Policies to Promote Adult Education and Postsecondary Alignment

Summary

This policy brief outlines approaches to help adults with lower skills and/or limited English proficiency earn postsecondary credentials that open doors to family-supporting jobs. Prepared for the National Commission on Adult Literacy, the report argues that the widespread problem of low-wage work and looming skill shortages are critical reasons for aligning federal and state adult education, job training, and postsecondary education policies. The report also draws attention to the financial, personal, and family challenges that prevent adults from seeking and completing education and training programs. The brief is divided into three sections. The first section summarizes the research on why adult and postsecondary education should focus more on helping lower-skilled adults earn marketable postsecondary credentials. The second section describes some of the key policy challenges to achieving this goal. The third section discusses current state policy innovations related to these challenges and makes recommendations for state and federal policy changes that could help more lower-skilled adult workers. Recommendations fall into three areas identified as critical to progressing adults to earn marketable postsecondary credentials.

  1. Increase state capacity to track individual outcomes across adult and postsecondary education and training services, over time, and into the labor market; and use this data to set goals for improvement.
  2. Integrate adult education and English language services with postsecondary education and training to increase attainment of credentials leading to family-supporting jobs.
  3. Adapt financial aid policies to the needs of lower-skilled adults, and support their success in adult and postsecondary education and training.

Citation

Julie Strawn (2007). Policies to Promote Adult Education and Postsecondary Alignment. National Commission on Adult Literacy.

Retrieved From

http://www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org/content/strawnbriefrev101807.pdf.pdf