What do comedian Jim Carrey, former Colorado Sen. Ben Lighthorse Campbell, Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, and country music legend Waylon Jennings have in common?
They all earned their high school diplomas through the General Educational Development program – or GED.
GED preparation is included in the federal Adult Secondary Education (ASE) program.
Other programs funded through American Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) grants are Adult Basic Education (ABE), which teaches basic skills like math and English below the high school level, Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) to prepare for the citizenship test, and English Language Acquisition (ELA) for non-English speakers who want to learn the language. These services equip adults with essential skills that open doors to better employment, further education, and greater civic engagement.
These programs are federally funded through grants that are channeled to the states. States are required to match 25% of the federal contribution.
This year alone, 704 adult volunteers in Nebraska served 8,408 individuals in 600 classes statewide. Students in the programs came from 96 countries, territories and regions, and spoke at least 85 distinct languages and dialects. In total, 373,702 instructional hours were provided through in-person and remote learning classes and distance education curriculum.
Nebraska’s programs lead the nation in median income earnings after program exit and rank in the top 25% nationally across all performance metrics, including an impressive 123.4% increase in measurable skill gains from 2013 to 2023.
Emily Duncan is the director of Adult Education at Northeast Community College in Norfolk. She oversees a staff of 21 paid employees and 12 volunteers. The Northeast program currently has a measurable skills gain of 52.55%. This is the highest performance since new reporting standards were introduced in 2018.
“In the last year,” Duncan reported, “ABE performance has increased by 7% and ESL has increased by 5%, even with the influx of students compared to last year.”
Through Northeast, adult education classes are also offered online. This service allows many students to take part who would not be able to attend in-person classes.
Duncan said last year, Northeast provided instruction to 929 students in 31 adult education classes at 10 sites throughout the 20-county service area. That is an increase of 266 students from last year.
Duncan said students are considered participants once they have completed 12 hours of instruction. At this time, 164 students in the Northeast program are working toward their GED, and 24 students earned their high school equivalency diplomas between July 1, 2024, and June 1, 2025.
Students in the Northeast adult education program attended on average 76.9 hours of class over the last year. A total of 42,699.25 instructional hours were provided through in-person and remote classes and the distance education curriculum. The retention rate in the Northeast program is 77.1%.
“I am always in awe of what these students accomplish,” Duncan said. “Many work two jobs, have small children, or are caretakers for aging parents. Still, they persist to learn English, brush up their math skills, pass their citizenship test, or earn their high school equivalency diploma.
“Adult Education is just a beginning for many of our students,” Duncan continued. “Once they have upgraded their skills or earned a diploma, they are eligible for promotions at work or can earn certifications or even a college degree.”
At least 31 Northeast adult education students entered post-secondary education or training in the 2023-24 year.
For some, the greatest gain is the morale boost, the sense of accomplishment.
“The number one thing we see on graduate surveys,” Duncan said, “is an increase in self-confidence.”
For more information on the Northeast Adult Education Program, visit the website https://northeast.edu/continuing-ed-workforce/adult-education, email adulteducation@northeast.edu, or call 402-844-7255 (Norfolk) or 402-241-6415 (South Sioux City).
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Please Note: This article is part of a series of features dedicated to sharing the significant success of students through Northeast Community College’s Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Educational Development (GED), and English Language Learning (ELL) programs, all of which are currently facing elimination in President Trump’s proposed FY 2026 budget.
More than 8000 students utilized Nebraska’s Adult Education programs this year alone. These services equip adults with essential skills that open doors to better employment, further education, and greater civic engagement. Nebraska’s programs lead the nation in median income earnings after program exit and ranks in the top 25% nationally across all performance metrics, including an impressive 123.4% increase in measurable skill gains from 2013 to 2023.
Members of the public are asked to consider contacting their congressional offices to voice their concerns about the elimination of important programs such as ABE, GED and ELL, which support a trained workforce and help lift people and families out of poverty.
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