Basic skills -- including literacy, numeracy, ESOL and digital skills -- are key to support adults' life chances and the need to invest in them is increasing. Investing in higher level and technical skills is important for economic recovery and future prosperity. But a sound base of basic skills are both essential in their own right and provide…

Investing in community college workforce training is a central part of the Biden administration's agenda for improving the lives of American families. Now more than ever, as the nation's economy enters a post-pandemic period of significant organizational and technological change, community colleges are well-situated to help millions of low-income…

To increase the rate at which adult basic skills students advance to and succeed in college-level occupational programs, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) developed the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training, or I-BEST. In the I-BEST model, a basic skills instructor and an occupational instructor team…

Using results from the 2002 Student Outcomes Survey and a follow-up survey of these students in 2004, this report examines outcomes over time of young people aged 15-24 years who undertook technical and further education (TAFE) training in 2001. The report looks at changes in employment, wages and skill level, further study outcomes and other…

This review of research is part of a larger project which identified exemplary community college programs that employ innovative curriculum and instructional practices in order to help low-skilled adults attain a family sustainable wage. The project goal was to identify best practices that are replicable at other community colleges. These programs…

There is a strong and growing argument for higher educational attainment in the United States. The jobs that are expected to support the economy in the coming years will depend on a skilled workforce that is able to learn and adapt quickly to new challenges. However, demographic patterns demonstrate that relying on the traditional K-16 pipeline to…

The 2000 Student Outcomes Survey was a national survey of students who undertook vocational education and training (VET) during 1999 at a technical and further education (TAFE) institute in Australia. Questionnaires mailed to stratified, randomly selected samples of graduates and module completers yielded national response levels of 55.8% and…

This book presents a case study of the MOVA (Movimento de Alfabetizacao de Jovens e Adultos) literacy program in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1989-1993. It examines the meaning and uses of literacy at the micro- and macro-levels, the interplay between both levels, and forces influencing educational policy formation and outcome. The foreword provides…

Maine's Parents as Scholars (PaS) program provides parents who are eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) with cash assistance and support services while they attend a two-year or four-year postsecondary degree program. PaS participants receive the same cash benefits and access to support services as TANF recipients receive.…