DOCUMENT RESUME ED 352 442 CE 061 774 AUTHOR Jelinek, James J. TITLE Demographic Factors in Adult and Continuing Education. A Resource Guide for Teachers, Administrators, and Policymakers. INSTITUTION Mountain Plains Adult Education Association. PUB DATE 92 NOTE 631p.; For the keynote address that introduced this document at the MPAEA 50th Anniversary conference, see CE 061 773. AVAILABLE FROMAdult Education Services, Arizona Department of Education, 1535 West Jefferson Street, Phoenix, AZ 85007 ($15). PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) Statistical Data (110) EDRS PRICE MF03/PC26 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Basic Education; *Adult Education; *Adult Learning; Continuing Education; Cultural Context; *Demography; Economic Progress; *Economics; Educational Planning; Educational Research; Ethnic Discrimination; Ethnic Groups; *Holistic Approach; Philosophy; Political Influences; Religious Factors; Secondary Education; Social Environment; Social Influences; State Aid; State Government; *State Programs; Statewide Planning; Urbanization IDENTIFIERS *United States (Mountain Plains) ABSTRACT This resource bock contains demographic data for the eight states of the Mountain Plains Adult Education Association. All information is current (1990-92) and comes from the national census and hundreds of research studies. Chapter I provides a demographic perspective of the nation, describes a holistic view of demographics, and discusses implications for adult and continuing education. Chapters II-IX present data by state: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Data on people include growth, urbanization, and ethnicity. Data on education are provided in the following categories: adult basic education--state system for public-supported programs; postsecondary education--state system for public-supported community colleges and universities, private colleges and universities, public-supported vocational technical schools, private vocational technical and proprietary schools, and student assistance programs; master planning for higher education; cultural institutions; historic sites; and communications media. Information on government is followed by data on the economy: agriculture, forestry, mining, manufacturing, tourism, transportation, and energy. Other data include the following: annual performance report in adult education, Tests of General Educational Development, estimates of levels of proficiency in basic skills, accredited institutions of postsecondary education, members of the executive and legislative branches, and senators and representatives in Congress. Names, addresses, and telephone numbers are listed. Chapter X contains socioeconomic indicators in the Mountain Plains states. Chapter XI discusses implications for adult and continuing education. There are 208 tables and 133 figures. Sources are listed for each state and in an appendix. (YLB) MOUNTAIN PLAINS ADULT EDUCATIONDemographic ASSOCIATIONFactors in U.S DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement ED ATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as Adult and received from the person or organization Originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduChOn quality Points of view or opinionsstated in this docu- ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy Continuing -PEFMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS M'SERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Education Arizona TO E UC TIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATI CENTER (ERIC).- Colorado Idaho Montana Nevada New Mexico Utah Wyomilv BEST COPY AVAILABLE DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS IN ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND POLICYMAKERS Dr. James J. Jelinek Adult Education Programs Arizona Department of Education and Emeritus Professor of Education Arizona State University THE MOUNTAIN PLAINS ADULT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION 3 The Mountain Plains Adult Education Association affirms that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex or handicapping condition. The Arizona Department of Education is an equal opportunity employer and educational agency and affirms that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, or handicapping condition. Published by the Mountain Plains Adult Education Association Dr. Gary A. Eyre, President Typesetting by Alphagraphics Michael Sparaco, Manager Printing by the Arizona Department of Education C. Diane Bishop, State Superintendent of Public Instruction 1992 li 4 THE MOUNTAIN PLAINS ADULT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE The Mountain Plains Adult Education Association serves members in an eight state region. The Association has grown from the conviction of a few hard working pioneers to a tremendously viable force in the field of adult and continuing education. The Association had its genesis in 1942 at which time the original charter was developed and the founding policies finalized. For eleven years a series of "on again-off again" meetings was held. In 1953, the Association's mission statement was refined and MPAEA has had a continued membership and board structure since that year. The four original states were Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. In 1961, Arizona, Idaho and Nevada joined. Montana become the eighth state in 1988. This year, 1992, is the 50th anniversary of MPAEA. The Association is the oldest regional adult education organi7, ion in the United States.During its half century of operation, the Association has expanded services to state affiliate organizations, implemented state staff development initiatives, promoted additional educational opportunities for adults, increased public awareness of lifelong learning and developed partnerships in addressing state and federal legislative issues. Historically, MPAEA has been on "the cutting edge" of adult education as a state, regional and national imperative. 1942-1992 MOUNTAIN PLAINS ADULT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION iii FOREWORD by Dr. Gary A. Eyre Deputy Associate Superintendent Adult Education Programs Arizona Department of Education and President Mountain Plains Adult Education Association This publication is the result of a concern and action taken by the Mountain Plains Adult Education Association (MPAEA). The concern originated at the summer meeting of officers and board members in New Mexico. Members identified the need for a demographic data base for each of the Association's eight states. Again, at the annual meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho, the membership expressed the need for increasing the statistical profile on each state. The Association recognized the escalating demands of our civic and economic life as adding an urgency to state efforts to provide increased quality educational services to adults. In order to meet these new demands, to facilitate planning and to have quality programs, the provider needs a framework of sound information, population indicators and trends. Action was taken by the MPAEA Board to commission an extensive research initiative of data-gathering which would result in a major publication. DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS IN ADULT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION was a two-year effort and is the most comprehensive regional adult and continuing education demographic resource document ever published. The Association is indebted to Dr. James J. Jelinek, for his untiring work, research, and leadership in making this publication possible. His dedication of service to the Mountain Plains Adult Education Association is greatly appreciated. iv 6 PREFACE It is a basic purpose of Demographic Factors inAdult and Continuing Education to help teachers, administrators, and policymakers in adult and continuing education identify the interests, needs, and problems of adult students to which the educational process must be meaningful and relevant. Even if students in adult and continuing education programs read more, look more, and listen more than the students of any previous era, their voracity will not bring wisdom if what they read, see, and hear is so utterly barren of meaning and relevance in their lives it is immediately forgotten. At bottom, the goal of all education in one way or another is social/self realization. Faced with an increase in crime, environmental deteriorization, a drug culture out of control, and the prospect of long-term economic decline, adults turn to education as a quest for developing meaning in their lives, a quest in which apathy does not have a place. The greatest threat to our future is not from aggression and force, but from indifference; cultures perish not from the amide but the inside, not in the mucous light of confrontation, but in the quiet darkness of apathy. In a word, programs of education for adults must be instrumental in meeting the demands of those demographic factors that are of most profound concern to the students involved in those programs. The data identified in this book are many and variedpopulation distribution, ethnicity, disease, births, deaths, health, nutrition, education, law enforcement, environment, elections, government, employment, finances, social insurance, human services, veterans affairs, national defense, labor force, earnings, income, expenditures, wealth, prices, banking, business, science, technology, transportation, agriculture, forests, fisheries, mining, housing, construction, and manufacturing. As areas of statistical concern have grown, finding accurate statistics has become increasingly more difficult. Using statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Census, hundreds