Adult Learning

Adult learners include those with little education who want to improve their literacy skills to help them transition to college, immigrants who want to learn English, students who have dropped out of school and want to get their secondary credential or take the high school equivalency tests, and adults seeking to improve their employment skills.
 

Our Work

Two teachers talking in a classroom

Adult Education Research and Technical Assistance Center (AERTAC)

AERTAC conducts research and provides technical assistance to states and local programs to improve the adult education system by promoting teacher quality through better professional development, strengthening accountability, and increasing the use of technology in instruction.

Learn more about AERTAC

AIR's projects help improve adult learners’ basic skills and English language ability to enable them to obtain secondary and postsecondary credentials, succeed in postsecondary education, and become more employable.

Contact
Image of Larry Condelli

Larry Condelli

Institute Fellow and Managing Researcher
AIR Expert Mariann Fedele-McLeod

Mariann Fedele-McLeod

Managing TA Consultant
Image of Stephanie Cronen

Stephanie M. Cronen

Managing Researcher
Related Topics
Workforce
Reading and Literacy
Related Work

Beyond the Basics: How Institution Websites Can Encourage Enrollment for Adult Learners

12 Aug 2024
Postsecondary institutions must do a better job of serving adult learners; this includes messaging that recognizes and values the types of information adult learners seek and require to make informed decisions. Ensuring that an institution’s website makes a good first impression and provides necessary information in easy-to-find and understandable formats ...

What Do Parenting Adult Learners Consider When (Re)Enrolling in College?

14 Dec 2023
For adult learners with dependent children, pursuing postsecondary education is complicated. An AIR study explores the fact that better supporting adult learners means making significant changes to the learner experience at postsecondary institutions, and in this blog the researchers focus specifically on findings that are particularly meaningful for parenting adult ...
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Literacy Around the World

08 Sep 2023
Founded to actively mobilize the international community and to promote literacy as an instrument to empower individuals, communities, and societies, International Literacy Day is celebrated around the world. Learn more about the projects, people, research, and in-country technical assistance that are contributing to the effort. ...
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Piloting Intelligent Tutoring Systems to Enhance Sectoral Training Programs: Early Findings and Lessons Learned

05 Jun 2023
Based on decades of research on expert human tutoring and artificial intelligence (AI) in computer-based training systems, AIR, Per Scholas, and University of Memphis are exploring intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) as a mechanism for helping sectoral training programs improve outcomes for learners.

It Only Takes One…But Should It? The Impact of Individuals on an Adult Learners’ Journey

22 Mar 2023
AIR, in partnership with Lumina Foundation, is conducting a study to better understand adult learners’ educational journeys and, importantly, what institutions can change to better support those adults in pursuing their degree—especially adult learners who identify as Black or African American, Latino or Latina, or Indigenous. The full report on ...
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Leveraging Career and Technical Education to Prepare Students for College and Career Success

01 Feb 2023
Career and technical education (CTE) is a critical strategy for preparing youth and adults for careers and addressing the skills gap—a disparity between the skills job-seekers offer and the skills that employers need. Nationwide, AIR is supporting organizations large and small to strengthen CTE through rigorous research, evaluation, and technical ...
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Justice Equity Fellowship

AIR is developing a 12-month part-time Justice Equity Fellowship for individuals directly impacted by the justice system. The goals of the Fellowship include (a) advancing employment opportunities in research and technical assistance positions for individuals directly impacted by the justice system and (b) supporting AIR’s organizational learning and development to ...
ADVANCE IET project logo

ADVANCE IET

The Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act released federal legislation in 2014 which requires states to provide integrated education and training services for adult learners. The Integrated Education and Training (IET) model of instruction includes a combination of adult education and literacy, workforce preparation, and workforce training activities centered around a ...
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Alaska Adult Education Content Standards

The intent of contemporary standards-based education reform is to ensure that learners have access to instruction that supports them in developing the skills necessary for success. While the K–12 standards provide a strong foundation, adult learners need specific knowledge and skills to meet the demands of postsecondary training and employment ...
Group of smiling coworkers

Aligning the Registered Apprenticeship and Workforce Development Systems: A Resource

29 Apr 2022
Alignment between apprenticeship and workforce development systems benefits both systems, as well as their business and job seeker customers. This brief identifies the key dimensions of alignment, shares promising practices, and provides a checklist to assess and strengthen alignment.