Featured Resource: Adult College Completion Toolkit

We are celebrating the National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week by sharing and delving deeper into one resource. I would like to bring forth the Adult College Completion Toolkit, a comprehensive resource that can be used in local, regional and state-levels to incorporate evidence-based strategies into program design, delivery, and improvement. 

The tool kit focuses on three areas:

  • Access: Academic preparation, financial resources, and other support students need to enroll in postsecondary education programs.
  • Quality: Evidence-based practices used by programs to ensure their services prepare students adequately for postsecondary education.
  • Completion: Administrative policies and programmatic approaches to encourage student persistence in postsecondary education programs.

I want to start the discussion this week from the Access perspective. Our students face many obstacles related to their academic knowledge and overall college readiness as they even consider pursuing a postsecondary education. What are some of the obstacles that your students will face as they transition on to college? Are your student unsure about going on to college and how it can benefit them? 

The Adult College Completion Toolkit details the following strategies on the local level: 

Strategy I - Prepare adult learners for college by setting high expectations and developing their academic readiness skills from the beginning.

Strategy II - Link adult learners to career pathways by creating adult education bridge programs using contextualized instruction or integrated education and training (IET).

Strategy III -  Integrate college and career guidance services into adult education to promote student awareness and use of financial aid and other available support. 

Have you employed these and other strategies to ensure access to postsecondary education for your students? Please share your ideas and experiences below. I look forward to learning from you. 

~ Priyanka Sharma

Comments

Hi -- I am responding to Priyanka's post.....Our students face many obstacles related to their academic knowledge and overall college readiness as they even consider pursuing a postsecondary education. What are some of the obstacles that your students will face as they transition on to college? Are your student unsure about going on to college and how it can benefit them?

One major obstacle related to student transition to postsecondary education settings is access to transportation. Many students will not drive - for whatever reason, and are not equipped with the knowledge or skills to use public transportation. When we think of access to adult education - we often think of cognitive access or financial access. I encourage you to think about transportation access and work with K12 educators, human services, families, VR, etc. to develop transportation education! Is student lack of ability to use public transit - or a lack of transportation options a challenge for your students?

Judy L. Shanley Ph.D.

Director, Student Engagement & Mobility Management

Easter Seals Transportation Group

Office of Public Affairs

1425 K Street, NW, Suite 200

Washington, DC  20005

Office: 800-659-6428

Office Direct:  202-403-8354

TDD: 202-347-7385

FAX: 202-737-7914

Cell: 202-210-1228

email: jshanley@easterseals.com

Websites:

www.easterseals.com

www.projectaction.org

Transportation certainly is a serious consideration that impacts our students' ability to attend college. One of the strategies that I have seen is to plan a college tour with a group of adult ed students inviting even pre-transition students. A tour is very valuable for the students in terms of demystifying the idea of college, researching the transporation options, exploring the certificate and degree options that are available in your area colleges. This practice can also be formalized so that it becomes a program tradition. You can read more about this here

Other ideas or suggestions? 

 

 

 

As noted by Ms. Shanley, transportation can be a large stumbling block. Fortunately, upon release most of our inmates will reside within the city of our nearest Community College or in a town that touches it. However, the College has a main campus in the City and a second campus two towns away, and there is no public transportation between them. There is a shuttle bus run by the College between the two campuses--but day time only. I called the College President's office to complain, and they did not know that there was no evening shuttle! I was told it would be looked at for a solution... we'll see how that goes.  

I find that one of the most important items in regard to financial aid is completion of the Selective Service registration form by young men. (I work in an all-male prison.) We try to verify registration for all of the young men (aged 18-26) during their first week here. If not registered, they complete the form. (It is, of course, much easier to complete the form on-line; but they do not have access to the Internet.)

If in the future a man completes the FAFSA but never registered with Selective Service, he is immediately disqualified for financial aid. He can receive an override from the Director of Financial Aid, but it is not quick nor easy. So, my number one priority is to get our young men registered, even if right now they think they will never participate in higher education. The vast majority of men who have dropped out of high school have never even heard of this registration that is required by federal law.