Dorothy Cook of Trumann brushes up on her algebra and geometry at the Arkansas State University Adult Education Center. (Democrat Photo/Mark Randall) [Click to enlarge]

Dorothy Cook is having a lot easier time now understanding what she reads and doing basic math.

Cook dropped out of high school in 1971 to go to work, but lost her job last year when Airtex Inc. in Marked Tree closed.

She's now working toward earning her General Equivalency Diploma or GED at the Arkansas State University Adult Education Center in Trumann.

"It's a hard test," Cook said. "I've been out of school for 37 years. All of the math has changed. Geometry and algebra is about ready to kill me. But I've learned how to comprehend what I read and what we do."

Cook said she used a lot of math at her old job and most jobs nowadays require at least a GED.

"It's helped me with fractions and how to comprehend what we read in the factory manual," Cook said. "I've learned a lot."

Roy Gottfried, who also lost his job when Airtex closed, enrolled in the program to improve his reading ability.

"I have a real bad problem with reading," Gottfried said. "I needed to improve my reading and I'm hoping to get my GED."

Gottfried, who just turned 64, dropped out of high school in the ninth grade and worked 19 years for Singer, seven years at Baldwin and 19 years at Mid South Manufacturing before it became Airtex.

He's already noticed a big difference in his math skills and is reading things he never would have been able to before enrolling in the program.

"My math has come up and so has my reading," Gottfried said. "I hope it will help me just be able to read better and spell in my everyday life."

Gov. Mike Beebe has declared Oct. 5-11 as Adult Education Awareness Week and named Oct. 8 as GED Pride Day.

According to the American Council on Education, each year about one out of every seven people who receive a high school diploma earns that diploma by passing the GED tests.

"We're trying to make people aware of what adult education has to offer," said Shirley Kausler, an adult education instructor at the ASU Adult Education Center in Trumann. "Most people don't know what adult education is all about."

The GED test was set up in 1942 to help returning World War II veterans finish their studies and earn a high school diploma. The test measures basic skills and knowledge students are expected to acquire in four years of high school in writing, social studies, science, reading and mathematics.

The Adult Education Center opened in Trumann in 1991 and has helped hundreds of residents earn their GED and sharpen their basic skills, said Michael Miles, director of student services at the ASU Technical Center in Marked Tree.

"We're really pleased with our numbers here," Miles said. "We have seen a big push at all of our enrollment centers. We're very proud of what we have done here in Trumann. Our outreach in this community is great. It's one of our busiest centers."

ASU also has centers in Harrisburg and Marked Tree.

So far, 36 people have enrolled since August, Kausler said.

The GED course is a 20 hour a week program. Residents work one-on-one with instructors at their own pace.

"We do not do lecture type classes," Kausler said. "We do a lot of evaluating when they first come in and set up an individual learning program for each person. And then we are here to assist them. That way, it eliminates them having to work on things they already know how to do."

Kausler said many jobs today require a person to have at least a GED.

"In most cases now you aren't even considered for a job unless you have a GED," Kausler said. "Now, you must even have a GED or high school diploma to enter any higher education institution. And they accept a GED as readily as they do a high school diploma."

Over 12.6 million people have earned their high school equivalency diplomas since the program started.

Ninety percent of colleges and universities recognize the GED for entrance requirements and more than 95 percent of employers nationwide employ GED graduates on the same basis as high school students in terms of hiring, salary and opportunity for advancement.

And 65 percent of GED test-takers plan to enter college, a university or technical school.

Kausler said the center also plans to offer a course on basic computer skills in the spring.

And with most jobs going high tech, Kausler said it is important for people to know how to use a computer.

"A lot of places when you go to apply for a job have you do it on a computer," Kausler said.

The ASU Adult Education Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 5 -- 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.

Classes are free and open to residents who are 18 years old and up.