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Descriptors:
Credentials; Dropouts; Student Financial Aid; Federal Programs; Adult Education; Associate Degrees; Census Figures; High School Graduates; Law Enforcement; Guides; Role; Family Relationship; Goal Orientation; Employment; Educational Finance; Eligibility; Educational Attainment; Institutionalized Persons; Correctional Institutions; Criminals; Futures (of Society)

Abstract:
This Guide is designed for people who are incarcerated and for those on community supervision (probation and parole). It will help you get started--or continue--on the path to further education and training. Earning a high school credential, getting a certificate or license in a career technical field, or earning an associate or bachelor's degree will help you advance in your career, and, ultimately, life. You'll have more to offer employers, and you'll improve your chances of getting and keeping a good job--and earning promotions. You'll increase the amount of money you can earn, gain new skills, and make new contacts. In fact, 2010 U.S. Census figures show that people with higher levels of education earn more money. On average, people with four-year college degrees who worked full time earned $57,026 a year, compared to $44,086 for those with an associate degree, $34,197 for high school graduates, and $27,470 for high school dropouts. Continuing your education and training also can help strengthen your role in your family and community. This Guide is designed so that you can go through it from start to finish, or just read or print out the chapters that you need most. It covers the steps involved in setting goals, getting organized, finding employment, and pursuing your education, from a high school credential to a college diploma. It also provides advice about getting money to pay for your education. It won't answer every question, but it will direct you to resources where you can get your questions answered and get more information. The Guide does not provide information on services in specific states, but, wherever possible, it suggests a way to find that information. Appended are: (1) Sample Resume; (2) Correspondence Courses; and (3) "Incarcerated Individuals and Eligibility for Federal Student Aid," a U.S. Department of Education Information Flyer. A glossary is included. (Contains 6 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Integrated Curriculum; Adult Education; Vocational Education; Academic Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Educational Research; Interdisciplinary Approach; Models; Outcomes of Education; Program Effectiveness; High Schools

Abstract:
Policymakers and educators are paying increased attention to determining how best to prepare those in adult education programs not only for immediate employment, but also for career advancement and further training or postsecondary education. This focus echoes current efforts among secondary educators, particularly those in career and technical education (CTE), to ensure that high school graduates are ready for both college and a career--not one or the other. Are there strategies currently in use in high schools that could inform efforts in adult education to prepare adults for both work and further education? The authors examine one strategy--the integrated curriculum--now being implemented in various forms in high schools to see if adult education might benefit from a similar approach. The integrated curriculum combines academic and technical content in programs that focus on problem solving, active engagement in projects and real-world applications of the knowledge and skills taught. This paper reviews several types of curriculum integration and examines research on its effects, primarily in K-12 education, since research in adult education is sparse. After discussing two curriculum integration models in detail--the multiple pathways approach promoted by ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career, and the Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (PAS) program--the authors describe several efforts to incorporate integrated curricula in adult education. They conclude that three approaches have promising prospects for expanding integrated curriculum efforts already under way in adult education: (1) course integration; (2) cross-curriculum integration; and (3) program integration. (Contains 15 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Labor Needs; Skilled Workers; Leadership; Community Colleges; Industry; School Business Relationship; Dislocated Workers; Labor Force Development; Misconceptions; Federal Legislation; Participation

Abstract:
Despite recent talk about the worsening condition of the U.S. workforce, more highly skilled workers are still needed to help America maintain its competitive edge. But that insight doesn't exactly constitute a "Eureka!" moment for community college leaders. In reality, community colleges have been working with industry executives and other stakeholders for years to provide students and displaced workers with the hands-on training and know-how to become active participants in the new global economy. Despite misconceptions, research shows community colleges are leveraging the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to help industry achieve success. This article presents examples that illustrate how some community colleges have used ingenuity, tenacity, and partnerships to tap into WIA resources and meet community workforce needs. It also presents 10 challenges that are common to community colleges in their efforts to work with WIA. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Federal Legislation; Minority Groups; Educational Change; Educational Improvement; White Students; Achievement Tests; Academic Achievement; Scores; Racial Differences; Educational Legislation; Compliance (Legal); Accountability; Achievement Gains; Equal Education; African American Students; Hispanic American Students

Abstract:
From the halls of Congress to the local elementary school, conversations on education reform have tossed around the term "achievement gap" as though people all know precisely what that means. As it's commonly used, "achievement gap" refers to the differences in scores on state or national achievement tests between various student demographic groups. And the gap that has been a long-standing source of the greatest concern is that between white students and minority students, although other groups have been brought into the picture by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirements of NCLB are designed to expose achievement gaps between groups of students, ostensibly so that schools will make greater efforts to close the gaps over time. But making AYP is not the same thing as closing achievement gaps. The great hope--still far from being realized--is that, as achievement improves across all student subgroups, the gaps will diminish as well. It is important to remember that, despite being the major preoccupation of most educators and policy makers, making AYP is not an end in itself; rather, tracking AYP is a means to the dual ends of closing achievement gaps and improving the performance of all students. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Stakeholders; Job Training; Community Colleges; Dislocated Workers; Interviews; Labor Market; Federal Government; Federal Legislation; Associate Degrees; Student Educational Objectives; Goal Orientation; Educational Quality; Educational Innovation; State Policy; Educational Change; Educational Policy; Career Readiness

Abstract:
Not since the Depression, when the unemployed flocked to community colleges for training, have community colleges been more squarely in the workforce development spotlight than now. Long recognized for providing affordable access to students seeking associate's degrees or transfer to four-year postsecondary institutions, community colleges have received less attention as providers of occupational skills training for disadvantaged job-seekers or dislocated workers. However, the federal interest in strengthening the role of community colleges in providing high-quality training to meet changing labor market demands has led to some recent initiatives and funding programs. Community colleges are considered essential partners in these programs. As national attention has turned to community colleges as the "engines of workforce development," the colleges' participation in the nation's federal employment and training system, established by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, has become crucial. The purpose of this project is twofold: to stimulate the thinking of community colleges about how they can better use WIA to further their goals and how WIA can better use community colleges to improve the quality and effectiveness of its programs. The authors began this two-year project by interviewing federal policy makers and representatives of stakeholder groups over a period of six months. They asked respondents to identify key challenges that colleges face in working with WIA, their ideas about how to best tackle those challenges, and examples of colleges that exemplify innovative and effective models of participation in WIA. This report concludes with a summary of the lessons learned, followed by a list of challenges colleges still face. Because solutions to these ongoing challenges are for the most part outside the control of colleges, resolving them may require policy changes on the part of states or the federal government. Recommendations for some of these changes are provided. Stakeholder interviews are appended. (Contains 3 tables and 5 footnotes.) [This report was produced by the Institute for the Study of Family, Work, and Community, a nonprofit affiliate of MPR Associates, Inc.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Achievement Gap; Low Achievement; Educational Change; Limited English Speaking; Data; Decision Making; Minority Group Students; Special Education; Special Needs Students; Educational Legislation; Federal Legislation; Mathematics Tests; Reading Tests; Standardized Tests; Alignment (Education); Academic Standards; State Standards; Longitudinal Studies

Abstract:
States are engaged in serious efforts to raise student achievement, paying particular attention to narrowing the achievement gap between high- and low-performing students that has persisted in public schools for decades. The achievement gap is particularly troubling because, all too often, those at low achievement levels are minority, special education, or limited-English-proficient students. The federal "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) act has given added impetus to efforts to close the achievement gap. States are now testing all students in specific grades in mathematics and reading, using standardized state assessments aligned with state academic standards. Efforts to close the achievement gap are as diverse as the 50 states, and many educators are struggling to implement school improvement strategies and find adequate and appropriate measurements to see if these strategies are working. "NCLB" offers a useful framework for thinking about the kinds of data needed to identify students having difficulty meeting standards and to document school progress in closing the achievement gap over time. Good data make it possible to arrive at fair, accurate judgments about student and school performance and to make better decisions about how to deploy resources to improve schools. This policy brief describes the elements of a comprehensive state student data system that can provide richer and more meaningful information of use to policymakers, educators, parents, and the public. (Contains 4 figures and 2 footnotes.) [This paper was written with Chrys Dougherty.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Community Colleges; Adult Education; Adult Literacy; Labor Force Development; Partnerships in Education; School Community Relationship; Access to Education; Leadership

Abstract:
The dilemma is familiar: too few resources to meet too many demands. Common to many public institutions, this problem poses special challenges to those working in community colleges, adult education and literacy programs, and workforce development organizations. These organizations all serve people who are at an economic and educational disadvantage in the society and want to upgrade their knowledge and skills. Although their missions differ, there is substantial overlap among the three, and this overlap in goals creates opportunities, particularly for community colleges. Many communities across the country are developing community partnerships around these issues of workforce development and adult literacy. Workforce development and adult education needs are unlikely to diminish in the foreseeable future. If anything, demands are likely to increase, stretching limited resources to the breaking point. Community partnerships cannot solve every resource problem, but they can enable communities to expand their services to adults who need them and improve the skills of the local workforce. As the examples in this article show, community colleges can play a leadership role in such partnerships, enlarging their own service to the community in the process. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Change; Educational Improvement; Educational Practices; Educational Quality; Elementary Secondary Education; Flexible Scheduling; Instructional Improvement; School Schedules; Time Factors (Learning); Time Management; Time on Task

Abstract:
Describes how five elementary and secondary schools have successfully altered the traditional school schedule in order to develop greater educational quality. These schools give examples of using time more flexibly, allowing teachers to help slower students, helping teachers polish their lessons and go deeper into their disciplines, and providing more extracurricular activities. (GR)

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