America is divided between those who can competently communicate and carry out the most basic tasks in the workplace, in their homes as supportive parents, and in their communities as active citizens—and those who cannot. On one side are adults who can find and keep good jobs, help their children achieve and meet the high standards in school, and play a civic role in the life of their community. On the other are those Americans who lack both basic literacy and workplace skills and are falling further behind in the knowledge economy of the 21st century.

The number of adults needing these resources and services continues to increase—swelled in part by the increasing literacy levels needed in the workforce, the large numbers of high school dropouts, and the increasing number of immigrants who come to the U.S. with limited English skills. Because a child’s success in K-12 is directly tied to his/her parents’ educational and economic achievement, we must raise the literacy levels of parents if America is to achieve the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Public television has had a 30-year commitment to serving undereducated adults. However, funding to produce new product and support it through station/community partnerships has been very limited and sporadic. In the last 30 years there has been only one major federal grant, in 1996, for production of new Workforce Essential Skills/GED media packages. Corporate and foundation underwriting has also been very limited. There has never been any national targeted funding to support local public station efforts to build local partnerships with adult education or community based groups—a key ingredient for assuring that these resources reach and get effectively used by adult learners. With this limited financial support, it is surprising that the effort has been able to continue for 30 years—truly a testament to public television’s perseverance and commitment.