Editor’s Note: Dr. Christine Miller represents Georgia in the 2025 cohort of the Coalition on Adult Basic Education’s (COABE) State Advocate for Adult Education Fellows (SAAEF). She can be reached at cdmreads@gmail.com. The views expressed are her own.
Throughout the year, communities, employers, and adults across Georgia rely on Adult Education providers as a trusted resource for skill development and credentialing. Adult Education and Family Literacy Week (September 1420) is celebrated to draw attention to the importance of lifelong learning. Adult Education offers many benefits, including economic benefits. When adults improve their foundational academic skills and high school equivalency credentials, they enjoy better employment opportunities. This strengthens the economy for everyone. This month offers a great opportunity to share this message with community members who may not know much about adult education. Data from the Coalition on Adult Basic Education (COABE), the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy (BBFL), and ProLiteracy describe the impacts of skills and education on the lives of adults: Did you know that . . .
• 63% of U.S. jobs require a high school credential (COABE, 2025).
• Adult Education fills workforce training and development needs: In a survey of human resource managers, 64% said that they were struggling with a mismatch between the skills they needed and their worker’s skills (COABE, 2025).
• Just over half (54%) of U.S. adults read below the 6th grade level (BBFL, 2025). Adults with low skills are twice as likely to be unemployed compared to adults with higher skills (COABE, 2025).
• The employment rate is lower and the median income is $17,500 less than the rest of the state in the Georgia counties in which 1/4 of the adult population have low reading skills (BBFL, 2025).
• About 13% of working age adults lack the digital literacy skills needed to use workplace technology (COABE, 2025).
Success Builds Success
• Helping adults raise their literacy and educational level increases their earning potential.
Compared to high school dropouts, people with a high school diploma or credential earn over 25% more on average (COABE, 2025)
• Ninety percent of adult learners whose goal is to prepare for the GED or HiSet successfully earn their High School Equivalency (HSE) credential (COABE, 2025).
• Nearly half (45%) of adults who earn their HSE continue their education, with a 90% completion rate (COABE, 2025).
• Adult skills and education are factored into the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) because they are a workforce resource. If the reading skills of all U.S. adults rose to at least the 6th grade equivalency level, the U.S. GDP would rise by trillions of dollars (BBFL, 2025).
Adult Education addresses critical needs by serving adults (ages 16 and above). At these programs, adult learners take classes to develop their reading, writing, math, and computer skills. As they get closer to taking the GED or HiSet tests to earn their high school credential, they may take science and social studies classes. Programs may coordinate with local employers to teach specific work-based skills. Adult learners can progress to further education and vocational training. As adults improve their foundational skills and earn credentials, they enjoy better economic opportunities with jobs that pay family sustaining wages. This strengthens communities and the state of Georgia as the tax base expands. High quality potential employers recognize that there is a skilled workforce available.
Let us make September a celebration of Adult Education and Family Literacy. Programs are always happy to have local volunteers who can tutor or help in other ways. Donating children’s books for adult learners to read with their children fosters family literacy. It is also important to let your political representatives know that you support Adult Education as a part of the federal and state budgeting process. Working together, let us keep Georgia growing, learning, and thriving.