PIAAC Some of you on this list are doubtless aware of this, but since I haven’t seen it posted here, NCES has released a web-based "First Look” report on the 2017 PIAAC data collection. Not sure what is significant here, at least from a policy standpoint. It does offer an updated opportunity for journalists and policymakers from outside the adult ed world to scratch their heads and wonder what it all means. Web site also includes outstanding use of stock photos. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/current_results.asp You may find it interesting to read how CEF reported this to CEF members: > New PIAAC report on adult educational competencies – The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) just released a new report on adult competencies in literacy, numeracy, and digital problem solving in 65 countries. The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) report <https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/current_results.asp> is based on 2017 data of adults aged 16-74, and found no measurably differences in average scores for adults in the U.S. since the last evaluations in 2012 and 2014. In this most recent evaluation, about one-fifth to one-quarter of adults performed at the lowest levels in each category: 19% of adults performed at the lowest level in literacy, 29% performed at the lowest level in numeracy, and 24% at the lowest level in digital problem solving. Budget and Appropriations PSR had its annual gala, annual meeting, and symposium earlier this month, and so your correspondent took some time off from reporting on the FY 2020 appropriations process (at least regarding the Labor-H-Education part) — which worked out fine, since there really hasn’t been much news. The current continuing resolution (CR) that is keeping the government running while we await the passage of some kind of appropriations package expires on Thursday. The House plans to vote tomorrow on a new CR that will last until December 20. https://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/house-democrats-introduce-continuing-resolution-0 Then, over the next four weeks, appropriators are supposed to agree on a total amount for each of the 12 government funding bills, and then negotiate funding levels for each program in each of the bills. LOL. In reality, no one believes they will get all of that done by December 20th. Not sure what happens then. Bear in mind the possibility that December 20th might be around the same time the House is taking a vote on articles of impeachment – which may have implications on getting anything else done in the House. There is talk that there may need to be a third CR lasting into February. One of the things that’s interesting is that Democrats are sounding like they might cave, I mean, be more flexible, on allowing some funding for the border wall. Per CEF, House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee chair Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) said recently that it’s possible that if there is additional funding available for key priorities, it is conceivable Democrats might allow for some border wall funds. In the Senate, on the other hand, Democrats are still unhappy that the Labor-HHS-Education bill was essentially frozen to provide a big increase for the Homeland Security bill, which includes funding for the border wall. Also look for increasing support from the administration — maybe other Republicans, too — for a year-long CR, a truly terrible idea, that would freeze spending for FY2020 at FY2019 levels for the entire year — meaning among other things, no adult ed increase. White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney likes this idea, I suppose, because it would take away the overall increase that was negotiated last summer when Congress agreed to raise the spending caps imposed by the Budget Control Act. Other Stuff For what it’s worth (not a lot), in *very* informal conversation with some higher education government relations/policy people I know last week, it seems that while there has been a flurry of activity around HEA lately, people aren’t really expecting a HEA reauthorization bill to emerge out of this Congress. Perhaps someone on this list more connected to this than I may have heard differently. Per CEF, House Democrats apparently have a as-yet-unpublished infrastructure bill in the works that focuses on transportation only, which means, among other things, no broadband — something I know is of high interest on this list. Blast from Past I posted these (attached) photos on twitter yesterday, but just in case there are subscribers to this list who for some bizarre reason do not follow me on twitter, I thought this was worth sharing. Visiting the office of another education association last week, I came across this mug from what I gather was an early/mid nineties campaign to divert military spending post-Cold War into things like education, housing, health care, etc. Non-defense groups it seems to me are not as strident these days in calling for reductions in military spending. Jeff Jeff Carter Cell: (202) 374-4387 | @jeffcrtr Senior Policy Advisor National Coalition for Literacy www.national-coalition-literacy.org <http://www.national-coalition-literacy.org/> jcarter@literacypolicy.org <mailto:jcarter@literacypolicy.org> Immediate Past President, Committee for Education Funding Executive Director Physicians for Social Responsibility 1111 14th St, NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20005 www.psr.org <http://www.psr.org/> | jcarter@psr.org <mailto:jcarter@psr.org>