Adult Learner Success | Jobs for the Future (JFF)

At a Glance

JFF assists community colleges across the US in boosting the success rates of education and training programs for low-skilled adults.

Capabilities

Design

Scale

Influence

Areas of Work

Ensuring Equity in Advancement
Meeting Employer Needs

Topics

Expert Involved

Barbara Endel

Senior Advisor

Status

In progress

Building on the success of Accelerating Opportunity, JFF continues to expand effective solutions for moving adult learners quickly through postsecondary.

How to Ensure Success for Underprepared Learners in College

With the Accelerating Opportunity (AO) initiative, JFF aims to help the nation’s large numbers of adults with low basic skills earn higher-wage jobs faster.

Expanding Opportunity for Low-income Adults

Following the approval of the FY 2015 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, JFF shows support for a measure that will make it easier for low-income youth and adults to access postsecondary education.

This brief explores the potential of competency-based education to meet the needs of underprepared adult learners who would benefit from a faster route to college completion.

This publication provides support and clarity to Accelerating Opportunity–involved colleges and other institutions that are looking for strategies to improve their ability to provide comprehensive supports to adult learners.

Change magazine explored JFF's work to develop and support Student Success Centers in seven states, all with the goal of improving student success in community colleges.

The Accelerating Opportunity Career Pathway Description provides those tasked with monitoring and validating pathways with information on the structure and content of the initiative's career pathways.

The Accelerating Opportunity Field Guide provides the necessary processes and strategies to help educators redesign Adult Basic Education and career and technical education. Join the national movement today!

In the education and workforce fields, it is often difficult to properly scale up "boutique" programs that aim at improving student outcomes. Thinking Big brings the process (and common issues) of scaling up programs to light.

Community college students today face multiple barriers to achieving their postsecondary goals. In order to help more people juggle the facts of daily life that make it difficult to stay in school and complete credentials, colleges must offer comprehensive, wraparound supports.

As community colleges look for ways to promote student success, the need for scaling effective approaches is critical. This guide builds on a framework developed in a previous JFF publication with four phases of scaling: planning, initiating, expanding, and sustaining.

This final impact report describes the effect of Accelerating Opportunity (AO) on education and employment outcomes for underprepared adult learners.

JFF is leading an effort to explore how CBE can be adapted to meet the needs of underprepared adult learners in order to help members of this group earn college credentials and advance in the US workforce.

This paper, part of a series exploring how to adapt competency-based education (CBE) to underprepared adult learners' needs, focuses on the design elements that are necessary for successful entry into a CBE model.

US immigrants are an often-untapped pool of workers with the potential to fill significant labor market needs, making it critical to invest in bridge-to-college programs aimed at helping English Language learners succeed in postsecondary education and training.

Educators and employers are discovering that real-time labor market data can improve the understanding of hiring trends and employer demand, including certifications and skill requirements.

What are the most important aspects of combining Adult Basic Education and career and technical training? After four years of building the Accelerating Opportunity initiative, JFF has the knowledge to help partners replicate and scale this successful approach.

Many community colleges are working to improve completion rates, and one of the best ways to achieve this goal is installing new policies, removing barriers, and establishing incentives to ensure buy-in.

The US is experiencing a major skills and educational attainment gap. To ensure the best outcomes, education and workforce systems must address the needs of adult learners. That's where Accelerating Opportunity comes in.

States that are struggling with the cost of implementing integrated career pathways in postsecondary education should look to Washington, Illinois, and Kansas—where investing in academically underprepared learners is a priority—to determine best practices.

In work that ties into our Accelerating Opportunity initiative, Illinois has implemented a performance-based funding system to aid student progression.

“You Can Go After That Dream”: Adult Students Inspire Professionals at JFF Pathways Conference

It's never too late to pursue your education. Hear from three students who achieved their dreams of earning a credential and finding a good job at very different times in their lives.

Beyond Financial Aid: Six Strategies for Supporting Low-Income College Students

Despite the significant number of undergraduate students receiving federal Pell grants, financial challenges keep many from completing their postsecondary degree. A guidebook from Lumina Foundation offers colleges some solutions.

In honor of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week , JFF shared two profiles of Accelerating Opportunity students, whose experiences and accomplishments demonstrate the difference an education can make.

When Heidi Cruz enrolled in a dental assisting program at an Illinois community college, she hadn't finished high school. With support from Accelerating Opportunity, she is now ready to thrive in a rapidly changing labor market.

Transformational Teaching: A Team Approach to Adult Education

As the old adage says, there is strength in numbers. With the team-teaching approach, Accelerating Opportunity increases the supports for adults seeking to earn postsecondary credentials.

This post, second in the Future of Work series, explores how automation is poised to radically reshape our economy and how education and workforce systems must change to better accommodate low-income workers during this transition.