The Braided Funding Toolkit May 22, 2013 2013 National Meeting for Adult Education State Directors Arlington, VA
A National Need for Pathways from ABE to Marketable Credentials Ø 93 million adults with basic or below basic literacy NATIONAL NECESSITY Ø 13% of adults ages 25-64 have less than a high school credential Ø 29% have a high school credential but no college. Ø By 2018, only 36 percent of total jobs will require workers with just a high school diploma or less Ø Since 1979, investments in adult education and workforce development programs have declined in real terms by more than 70%. Ø Postsecondary credentials are the gateway to family-supporting wages that those credentials are critical to breaking the intergenerational transmission of poverty in America.
Disconnected Educational Pathways Traditional ABE/GED Programs Developmental Education Postsecondary Career Programs Lack of alignment with career/technical credential programs postsecondary entrance requirements The black hole of developmental education: Low completion rates for underprepared students Remediation not customized to career pathway requirements Programs lack supports and are ill-equipped to meet the needs of nontraditional students Multiple Loss Points Low rates of program completion and credential attainment
Streamlined Adult Education Pathways Articulated Career Pathways Stackable Credentials with Labor Market Value Career exploration Contextualized learning Skill-building for postsecondary/career success College and career counseling Accelerated skill-building integrated with credit coursework Support through gate-keeper courses Intensive transition counseling Comprehensive supplemental services Intensive counseling Flexible program options Job placement More Adult Learners Succeeding in ABE to Credential Pathways
THE ACCELERATING OPPORTUNITY NON-NEGOTIABLE ELEMENTS These eight elements are essential to every Accelerating Opportunity pathway: Explicit articulation of two or more educational pathways, linked to career pathways, that begin with adult basic education or ESL and continue to a one-year, college-level certificate and beyond Evidence of strong local demand for the selected pathways, including the presence on the Workforce Investment Board demand list for the local area or other local data demonstrating robust demand Acceleration strategies, including contextualized learning and the use of hybrid (online and classroom-based) course designs Evidence-based dual enrollment strategies, including team-taught courses and I- BEST and I-BEST-like approaches Comprehensive academic and social student supports (e.g., tutoring, child care, transportation, access to public benefits, subsidized jobs) Award of some college-level professional-technical credits, which must be transcripted the quarter or semester in which they are earned Achievement of credit-bearing, stackable, industry-recognized certificates and degrees and college readiness, with an explicit goal of bypassing developmental education Partnerships with Workforce Investment Boards and/or employers
Accelerating Opportunity: 2011-2014 Design Phase: 11 states with ABE governed through postsecondary education received grants to develop pathways from ABE to marketable credentials and develop blueprints for action. Implementation Phase: More than 50 community colleges in 7 states are piloting, refining, and scaling Accelerating Opportunity pathways.
Year 1 Data (NC, KY, KS and IL) Ø 37 colleges implementing ABE to credential pathways LASTING IMPACT Ø More than 2000 students enrolled, earning ~1800 credentials. Ø 91 career pathways in operation Ø Many colleges making use of bridge programs to improve success and transition of 6 th -8 th grade adult learners Ø Health, Advanced Manufacturing and Automotive top three most common sectors.
The Funding Challenge
What is Braided Funding? Braided funding refers to the weaving together of state, federal and private funding streams, and the development of funding strategies, to support integrated pathways and the students enrolled in them.
Key Agreements Beyond AO State and local efforts Work must be collaborative Nothing is static
The Braided Funding Toolkit State and local Team based Customized Savable Searchable
Streams Vs. Strategies
Acceleratingopportunity.org NATE ANDERSON nanderson@jff.org TEL 617.728.4446 FAX 617.728.4857 info@jff.org 88 Broad Street, 8 th Floor, Boston, MA 02110 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 5300, Washington, DC 20006 WWW.JFF.ORG