State Strategies to Facilitate Adult Learners' Transitions to Postsecondary Opportunities. REL 2017-223

State Strategies to Facilitate Adult Learners' Transitions to Postsecondary Opportunities. REL 2017-223 PDF Author: Anestine Hector-Mason
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 15

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Book Description
Prior research has classified strategies to facilitate adult learners' transitions to postsecondary opportunities into five broad categories: advising, General Educational Development-plus (GED-plus), English as a second language, career pathways, and college preparatory (Zafft, Kallenbach, & Spohn, 2006). This two-part study relied on interviews with directors of state- and local-level adult education programs and existing data sources to explore how states facilitate adult learners' transition to postsecondary education. One part of the study used data from interviews conducted in 2014 with adult education directors in six Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest Region states. The study found that states use different combinations of strategies within and across these five categories to facilitate transition. The second part of the study used data from the National Reporting System for Adult Education Programs and found large variation across states in adult learners' postsecondary participation. Part of this variation may reflect inconsistencies in reporting across states. This report suggests areas for future research that can build on the findings described here. [This report was written in collaboration with the Midwest College and Career Success Research Alliance.].

State Strategies to Facilitate Adult Learners' Transitions to Postsecondary Opportunities. REL 2017-223

State Strategies to Facilitate Adult Learners' Transitions to Postsecondary Opportunities. REL 2017-223 PDF Author: Anestine Hector-Mason
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 15

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Book Description
Prior research has classified strategies to facilitate adult learners' transitions to postsecondary opportunities into five broad categories: advising, General Educational Development-plus (GED-plus), English as a second language, career pathways, and college preparatory (Zafft, Kallenbach, & Spohn, 2006). This two-part study relied on interviews with directors of state- and local-level adult education programs and existing data sources to explore how states facilitate adult learners' transition to postsecondary education. One part of the study used data from interviews conducted in 2014 with adult education directors in six Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest Region states. The study found that states use different combinations of strategies within and across these five categories to facilitate transition. The second part of the study used data from the National Reporting System for Adult Education Programs and found large variation across states in adult learners' postsecondary participation. Part of this variation may reflect inconsistencies in reporting across states. This report suggests areas for future research that can build on the findings described here. [This report was written in collaboration with the Midwest College and Career Success Research Alliance.].

Adult Basic Education to Community College Transitions Symposium. Proceedings Report

Adult Basic Education to Community College Transitions Symposium. Proceedings Report PDF Author: Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED), Washington, DC.
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description
A college education is becoming more and more of a necessity in today's competitive economy: ninety percent of the fastest-growing jobs require postsecondary education or training. U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has called on states, institutions and the federal government to work together to carry out the recommendations of "A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education" in order to make postsecondary education more affordable and effective. The Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education called together leading thinkers in the field of adult education to generate a national dialogue on postsecondary transitions with regard to adult basic education (ABE) students. This publication recaps an Office of Vocational and Adult Education-sponsored ABE to Community College Transitions Symposium held in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2006. At the symposium, nationally recognized adult education experts shared their ideas about how to help adult learners transition successfully to postsecondary learning. The symposium was organized into two roundtable discussions. The first roundtable, "Why Are We Here? The Challenge of ABE to Community College Transition," focused on challenges faced by ABE programs in promoting transitions to community colleges and identified student, organizational, and policy challenges. Panelists for the first discussion included John Comings, Davis Jenkins, Israel Mendoza, and Jerry Rubin. The second roundtable, "Where Are We Going? Promising Approaches to Promote ABE to Community-College Transition," focused on organizational and academic approaches to making ABE more successful in promoting college transitions. Participants for the second discussion were: Johannes Bos, Debra Bragg, Ding-Jo Currie, Silja Kallenbach, and David Seith. Judith Alamprese provided a summary and recommendations for potential next steps, including: (1) Creating a system of lifelong learning that promotes the concept that learning is an ongoing part of adults' lives and that many adults will need to develop new skills or knowledge as they grow older; (2) Clearly articulating and systematically coordinating the components of career pathways to include academic training, career awareness and planning, and the provision of support services; (3) Building the awareness of incumbent workers about opportunities for participation in postsecondary education and the payoff in the workplace from their development of new or enhancement of existing skills; (4) Continuing to educate community colleges and state policymakers about the issues of ABE learners' transition to community college; and (5) Conducting rigorous experiments to test promising approaches to facilitating ABE learners' enrollment in and completion of postsecondary programs. Cheryl Keenan provided closing remarks calling for further research and demonstrations projects to assess conclusively the practices that promote and sustain postsecondary transitions among ABE students. Three appendixes include: (1) Panelist and Presenter Biographies; (2) Participant List; and (3) ABE to Community College Transitions Project. [This report was prepared by MPR Associates, Inc. for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education.].

Transition from Adult Education to Postsecondary Education

Transition from Adult Education to Postsecondary Education PDF Author: Tony Dustin Walston
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 170

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Book Description
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) that was signed into law in July 2014 by President Barack Obama gave a new identity to adult education programs across the United States. The legislation propelled adult education programs into the college arena like never before. No longer were programs allowed to simply just focus on a high school credential. Instruction that exposed students to career development and real-life application became important. Helping students think about their futures in terms of education and employment also became an important framework for adult education programs. With all of these new considerations, programs across the state of North Carolina began to restructure, redesign, and revisit their mission and vision statements. From these growing pains, programs have continually been searching for the right methods and practices that will position them to be compliant with WIOA. One of the biggest challenges is transitioning students that earn their high school credential into college programs. The Transitional and Career Studies (TCS) program at Lenoir Community College (LCC) produces high school equivalency (HSE/GED) graduates each year, but most never enroll into college programs and take that next step to further their education. The purpose of this study was to determine strategies and best practices that encourage students in the TCS program at LCC to transition into postsecondary education opportunities upon completing their HSE/GED. This action research study design involved implementing a 12- week pilot program that included three classrooms and 23 participants. The participants in the pilot program received contextualized instruction, participated in weekly goal-setting and advising appointments, and had an opportunity for co-enrollment into short-term training programs while working towards their HSE/GED. The findings of this study show an association between the interventions and the participants' educational outcomes.

Resources to Facilitate the Transition of Learners with Special Needs from School-to-work Or Postsecondary Education

Resources to Facilitate the Transition of Learners with Special Needs from School-to-work Or Postsecondary Education PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Handicapped youth
Languages : en
Pages : 150

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Selected Resources to Facilitate the Transition of Learners with Special Needs from School to Work Or Postsecondary Education

Selected Resources to Facilitate the Transition of Learners with Special Needs from School to Work Or Postsecondary Education PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Handicapped teenagers
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Promoting Learner Transitions to Postsecondary Education and Work

Promoting Learner Transitions to Postsecondary Education and Work PDF Author: Betsy Parrish
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 8

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Book Description
It has been estimated that of the nearly two million immigrants who enter the United States every year, nearly half have limited access to citizenship, job training, other postsecondary education, and jobs due to low literacy levels, limited formal schooling, and limited English language skills. Adult education programs serving this population can play an important role in helping learners develop the skills they need to succeed in postsecondary education and to obtain, retain, and advance in employment. Given the skills needed for the high-demand occupations of the future, it is increasingly important that adult education programs expand the scope of opportunities offered so that adults learning English are prepared with the language, knowledge, and skills they need to be successful, whether their immediate goals include gaining a vocational training certificate, an associate's degree, a bachelor's degree, or a specific job. This brief reviews the literature on the skills needed for adult English language learners to transition to academic study and employment and the time it takes to develop those skills. It then focuses on the results of a recent survey completed by the authors, which revealed instructors' perceptions of skills needed by learners in order to be successful in academic programs. Finally, the brief offers examples of activities and strategies that can be used at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of English as a second language (ESL) instruction to help learners develop these skills. This brief is written for state adult education staff, program administrators, professional development staff and teacher trainers, teachers, education researchers, and policy makers. It describes a process for adult education staff to use data to plan professional development for practitioners who work with adults learning English. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.).

Helping Adults Succeed in Postsecondary Education

Helping Adults Succeed in Postsecondary Education PDF Author: Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Book Description
To become more economically competitive and reap the benefits of postsecondary educational levels, Kentucky has set a very ambitious goal to double the number of bachelor's degree holders by 2020. Clearly, increasing the college-going rate of working-age adults is an important strategy in the state's efforts to produce more degree holders. The Kentucky Adult Learner Initiative, which is funded by Lumina Foundation for Education, seeks to align the state's postsecondary policies with the needs of adult learners, with the ultimate goal of increasing the number of adults with college degrees. As part of this initiative, working groups were formed to address three major policy issues identified by the Council's research--credit for prior learning, flexible academic programming, and financial aid. Because all stakeholders must work together to help adult learners meet their educational goals, working groups included representatives from CPE, public and postsecondary institutions, the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority, the General Assembly, and the private sector. The groups met monthly in the summer and fall of 2008 to devise recommendations to make Kentucky's postsecondary education system more responsive to the needs of adult learners. This document presents a list of recommendations developed by the working groups. All recommendations address the barriers of access, affordability, and aspiration in different ways. Taken together, these recommendations will help surmount those barriers and enable adults in Kentucky to continue their education, achieving the goal of doubling the numbers.

Policy to Performance Toolkit

Policy to Performance Toolkit PDF Author: Judith A. Alamprese
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 166

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Book Description
The "Policy to Performance Toolkit" is designed to provide state adult education staff and key stakeholders with guidance and tools to use in developing, implementing, and monitoring state policies and their associated practices that support an effective state adult basic education (ABE) to postsecondary education and training transition system. As state adult education staffs engage in efforts to expand options for low-skilled adults' attainment of further education, information is needed to help guide states in creating systems with effective policies and practices. The "Policy to Performance Toolkit" is based on the processes and findings from the Policy to Performance project, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education and conducted by Kratos Learning (Kratos) and Abt Associates during 2009-2012. Policy to Performance states' use of policy, practice development, and testing processes provided lessons and examples that are useful to all states to move forward in developing a state ABE transition system. The following are appended: (1) AIDDE♭ Process for Planning ABE Transition System; (2) Analyzing State Data Form; (3) Analyzing State's Current ABE Transition System; (4) Analyzing State Policies and Guidance to Support ABE Transition Form; (5) Analyzing Partnerships Form; (6) Analyzing State Environment Form; (7) Identifying Gaps in an ABE Transition System; (8) ABE State Transition System Plan; (9) Messaging Tool; (10) Joint Letter of Support; (11) Planning Technical Assistance Form; (12) Using Data to Assess Transition Activities Form; (13) Policy Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation (PPIE♭) Process for State Transition Policies in Adult Education; and (14) Selected Resources from the Policy to Performance Resource Center.

Policies to Promote Adult Education and Postsecondary Alignment

Policies to Promote Adult Education and Postsecondary Alignment PDF Author: Julie Strawn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 38

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Book Description
This Policy Brief is intended to help the National Commission on Adult Literacy consider state and federal policy strategies that hold promise for increasing the number of lower-skilled adults, including those with limited English skills, who earn postsecondary credentials that can open the door to family-supporting jobs and careers. It examines obstacles to moving toward this goal--with major attention to lack of alignment between federal and state adult education efforts, job training services, and postsecondary education policies. It also draws attention to the financial, personal, and family challenges that prevent adults from seeking and completing programs. Section 1 summarizes the research on why adult and postsecondary education should focus more on helping lower-skilled adults earn marketable postsecondary credentials. Section 2 describes some of the key policy challenges to achieving this goal. Section 3 discusses some current state policy innovations related to these challenges and makes recommendations for state and federal policy changes that could help more lower-skilled adults earn marketable postsecondary credentials. (Contains 1 figure, 2 footnotes, and 81 endnotes.).

Promising Practices for Transitioning Students from Adult Education to Postsecondary Education

Promising Practices for Transitioning Students from Adult Education to Postsecondary Education PDF Author: Sharon Seymour
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Adult education
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This report examines the literature on practices and programs seeking to improve students' transition from adult education to postsecondary education. Ultimately, the report seeks to provide practitioners with models for effective strategies in transitioning students to postsecondary education that can be implemented at community colleges throughout California. From a review of more than 40 references, a total of 17 effective practices emerged. Because this report has been created as a follow-up to Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community College, it uses the same four major categories to organize the effective practices uncovered in the literature. These categories include: (1) Organizational and Administrative Practices; (2) Program Component Practices; (3) Staff Development Practices; and (4) Instructional Practices. The report examines practices in each of these areas and provides examples from adult education programs nationwide. However, it is important to note that there is little evidence-based research completed to date on students transitioning from adult to postsecondary education. Hence, the practices in this report fall mostly into the "promising" rather than the "effective" category. Nonetheless, the report identifies these practices and makes recommendations for further research.