, with numbers for full-time and part-time
students, by State or other area: United States, 1968-69
and 1969-70 . .

30

Table 9.

Table 10.

Table 11.

Table 12.

Table 13.

Table 14.

Changes in adult education enrollments for community and
junior colleges at each level of governmental sponsorship
with numbers for full-time and part-time students, by State
or other area: United States, 1968-69 and 1969-70

Enrollments in cooperatively offered adult education in the
public education system at each level of governmental
sponsorship, by State or other area: United States, 1968-69

Instructional staff for adult education in the public educa-
tion system, at each level of governmental sponsorship, by
State or other area: United States, 1968-69

Changes in adult education instructional staff, with numbers
for full-time and part-time instructors, and part-time as
percent of total, for each year, by State or other area:
United States, 1968-69 and 1969-70

Changes in adult education instructional staff at each level
of governmental sponsorship, with numbers for full-time and
part-time instructors, by State or other area: United States,
1968-69 and 1969-70 .

Changes in instructional staff for the 27 selected federally
sponsored adult education programs, with numbers for full-time
and part-time instructors, by State or other area: United
States, 1968-69 and 1969-70 .