The Impact of Adult Literacy Education on Low-income Women of Color

Lorna Rivera

This project investigates the impact of adult literacy education on formerly homeless women of color who participated in adult literacy classes. During the fellowship years, ethnographic data collected from 1995-2000 will be further analyzed and follow-up interviews with 15 women will be conducted. Also, a book manuscript will be written that examines how low-income women of color make meaning of their experiences in adult literacy education. The book discusses the multiplier effects of adult literacy education for women of color: how the women's participation in adult literacy education enabled other positive changes in their lives (beyond the acquisition of basic literacy skills); how the women engaged in healthier lifestyles; how they invested more in their children's education; how they improved their socio-economic status; and, how they increased their civic participation. The book will also discuss the qualitative differences in life circumstances and socio-economic status for the women who completed their General Education Diplomas (GED) compared to the women who did not. It will examine how the women's education histories have been affected by gender, race, and social class inequalities. Preliminary findings from this research suggest that low-income mothers faced personal barriers to participating in adult literacy education (e.g., family violence), and welfare reform policies also posed significant barriers to their education. Many of the formerly homeless women in this study were pressured to enroll in welfare-to-work training programs; they dropped out of adult literacy education and worked in service-sector jobs at minimum wage. Some women lost their welfare benefits and were transferred to other family shelters. The women who successfully completed their GED's continued to struggle with homelessness, domestic violence, lack of childcare, and other barriers to employment. Despite these problems, the findings also suggest that participation in adult literacy education had a positive impact on the women as evidenced by their increased civic participation and parental involvement in their children's education, their increased participation in community-building activities, their healthy behavior, and improved self-esteem. In the U.S., women participate in adult literacy education at higher rates than men do, and African-Americans and Latinos participate at higher rates than non-Hispanic whites in the most basic literacy classes (USDOE, 2002:37). The failure of the elementary and secondary education systems to meet the needs of low-income and minority students are already being reflected in adult literacy education classes. Data on school dropouts and GED testing statistics suggest an increasing number of youth enrollments in Adult Secondary Education programs (Hayes, 2000). High-stakes testing may force the adult literacy education system to serve as an alternative for disadvantaged students (Comings, Sum & Uvin, 2000). Furthermore, welfare reform policies in most states require that teen mothers participate in adult literacy education programs but we know very little about their experiences in these programs (Hayes, 2000). For these reasons, more "crossover" educational research that links elementary, secondary, and adult literacy education is needed.

About Lorna Rivera

Lorna Rivera is an assistant professor in the College of Public and Community Service at the University of Massachusetts-Boston where she teaches courses in sociology, adult education, and Latino Studies. In June 2001, she received her Ph.D. in sociology from Northeastern University in Boston. Dr. Rivera's ethnographic research examines critical pedagogy theories and practices, the impact of popular education approaches on low-income women, and the effects of race, class, and gender inequalities on academic achievements and social mobility. She has received grants from the Society for the Study of Social Problems, the Spencer Foundation, and the Ford Foundation for her research. Her recent publications include an article entitled, "Changing Women: An Ethnographic Study of Homeless Mothers and Popular Education" in the Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare v 30(2), and a book chapter entitled, "Literacy for Social Change" in Creating Alternative Discourses in the Education of Latinos & Latinas (forthcoming, 2004, Peter Lang Publishers). Dr. Rivera is a former adult literacy teacher and program administrator who has worked as an educational consultant for the Massachusetts Department of Education's Systems for Adult Basic Education Support (SABES). Currently, she is the co-chair of the Board of Directors for WE LEARN, and is an active member of the Community Advisory Council at the Boston Adult Literacy Fund.