A widely cited Emory University study found that while 76% of incarcerated Americans return to prison within five years, that rate drops to 55% for those who take high school classes, 30% for those who complete vocational training, and 13.7% for those who complete an associate degree. Community colleges play a key role in ensuring that people…

Much is unknown about those who do not finish high school and there is a need to understand who enters and completes alternative high school completion programs, such as the HiSet (High School Equivalency Test), GED (General Education Development Test), or growing number of state sponsored high school equivalency programs. The purpose for…

The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to capture how graduates of adult high school diploma and equivalency programs in California told their story of persisting in the completion of a high school diploma or equivalency certificate. The four types of motivation regulation involved in organismic integration theory were used as the…

Although persisters now represent the largest group of non-graduating high school students, they have received little attention in the research literature, leaving unanswered the question of how persisters differ from dropouts in terms of demographic characteristics, academic preparation, and key life outcomes. Using statewide…

California law requires that school districts create clear and consistent identification, placement, and intake policies for the voluntary transfer of students to the legislatively-defined continuation schools (Cal. Educ. Code §48432.3). The intent of the law is to ensure fair and equitable access to continuation school opportunities that provide…

The past decade has seen a resurgence of interest in career and technical education (CTE) as a way to engage students, help people build the skills necessary to succeed in a technologically advanced economy, and meet employer demand for workers. MDRC--which has a three-decade history of developing and evaluating CTE programs, including a landmark…

A principal's job is complex, demanding, and multi-faceted. Effective principals shape a school's academic vision and foster a climate for learning. In addition, they develop leadership capacity in teachers and staff, promote sound instructional practices, and use resources and data to drive school improvement (Mendels, 2012). Given these…

The California Department of Education (CDE) provides adult literacy services to one-fifth of adults enrolled in the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) program in the United States. The adult education program addresses literacy needs of individuals by providing adults with the skills and knowledge necessary to (a) gain employment or…

This is an excerpt from "Back to School: Why Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Education" (The New Press, 2012). It concludes that GED programs need more resources, not less. The programs tend to be populated by low-to-modest income people who failed school the first time around and now are considered less worthy of investment. GED…

This report is a compilation of California's responses to the four questions that the United States Department of Education (ED), Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) poses annually to all states and territories receiving federal supplementary funding from the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), Title II of the Workforce…

This "Program and Course Approval Handbook" assists California Community College (CCC) administrators, faculty, and staff in the development of programs and courses and the submission of these proposals for review by the Chancellor's Office. By law, the Chancellor is required to prepare and distribute a handbook for program and course…

The California Department of Education (CDE) provides adult literacy services to one-fifth of adults enrolled in the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) program in the United States. The adult education program addresses literacy needs of individuals by providing adults with the skills and knowledge necessary to (a) gain employment or…

"Career Academies" is a dropout prevention strategy for youth considered most at risk of dropping out of high school. Students in the program take both career-related and academic courses and acquire work experience through partnerships with local employers. "Career Academies" integrate rigorous academic curricula with career…

The goal of this research study has been to develop, implement, and evaluate a school reform design experiment at a continuation high school with low-income, low-performing underrepresented minority students. The complexity sciences served as a theoretical framework for this design experiment. Treating an innovative college preparatory program as…

Prior to this research, limited research existed on the California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE) or perceptions community school student and principals have on alternative high school diploma options, such as the CHSPE. Grounded in the literature, the purpose of this study was to conduct a mixed methodology embedded multiple case…