more than three thousand by 1835. The aim of the group members was a self-improvement through learning and mutual teaching. One of the movement's most significant intent was to mobilize public opinion in favor of tax-supported public schools.
Another was to serve as a model for adult study and learning. All these efforts finally resulted in the formation of the Chautauqua Institution in western New York in 1878(Knowles, 1977).
Perhaps the most important occurrence in the nineteenth century in the future of the Adult Education and Literacy System was the rise of the national system of government funded Institutions. Overcoming resistance from non-public schools, moderate citizens, church schools, and other personal stakes, those for openly upheld schools saw them secured in most northern states by 1850. With the development of the state-funded educational system came parallel development in night schools for youth and adults in both basic and secondary schools. Generally, these night schools served youngsters who could not go to class amid the day, and their educational module was the same as that of the one followed
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in the daytime. Still, these night schools established the framework throughout today's adult education projects in the government-funded schools (Seamon, 1992).
In the early 1950s, the U.S. Office of Education organizational chart included an Adult Education Section. The 1960 writings of Ambrose Caliver, Chief of the Adult Education Section, U.S. Department of Education, documented the following: Within the broad framework of its mandate to promote the cause of education; the Office of Education over the years conducted some research and provided some services for adult education. In 1955, there was a growing interest in adult education, and the U.S. Office of Education established an Adult Education Section. Federal responsibility for adult education became much clearer with the passage of the Adult Education Act in 1966, two years after passage of Title II, Part B of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 ( US Department of Education, 2013).
Today in the United States, there are various terms and acronyms, which refer comprehensively to adult literacy education which could have been covering implications, regularly in ways that are confounding to those outside the field. The government supported adult literacy projects envelop a scope of instructional levels, for example, Adult Basic Education (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), and English as a Second Language (ESL). Experts may utilize any of these terms to refer to instructive exercises that, comprehensively talking, may be gathered together under the heading of adult education projects (Davis, 1995).
As far as the management of adult education was concerned, the U.S. Division of Education through the Department of Adult Education and Literacy manages the Current adult literacy enactment, Title II of the Workforce Incentive Act, generally known as Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). The enactment characterizes "adult literacy"
as training at the post optional level for people aged sixteen or older. This new enactment spoke to a significant redirection in government strategy with respect to adult education.
Its intention was to establish coordination between the Federal Government, States, and localities, with the purpose to: (1) help adults acquire proficiency, information, and develop abilities important for work and independence (2) support adults to develop instructive
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skills that would enable them to be partners in the educational improvement of their youngsters and (3) aid adults to attain secondary school education (U.S. Department of Education, 2013).
There are Over 4000 agencies receiving government grants to finance adult literacy programs. Very nearly sixty percent of them are government-funded school districts; 15 percent was two-year establishments; for example, junior colleges or specialized foundations; 14 percent was group-based organizations; four percent was remedial organizations; and the remaining seven percent consists of different sorts of offices. Public local educational organizations normally incorporate state funded schools, two years specialized or junior colleges; public agencies may incorporate public libraries and correctional institutions. The private, not for benefits, incorporate a scope of the group-based associations, places of worship, synagogues or sanctuaries, or national associations that support literacy. The organizations can be generally divided into the following two groups: public, formal foundations of education, and private organization.
Government provisions are allocated to the states and are controlled by an assigned state office of education. Thus, the states distribute funds to nearby educational organizations found in different provinces and regions (U.S. Department of Education, 2013).
2.8.1.1 The Strength of US adult education
The US adult literacy education system has a variety of qualities. As contrasted with different nations of the world, the USA has extremely attractive enactment (Adult Education and Family Literacy Act) that can make the administration viewpoint exceptionally attractive. Besides, the adult literacy instruction project of the US has a sensible plan consistently from the central government. Adult literacy education was seen as one of the neediest areas of formal instruction in the USA (Luke, 1992).
An alternate quality of adult literacy education was that there are varieties of projects and excessively adaptable educational module and calendar that can open up numerous open doors for adults throughout their lives. Notwithstanding this, there are many concerned organizations (more than 400) that are energetically participating in the adult improvement
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program which was highly hard to find in different nations. To conclude, the overall USA experience, the USA has qualified personnel in the field of adult education and training, who are mindful of propelling the field through exploration and development (National Center for Educational Statics, 2000).
2.8.1.2 Lessons Ethiopia can learn from the USA adult education
Based on the study of literature on US adult education, my conclusion is that Ethiopia as one of the least developing nations of the world can learn the following considerable measure of lessons:
The principal lesson was that the US as a nation has different types of adult literacy training programs that can increase the opportunity for the adult learners, especially women. Adult basic education was intended for the individuals who could not receive any kind of formal education in their lives. Adult secondary education was an alternative kind of training intended for those adults who had begun their beginners' training, yet could not proceed to optional level due to diverse reasons. Notwithstanding this, the English language project was one essential segment of adult literacy instruction for workers whose first dialect is not English. Furthermore, inside all adult literacy training segments, there are different life skill courses, which help adults to lead the right life.
Another most important lesson Ethiopia can gain from the US adult literacy system was the administration part of adult literacy education. The US has an effective system that can possibly improve the coordination between the central government, states, and regions by empowering them to provide quality adult literacy instruction and reading proficiency administration. As a consequence of value approach to adult education, US national government has the knowledge of sorting out organizations to achieve an expansive number of adults who need backing. The greater part of the organization that are energetically included in adult literacy education activities are charitable organizations.
Still another experience that Ethiopia can draw from the US adult education system was the implementation of adult education based on two directions; namely, the conventional
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classroom configuration and the individualized (coaching and machine supported) guideline with a specific end goal to fulfill the need of diverse adults. Thus, Ethiopians can imitate all these good practices to enrich their adult education system.