http://www.clasp.org/issues/topic_in_focus.xml?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0004 In Focus articles from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) en-us Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:23:54 -0500 info@clasp.org webmaster@clasp.org 40 Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0045 New York State made headlines last week after it announced it would be dropping the GEDA(R) as its high school equivalency examaEUR"a move that can only be defined as a aEURoegame changeraEUR? in adult education. Instead, the state will be working with CTB/McGraw Hill to develop an alternative exam, the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), which New York believes will keep costs low and allow its Education Department to continue to serve adults and youth seeking to earn a high school equivalency diploma and gain greater economic mobility. New YorkaEUR(TM)s shift to the TASC is one of the most significant developments in adult education in decades. Since 1942, the GEDA(R) has been synonymous with high school equivalency in the U.S. and widely recognized by potential candidates, employers, and postsecondary institutions. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0045 Tue, 03 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0041 At no time in recent history has the importance of adult education been greater and the funding more threatened. Despite the fact that as many as 93 million adults in the U.S. may need basic skills services to improve their economic prospects, funding for these services is stagnating at the federal level and being slashed in statehouses and state agencies across the country. Demand remains high, with waiting lists in nearly every state. New findings from a national survey of adult education state directors, conducted jointly by CLASP and the National Council for State Directors of Adult Education (NCSDAE), shed light on key financing and tuition policies, including how programs are funded and how much money is propping up the system from all levels of government, local programs, and students themselves. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0041 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0036 Despite an organized effort to persuade the city to preserve adult education funding, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board on Tuesday approved a preliminary budget that would decimate one of the nation's largest programs serving adult students. All of the adult schools in the city could be closed and at least 1,800 faculty and staff could lose their jobs if the city fails to find revenue to fill the funding gap before it finalized the city budget in June. Word of the drastic proposal to eliminate funding sparked a significant grassroots response to save the program, which plays a vital community role by providing adult education (including English language services). During the previous few weeks, the SaveAdultEd Campaign has mobilized thousands of people to voice their support through phone calls, letters, and most recently at a rally during the contentious vote on March 13. Campaign leaders and adult education advocates also participated in a guest blog discussion series, Cut the Excuses Not Education!, hosted by the National Coalition for Literacy leading up to the rally. In spite of these efforts, the board voted to cut funding. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0036 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0023 Earning a credential beyond a high school diploma continues to be one of the most important factors in getting a good job and advancing in the workforce. CLASP's new issue brief Farther, Faster highlights six promising programs that show how a new education model called "career pathway bridges" can help lower skilled students move more quickly and successfully along college and career paths through dual enrollment in linked basic skills and occupational certificate courses. Because creating such bridges requires collaboration across college silos, this innovative model can also help transform the way colleges operate. http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0023 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0017 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0017 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0011 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0011 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0003 http://www.clasp.org/issues/in_focus?type=basic_skills_and_workforce_training&id=0003