An important aspect of the community college mission is to educate working adults including those without a high school diploma or its equivalent. Three important changes are forcing community colleges to reevaluate how these services and activities are delivered as well as policies that govern this critical work. These shifts provide a new…

Education drives the economy. Almost a decade into the 21st Century, America faces a choice: It can invest in the basic education and skills of its workforce and remain competitive in today's global economy, or it can continue to overlook glaring evidence of a national crisis and move further down the path to decline. In this report, the National…

Business, community members, and county government cooperated in establishing a literacy center in Catoosa County, Georgia, that provides free GED classes; courses in English, math, basic reading, computer skills, and parenting; and classes offered by a local technical college. Free classes, child care, and GED tests and a flexible schedule remove…

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center and the Mount Rogers Regional Adult Education Program (Virginia) cross-train and upgrade workers' skills to adapt to changing workplaces and keep companies and communities competitive; customize curriculum to meet employers' needs; and provide GED and other adult education programs. (SAS)

In spring 1992, the Southport Institute for Policy Analysis conducted a study of the role that community colleges play as providers of workplace education (WPE) programs, i.e., programs established for, or in cooperation with, a private sector company to help employees obtain a General Equivalency Degree (GED) or upgrade their basic skills. A…

This review of research is part of a larger project which identified exemplary community college programs that employ innovative curriculum and instructional practices in order to help low-skilled adults attain a family sustainable wage. The project goal was to identify best practices that are replicable at other community colleges. These programs…

The role of adult education in sustaining economic growth and expanding opportunity in Massachusetts was explored. The analysis focused on the new basic skills needed for a new economy, groups lacking the new basic skills, the demand for adult basic education (ABE), funding for ABE, building basic skills through adult education, ABE's costs and…

The Maryland Workforce Educational Needs Assessment Survey was conducted to determine employer satisfaction with Maryland's educational systems and to identify areas where more training is needed. In June 1999, questionnaires were mailed to 8,175 Maryland employers. An additional 2,395 questionnaires were sent to business organizations and local…

A task force studied adult education services in Maryland. The task force heard presentations from a wide range of stakeholders, including adult learners, professional associations, administrators, practitioners, and educational researchers. The presentations confirmed that the need for adult education services in Maryland is extensive and the…