Research and Reports

NEW: 2009 - 2010 Waiting List Data from the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education
The National Council of State Directors of Adult Education surveyed states and territories to determine the demand for adult education and literacy services. Findings:

1. 50 of the 51 states/territories confirmed students on waiting lists in their state.
2. 986 of the 1368 (72%) of the local programs reporting confirmed waiting lists.
3. Some 160,000 potential learners want to access services but cannot.
4. The number of months on waiting lists has doubled since the 2008 survey.
5. $160M additional appropriation would begin to erase this waiting list.

Interactive Tool: National Assessment of Adult Literacy: Indirect County and State Estimates of the Percentage of Adults at the Lowest Literacy Level for 1992 and 2003
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has produced estimates of the percentage of adults lacking Basic Prose Literacy Skills (BPLS) for all states and counties in the U.S., the only available snapshot of adult literacy rates at local and state levels. The above link will take you to an interactive web tool which generates the percentages for counties and states. It also allows you to make comparisons between counties, between states, and across years at the county and state levels. Click here for the print version of the full report.

Economic and Noneconomic Outcomes for GED Credential Recipients
Economic and Noneconomic Outcomes for GED Credential Recipients provides evidence on the outcomes of those who earned the GED. On the economic outcomes, this study examines labor force participation, work history, weekly wage, and personal income. On the noneconomic outcomes, this study looks into political and social participation, family literacy, and health. For a full listing of GED Testing Service research and reports, visit the GED Testing Service Research Studies web page.

2004-2005 Annual Report to Congress on State Performance
The Annual Report to Congress details the status of the adult education program authorized under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) in 2004-2005. It includes National Reporting System (NRS) data on how well programs performed nationally and by state. It also contains data on student characteristics.

2007 GED Testing Program Statistical Report
The 2007 GED Testing Program Statistical Report provides data on adults who passed the GED exam. The report gives demographics and GED Tests performance statistics as well as background on the GED testing program.

National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy is a nationally representative assessment of English literacy among American adults age 16 and up. The NAAL is the nation's most comprehensive measure of adult literacy since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey  (NALS).

US Census Data on Eligible Population
The Office of Vocational and Adult Education has compiled state profiles of the adult education target population from the 2000 US Census.

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