The General Educational Development program, or GED, is undergoing the biggest revamping in its 69-year history, driven by mounting recognition that young adults' future success depends on getting more than a high-school-level education. Potent forces have converged to stoke the GED's redesign. A labor market that increasingly seeks some…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) From Gathering Storm to Category 5: Five Years After "Rising Above the Gathering Storm", U.S. Competitive…

Examines the paradox of strong individual demand and strong institutional support for the General Educational Development (GED) credential despite educational and economic returns markedly lower than those of traditional high school graduates, suggesting that the GED program is a low-cost way to integrate thousands of off-track individuals back…

Five years have passed since the U.S. Census Bureau published synthetic estimates of work-life earnings by educational attainment. This paper updates those figures with the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau's annual Current Population Surveys, and adds net present value analysis of the financial benefit of a college degree to the…

Two facts have become clear since passage of the Workforce Investment Act in 1998. First, when low-skilled individuals increase their basic skills, these higher skills pay off in the labor market in the form of higher employment and earnings. Second, these earnings increases are typically modest and fall short of what people need to become…

The Palm Beach Post newspaper in Florida provides a workplace literacy program with six classes in three programs: adult basic education; English for speakers of other languages; and high school equivalency in preparation for a General Educational Development diploma. Employees receive work-release time or are paid to attend class. Class size is…

The number of high school age students who do not complete high school is receiving increased attention as a serious challenge facing the educational system. This is happening for several reasons. New research estimates that about 30 percent of high school students fail to earn a diploma in the standard number of years, a higher figure than state…

This booklet contains profiles of nine outstanding adult learners from eight Pennsylvania counties who have been recognized for their educational achievements and for acknowledging the power of education in their lives and overcoming great personal difficulties to improve and enhance the quality of their lives and those of their families and…

Older teens living in families receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) face serious sociodemographic disadvantages. When combined with the characteristic risk-taking behaviors of adolescence, these disadvantages pose a threat to TANF teens' immediate and future physical, psychological, and emotional health and to their long-term…

These eight fact sheets, which are intended for teachers, administrators, and others interested in adult basic education and adult literacy, cover a wide range of topics related to adult learning and literacy. This document contains revised versions of fact sheets 0, 3, 6, 7, 12, 14, 16, and 18. The following are among the topics discussed on the…

Minnesota's Youthbuild program helps at-risk youths gain useful job skills while building safe, affordable housing in their neighborhoods and working toward their high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate. In 1999, the Minnesota Legislature appropriated 751,000 dollars per year in Youthbuild funds. The program…

The 12 programs selected as 1996 winners of the Secretary's Awards for Outstanding Adult Education and Literacy Programs illustrate a diverse range of promising practices for the 21st century. Winners were selected based on the presence of 10 elements, including the following: effective and potentially replicable practices; measurable objectives…