Education
Adult education
The Adult and Community Education Program administers implements and coordinates programs and services to provide the state’s adult learners with quality basic elementary and secondary education. Public school districts, junior colleges, universities, nonprofit agencies, and community-based organizations receive funds through the Adult Education and Family Literacy (AEFL) program to provide these services at no cost to people age 18 and older.
Adult basic education includes instruction in reading, writing, English, and solving quantitative problems designed for adults who have minimal knowledge in these areas. Adult secondary education includes instruction below the college credit level in reading, writing, literature, mathematics, science, and social studies for adults who do not have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
As of August 2003, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) entered into an agreement with the Harris County Department of Education to provide program assistance and other statewide support services to Adult Education and Family Literacy Providers. There are several Programs available through the Adult Education Program: Adult Education and Family Literacy, Even Start Family Literacy, Adult Education of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Recipients, Corrections Education and other Institutionalized Individuals, and English Literacy and Civics Education.
Adult Education and Family Literacy provides literacy, English language proficiency, basic academic and functional context skills, and secondary level proficiencies for out-of-school youth and adults who are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance who function less than a secondary completion level. The Even Start Family Literacy Primarily targets parents of children and encourages them to help their children reach their full potential as learners by integrating adult education, literacy training, and early childhood education in a unified family-centered program. While this program targets parents, it can also be used by grandparents who have primary responsibility of their grandchildren. During the 2002-2003 school year, there were a total of 2,564 older adults (60+) enrolled in one of the above programs. Women comprise a larger percent of older adults who participate in the program (65%).
Adult Education of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Recipients provides adult education instruction to TANF recipients. As a condition of eligibility, TANF recipients are required to participate in adult basic education and job training programs. During the 2002-2003 school year, there were 164 older adults enrolled in the program, comprising one percent of the participating population. Women account for 63 percent of the older adults participating in the program, while men account for only 37 percent.
Corrections Education and Other Institutionalized Individuals is a program that provides literacy, English language proficiency, basic academic and functional context skills, and secondary level proficiencies for individuals incarcerated in a correctional facility or other institutionalized correction adults who function at less than a secondary completion level (e.g., those individuals institutionalized in MHMR correctional facilities). Ninety-nine older adults participated in the program during the 2002-2003 school year. Men comprise a larger proportion of older adults enrolled in the program –65 percent men, 32 percent women.
The English Literacy and Civics Education program is only available to individuals who are enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. The program provides recipients instruction on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, naturalization procedures, civic participation, and U.S. history and government. Four hundred and forty older adults were enrolled in the English Literacy and Civics Education program during the 2002-2003 school year. Of those enrolled, 65 percent are female and 35 percent are male.
Updated: November 2, 2007
