According to the instructors and administrators at a local adult education (AE) program in Houston, Texas, retaining and graduating general education development (GED) students has been a constant challenge. Locating GED attendance barriers could enable AE programs to develop techniques that increase student retention and graduation rates. The…

In this qualitative research study, we sought to better understand the experiences of adult learners in adult education centers. We conducted eight focus groups with 104 adult education students from 25 adult learning centers. Five groups were made up of English-speaking ABE students; learners in the three ESL groups spoke Spanish. We used an…

The Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) continues its commitment to expand Adult Education and Family Literacy programs necessary for individuals and families to have a high quality work and life in Illinois. This report provides a summary of ICCB programs and activities in adult education and family literacy during the fiscal year July 1,…

There is a strong and growing argument for higher educational attainment in the United States. The jobs that are expected to support the economy in the coming years will depend on a skilled workforce that is able to learn and adapt quickly to new challenges. However, demographic patterns demonstrate that relying on the traditional K-16 pipeline to…

In 2000, 860,684 adults worldwide took 1 or more of the General Educational Development (GED) Tests, which was more than in any previous year except 1996. The number of adults completing the GED Test battery increased by 10% or more in eight U.S. jurisdictions and four Canadian jurisdictions. The volume of international testing increased by 85.7%.…

In 1998, Rio Salado College in Tempe, Arizona, established a transition program to help students in General Educational Development (GED) test preparation and English-for-Speakers-of-Other-Languages (ESOL) classes make a successful transition to community college. As of the end of the transition program's second year, it had developed into an…

This document is intended as a template for individuals initiating and developing adult education distance learning programs. The introduction discusses the following issues: benefits of distance learning; flexibility; confidentiality; retention; and the best students to target. The template and supplementary materials are organized in five…