Abt’s Julie Strawn contributed to the College Completion Strategy Guide – a collaboration among MDRC, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, The Education Trust, and The Institute for College Access and Success. Because the COVID-19 pandemic has widened economic divides, it is urgent for workforce and postsecondary education systems to support an equitable recovery by supporting advancement from low-wage jobs to family-sustaining employment. One way to address this challenge is to get more people access to education and training that prepare them for better jobs, and to make that education and training more effectively. Community and technical colleges can play a central role in this effort if they can boost their often low completion rates and guide more students toward credentials that pay off substantially in the labor market.
This brief provides evidence-based recommendations to promote college success drawn from rigorous research on career pathways programs, including:
- Targeting family-supporting jobs and careers from the outset in college workforce training
- Combining high expectations for students with high levels of support and structure
- Incorporating contextualized academic support into training at all levels
- Connecting the college experience much more closely to career outcomes.
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Education, Youth & Families in North America
Mapping New Hampshire’s Early Childhood System
Abt Global conducted analyses of services for families and young children across the state of New Hampshire to inform the development of enhanced supports.
Transitional Living Program Special Population Demonstration Process Study
This report documents the findings from a study of the Transitional Living Program Special Population Demonstration Project funded by HHS.
Building Career Pathways Systems for Education, Training and Employment
This brief discusses the implementation of career pathways under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and considerations for state adult education staff in developing career pathways systems to support individuals in their pursuit of education and employment. Highlighted are activities in supporting career pathways as part of WIOA, Title II, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act. Considerations are presented for assessing the implementation of career pathways, determining professional development to support career pathways, and the collection and use of data related to career pathways services.
Migrant Seasonal Head Start Study
Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) provides early childhood education, social and support services to culturally and linguistically diverse migrant and seasonal farmworker families and their children. Since the last nationally representative study of…