History of Adult/Community Education: The 1960s

I commented on papers by Charlene Jackson and Becky Moening in Group 3.

History of Adult/Community Education: The 1960s

Jennifer Warrner

Ball State University

EDAC 631 Adult and Community Education

September 14, 2014

Introduction

The 1960s have been described by historians as the decade with the most significant changes in United States history. One of those changes was the emphasis on space exploration. Though the Space Race began in the late 1950s, United States President John F. Kennedy added extra emphasis to this project in May 1961 by declaring that the United States would land a man on the moon before 1970.  On July 20, 1969, that goal was achieved when American astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission (“The Space Race,” 2014).  This was a monumental achievement for NASA and for the United States.

One of the main historical events in the 1960s was The Civil Rights Movement which ended in 1968. The goal of this movement was to end social segregation and racism for African Americans. One of the most well known events of the Civil Rights Movement was the “I Have a Dream” speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963 in Washington, D.C. Due to the efforts of the participants of the Civil Rights Movement, two significant national acts were signed by United States President Lyndon B. Johnson.  The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination in public places and banned discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or nationality. That act also encouraged the desegregation of public schools.  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 significantly increased the number of African American registered voters (“U.S. Timeline – 1960s,” 2014).

In addition to increased rights for African Americans, the 1960s was also a decade of increased rights for women.  The Women’s Movement began in the 1960s in part because of the publication of Betty Friedan’s book, The Feminine Mystique. The Equal Pay Act, which made it illegal for organizations to pay men and women different wages for the same work, was passed in 1963. In 1968, to further help with this issue, civil rights legislation was passed to prohibit discrimination in the workplace based on gender bias (Wood, 2010).

Major advances were made in science and technology during the 1960s. Inventions including the countertop microwave oven, the hand held calculator, the push button telephone, halogen lamps, instant color film, and Kelvar, were developed during this decade.  The Boeing 727 airplane took its first flight in 1963, which made domestic air travel a viable option for millions of every day people. In medical advances, the first human heart transplant surgery was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in 1967. The artificial heart was also created in the 1960s (Rich, 2010). All of these inventions and advances positively impacted society.

The legislative acts that were passed and the advances in science and technology were significant positive moments in the 1960s. However, the 1960s also included tumultuous events. The Vietnam War continued for the duration of the decade. The world lost two influential historical leaders when United States President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and Civil Rights Movement leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968 (“U.S. Timeline -1960’s,” 2014).

Highlights and Influential Factors

In the 1960s, the United States population was moving from the country to the city. Cities with a population of at least 50,000 experienced a 16.6% growth and larger urban areas grew by 19.2% (Knowles,1994, p. 284). The movement of the population from rural to urban areas meant people had easier access to adult education.  The population was also better educated than previous decades. In the 1960s, people age 25 and older had completed an average of 10.5 years of school (Knowles, 1994, p. 285).  However, even with that increased education, people in the 1960s were experiencing “class unemployment,” not mass unemployment like during the Great Depression (Rose, 1991, p. 16).  Employment opportunities were available, but people lacked the skills to be qualified for jobs. That influenced the federal government to have an expanded role in adult education beginning in the 1960s. In 1962, United States President John F. Kennedy signed the Manpower Development and Training Act. This legislation established a three year program aimed at retraining workers displaced by advances in technology. Additional legislation was established in 1964 when United States President Lyndon B. Johnson declared the “War on Poverty.” Johnson stated, “Our aim is not only to relieve the symptoms of poverty, but to cure it and, above all, to prevent it.” The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was a result of this “war.” That act established several initiatives that are related to adult education including Job Corps, the VISTA program, and the federal work-study program (Matthew, 2014).  With the passage of this act, the Adult Basic Education program was established. This program provided funding to state agencies to offer opportunities for people 18 and older to develop reading, writing, language, and math skills to find employment opportunities and to be better citizens.  In 1965, President Johnson hosted the White House Conference on Education which influenced the Adult Education Act of 1966 (U.S. Department of Education, 2013, p. 9).

            In this decade, the most influential piece of legislation related to adult education was the Adult Education Act of 1966.  This legislation established the Adult Education Program in the U.S. Department of Education and authorized grants for teacher training and projects in adult education. This act was designed to “initiate programs of instruction for persons 18 years and older whose inability to read or write the English language constitutes a substantial impairment of their ability to gain employment” (“Adult Education Act: 1966-1991,” 1991, p. 1). The Adult Education Act was amended several times in the late 1960s. As a result of The Adult Education Act, all fifty states formed Adult Basic Education programs, and in 1966, more than 245,000 students were enrolled in adult education opportunities (“History of the Adult Education Act: An Overview,” 1991, p. 1).  Because of the national legislation for education, federal funds for education and related activities grew from $3.8 billion in 1960 to $16.5 billion in 1970 (Knowles, 1994, p. 291).  This significant increase in funds reinforced that the federal government had a new role in education.  In addition, because of all of this new federal legislation, adult education experienced new funding, new growth, and a new awareness.

Implications

One primary implication from this research is that adult education opportunities need to continue to expand and to grow. The United States population in 1960 was approximately 180 million people.  The estimated current population in the United States is approximately 317 million people.  As the population continues to grow, the number of adults who need access to educational opportunities will continue to increase. In addition, adult education professionals need to consider how technology can assist in making adult education opportunities reach more participants. In the 1960s, adult educators used advances in technology, such as television and distance education, to reach a larger number of students. Current adult educators need to continue that trend by using new technologies, such as the Internet and apps for smart phones, to expand educational opportunities for adults. With the continued increase in population, not all adult education opportunities will be able to be face to face in a classroom setting.  Adult educators also need to be aware of societal changes and historical events. In the 1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson and other leaders saw a need for increases in adult education. With the increase in federal legislation, resources were made available to help with that need. Leaders in society and in adult education professional organizations need to stay informed about current events in society to ensure that adult education opportunities meet the needs of the current adult population. For example, current society is going to face a knowledge crisis with the upcoming retirements of thousands of people from the Baby Boomer generation. Adult educators need to be proactive and think about educational opportunities to help with that knowledge gap.

            A second implication from this research is that adult education is a dynamic field that has consistently gained popularity throughout time. The number of graduate programs related to adult education has continued to increase, which leads to an increased knowledge base of information about adult education. For example, in 1960, thirteen colleges and universities offered masters and graduate program in adult education with only a handful of graduates. By 1976, that number was sixty five programs with hundreds of graduates (Knowles, 1994, p. 301).  Since the number of doctorates awarded in higher education has increased since the 1960s, the number of dissertations and scholarly research publications in this field has also increased. As more research is developed, more will be known about how adults learn, how to best reach adults in educational opportunities, and what types of adult education are more effective. The increase in interest in graduate program for adult education also means there will be more professionals in the field, which will also influence future adult education opportunities and research.

            The 1960s was a new era for the role of the federal government in adult education and also demonstrated that the government’s involvement in adult education is important. The federal legislation established in the 1960s had a major positive impact on adult education and brought increased awareness and a major increase in funding to the field. In the future, government at the state and federal levels needs to continue to be involved in adult education so the field can continue to grow.

            The 1960s were a formative period in adult education. Current adult education professionals can learn many valuable lessons from this decade. Incorporating these lessons in the future of adult education will help the field to continue to meet the needs of the adult population.

Table 1 Summary of the History of Adult/Community Education Areas         Summary

Areas	Summary
Social background	The Space Race. The Civil Rights Movement and Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Women’s Movement. Advances in science and technology. The Vietnam War. Assassinations of key historical figures including President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Highlights	The Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962. “War on Poverty” declared by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. 1965 White House Conference on Education. The Adult Education Act of 1966.
Influential factors	Federal legislation for adult education. Movement of population from countries to cities. Increased educational attainment, but lack of required skills for employment opportunities.
Implications	Adult education needs to continue to expand and to grow. Adult education is a dynamic field. Adult education needs to consider current societal events. Adult education needs the continued support of the government.

References

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http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/anniv40/ae-act.pdf

History of the adult education act: An overview. (1991).  Retrieved from 

http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/anniv40/silver-a.pdf

Knowles, M. S. (1994). A history of the adult education movement in the United States. Malabar,

FL: Krieger Publishing Company.

Matthew, D. (2014). Everything you need to know about the war on poverty. Retrieved from

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/01/08/everything-you-need-

to-know-about-the-war-on-poverty/

Rich, M. (2010). Inventions of the sixties. Retrieved from

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/pop/inventions-60.htm

Rose, A.D. (1991). Ends or means: An overview of the history of the adult education act (Report

No. RI88062005). Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Center on Education and

Training for Employment.

The space race. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/space-race

U.S. Department of Education. (2013). Federal adult education a legislative history 1964-2013.

Retrieved from http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/Adult_Ed_History_Report.pdf

U.S. timeline – 1960’s. (2014). Retrieved from

http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1960.html

Wood, M.L. (2010). The women’s movement. Retrieved from

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-postwar/6055