Over the past year, libraries have made the national news owing to soaring public usage driven by tough economic times. Much of this increased traffic stems from patrons coming to their local branches to use resources that will help them improve their chances at employment. While some demand practical job-hunting and career materials to help them…

The General Educational Development (GED) credential is issued on the basis of an eight hour subject-based test. The test claims to establish equivalence between dropouts and traditional high school graduates, opening the door to college and positions in the labor market. In 2008 alone, almost 500,000 dropouts passed the test, amounting to 12% of…

Prisons are intended to rehabilitate criminal offenders, as well as to punish and incapacitate them. The education and training systems operating within most prisons are a key component of the rehabilitation mission of prisons. Previous studies have shown a relationship between participation in educational programs and recidivism rates, with…

By picking up this guide, you have already taken an important step towards continuing your education. Going back to school will require hard work and dedication. The process will be both challenging and frustrating. But if you stick with it, continuing your education can bring you tremendous rewards. Earning a General Education Development…

The 13 tables and figures in this report provide summary information about those who took the General Educational Development (GED) Tests in 1996 and the jurisdictions that administer those tests. Most tables summarize information for the United States and Territories, Canada, GED Testing Service, and Program Total. Each table is arranged to…

Human capital investment, in the form of education and training, is the key to improving labor market outcomes for high school leavers. GED certification provides an opportunity for education and training, but is no substitute for it. The GED credential is only a starting point. GED holders are not equivalent to high school graduates. (MLH)

A summary of a report on the value of the General Educational Development (GED) Tests prepared in 1994 for Congressional hearings on the reauthorization of vocational and adult education legislation includes the following highlights: (1) each year more than 750,000 adults (average age 26) take the GED tests and about 450,000 adults obtain high…

This bibliography lists 549 references pertinent to the General Educational Development (GED) tests. Topics include the following: GED test outcomes, adult education, success predictions, teaching style and adult learning, college admissions practices, educational testing and measurement, economic impacts of earning a GED, job-seeking skills of…

The Tests of General Education Development (GED) enable about 450,000 adults each year to obtain high school equivalency certificates, representing about 15 percent of all the high school diplomas issued in the United States. This report presents statistics on the 1991 program and its participants. In 1991, 806,038 persons took the GED Tests, an…

These two presentations discuss the National External Diploma Program (EDP) sponsored by the American Council on Education and its relationship to the Department of Labor's Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) report and to the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS). The first presentation focuses on the…

The National External Degree Program (EDP) of the American Council on Education is an alternative way for adults to earn a high school diploma. EDP is a competency-based, high school level assessment system that credentials mature adults who have acquired their high school level skills through their life experience. It uses materials adults have…

A 1980 survey of General Educational Development (GED) equivalency certificate recipients who completed the GED test in 1975 measured influence and impact of successful GED completion on the individual. The sample consisted of 101 former adult students whose records came from the Murray and Paducah, Kentucky, GED testing centers. The survey…

A study was made of the prose, document, and quantitative literacy skills of adults in the United States by their highest level of educational attainment. In addition, the study examined the literacy skills of recent General Educational Development (GED) graduates. The data used in the study came from the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey…

"Focus on Basics" is the quarterly publication of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. Articles appearing in this issue…

This packet contains five issues of "GED Profiles" that examine various aspects of the characteristics and motivation of adults who take the General Educational Development (GED) tests and the effects of completion. These topics are explored: "GED Candidates in the Workforce: Employed and Employable" (Janet Baldwin, Henry…