Declining Enrollment in Federally-Funded Adult Education - Critical Questions for the Field

Oct 15, 2026

This essay examines the long-term decline in participation in federally-funded adult basic education (ABE), adult secondary education (ASE), and adult English Language (EL) programs. Enrollment data from 1965 onward show a steady downward shift beginning in the 1990s, with standardized reporting since 2000-2001 revealing a 65.8% drop for ABE/ASE students and a 49.2% drop for EL students. The work frames these patterns as pressing issues for funding, instruction, and national policy priorities, and it prompts further engagement with the field.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Enrollment Trends and Key Findings

Program Enrollment Data Windows (1965–2000, 2001–2020)

Data Sources and Limitations

Enrollment History (1965–2020)

ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION SUMMER 2022 | [http://doi.org/10.35847/APickard.4.2.36](http://doi.org/10.35847/APickard.4.2.36) | | | --- | --- | | | Viewpoint | Declining Enrollment in Federally-Funded Adult Education: Critical Questions for the Field Amy Pickard, Indiana University Abstract This essay describes the decline in the number of participants enrolled in federally-funded adult basic education (ABE), adult secondary education (ASE), and adult English Language (EL) programs. Enrollment data since 1965 indicate a steep and consistent downward trend in the number of adults enrolling in these programs since the 1990s. Importantly, since program year 2000-2001, the first year reflecting standardized reporting, there has been a 65.8% reduction in the number of ABE/ASE students enrolling in federally-funded programs and a 49.2% reduction in the number of EL students. The purpose of this article is to highlight the long-term nature of these trends, ask critical questions, and promote further engagement with the topic. Keywords: adult basic education, adult secondary education, adult English Language, adult education, enrollment This essay describes the contours and implications of an important issue for the field: the consistent decline in the number of participants enrolled in federally-funded adult basic education (ABE), adult secondary education (ASE), and English Language (EL) programs. For the purposes of this essay, these programs will be referred to as federally-funded adult education (AE) programs. Program enrollment data is considered in two chunks: 1965-2000, the years during which enrollment and reporting procedures across programs and states were likely less consistent; and 2001-2020, the years which reflect more standardized enrollment and reporting procedures. Both sets of data show a similar downward trend in the number of adults enrolling in federally-funded AE programs. Importantly, since program year 2000-2001, the first year reflecting standardized reporting procedures, there has been a 65.8% reduction in the number of ABE/ASE students enrolled in federally-funded programs and a 49.2% reduction in the number of EL students. These trends have important implications for the field in terms of funding, instruction, and national policy priorities. The purpose of this article is to highlight the long-term nature of these trends, ask critical questions, and promote further engagement with the topic. Correspondence: [pickard@iu.edu](pickard@iu.edu) 36 Data Sources and Limitations The enrollment data in this essay come from two sources: the 2013 U.S. Department of Education (ED) publication, Federal Adult Education, A Legislative History 1964-2013, and reports from the National Reporting System (NRS) . Records of enrollment in federally-funded AE programs are available beginning in the program year 1965 (ED, 2013) . However, many factors limit the analysis possible for the data from years 1965-2000, including changes in legislation and identification of instructional categories, as well as variation in state-and program-level enrollment and reporting procedures. For example, separate enrollment data for ASE was not available until 1972, and EL services were not consistently recorded as a separate instructional category until 1985 (ED, 2013) . Additionally, before 1998, criteria for defining enrollment may not have been consistent across states, or even across programs within a single state. For example, a student attending an orientation session but never returning may have been counted as enrolled by some programs but not by others. Because of these limitations, reports of the numbers of learners enrolled in federally-funded AE programs from 1965 to 2000 may be inexact. With the passage of the 1998 Workforce Investment Act (WIA) came new expectations for accountability and consistency across reporting procedures. With the advent of the NRS, the definition of enrollment became standardized

FAQs

What programs does the essay focus on when discussing declining enrollment?

The essay focuses on federally-funded adult basic education (ABE), adult secondary education (ASE), and adult English Language (EL) programs.

What major changes in enrollment are reported since 2000-2001?

Since program year 2000-2001, the number of ABE/ASE students enrolling in federally-funded programs fell by 65.8%, and EL student enrollment fell by 49.2%.

Why are enrollment data from 1965–2000 treated with caution?

The essay notes that changes in legislation, instructional category identification, and variation in state and program reporting procedures can limit analysis; criteria for defining enrollment also may not have been consistent across states and programs.

Oct 15, 2026

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