Research/Report
Author(s): Sasha V. Lotas, Academy of Hope Adult Public Charter School
As an experienced adult education practitioner turned researcher, the author of this Forum values the insights in Stephen Reder’s article “Lifelong Learning in Adult Education: A 12-Year Longitudinal Study of Participation and Skill Growth.” Lotas believes that practitioners drawn to the AE field often share an awareness that educational trajectories, especially in adulthood, are less linear and more circuitous than traditional educational schemas; they also realize that this circuitousness is not necessarily wasted educational time. While learners may at one point stop-out of their programs, these same learners will also step back in, eventually making meaningful educational progress.