Recession Puts Michigan’s Focus on Adult Ed Reforms
Michigan’s ongoing recession has laid bare a problem that was easier to overlook in the boom times of the late 1990s. Nearly 700,000 of the state’s working-age adults don’t have a high school diploma or GED certificate. Many of those who do nonetheless lack the basic skills a high school graduate is supposed to have. And the economy is leaving them behind.
The state’s elected officials left them behind years ago. In 2001, Michigan’s adult education programs, which include adult basic education, GED preparation and English as a second language, got $80 million from the state. This year, it was $22 million. Enrollment has fallen by half, hitting a low of 28,243 last year. Programs have contracted, shut their doors.
Matthew Miller Lansing State Journal
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