The rapid pace of technological change is revolutionizing every sector of the economy, transforming how value is created and delivered to consumers through technologies like robotics, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. This transformation underscores the need for a diverse workforce as the new skills valued and…

Community colleges are an important entry point and pathway for students to obtain a postsecondary degree in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. To broaden STEM participation and increase STEM persistence, it is important to support community college students' college-level course completion and academic performance. This…

State and national initiatives focused on meeting student completion goals have been established for higher education to help produce a stronger workforce and meet economic labor market demands. Some of these initiatives have been centered around improving adult learner enrollment and completion. More adult learners are returning to higher…

Career and Technical Education (CTE) course equivalencies provide students with the opportunity to meet the learning standards for a specific core subject while simultaneously earning credit for the aligned CTE course within a single CTE class. Each year, according to Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 28A.300.236, the Office of Superintendent of…

Background: Lengthy sequences of decontextualized adult education and literacy program courses pose a challenge to two-year college students' educational outcomes. The Integrated Education and Training model has been suggested as a promising approach to creating accelerated and contextualized pathways from adult education and literacy programming…

In the United States, there is a significant need for higher education institutions to provide adult degree completion programs (ADCP) to help students complete their degrees. According to the National Student Clearing House Research Center, as of July 2021, there are 41 million students with some college, no credentials (SCNC), in the United…

In 2016, the GED® introduced college readiness benchmarks designed to identify testers who are academically prepared for credit-bearing college coursework. The benchmarks are promoted as awarding college credits or exempting "college-ready" GED® graduates from remedial coursework. I show descriptive evidence that those identified as…

In the fall of 2019, the University of Arkansas--Fort Smith enrolled an initial cohort of students in an adult degree completion program designed to combine previous college hours and current work experience that could be applied to additional college credit. The students were enrolled in a portfolio class in which they documented their prior…

Certification in the public health workforce is key to professionalizing public health. However, professionals who are certified in public health (CPH) are allowing certification to lapse by failing to report earned public health continuing education (PHCE) credits. As a result, the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE) is not able to…

Over the past decade, Tennessee has invested in several policies addressing the educational attainment of adult learners. One of these policies, Tennessee Reconnect, is a last-dollar scholarship for eligible adults to attend community college free of tuition and mandatory fees. In 2021, two community colleges participated in a year-long pilot…

Advocates for taxpayer-funded school-choice programs cite the potential of market competition to spur educational improvement and promote equity for low-income students. Meanwhile, school-choice critics lament the exodus of talent and resources from public schools, which they argue such programs necessarily cause. Most research on publicly funded…

This report demonstrates how credit for prior learning (CPL) can revolutionize education and career advancement for older adults and veterans while supporting the success of postsecondary education institutions. Focusing on the untapped potential of decades of experience, the report explores how CPL can make higher education more accessible and…

This study examined nontraditional students using linguistic inquiry and word count (LIWC) of their reflective writing assignments. Participants included 364 adult students enrolled in a degree completion program. Data comprised a multiweek reflective writing assignment and demographic data, linguistically and statistically analyzed. The study…

Previous research has shown that when adult students receive credit for their prior learning (CPL), they are more likely to complete credentials while saving time and money doing so. In addition, colleges and universities can also benefit from CPL: adult students who earn credit through CPL are more likely to persist toward completion, and so they…

Adult education programs serve students with low literacy and numeracy skills. They provide instructional services below the postsecondary level for students who have limited English proficiency and students who are working towards obtaining their high school equivalency. Once adult education students complete their programs, they may choose to…