In Focus
Apr 04, 2013 | Permalink »
The "Golden Opportunity" of Adult Education Reform
By Marcie Foster and Julie Strawn
Across the country, more and more states are changing adult education policy to provide students the education they need to become employed and economically successful in an increasingly knowledge-based economy. Multi-state initiatives, such as Shifting Gears and Accelerating Opportunity, are supporting this shift, as are the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor through guidance and technical assistance. Nowhere is this trend more relevant than in California (known as the "Golden State"), where one out of five adult education students reside and which is newly focusing on restructuring adult education to promote college and career success.
Economists predict that, over the long run, a growing share of jobs in all states will require a postsecondary credential. Yet by 2020, much of California’s prime-age workforce will come from population groups that are currently underrepresented in postsecondary education and may have weaker academic or English language skills. Adult education is critical to addressing this skills gap, as it is the primary system used by adult learners with low basic skills to prepare for higher levels of education and employment. Most recently, the Governor’s FY13-14 budget proposal called for a dedicated state funding stream to adult education from the current “flex” system that allows districts to determine how much funding goes to adult education. Furthermore, the proposal called for redirecting this funding to community colleges rather than school districts. A recent Little Hoover Commission report called for more programmatic and governance reforms, citing poor outcomes of the adult education system poorly aligned with future workforce needs.
A new report, A Golden Opportunity: Strategies to Focus Adult Education on College and Career, written for California’s LearningWorks and co-authored by CLASP senior fellow Julie Strawn, highlights four levers that could be used to reform California’s adult education from a system focused on basic literacy and GED preparation to one designed to help students prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education connected to labor market opportunities. The utility and challenges of each of these policy levers are demonstrated through short “case studies” of states that have pursued them as part of a broader reform strategy:
- Integrating adult basic education and community college governance to help more basic skills students transition into postsecondary education;
- Using strategic plans and Adult Education funding guidelines to signal a new focus on college and careers;
- Innovation initiatives to increase college and career success for adults with lower skills; and
- Using goals, metrics, and data to refocus programs: state accountability policies.
Informed by a comprehensive set of interviews with seven leading states in adult education reform (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington, and Wisconsin), this report is one of the first to look at key structural policy levers as a strategy for refocusing adult education on college and career. These states’ experiences, including challenges and lessons learned, offer critical insights to California and other states seeking to raise expectations for adult education programs and students. The report also highlights how reforms can create "on-ramps" that enable lower-skilled workers to enter college and career pathways. In particular, the study highlights that multiple strategies are needed; for example, changing governance by itself, without other steps to set a new course for adult education, is unlikely to produce the desired results.
Though the future of California’s adult education system is still undetermined, this report and others rightly focus attention on what should be the major task at hand for this state and all others: preserving the inherent value of adult education while reforming the outdated system to one more closely aligned with 21st century needs.
Mar 26, 2013 | Permalink »
Updated Resource for States: Toolkit on Federal Funding for Career Pathways
By Neil Ridley
CLASP announces the release of an updated resource, Funding Career Pathways and Career Pathway Bridges: A Federal Funding Toolkit for States. This toolkit is designed to help interagency state teams identify and facilitate "braiding" of federal resources to build career pathways for adults and out-of-school youth.
Career pathways are an approach that many states are adopting to fix fragmented and leaky educational pipelines, so that adults and out-of-school youth can succeed in postsecondary education and employment. Career pathways are linked education and training services that enable students to advance over time to successively higher levels of education and employment in a given industry or occupational sector. Each step on a career pathway is designed to prepare students to progress to the next level of employment and education.
The 2010 edition of the funding toolkit was widely cited and used at the federal, state, and local levels. This new edition, which was developed with support from the Joyce Foundation, includes fresh state and local examples and revised program profiles reflecting critical legislative and administrative changes to key federal programs. Of all the elements of career pathways, support services are among the most important for ensuring student success, yet they are also the most difficult to fund. A new appendix identifies 10 federal funding sources that can be used to provide a wide range of support services.
Since the release of the first edition of the toolkit, momentum to build and expand the use of career pathways has increased considerably. In 2012, the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor issued a joint letter highlighting their commitment to building the research base and expanding this promising strategy across the country. Each of these departments has also issued competitive grants encouraging implementation of pathways for different populations. To support further implementation, CLASP has launched the Alliance for Quality Career Pathways, a state-driven initiative to develop a framework for high-quality career pathways, including criteria and performance metrics.
Click here to access the revised toolkit, Funding Career Pathways and Career Pathway Bridges: A Federal Funding Toolkit for States>>
Mar 28, 2013 | Permalink »
New Study Highlights Importance of Job Training for Low-Wage Workers – And Need for Better Awareness of Training Programs
By Neil Ridley and Patrick Reimherr
A new study issued by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs, Paths to Opportunity: Perspectives from Lower-Wage Workers and Their Employers, provides a snapshot of worker and employer perspectives on the economic outlook, working conditions, and opportunities for advancement in lower-wage occupations (defined as jobs paying $35,000 or less per year). With recent analyses showing disproportionate growth in lower-wage jobs since the end of the recession, it is essential to understand the dynamics of low-wage work in order to rebuild paths to middle-class jobs.
Major findings from the report include:
- Most employers of lower-wage workers say that while these workers do acquire the needed skills over time, they are not prepared when they are first hired. While a large majority of employers believe that training is critical for career advancement, low-wage workers are more skeptical about the value of education and training.
- Compared to all workers, lower-wage workers are far less likely to be satisfied in their job or to feel valued for the work they do. Lower-wage workers perceive few opportunities for advancement and many have not yet advanced in their current jobs.
- Lower-wage workers are not aware of and are not taking advantage of government-sponsored benefits and training programs. Similarly, only a small minority of employers are participating in public-private partnerships and taking advantage of other government-funded training opportunities partly because they are not aware of them.
The findings suggest that policymakers should explore ways to increase opportunities for skill development and low-wage workers’ awareness of those benefits and opportunities. As Congress considers reauthorization of education and training programs, such as those in the Workforce Investment Act, it is important to ensure that low-wage workers have better access to opportunities for training and career advancement.
For the full report, see Paths to Opportunity: Perspectives from Lower-Wage Workers and Their Employers.>>