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Adult Education Transitions in Wisconsin: Fixing the Leaky Pipeline

Adult Education Transitions in Wisconsin: Fixing the Leaky Pipeline. Jessa Valentine Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) WPFP Conference June 30, 2010. Staying Out of the Weeds. Continually steer analysis towards policy and practice questions you want answered

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Adult Education Transitions in Wisconsin: Fixing the Leaky Pipeline

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  1. Adult Education Transitions in Wisconsin:Fixing the Leaky Pipeline Jessa ValentineCenter on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS)WPFP ConferenceJune 30, 2010

  2. Staying Out of the Weeds • Continually steer analysis towards policy and practice questions you want answered • Think about the story you want to tell and the most effective, politically possible approach to reporting data • Keep an eye to institutionalization

  3. Why A Pipeline Analysis? • Policy agenda: Better understand and improve key adult transitions (between adult education/postsecondary, between postsecondary/workforce) • Provide a baseline for thinking about ways to improve policy and practice • Evaluate effectiveness of career pathways and bridge programs • Help persuade policy makers of need for increased investments

  4. RISE Initiative • Shifting Gears, Joyce Foundation • Co-leads: Wisconsin Technical College System and Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development • Increase the number of adults who earn postsecondary credentials related to high-demand occupations • Strategy: Career Pathways and Bridges

  5. RISE Strategic Focus Areas • Data • Foundational data • “Pipeline Analysis” inspired by WA work and assisted by CCRC (Davis Jenkins) • Stakeholder Engagement • Policy Change

  6. Wisconsin RISE Target Population Source: American Community Survey, 2007

  7. Why Focus on Adult Transitions?

  8. Educational Attainment of Adults Ages 25-54 by Race and Ethnicity, Wisconsin, 2008 Source: Working Poor Families Project, ACS 2008

  9. Differences with Existing Analysis • Focus on older adults (25+) • Measure progress irrespective of goals • Focus on completion and long-term outcomes • Link • inputs (enrollments, credits) • outputs (completions) • outcomes (employment, earnings, further education) • Identify key transition points meaningful to student success – momentum points

  10. Preliminary Data Set • Population: Students who were • First-time in WTCS in FY 2000 • 25+ years of age • No prior postsecondary education • Student groups • ESL, ABE, Developmental/Remedial, Postsecondary • Observation window: 2000-2008

  11. Student Progress Data(Sources for Momentum Points) • # of ABE and ELL credits • # of Developmental/Remedial credits • # of Postsecondary credits • Enrollment in a postsecondary program • Completion of a postsecondary program • Completion of 12 or more postsecondary credits

  12. Students Who Eventually Enroll In A Postsecondary Program

  13. Students Who Eventually Enroll In A Postsecondary Program

  14. Current Data Analysis • District-level analysis and comparison to state • 18-24 year olds included • Full-time versus part-time student status • Additional momentum points (e.g., college level “gatekeeper” math and English)

  15. Next (Ongoing) Steps • ‘Roll out’ new data and gain buy-in from key groups: state and district level • Incorporate selected measures into existing performance measurement systems • Connect to wage data from UI • Link to WIA to track these participants’ education outcomes • Codify Bridges and Pathway ‘chunks’ to track them in future data analysis

  16. Key Lessons • Maintain focus on policy questions of interest (low-income working adults, transitions, outcomes) • Consider existing relationships and best approach for accessing data (trusted outsider, trusted insider, politically-powerful outsider) • Be mindful of appropriate internal versus external products, and develop compelling story line for each

  17. Key Lessons • While you build it, work with what you have • If you build it, they won’t necessarily come (Even the best data system and the best data analysis is useless without stakeholder engagement and buy-in) • Cultivate an internal champion • Have an exit strategy!—focus on replicable process

  18. RISE: Pathways through Education M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 0 Upcoming Data Pipeline Study Release “The Shifting Gears program places an important emphasis on using data to improve educational attainment for low-skill adult learners. To this end, the WTCS and UW-COWS have been working to build a ‘pipeline’ data system that improves our ability to track the educational trajectory of low-skill adults through technical college education. This work will lead to a better understanding of how successfully technical college students navigate key educational transitions that lead to successful outcomes. Results of the pipeline analysis will be widely shared with technical college audiences this summer.”

  19. Data Makes People Uncomfortable

  20. Data Makes People Pay Attention

  21. Thanks and feel free to contact Jessa Valentine608-263-9984jessa@cows.orgwww.cows.org

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