The study is intended to identify and describe innovative curricular and instructional models and practices associated with adult pathway programs that connect Adult Basic Education (ABE), English as a Second Language (ESL), GED and related adult education and literacy programs to community college occupational education. The intention of the research is to provide a baseline for further research on how these programs facilitate low-skilled adults' transition into postsecondary education and family-wage-supporting careers.

This project evaluates implementation of the Joyce Foundation Shifting Gears project, focusing on process and policy evaluation. This project is dedicated to enhancing the transition to college experiences of low-skilled adults who have very limited postsecondary educational opportunities beyond high school. Results of this project will offer results on two distinct curricular models that are designed to serve low-skilled adults. The findings also inform state policy on postsecondary education and training for low-skilled adults.

The project provides federal, state, local leaders, and policy makers with detailed information about the applied baccalaureate phenomenon in the United States. The degree to which partnerships between education, economic, and workforce development enhance baccalaureate attainment for adults is a particularly important focus of this project. This project documents education and training opportunities that culminate in applied baccalaureate degrees, identifies factors that influence the development of these degree options for adult learners, and forecast the likelihood that these degrees will continue to meet the needs of adult learners for baccalaureate-level employment skills.

This project on programs of study targets five project goals, to: (1) consult with, provide technical assistance for and support personnel in creation and development; (2) provide personnel guidance for local educational agencies in disseminating information and supporting implementation; (3) collaborate with the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Community College Board in utilizing advisory committees to encourage effective state and local implementation; (4) develop a guide to assist local education agencies and postsecondary institutions in implementation; and (5) offer professional development for local education agency and postsecondary institution implementation throughout the state.

The project supports local planning, implementation and evaluation of pilot projects that address the critical window between when students take the ACT test at the end of their junior year, enroll in the senior year of high school and the transition from high school to the community college. It identifies students who are on track to take college level course work at the community college as well as students who lack academic competencies to enroll in college-credit courses and therefore need supplemental academic and support services to boost their chances for a successful transition to and retention in community college or the labor market.

This project focuses on consultation, technical assistance and applied research, especially in the area of implementation of "programs of study" as called for in the new federal law. Specifically, Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) personnel are working collaboratively with the state’s Perkins Planning to conceptualize programs of study associated with the sixteen career clusters specified by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, US Department of Education. Through consultation with OCCRL, the Illinois Community College Board and Illinois State Board of Education have partnered to develop sample programs of study.

This evaluator training course is designed to assist school administrators in understanding their responsibilities as leaders of learning, as they function in the dual and sometimes competing roles as supervisors and evaluators. Participants in the course learn how to operate within their districts’ existing negotiated agreements and evaluation plans, while helping teachers to become accountable for improved student performance. This project assists supervisors in developing a more comprehensive understanding of their responsibilities in supporting teachers’ professional development, while also fulfilling their administrative responsibilities to ensure that certified staff members meet district expectations for quality.