Washington, DC - The President of the DC State Board of Education (SBOE), Jack Jacobson, will testify today before a joint hearing of the Council of the District of Columbia’s Committees of the Whole and Education. The hearing, entitled “The State of Adult Education and Adult Literacy Initiatives in the District”, is designed to inform the Council about the current environment facing the District’s adult learners and opportunities for removing barriers to their success.
“Put simply, education, especially adult education, changes lives,” said President Jacobson in his testimony. “Many of our adult learners have not taken the traditional educational path because they have faced significant personal barriers. Their non-traditional educational experience means that they tend to earn less over their lifetime, leading to economic barriers that may become entrenched and generational. To overcome these circumstances and re-enter the educational arena, shows remarkable resilience and determination.”
Immediately before the next SBOE Working Session on October 7, 2015, members of the Board will have the opportunity to take portions of the new Common Core aligned General Education Development (GED) Ready exam. This practice exam is taken by hundreds of District residents to determine their readiness to pass the full GED, often a first step for adult learners in moving forward with their careers or college.
More information about services offered by the District for adult learners can be found here.
The State Board of Education provides policy leadership, support, advocacy, and oversight of public education to ensure that every student is valued and learns the skills and knowledge necessary to become informed, competent, and contributing global citizens. More information about the SBOE can be found at http://sboe.dc.gov.