Adult Basic Education/GED/Bridge Programs – Building Better Programs https://www.buildingbetterprograms.org Resources for Improving TANF and Related Work Programs Tue, 16 May 2017 14:18:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 Job Search or Basic Education Participation First: Which Improves Welfare Recipients’ Earnings More https://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/2017/05/16/job-search-or-basic-education-participation-first-which-improves-welfare-recipients-earnings-more/ Tue, 16 May 2017 14:18:05 +0000 http://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/?p=1482 Read more]]> By Gayle Hamilton Charles Michalopoulos
MDRC
October 2016

MDRC’s brief revisits the ongoing debate about whether TANF recipients are better served in the long term by finding work quickly or by first obtaining education and training to improve job prospects.  Hamilton and Michalopoulos present findings from three sites who take part in the National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies (NEWWS), which randomly assigns participants to labor force attachment (LFA) programs or human capital development (HCD) programs to study the effects they have on participant employment.  Researchers followed up with participants for several years after program completion, comparing wages at years 1-2, years 3-5, and years 10-15.  In the short term, results show that LFA participants had higher earnings than HCD participants.  In the long run, HCD participants eventually surpassed LFA participants, but not in amounts that were statistically significant.  While both programs imporved the earnings of participants, advocates and policy makers should carefully consider their costs in association with their short and long term benefits when considering which programs to promote and fund. 

Read the full report here.

]]> MDRC: A Career Approach to GED Instruction https://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/2015/04/09/mdrc-a-career-approach-to-ged-instruction/ Thu, 09 Apr 2015 15:11:25 +0000 http://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/?p=1134 Read more]]> This two-page issue focus from MDRC describes two GED pathway programs — a completed evaluation at LaGuardia Community College in New York City, GED Bridge to Health and Business, and an ongoing evaluation for a similar program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. Both programs test a career-focused GED curriculum model that aims to improve high school credentialing and college entry rates. It offers a contextualized, career-focused GED curriculum while supporting students in their transition to college or training.
The issue focus highlights the four main elements of the model:

  1. A career-focused curriculum
  2. Direct connections to postsecondary institutions
  3. Managed cohort enrollment
  4. Supportive services to help students enter college and a career

A Career Approach to GED Instruction

 

]]> OCTAE: Impact of Adult Basic Skills Program Participation on Long-Term Outcomes https://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/2015/04/08/octae-impact-of-adult-basic-skills-program-participation-on-long-term-outcomes/ Wed, 08 Apr 2015 21:22:39 +0000 http://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/?p=1128 Read more]]> Dr. Stephen Reder of the Department of Applied Linguistics at Portland State University analyzed data from the university’s Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning to examine the long-term affects of adult basic skills (ABS) program participation on various outcomes including economic outcomes, literacy growth, and GED attainment.

Summaries of the research briefs are available here.

Direct links to the briefs are available below:

The Impact of ABS Program Participation on Long-Term Economic Outcomes

The Impact of ABS Program Participation on Long-Term Literacy Growth

The Impact of ABS Program Participation on Long-Term GED Attainment

]]> The Role of Education and Training in the TANF Program https://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/2014/05/01/the-role-of-education-and-training-in-the-tanf-program/ Thu, 01 May 2014 21:31:19 +0000 http://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/?p=600 Read more]]> The testimony of Julie Strawn from CLASP at an April 22, 2010 congressional hearing on the Role of Education and Training in the TANF Program explain why education and training are important for low-income adults in today’s economy, shares examples of effective state and community career pathway programs, and discusses how TANF work requirement are often part of the problem rather than the solution. The testimony includes details about Washington’s I-Best Program, Wisconsin RISE Career Pathways, and the Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative.

Julie Strawn’s testimony on the role of education and training in the TANF program

 

]]> Education Pilot Program – Final Report https://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/2014/05/01/education-pilot-program-final-report/ Thu, 01 May 2014 21:02:39 +0000 http://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/?p=596 Read more]]> In Spring 2008, Utah piloted in a few areas of the state the Education Pilot Program for assisting Department of Workforce Services customers without a high school diploma (HSD) or GED in obtaining this basic level of education. While the focus was on moving customers into a HSD/GED program, the charge included providing appropriate “next step” education resources and referrals to those who were not able to pursue this basic level of education. The pilot was also to assist HSD/GED graduates in pursuing additional training or schooling programs currently in demand by the labor market. The HSD/GED portion became known as “Inve$t In You” (IIY).  The IIY pilot was evaluated in two very different settings, a local adult education facility and a community college. Each had strengths and areas of concern. Both settings allowed for the evaluation of components of the IIY program which lead to success. Important components and lessons learned include:

  • Intensive case management is critical to customer success
  • Mandatory participation in the HSD/GED orientation works
  • Having standards for attendance and progress is important
  • Offering an incentive to join the program is essential

Education Pilot Program – Final Report

]]> Nebraska’s Employment First Program https://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/2014/04/16/nebraskas-employment-first-program/ Wed, 16 Apr 2014 20:07:37 +0000 http://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/?p=315 Read more]]> Nebraska’s Employment First (EF) program allows parents who receive TANF cash assistance to pursue education and training that improves their ability to secure employment and long-term economic success. Employment First is funded through Aid to Dependent Children (ADC), Nebraska’s state TANF program. Nebraska has allowed ADC recipients to meet their work requirements through postsecondary education since TANF was created. In recent years, the state has added adult basic education, GED classes, and English as Second Language classes as state-countable activities, recognizing that many ADC recipients may not be ready to take college classes.

CLASP – TANF Education and Training: Nebraska Employment First

]]> Beyond the GED: Promising Models for Moving High School Dropouts to College https://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/2014/04/09/beyond-the-ged-promising-models-for-moving-high-school-dropouts-to-college/ Wed, 09 Apr 2014 15:00:19 +0000 http://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/?p=104 Read more]]>

Emphasizing results from quasi-experimental and experimental research, this literature review identifies the most promising approaches for increasing dropouts’ rate of attaining a GED certificate or other high school credential and making a successful transition to college. Though rigorous research on these reforms is limited, two available studies suggest that programs that contextualize basic skills and GED instruction within specific career fields and that support students in their transition to college show promise in increasing the rate of students’ persistence, earning a high school credential, and entering and succeeding in college.

MDRC – Beyond the GED: Promising Models for Moving High School Dropouts to College

]]> Washington State’s I-BEST Program https://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/2014/04/08/washington-states-i-best-program/ Tue, 08 Apr 2014 18:52:57 +0000 http://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/?p=201 Read more]]> Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) is an innovative program created to move ABE and ESL students to college-level education. Under the I-BEST model, basic skills instructors and career-technical faculty jointly design and teach college-level occupational, or what in Washington State are called “workforce,” courses for adult basic skills students. Instruction in basic skills is thereby integrated with instruction in college-level career-technical skills. I-BEST programs cover a wide range of occupations, with courses in such areas of study as nursing and allied health, computer technology, and automotive technology. Evaluations of I-BEST shows the program has positive impacts on education outcomes.

Contextualized College Transition Strategies for Adult Basic Skills Students: Learning from Washington State’s I-BEST Program Model

]]> LaGuardia Community College’s GED Bridge to College and Careers Program https://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/2014/03/18/laguardia-community-colleges-ged-bridge-to-college-and-careers-program-2/ Tue, 18 Mar 2014 21:36:34 +0000 http://www.buildingbetterprograms.org/?p=63 Read more]]> LaGuardia’s GED Bridge to College and Careers program is a promising new approach to GED instruction.  An evaluation conducted by MDRC finds encouraging results that show Bridge students are more likely than traditional GED students to complete the 18-week course, pass the GED exam, and enroll in college. Its goal is to better prepare students not only to pass the GED exam, but also to continue on to college and training programs. The Bridge program uses contextualized curriculum to prepare students to earn their high school diploma and transition to college, certificate training or the workplace. The program offers contextualized curricula for healthcare, business, and science careers.

CBPP Webinar on LaGuardia Community College’s Bridge Program
Webinar video
Webinar slides

LaGuardia Community College’s Bridge to College and Careers website

MDRC’s evaluation brief of the Bridge Program

 

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