Resources & Publications: Federal Workplace and Adult Education Policy

• Mar 25, 2013  |  Allegra Baider, Vickie Choitz, Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, Marcie W.M. Foster, Linda Harris, Elizabeth Lower-Basch, Neil Ridley, Julie Strawn Funding Career Pathways and Career Pathway Bridges: A Federal Policy Toolkit for States This toolkit is designed to help interagency state teams identify and facilitate "braiding" of federal resources to design and develop career pathways and bridges into them for adults and out-of-school youth. The toolkit also will help state teams identify state policy barriers to using federal resources for career pathways and bridges and, ideally, address them. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Sep 18, 2012  |  Marcie W.M. Foster and Jackie Taylor Adult Education Promotes Economic Opportunity, Creates Stable Families and Makes America More Competitive Nearly 30 million adults in the U.S. have below a high school education and over 24 million have English language training needs. Even for those adults with a high school diploma, basic skills deficiencies have a detrimental and long-lasting impact on our nation's families and economic growth. Adult education (Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, Title II of the Workforce Investment Act) plays a critical role in the economic opportunity of over two million adult learners each year who use these services to earn a high school equivalency, increase basic and employability skills, or improve their English language proficiency. Fully investing in adult education and reforming the program to meet the needs of today's workers will help workers and their families build a better economic future for themselves and the nation. Download PDF
• Apr 24, 2012  |  Marcie Foster Refocusing Adult Education on Career and Postsecondary Success Two proposals to reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) are in the House of Representatives. Both proposals reflect a priority of greater alignment among adult education (Title II), workforce development (Title I), and postsecondary education, and both increase the focus on preparing adult students not just to earn a secondary school diploma but for college and careers. Despite these similarities, the bills differ across several dimensions. This analysis highlights key provisions in each bill that strengthen or weaken the overall goal of refocusing Title II on career and postsecondary success. Download PDF
• Mar 02, 2012  |  Marcie Foster The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act: Toward a Modern Adult Education System and a More Educated Workforce This is an update to a similar brief from November 2011. The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (AEEGA) was introduced in the House of Representatives in June 2011 by Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15) and in February 2012 in the Senate by Sen. Jim Webb (VA). The Act (H.R. 2226 and S. 2117) would amend the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to encourage the use and availability of career pathways for low-skilled adults, strengthen the focus of adult education on postsecondary and career success, increase the number of adult education students receiving marketable postsecondary credentials, and modernize the adult education system to meet the needs of 21st century jobs. Although AEEGA could substantially improve WIA-particularly the Title II provisions that govern adult education-it could be strengthened by incorporating stronger provisions that promote better alignment between WIA Titles I and II, including a shared system of accountability. Download PDF
• Feb 27, 2012  |  Marcie Foster Shifting Gears Winter 2012 Newsletter The Winter 2012 edition of Transmissions is the last newsletter of the Shifting Gears initiative, which ended on December 31, 2011. Although this work is formally ending, we hope that other states and the federal government can benefit from the lessons learned from this groundbreaking work. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Jan 27, 2012  |  CLASP Comments on the Department of Education's Strategic Plan FY2011 - 2014 In January 2012, CLASP provided comments on the Department of Education's Strategic Plan for FY 2011 - 2014. CLASP applauded the Department for putting forth a strategic plan that raises expectations for our nation's education system at all levels and moves the country toward meeting the goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. Download PDF
• Nov 10, 2011  |  Marcie Foster The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (H.R. 2226) The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (AEEGA) was introduced in the House of Representatives in June 2011 by Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15). The bill (H.R. 2226) would amend the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to encourage the use and availability of career pathways for low-skilled adults, strengthen the focus of adult education on postsecondary and career success, increase the number of adult education students receiving marketable postsecondary credentials, and modernize the adult education system to meet the needs of 21st century jobs. Although AEEGA could substantially improve WIA - particularly the Title II provisions that govern adult education - it could be strengthened by incorporating stronger provisions that promote better alignment between WIA Titles I and II, including a shared system of accountability. Download PDF
• Oct 03, 2011  |  Vickie Choitz and Julie Strawn CLASP Testimony for the Record on Nontraditional Students On Sept. 30, 2011, the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance held a hearing on higher education regulations and nontraditional students. CLASP submitted comments focusing on the primary barriers to access and persistence for nontraditional students and promising strategies and policies and the role of the federal government in helping nontraditional students in overcoming the barriers. Download PDF
• Aug 11, 2011 National Leaders Recognize Value of Workforce Development Programs Federally funded workforce development programs, the largest of which are funded by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), assist individuals in building skills, preparing for work, and finding jobs. Many government officials, academics, and business leaders agree that workforce and training programs are essential for our economy to succeed, especially in this period of slow economic growth. Further, most scholars who have examined the evidence find that these programs are valuable for disadvantaged individuals, businesses, and the economy. Download PDF
• Jun 08, 2011  |  Patrick Kelly and Julie Strawn Not Just Kid Stuff Anymore: The Economic Imperative for More Adults to Complete College Just as our economy is demanding that more workers have some postsecondary education or training, the number of recent high school graduates, our traditional source of such workers, is leveling off and even declining in many states. This brief provides relevant data on higher education on a national scale with some broken out by state. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• May 23, 2011  |  Marcie Foster Public Comments on Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education CLASP provided comments on the proposed revisions to the National Reporting System, as outlined in the March 22, 2011 Federal Register (FR Docket ID: 2011-6717). Download PDF
• May 11, 2011  |  Evelyn Ganzglass Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training on Removing Inefficiencies in the Nation's Job Training Programs In May 2011, the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training to the Committee on Education Workforce in the U.S. House of Representatives, held a hearing on removing inefficiencies in the nation's job training programs. Evelyn Ganzglass, Director of Workforce Development at CLASP testified before the committee on the steps Congress should take to create a more coherent and effective workforce system. Download PDF
• May 09, 2011  |  EVENT RESOURCES Developing America's Workforce Event Resources While employers are beginning to hire again, structural problems in the labor market will continue to keep unemployment levels high in the coming years and limit economic mobility for low-income workers. This high-level bipartisan discussion focused on lessons we can draw from the last four decades of workforce policy to help the nation effectively navigate its immediate and long-term labor market challenges. Read Online
• May 06, 2011  |  Neil Ridley and Elizabeth Kenefick Research Shows the Effectiveness of Workforce Programs In this paper, CLASP provides a fresh look at the evidence showing the effectiveness of workforce programs. It finds that federal investments in workforce development help low-income adults and youth find jobs, improve their earnings and contribute to their communities. The national studies also tend to average out results from a wide range of local approaches and consequently mask the success of promising workforce strategies. A growing body of research suggests that workforce investments are likely to pay off for the next generation. Download PDF
• Apr 19, 2011  |  Elizabeth Lower-Basch Testimony for the Record on GAO Report on Duplication of Government Programs, Focus on Welfare and Related Programs In April 2011, the Subcommittee on Human Resources to the Committee on Ways and Means in the U.S. House of Representatives, held a hearing on Duplication of Government Programs with a focus on welfare and related programs. CLASP's testimony for the record focuses on how the programs should be coordinated into a system of benefits that is easy to access, unstigmatized, responsive to economic hardship, open to all, and fully funded. Education and training are drivers of economic mobility and opportunity, and low-wage workers and low-income individuals need access to them to enter and advance in the labor market. Download PDF
• Sep 13, 2010 Webinar: Helping Low-Income Adults and Disadvantaged Youth Earn Credentials and Build Careers: Leading Foundations Speak about Policy Priorities Postsecondary education and credentials are key to economic mobility for individuals and economic competitiveness for our nation. Yet too many low-income adults and disadvantaged youth are locked out of the opportunity to earn credentials and are falling further and further behind. To combat this national challenge, CLASP has launched a new project, the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success (C-PES) and kicked off the initiative with a policy discussion featuring thought leaders from the Ford Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Joyce Foundation. Each of these foundations has made improving postsecondary access and success a top priority. During this webinar, they discuss their specific policy priorities for helping lower-income adults and disadvantaged youth attain postsecondary credentials and achieve economic mobility. Read Online
• Jul 08, 2010  |  Julie Strawn Shifting Gears: State Innovation to Advance Adult Workers and the Economy in the Midwest Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Jun 11, 2010  |  Neil Ridley Workforce Investment Act: Strengthening Priority of Service for Low-Income Adults through WIA Reathorization A key feature of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) is a tiered service delivery structure that provides core, intensive and training services to adults and dislocated workers. WIA requires states and local areas to implement a priority of service for public assistance recipients and other low-income adults when local adult funds are determined to be limited. Although federal regulations suggest that funds are "generally limited" and that a priority of service is likely to be needed, states and local areas have considerable flexibility to define the policy and determine whether and how to implement it. An early evaluation of WIA revealed that implementation of priority of service varied widely in states and localities. Download PDF
• Feb 23, 2010 Recommendations on Performance Accountability in the Workforce Education and Training System Recommendations on Performance Accountability in the Workforce Education and Training System urges the federal government to change current performance accountability provisions in WIA Titles I and II to address specific problems in each program and over time to implement a system of shared accountability across workforce and other education and training programs. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Dec 10, 2009  |  Evelyn Ganzglass Proposal to Create Career Pathways State Policy Leadership Grants Program CLASP proposes the establishment of a Career Pathways State Policy Leadership Grants program within the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The program would be jointly administered by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor to strengthen and align adult education/ ESL, postsecondary education, career and technical education and workforce development systems in a career pathways framework. Download PDF
• Dec 10, 2009  |  Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield and Thomas Hilliard Recommendations to Refocus WIA Title II on Career and Postsecondary Success Download PDF
• Apr 29, 2009  |  Evelyn Ganzglass and Julie Strawn Using Increased Funding Under WIA to Create Multiple Pathways to Marketable Postsecondary Credentials and Middle-Class Employment This paper discusses how the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) system can use new funding and flexibility under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to implement cutting-edge workforce education and training strategies that can help low-skill adults and out-of-school youth gain the skills and credentials they need to fill the pipeline of skilled workers for jobs important to local economies. It focuses on career pathways as a framework for strengthening employer engagement and linkages among workforce education and training programs; and as a model for improving how training and related services are delivered in the WIA adult, dislocated workers and youth programs. Download PDF
• Mar 13, 2007  |  Abbey Frank, Elizabeth Lower-Basch, and Annette Case Where the Funds Are: The Use of FSET Funds for Workforce Training Programs Funding for workforce training programs is limited. Many of the traditional funding streams used to cover the costs of these programs have been cut, leaving administrators to think creatively about alternative funding sources. One possibility is the Food Stamp Employment and Training program (FSET), which supports employment and training services for food stamp participants. This policy brief provides an overview of the FSET program and funding streams and discusses ways that workforce training programs can access FSET funds to improve the employability of FSET participants. Download PDF