Portland Press Herald, August 31, 2016: (Editorial) Our View: New Federal Adult Education Law Leaves Too Many Behind

“Maine’s adult education programs – frequently partnering with Literacy Volunteers groups – do the heavy lifting when it comes to helping adults develop these basic skills. But under the federal Workplace Innovation and Opportunity Act – passed two years ago and implemented July 1 – adult education is now going in a different direction. In order to qualify for crucial federal funds, adult education providers are being called on to work with businesses and workforce development groups to create specific training programs. This emphasis on job training certainly has a place in a state like Maine, especially in areas that have persistently high poverty and unemployment rates. Indeed, this approach has resulted in new programs that provide high-paying jobs in fields like forestry, Peter Caron, adult education director for the Fort Kent school district, told the Maine Public Broadcasting Network last week. But adult education advocates worry that the new law is focusing on funding job advancement and post-secondary education programs at the expense of services to people who aren’t equipped to meet these goals.”