This brief provides an overview of the burgeoning credential marketplace for young adult talent developers--the community-based, entrepreneurial organizations that work with young people ages 16 to 24, many of whom are seeking a faster and less costly route into the labor market. These organizations play an important role in helping young people…

This report demonstrates the success of the early college high school program at Lawrence High School. It has improved outcomes for participants, significantly increasing the chances that they will enter college right after high school and earn a degree. While no single educational intervention is a panacea, early college deserves to be scaled--in…

Massachusetts's education agencies support expanding early college high school programs based on their initial success. In fact, think tank MassINC is calling for annual early college enrollment to increase to 45,000 students. This report outlines strategies for reaching that ambitious target: expanding access to early college programs to students…

While the popularity of college in high school programs is growing, there remain significant equity gaps in terms of access to rigorous, high-quality offerings. It is therefore essential for policymakers to take great care as they craft policies supporting or expanding these programs. Jobs for the Future's (JFF's) Policy Leadership Trust has…

The Accelerating CTE project began as an extension of Jobs for the Future's (JFF's) Accelerating Opportunity (AO), a seven-year initiative to improve outcomes for adult education students in college. Building on the lessons learned and strong evidence realized in AO, the ECMC Foundation in 2016 invested in a three-year initiative where JFF…

Early college high schools are powerful instruments for success for young men of color, and school leaders must take an intentional approach to remove systemic barriers to their engagement. This report outlines strategies to better recruit and retain young men of color in early college programs and provides examples of successful and emerging…

This case study shares findings from the evaluation of the Accelerating Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at West Kentucky Community & Technical College (WKCTC) (Paducah, Kentucky). It provides details on student outcomes and the college's lessons learned, and concludes with information on how the college will build from its project…

This case study shares findings from the evaluation of the Accelerating Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at Neosho County Community College (NCCC) (Chanute, Kansas). It provides details on student outcomes and the college's lessons learned, and concludes with information on how the college will build from its project experience going…

This case study shares findings from the evaluation of the Accelerating Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College (SKCTC) (Cumberland, Kentucky). It provides details on student outcomes and the college's lessons learned, and concludes with information on how the college will build from its…

This brief highlights examples of career pathway models funded by TAACCCT [Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training] that were designed for adult students who require accelerated timelines because they are often under pressure to enter or reenter the workforce quickly to support their families. In each of the cases chosen,…

This case study shares findings from the evaluation of the Accelerating Career and Technical Education (CTE) program at Hutchinson Community College (HCC) (Hutchinson, Kansas). It provides details on student outcomes and the college's lessons learned, and concludes with information on how the college will build from its project experience going…

Jobs for the Future (JFF) is leading an effort to explore how competency-based education (CBE) can be adapted to meet the needs of underprepared adult learners, in order to help members of this large and economically vulnerable group earn college credentials and advance in the U.S. workforce. With support from the ECMC Foundation, JFF is reaching…

Competency-based education (CBE) is widely viewed as an innovative alternative to traditional higher education, yet most programs serve only a narrow slice of the postsecondary population. Few are intended for adults who need to boost basic skills in order to succeed in college coursework. However, if designed with the needs of a broader range of…

In partnership with the ECMC Foundation, Jobs for the Future is leading an effort to explore how postsecondary competency-based education models can be adapted to better serve underprepared adult learners. JFF kicked off this initiative with a convening of educators, policymakers, and researchers, the results of which are captured in this paper.…

Completion by Design, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is a partnership between participating colleges and state-level policy organizations. The initiative's strong policy component seeks both to change policies in ways that support the colleges' change strategies and to spread the learning and ideas stemming from Completion by…