Policy Issues and Process. Issues in Education for Adults, #1.

Overview & Synopsis

This publication, the first of a planned series, is intended to advance discussion by professionals and, hopefully, the public about education for adults--its purposes, control, and programs. Four essays are included, each with a distinct theme and purpose. However, all the essays relate to the major issues in adult education, national policy, lobbying, and a human policy with respect to adult education. The first essay, by William M. Rivera, examines definitions of adult education and educational policy by distinguishing certain directions in the field and by underscoring that adult education is more than a field of study and practice; it is an arena of political controversy and complex policymaking. In the second essay, William Hilton reviews the political position and purposes of the Education Commission for the States and sets up model guidelines of how to formulate policy. His essay introduces a major issue, i.e., should there be a comprehensive adult education policy at the federal level? Mariam Kazanjian's paper, third in the booklet, clarifies the federal and state interactive processes of policymaking, while the final paper by Warren L. Ziegler discusses a fully human policy of education, recognizing the drawbacks as well as benefits of providing education for adults as a public policy. His paper also questions the value of continuing to insist on distinctions between children/youth and adults with respect to educational policy and explores the implications of abandoning these distinctions. (KC)