Published: June 01, 2009 04:57 pm      

Exceeding goals — 06/02/09

Adult Education doing it right

For the sixth time in nine years, Kentucky Adult Education has qualified for additional federal fundings through a competitive program based on performance. Clearly, when it comes to reaching adults who need additional education, Kentucky is doing something right.

In the latest funding cycle, Kentucky is one of only 11 states to qualify for a Federal Workforce Investment Act incentive grant based on its fiscal year 2007-08 performance. To qualify for the grants, states must exceed agreed upon performance levels.

Kentucky Adult Education will work with partner agencies to develop an application for the use of the $851,748 grant. The act requires the funds be used to carry out innovative activities consistent with the requirements of the programs within the act.

By qualifying for the incentive funds during six of the nine years of the grant, Kentucky Adult Education has received an additional $8,793,202 in federal funds for its programs.

Since the days when Martha Wilkinson, wife of former Gov. Wallace Wilkinson, launched Martha’s GED Army, thousands of Kentucky adults who did not complete high school have received their GEDs. In fact, 11 percent more Kentucky adults received their GEDs during fiscal year 2007-2008 than in the previous fiscal year, reresenting the most significant growth in seven years. As part of the Council on Postsecondary Education’s 2020 goals, Kentucky Adult Education has set a goal of reaching 15,000 GED diplomas annually by 2020.

It was not so many years ago that Kentucky had the nation’s highest percentage of adults without high school degrees. Coupled with having among the nation’s lowest percentage of adults with college degrees, a woefully undereducated adult workforce remains one of the biggest impediments to economic growth and development in this state. Every time an adult earns an GED in Kentucky, not only does that indivdual benefit but so does the entire state.

At one time adult education was the poor, neglected stepchild of education in Kentucky. That changed when the 1997 Higher Education Reform Act placed adult education under the umbrella of the Council on Postsecondary Education.

We commend Kentucky Adult Education for not only consistently meeting its goals, but exceeding them.