Adult Education Moves Us Forward
Celebrating AEFL Week 2026
Every day, adult learners across Illinois build skills, pursue new opportunities, strengthen their families, and work toward what comes next.
During Adult Education & Family Literacy Week 2026, scaleLIT joined learners, educators, practitioners, partners, and advocates across the state to celebrate that work and to make the impact of adult education more visible.
Our theme this year, Adult Education Moves Us Forward, reflected something we see throughout our network: adult education is about much more than what happens in a classroom. It creates pathways to careers, strengthens families, connects people to resources and opportunities, and helps build stronger communities.
Throughout the week, our community shared stories, passed the sign, connected across systems, and raised their voices for adult education.
Starting the Week With a Message for Adult Learners
We kicked off AEFL Week with a special message from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, recognizing the thousands of adult learners throughout Cook County who are building new skills, advancing their careers, and creating better opportunities for themselves and their families.
Her message highlighted the many ways adult education can open doors—from improving literacy and learning English to developing digital skills, earning credentials, and preparing for the workforce.
It was a fitting way to begin a week centered on the opportunities adult education makes possible.
Sharing Why Adult Education Matters
One of the most visible parts of the week was our Pass the Sign campaign.
We asked learners, practitioners, partners, and friends of adult education to complete a simple prompt:
“Adult Education Matters Because…”
Throughout the week, signs and stories came in from across our community. Some spoke about careers and economic opportunity. Others highlighted confidence, independence, stronger families, community, citizenship, and the chance to continue learning at any stage of life.
One participant captured the spirit of the campaign simply: “Adult Education is a pathway to freedom.”
Another reflected on the second chances adult education can provide:
“Adult education matters to me because I believe no one should feel that they have missed their chance to learn, grow, or dream again.”
The stories also showed how practical that impact can be. Learners described gaining the English skills they need to communicate, navigate daily life, pursue citizenship, earn a driver's license, support their children, and work toward their future.
The sign even traveled with members of the scaleLIT team to the 2026 Forum for Excellence, where colleagues from across Illinois' adult education, community college, and workforce communities joined the campaign.
Together, the photos and messages showed just how many different answers there can be to the question of why adult education matters—and how much those answers have in common.
Sharing Their Stories
Alongside Pass the Sign, we invited adult learners and practitioners to Share Your Story, giving members of our community another opportunity to put into their own words what adult education has made possible.
At the end of the week, we were excited to recognize two participants whose stories reflected the hope, growth, service, and opportunity at the heart of adult education.
Learner: Muno Mohamud from Rohingya Culture Center
Muno wrote about coming to class each day to strengthen communication skills, continue education, and work toward personal goals.
“Adult education gives me hope and helps me become more confident. It is another chapter of my life and a chance to learn new things. I will work hard and make the most of this opportunity.”
The full reflection describes adult education as an opportunity to learn English, computers, and other important skills while building new, long-wanted knowledge.
Practitioner: José Luis Mosqueda from Erie Neighborhood House
José Luis reflected on his own continued growth after years of serving learners and families, from beginning as a volunteer to teaching GED and ESL classes, and supporting young adults as they pursue education and career pathways.
“I need the knowledge and a wider vision for the people I serve, tearing down stereotypes, becoming a better me, better husband, father, teacher, and friend. I believe and see safer neighborhoods, stronger communities, healthier families, and happier citizens.”
Congratulations to Muno and José Luis, and thank you to everyone who took the time to share a story with us.
Connecting Adult Education and Workforce Opportunity
AEFL Week also took place during Workforce Development Month, creating an opportunity to highlight the close connection between adult education and workforce development.
Adult education helps people build foundational skills, confidence, credentials, and readiness for what comes next. Workforce partners help connect people to training, employment, supportive services, and additional opportunities.
On Thursday, scaleLIT brought those conversations together during the LWIA 7 Workforce System Partner Meeting: Co-Enrollment as Advocacy at Arturo Velazquez Institute.
Partners from across adult education and workforce development explored how stronger coordination and co-enrollment can create more connected pathways for people navigating education, training, employment, and supportive services.
The conversation reinforced an important part of this year's AEFL Week message: advocacy isn't only about telling people that adult education matters. It's also about building systems and partnerships that make opportunity easier to access.
Celebrating the People Who Move Adult Education Forward
We closed the week by bringing our community together virtually for the AEFL Week Town Hall Showcase.
The celebration gave us an opportunity to look back at the stories, signs, partnerships, and voices shared throughout the week—and, most importantly, recognize the learners and practitioners at the center of this work.
From a learner describing adult education as “another chapter of my life” to a practitioner imagining “safer neighborhoods, stronger communities, healthier families, and happier citizens,” the voices shared throughout the week reminded us that adult education creates impact at many levels: for individuals, families, careers, and entire communities.
AEFL Week may last only a few days, but the work it celebrates happens every day.
To every adult learner taking the next step, every educator helping someone reach a goal, every organization creating pathways to opportunity, and every partner advocating for stronger adult education systems: thank you.
Every learner matters. Every opportunity matters. And every step forward strengthens our communities.
Adult Education Moves Us Forward.
