National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week
October 18 – 24, 2009

The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) invites you to join in a celebration recognizing October 18 – 24, 2009 as National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. This Congressional declaration is the culmination of literacy advocacy and outreach resulting in 26 co-signers in the U. S. House of Representatives, including Representative Phil Hare (D-IL).

Adult Education and Family Literacy programs funded by the ICCB serve adult students who need to improve their basic literacy and math skills, improve their oral and written English, practice for the GED Tests to attain a high school equivalence certificate, and prepare for postsecondary education or training, and employment. According to the latest national survey of adults, over 93 million American adults have Basic or Below Basic literacy skills that limit their ability to advance at work and in education. In Illinois, more than 1.8 million adults do not have a high school diploma and approximately 2.34 million immigrants speak a language other than English in their homes.

More than 100 ICCB funded programs in Illinois provide instruction to more than 118,000 adult education learners each year. Geoffrey Obrzut, President/Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois Community College System states that “there continues to be a growing need to provide more adult education services to more individuals.” “A student’s ability to attain the skills necessary to move into community college is important” says Guy Alongi, ICCB Board Chairman.

More than 26,000 individuals take GED test annually. “The success of the students is a major priority for the ICCB”, says Dr. Karen Hunter Anderson, Vice President for Adult Education and Institutional Support. “We will continue our efforts in expanding services to reach more individuals in order to improve their basic skills and acquire the English language skills needed for educational and employment advancement.”

“ This is an extreme honor and a great opportunity for Illinois as well as other states to showcase the success of the Adult Education System”, says Jennifer Foster, Senior Director for Adult Education and Family Literacy/State Director for GED Testing Administration. “We need to keep the momentum going this week and beyond”.

For more information about Illinois Adult Education and national adult education facts, visit the following websites:
• Illinois Adult Education: http://www.iccb.org/adulted.html
• National Coalition for Literacy: http://www.national-coalition-literacy.org/litfacts.html