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High School, Postsecondary, and Career Education
Trend Watch
AEFLA Reauthorization Blueprint
This week, the U.S. Department of Education released the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act reauthorization blueprint. Below is an excerpt, but the document in its entirety can be found at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/AdultEd/aeblueprint2.doc
Americans need a strong foundation of academic skills in order to fulfill their roles as workers, parents and citizens and to face the challenges of today's high-skilled economy. The Department of Education's reauthorization of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act will make high quality adult basic and literacy education services available to more adults by: creating accountability for results; funding what works; expanding options and choices; and reducing bureaucracy and increasing flexibility.
Creating accountability for results. Under the Administration's proposal, States must establish more effective programs that prioritize accountability for results by setting challenging expectations for students, using meaningful assessments, and aligning instruction to meet those expectations. Clear standards in core academics of reading, mathematics, language arts and English language acquisition; aligned student assessments; and appropriate performance measures will drive program improvement that benefits students. New local accountability systems will ensure that the most qualified and effective providers receive Federal funds.
Funding what works. An enhanced emphasis on research, as well as demonstration and development efforts, will build a stronger foundation of knowledge for the endeavor of adult education. Knowledge about how to teach adults reading, mathematics, or English effectively, how to integrate technology, and how to organize programs will lead to stronger student learning outcomes and more effective use of taxpayer dollars.
Expanding options and choices for students. Adults who make the personal investment in learning deserve a broad array of high-quality program options that best meet their needs. Under the improved adult education programs, a broader array of agencies will compete successfully to provide adult basic education services, including more community and faith-based organizations. Expanded employer involvement and use of technology also will create more learning opportunities for students, as well as create closer connections among educational programs to help students make smooth transitions to postsecondary education and training. Enhanced partnerships with the One-Stop delivery system under Title I of WIA will also assist in more effectively connecting students, provider and employers.
Reduce bureaucracy and increase flexibility. The reauthorization of Adult Education and Family Literacy Act will keep data collection burdens at a minimum, while still ensuring that the policymakers have the information they need to ensure accountability and program integrity. The reauthorization of this legislation will create flexibility to facilitate new and innovative partnerships between adult education providers and other community agencies to make literacy services more widely available.
High School, Postsecondary, and Career Education
Preparation for Promising Careers
PDF [706K]How do we best prepare all students for success in further education and promising careers? The Education Trust's, A New Core Curriculum for All: Aiming High for Other People's Children, maintains that a high academic curriculum for all high school students is a key factor. Findings from national and localized studies cited include:
- Students of all abilities learn more in college prep courses
- Students are more likely to pass high-level courses than low-level ones
- Students with a rigorous curriculum are more likely to succeed in college.
- Districts emphasizing college-prep as the primary curriculum saw increased percentages of minority and low-income students complete a college-prep program.
Math and Science Education - A Changing Culture
A new report "Learning for the Future: Changing the Culture of Math and Science Education to Ensure a Competitive Workplace" investigates the challenges confronting math and science education from the perspective of culture change. The culture surrounding math and science achievement is often negative: students who succeed in these fields are often dismissed by their peers, while a culture of low expectations burdens other groups, perpetuating their under representation in the professional technical labor force. To address these issues the Committee for Economic Development (CED) calls for the implementation of a strategic plan that will increase student "demand" for higher achievement in mathematics and science.
For more information and a copy of the report, go to: http://www.ced.org
Raising Teacher Quality Involves Community Action
"A Community Action Guide to Teacher Quality" was developed through a grant from the US Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement to the Public Education Network (PEN) as part of funded projects designed to better link research and data to policy and practice change. PEN dedicated its project to building public knowledge and understanding of how to improve teaching through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data on teachers and teaching. This project consisted of two phases of work, conducted in eight communities across the country. The first phase included the creation of a data framework followed by data collection and analysis and phase two engaged the public in disseminating the findings from the data. The action guide builds on the experiences and learning from the eight sites and is intended as a tool for community groups that want to build public knowledge and understanding and take action to support quality teaching.
For more information and a copy of the action guide: http://www.publiceducation.org/tqguide.asp
16 States Exceed Performance Levels
Sixteen states that exceeded their performance levels under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, and Title I of the Workforce Investment Act were notified May 13, 2003 of their eligibility for an incentive grant under Section 503(a) of the Workforce Investment Act. The states were: Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
More information (PDF)Federal Web Site Wins Top Public Service Award
The federal government's home page, FirstGov.gov operated by the General Services Administration, has received the Innovations in American Government Award. In addition to the recognition, the award comes with a $100,000 grant. The selection committee called the web site "one of the most responsive organs in the federal government." The web site was created to provide visitors with a single point of access to timely information and services available from the different federal agencies. View the article
History Lesson Documentary
Juniors and seniors in the communication arts class at the 900-student Marysville High School in Marysville, Michigan, have developed a unique history lesson. The students created an hour-long documentary on their town, starting from its early days as a logging community and chronicling its later automobile and shipbuilding industries. All aspects of the documentary, including taping, writing, and editing were done by the students. Seventeen-year-old senior Dylan MacLean said his work on the video "has helped prepare him for a job as a producer or director in the television industry." He had no idea what he wanted to do after graduation before taking the class, but after participating in the project, he knew he wanted to work in TV. The documentary has been a good way to bridge the generation gap between the students and older adults in the community. The documentary will be shown in classrooms, tourists, and civic groups and may be seen on the History Channel.
View the article Consolidation Could Save Students Hundreds of Dollars on Loans
The Department of Education announced this week that borrowers who apply now to consolidate their federal student loans can be assured that they will receive the lowest available rate -- even if interest rates drop on July 1. Student loan interest rates -- now at 4.06 percent for most borrowers in repayment -- are expected to fall below four percent when new rates go into effect on July 1. "This is a win-win situation for today's students," said U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige. "While student loan interest rates are currently low, it is highly anticipated that they will drop even more to lows that we have not seen for several decades." Most federally insured education loans are eligible for consolidation. Through loan consolidation, outstanding student loans are combined into a single loan, and the interest rate is fixed for the life of the loan. For example, if interest rates fall to the estimated new rate of 3.5 percent, a borrower with $20,000 in student debt might save an estimated $710 in interest over 10 years and $1,570 over 20 years.
More information on student loan consolidation:http://www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov/
The Value of Retraining Through Community College
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's 2002 report, Estimating the Returns to Community College Schooling for Displaced Workers, analyzes the impact of retraining through community college courses. Using state employment databases and college transcripts, the study found that the equivalent of a year of community college schooling increased displaced workers' earnings by about 9 percent for men and 13 percent for women. Key findings in the study:
- It takes time to realize the full benefits since wages are often temporarily low immediately following schooling. Thus, studies should examine longer-term benefits.
- The model allows for both an initial impact just from the decision to participate, as well as an impact proportional to the number of credits earned.
- The impact was much greater for courses that teach quantitative or more technically oriented vocational subject matter. These courses were associated with an average 29 percent increase in earnings for women and 14 percent for men, while non-quantitative or non-technical vocational courses were associated with little or no gains.
- Approximately one-third of the increase in earnings was attributed to higher wages, and the remainder came from the increased probability of working and increased work hours.
The Winter 2002-03 Issue of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Quarterly includes two articles on community colleges. Associate degree: Two years to a career or a jump start to a bachelor's degree provides an overview of community college degrees, career areas, occupational fields with the most job openings, and 2001 data on the earnings for differing levels of educational attainment in 94 occupational fields. The changing role of community college covers the history of the community college, the emerging role in job training, and enrollment trends.
Grant Opportunity for Workforce Development Organizations
A new competition offers opportunities to effective workforce development organizations with at least two years of local or national experience. Through the Career Advancement Strategy Competition, Jobs for the Future (JFF) will partner with four high-performing, workforce organizations committed to building large-scale models that can move low-skilled, low-income individuals into family-sustaining jobs, while also meeting the workforce needs of employers. Activities center on placing new job entrants or promoting incumbent workers into jobs that pay substantially above the state minimum wage, providing continued wage and skill growth for participants, and improving employers' ability to meet critical labor and skill needs. Organizations selected will receive a first-year grant of $65,000, with an additional year if they are making significant progress.
Quality of High School Courses Matter
Marking the twentieth anniversary of the "A Nation at Risk" report, an Education Week article, Quantity of Coursework Rises Since 1983 summarizes changes in course-taking patterns among high school students and current strategies to meet the report's goals. Overall, high school students are taking a greater number of academic courses, and more students are taking the higher-level courses associated with success in further education and higher wages. However, poor and minority students are still less likely to take the more advanced courses. The article cites results from a number of promising programs and studies, and notes several state and individual programs focused on preparing more students for college without need for remediation.
Note: may require completion of free registration to view full article
Trend Watch
Where We Are Now:
12 Things You Need To Know About Public Opinion and Public Schools
1) The public, including parents, teachers and students, believes that setting standards and enforcing them promotes learning. Social promotion, they say, harms kids.
2) Standards and promotion policies have changed in recent years, and attitudes about local schools have improved. Even so, many students still move ahead without acquiring needed skills.
3) The vast majority of parents and teachers say standardized tests are useful, and few students are overly anxious about them. But people also think tests can be misused, and many say there's too much emphasis on them.
4) While teachers support higher academic standards, they have qualms about some aspects of testing.
5) Teachers are troubled by lack of parental support and poor student behavior. Teachers also say their views are generally ignored by decision makers.
6) Americans say all students need the basics, and parents want their own children prepared for college. For most, a college diploma is as indispensable as a high school diploma used to be.
7) There is a dramatic gap between the way employers and college professors rate high school graduates and the way parents and teachers view them.
8) The vast majority of employers and professors continue to have serious doubts about public school graduates' basic skills, especially when it comes to writing.
9) Teachers say lack of parental involvement is a serious problem. According to both teachers and parents, parental involvement should focus on what goes on at home rather than on school management issues.
10) Teachers, parents and students continue to voice concern about the rough edged, uncivil atmosphere in many high schools. Few see high schools as places of respect or civility.
11) Superintendents and principals say their biggest problems are politics and bureaucracy. Most want more autonomy over their own schools.
12) Holding schools and educators directly accountable for student achievement is still uncommon. Teachers and principals have doubts about it, while parents and the public tend to support it.
To ask questions, provide comments, or receive email notification of the next issue, please email the Office of Vocational and Adult Education.
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Last Modified: 08/22/2008
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