ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION - Spring 2020 - Forum: Broadening the Lens on Adult Literacy Education Outcomes - Part 3 of 3 - Toward a Vision of Movement Building in Adult Literacy Education - read online free

Oct 15, 2026

Forum contribution exploring how adult literacy education discourse shifted from human rights and social justice toward human capital and workforce development after 1990s neoliberal policy changes and federal funding restructuring under WIA. Analyzes neoliberal measurement demands tied to short-term outcomes and standardized tests, arguing they undervalue long-term impacts and broader student goals. Proposes a lifelong, life-wide framework and calls for explicit alignment with grassroots movements to dismantle systemic inequities and strengthen advocacy for sustained funding.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Forum: Broadening the Lens on Adult Literacy Education Outcomes

Toward a Vision of Movement Building in Adult Literacy Education

Shift from human rights to human capital

Limits of neoliberal measurement and short-term returns

Lifelong and life-wide framework

Key questions for educators and funding strategy

Implications of stagnant funding and justice-oriented alignment

ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION Spring 2020 Forum: Broadening the Lens on Adult Literacy Education Outcomes (Part 3 of 3) Toward a Vision of Movement Building in Adult Literacy Education Ira Yankwitt, Literacy Assistance Center Recently, a colleague of mine in his 20s asked me when and why the discourse in the field of adult literacy education shifted from the language of “human rights” and “social justice” to the language of “human capital” and “workforce development.” My response: the 1990s, neoliberalism, and the subsuming of federal funding for adult literacy education under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in 1998. Neoliberalism has been the prevailing economic ideology in the United States for the past four decades; and, as Stephen Reder alludes to in his article, A Lifelong and Life-Wide Framework for Adult Literacy Education, the core tenet of neoliberalism is a faith in “free markets”to address all social, political, and economic ills. Neoliberal doctrine promotes free trade, deregulation of business and industry, decreased government spending, and greater privatization of services, and it regards individuals first and foremost as economic actors (i.e., workers and consumers). As Reder notes, neoliberalism narrows the purpose of adult literacy education to “increasing human capital.” It justifies public investment in adult literacy education primarily for its potential to meet the needs of employers, expand the available workforce, and, ultimately, to grow the economy as a whole. Based on the norms of the market, neoliberalism strives to maximize efficiency and seeks measurable, near-term returns on investment; and, as codified in WIA (and later WIOA), it requires our field to measure the effectiveness of our programs principally by demonstrating students’ success at increasing standardized test scores, attaining credentials, and entering into further training or employment. As Reder points out, while the neoliberal understanding of the purpose and value of adult literacy education aligns with the employment and workforce goals of many of our students, it devalues other goals and motivations. It also fails to recognize that the economic outcomesit prioritizes sometimes only emerge over time. In response, Reder argues for a more expansive“lifelong” and “life-wide” framework that would measure impacts over longer periods of time and would be “structured around the literacy activities and purposes in individual adults’ lives.” While I share Reder’s critique of the current system and applaud his vision for a lifelong and life-wide framework, Reder’s article raises several questions for me: 1. Is it possible for adult literacy programs to truly deliver on the promise of empowering students to achieve their life-wide goals without also participating in broader Correspondence: Ira Yankwitt, [iray@lacnyc.org](iray@lacnyc.org) 58 movements that seek to transform the oppressive social, political, and economic forces that circumscribe students’ lives? 2. Given neoliberalism’s focus on maximizing short-term return on public investment, and given the number of our students who enter at the lower levels of literacy and English language proficiency, will continuing to promote adult literacy education asan essential component of the workforce development system ever be a winning strategy for increasing funding for our field? Or is wedding ourselves to neoliberalism and attempting to justify the value of our programs by their workforce outcomes ultimately a losing proposition? 3. In many of our students’ communities and/ or countries of origin, neoliberal policies have caused economic decline, a reduction in resources and services, and displacement. As community educators, how should we respond to this reality? Should we be tacitly accepting the neoliberal paradigm and our designated role within it? Or should we be actively critiquing and challenging neoliberalism itself? In the 20 years since the implementa

FAQs

Why did the field of adult literacy education shift from human rights language to human capital and workforce development language?

The shift is attributed to the 1990s, neoliberal ideology, and the subsuming of federal adult literacy education funding under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) in 1998.

What critique is made of the neoliberal purpose and measurement of adult literacy education?

Neoliberalism narrows adult literacy education to increasing human capital and emphasizes near-term measurable returns like standardized test gains and credentials. This devalues other goals and overlooks that economic outcomes may emerge over time.

What does the author propose as a response to the current system and funding environment?

The author supports a more expansive lifelong and life-wide framework and argues for explicit alignment with grassroots movements for racial, social, and economic justice to build support, elevate adult literacy’s importance, and advocate for sustained funding.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Chumphorn