Hello again, Colleagues, Senator Jack Reed (RI) is seeking cosigners for a Dear Colleague letter that he is circulating. The letter asks Senators to support funding for WIOA Title II (AEFLA) at the authorized level in the 2020 federal budget. NCL and several member organizations have assisted Senator Reed's staff with the content of the letter. Currently, cosigners include the following: Jack Reed (RI) Jeanne Shaheen (NH) Maria Cantwell (WA) Christopher Murphy (CT) Sherrod Brown (OH) Angus King (ME) Richard Blumenthal (CT) Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) Debbie Stabenow (MI) Edward Markey (MA) Mazie Hirono (HI) Elizabeth Warren (MA) Amy Klobuchar (MN) Christopher Coons (DE) If your Senators are on this list, please call to thank them! If they are not, I hope that you will encourage them to cosign. The text of the letter and contact information for Moira Lenehan in Senator Reed's office are below. These are busy times for advocacy! Deborah Deborah Kennedy Senior Consultant / Owner, Key Words President, National Coalition for Literacy office: 202-364-1964 (September-May) office: 603-293-2402 (June-August) http://www.key-words.us http://www.national-coalition-literacy.org ___________________ Senator Reed invites his colleagues to join him in requesting that funding for adult education be provided at the level authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Grant.  Deadline to sign is COB, April 10.  For more information or to sign on , contact Moira Lenehan at 4-5217, mailto:moira_lenehan@reed.senate.gov.       April XX, 2019   The Honorable Roy Blunt                                          The Honorable Patty Murray Chair                                                                           Ranking Member Subcommittee on Labor, Health and                          Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education                                Human Services, and Education Senate Committee on Appropriations                        Senate Committee on Appropriations Washington, D.C. 20510                                            Washington, D.C. 20510     Dear Chairman Blunt and Ranking Member Murray:   Thank you for recognizing the urgent need to boost funding for the Adult Education State Grant Program in FY 2019. The increased funding will strengthen adult education programs and put more adults on a pathway to greater career opportunities and enhanced economic security. As your Subcommittee considers the Fiscal Year 2020 Appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, we urge you to continue to expand opportunities for adult learners and fund adult education at the authorized level of $678.6 million included in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support.   The need for strengthening the skills base for working adults continues to grow. Increasingly, middle-skill and sustainable wage jobs require education beyond high school. Yet, according to U.S. Census data, more than 22 million working age adults have less than a high school diploma. Moreover, an estimated 36 million adults in the U.S. have low skills with nearly one in six having low literacy skills and one in three having low numeracy skills.   Adult education can make a transformative difference for these Americans. Adult participants in basic skills programs experience mean income gains of 53 percent over ten years, compared with an income drop of two percent for nonparticipants. Those who participate for 100 hours or more demonstrate a substantial increase in their literacy skills, are significantly more likely than nonparticipants to achieve a high school credential, and continue to improve their skills after program completion. Adult basic skill program graduates are far more likely than nonparticipants to enter postsecondary education and receive credits, as well as to vote in national elections. However, existing programs are able to serve fewer than ten percent of those in need, and two thirds of programs are struggling with long waiting lists.   Without robust support for adult education, the U.S. is at risk of losing the skills race to global competitors. According to PIAAC (OECD’s Program of International Assessment of Adult Competencies), Americans lag behind the international average for basic skills in literacy and numeracy and “problem-solving in technology-rich environments.” While other nations show consistent progress in increasing the education levels of their adult populations, U.S. adults have not made similar progress. The international Survey of Adult Skills (OECD, 2013) found that our average performance in literacy and numeracy was significantly lower than the international average.   Simply put, we cannot meet our economic goals without a significant and sustained investment in building the skills of working class adults. We urge you to work towards increasing funding for adult education to the authorized level of $678.6 million for Fiscal Year 2020.   Thank you for your consideration of this important request.