The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to investigate the relationship between learned helplessness and academic baseline levels among adult students who dropped out of high school and have returned to a high school equivalency program to prepare to take the GED examination. The study controlled for the variables of the age of…

Texas consistently has one of the highest high school graduation percentages across the nation yet falls below the national average for adults passing high school equivalency tests (U.S. Census Bureau, 2017). In 2019, there were 300,401 adults in Tarrant County eligible for a high school credential. This opportunity for high school equivalency…

Adult learners enrolled in adult basic education (ABE) classes at community colleges who were hesitant to take high school equivalency (HSE) exams prevented themselves from progressing to college, new career opportunities, or achieving their academic goals. This narrative case study explored three students' educational experiences and…

This report examines how technology and automation are changing the job market -- and what states can do to prepare adults for the new workplace. It analyzes shifts from low- to middle-skills jobs, details current education levels, and offers recommendations for retooling adult education programs.

"Taking Stock and Pushing Forward" (2014) reports states' progress toward the Challenge to Lead 2020 Goals for Education. State-specific documents report on student achievement as well as essential state policies to improve it. Among the many metrics: how states are improving achievement on NAEP [National Assessment of Educational…

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…

This handbook was developed to provide adult educators in Texas with sufficient background in assessment models to ensure confidence in recognizing and/or selecting appropriate measurement techniques and in using evaluation results to individualize and improve instruction for adult students. The handbook is based on information derived from a…

Based on a statewide adult education correctional project in Texas, this handbook is designed to assist adult educators in providing continued adult education services to releasees and probationers, including jail populations. The handbook is organized in nine sections. The first section explains the background and purpose of the handbook. It is…

A study was conducted to determine demographic characteristics, motivation, and program satisfaction of General Educational Development (GED) candidates and adult education (including adult basic education, secondary adult education, and English as a second language) students in Texas. Between June and December 1985, about 6,000 adult education…

The Adult Performance Level (APL) Competency-Based High School Diploma (CBHSD) Program in Texas is briefly described. The program was developed as a flexible and effective alternative to a conventional high school diploma program and to the General Educational Development (GED) test. Program goals are expressed as competency outcomes which are…

This handbook presents guidelines for establishing adult education programs in county jails while simultaneously describing the establishment of an adult education program in the Bell County Jail in Texas in 1980. The three chapters of the handbook describe the preliminary planning, staff selection, and curriculum development and delivery stages…

This report presents results of a performance review undertaken to develop recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the Windham School System (WSS) and educational programs in the four privately operated prison units in Texas. (WSS provides educational programs for inmates who do not possess a high school diploma.) Chapter 1 is an…

The report describes a study designed to follow up successful examinees of the General Educational Development (GED) test administered at McLennan Community College. The study's purpose was to determine the trends, traits, and effects of specific aspects related to their receipt of a high school equivalency certificate. Of the 1,065 successful…

The Texas adult performance level (APL) project LINK-FOUR implemented a curriculum based on functional competencies at four sites (Austin, Texarkana, Texas City, and Abilene) and formed linkages with local organizations involved in adult vocational education. The concept on which the project was based was that a set of prevocational skills, plus a…

This book is a personal account of 8 years of teaching in Texas jails and prisons. It recounts numerous anecdotes of life in prison and the experience of teaching prisoners, most of whom had very low literacy skills. It describes the prison culture and what inmates must do to survive in it. The book details the methods that have worked in reaching…