1

With support from

Promoting Postsecondary Educational Success for Adults and Families

A Practical Partnership Guide

2

© 2011 National Center for Family Literacy

3

Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................5Purpose and Organization of the Guide ..........................................................................................................................7Why Focus on Postsecondary Educational Transitions? ...............................................................................................8Transition Partnerships for Nontraditional Students ....................................................................................................9Benefits of a Transition Partnership ..............................................................................................................................10 Benefitstoprograms .................................................................................................................................................10 Benefitstocolleges ...................................................................................................................................................10 Benefitstothecommunityandbeyond ....................................................................................................................10Characteristics of Exemplary Postsecondary Educational Transition Partnerships ................................................ 11Planning for a Postsecondary Educational Transition Partnership ...........................................................................12 Knowaboutyourstate,regionandthenation ..........................................................................................................12 Knowaboutyourlocalcommunity ..........................................................................................................................12 Knowandunderstandpotentialstudents ..................................................................................................................13 Learnthehistory .......................................................................................................................................................13 Learnaboutpotentialpartner(s) ...............................................................................................................................14 Exploremodelsofsuccessfultransitionpartnerships ..............................................................................................14 Identifyleadersresponsibleforandcommittedtothepartnership ..........................................................................15 Determineandagreeuponvisionandgoals .............................................................................................................15 Outlineintendedoutcomesandsetbenchmarks ......................................................................................................15 ChecklistforPlanningaPostsecondaryEducationalTransitionPartnership ...........................................................16Executing a Postsecondary Educational Transition Partnership ...............................................................................17 Establishaformalpartnershipagreementandmeettogetherregularly ...................................................................17 Developarelationship ..............................................................................................................................................17 Recruit,assessandplacestudents ............................................................................................................................17 Aligncurricula ..........................................................................................................................................................18 Providehighqualityinstructionthatincludeshighexpectationsforstudents .........................................................18 Provideinstructionthatsupportsmorethanacademiclearning ...............................................................................20 Createlearningcohortsofstudents ..........................................................................................................................21 Provideintegratedservices .......................................................................................................................................21 Encouragestudentstoaccesssupportservices .........................................................................................................22 ChecklistforExecutingaPostsecondaryEducationalTransitionPartnership .........................................................23Maintaining a Successful Postsecondary Educational Transition Partnership .........................................................24 Buildawarenesswithinthecommunity ...................................................................................................................24 Monitorpolicies,practicesandprocedures ..............................................................................................................24 Identifyandevaluateresults .....................................................................................................................................24 Reevaluatevisionandgoals .....................................................................................................................................24 Communicateconsistently........................................................................................................................................24 Identifyandseektoresolveproblems,issuesorconcerns .......................................................................................24 Insureretentionandlong-termsuccessofstudents ..................................................................................................24 ChecklistforMaintainingaSuccessfulPostsecondaryEducationalTransitionPartnership ...................................26Key Challenges and Possible Solutions .........................................................................................................................27 Choosingaccessiblelocations ..................................................................................................................................27 Understandingproceduresandmeetingimportantdeadlines ...................................................................................27 Helpingstudentsaccessfinancialaid .......................................................................................................................27 Supportingstudentpersistence .................................................................................................................................27 Creatingmanageablegoals .......................................................................................................................................28Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................................29References ........................................................................................................................................................................30

Table of Contents

4

TheFamilyLiteracy–CommunityCollegePartnershipInitiativeisaprojectdevelopedandimplementedbytheNationalCenterforFamilyLiteracy(NCFL)withgeneroussupportfromMetLifeFoundation.

Throughthisinitiative,NCFLiscreatinganddisseminatingaseriesofpracticalproductsforteachersandHispanicparentsandchildrentoincreasetheirlikelihoodoftransitioningintocollegeorotherpostsecondarylearningopportunities.ThesematerialshelpbuildHispanicparents’understandingofpostsecondaryeducationandsupporttheirabilitytorealizedreamsofcollegefortheirchildrenandthemselves.

Amongseveralnewandexcitingtransitionproductscreatedthroughthisinitiative,thisPractical Partnership Guide, isintendedtostimulateandencouragethedevelopmentofstrongtransitionpartnershipsbetweenfamilyandadultliteracyprogramsandcommunitycolleges.Throughthesepartnerships,nontraditionalstudentshavetheopportunitytoreceivetheeducationalservicesandsupporttheyneedtorealizetheirdreamofattainingacollegedegree.

NCFLappreciatesandrecognizestheguidanceandfeedbackprovidedbytheFamilyLiteracy–CommunityCollegePartnershipInitiativeAdvisoryBoard.

Dr.JaniceFriedel,ProfessorofEducationPolicyStudies,CaliforniaStateUniversity—Northridge,Northridge,CA

Dr.GregHart,RetiredDeanofAdultEducation,PimaCommunityCollege,Tucson,AZ

Dr.RosemaryKarr,AssistantProfessorofMathematicsandPastPresident,NationalAssociationforDevelopmentalEducation,CollinCountyCommunityCollege,Plano,TX

TammyMcCollum,InformationTechnologyCenterManager,JeffersonCommunityandTechnicalCollege,Louisville,KY

Dr.GailMellow,President,LaGuardiaCommunityCollege,LongIslandCity,NY

CamillePreus,Commissioner,DepartmentofCommunityCollegeandWorkplaceDevelopment,Salem,OR

Dr.RodRisely,ExecutiveDirector,PhiThetaKappa,Jackson,MS

JulieScoskie,DirectorofAdultandContinuingEducation,JeffersonCountyPublicSchools,Louisville,KY

ThisguideandotherpostsecondarytransitionproductscanbefoundatNCFL’sWebsite,www.famlit.org/myfamilygoestocollege.

Acknowledgments

4

5

Introduction

TheNationalCenterforFamilyLiteracystronglybelievesthatstrengtheningthecapacityandinteractionoffamilyandadultliteracyprogramsandcommunitycollegesistherecommendedapproachtoincreasingtherateofpostsecondarydegreecompletion.Onlybyimprovingliteracyinthefamilystructurecanweimpactmultiplegenerations.And,becausethebasicinfrastructurealreadyexists,resultscanbeachievedmorequicklyandmoreefficientlyusingexisting,butsometimesreallocated,resources.Partnershipsbetweenfamilyandadultliteracyprogramsandcommunitycollegescanincreasethesuccessofnontraditionalstudentsbyengagingstudentsearlyinthepostsecondaryeducationtransitionprocessandbybuildingworkingpartnershipstointegrateandalignexistingexemplarypracticesforthesuccessfultransitionofstudents.

Ingeneral,ournation’sadultpopulationiseducationally underpreparedformeetingemploymentrequirementsthat increasinglyfocusonhigherlevelskills.Oftheapproximately200millionadultsoverage25intheUnitedStates,morethan15%havenotcompletedahighschooldiploma,approximately30%haveahighschooldiplomaortheequivalency,over20%havesomecollegebutnodegree,andapproximately35%haveanassociate’sdegreeorhigher(U.S.Census,2009).LevelsofeducationcorrelatecloselywithlevelsofpovertyandanincreasinggrowthinEnglishlanguagelearners.

Currentlyapersonwithoutahighschooldiplomahasfew opportunitiesbeyondaminimumwageposition,andhavingahighschooldiplomaorGeneralEducationalDevelopment(GED®)certificateimprovesthatonlyslightly.Havingevensomecollegeeducationimprovesearningpower,butsomeoneholdinganassociate’sdegreeearnsapproximatelyone-thirdmorethanahighschoolgraduate.Someoneholdingabachelor’sdegreecanexpecttomake60%morethanahighschoolgraduate,andsomeoneholdingamaster’sdegreemorethandoublesthehighschoolgraduate’searnings.Educationpays—inavailableopportunities,inearningsandinqualityoflifeforthe entirefamily!

Toremaincompetitiveinaglobaleconomyandtoensureanacceptablequalityoflifeforall,wefacethechallengeof determiningwaystoincreasethenumberofstudentsgraduatingfromcollegeorcompletingsomeformofpostsecondaryeducation,includingthe65%oftheadultpopulationwithoutadegreeorcredential.Adultswhoarecurrentlyparticipatinginaprogram,suchasafamilyoradultliteracyprogram,providealogicalandreadygroupwithwhichtobegin.TheyarealreadydemonstratinganinterestinimprovingtheireducationallevelatleasttothedegreeofearningaGEDcredential.However,currently

35%ofGEDcredentialcompleters(ofwhichonly12%areESLstudents)transferintopostsecondaryeducationandoutofthatpool,only2%actuallyearnadegreeofanysort.

Manyofthesefamilyandadultliteracyprogramparticipantsareconsiderednontraditionalstudents.Nontraditionalstudentsarecommonlydefinedashavingoneormoreofthefollowingcharacteristics:“theydelayedtheirenrollmentinpostsecondaryeducation,attendedparttimeforatleastpartoftheacademicyear,workedfulltimewhileenrolled,wereconsideredfinanciallyindependentforpurposesofdeterminingfinancialaideligibility,haddependentsotherthanaspouse,weresingleparents,ordidnothaveahighschooldiploma”(USDOE,2002,p.viii).Thesestudentsoftenhavelowereducationalskilllevelsthattendtogohand-in-handwithlowsocioeconomiclevels.Financialhardshipiscommonlyamotivatorforadvancingtheireducation,yetitalsopresentsmanyobstaclestoenrollingand,particularly,tostayingthecoursetoadvancethroughthemanylevelsoflearningtypicallyneededbeforesuccessfullycompletingadegree.

Educatorsarehopingtodramaticallyincreasepostsecondarydegreeorcertificatecompletionbyfacilitatingthetransitiontopostsecondaryeducationandbyprovidingthesupportneededtoencourageretentionandeventualsuccessforthishigh-riskpopulation.Forsome,thisisearningacertificateorcredentialwithinatrade,asteppingstoneleadingtoamoreadvancedcredentialordegree.Forothers,itmaybeacollegedegreeorprofessionallicense.Educationalsuccessresultsinimmediateeconomicgainforthestudentandfamily.Italsoalterstheliteracylegacy—theeducationalandeconomictrajectory—forfuturegenerations.

Fornontraditionalstudentswhoareparticipantsinfamilyandadultliteracyprograms,communitycollegesareseenashighlyviablesettingsforstudentscontinuingtheirpursuitofhighereducation.Communitycollegesareknownforunderstandingtheneedsofnontraditionalstudentsandprovidingthemwiththetypesandarrayofservicesthataddresstheirmultipleneeds.Butevencommunitycollegescanbestretchedintheuseoftheirresourcesforsupportingthesestudents,oftenlimitingthestudents’abilitytopersevereandachievesuccessincompletingapostsecondaryeducationaldegree.Partnershipsbetweencommunitycollegesandfamilyandadultliteracyprogramscanbeaneffectivesolutiontoincreasingthenumberofnontraditionalstudentswhosuccessfullycompletecollegedegreesorcredentials.

6

Quiteoftenenrollmentatthecommunitycollegereflectsnationaleconomictrends,andinourcurrenteconomy,collegesareburstingattheseams.Unemploymenthasrisenandadultsrecognizetheneedtoexpandtheirknowledgeandskilllevels.Enrollmentdoesn’ttellthefullpicture,becausethefactisthatpublictwo-yearcollegeshaveonlya23%graduationrate(Viadero,2010).Thisgraduationratepaintsableakpictureforthefutureofournation.Certainlyhavingevensomecollegeeducationimprovesearningpotential,butcompletionrates—completingacertificationprogramorgraduatingwithadegree—aretherealmeasureofsuccess.Thesearethelevelsatwhichjobopportunitiesincreaseandincomelevelsimprovedramatically.

Statesusevariousformulasandcriteriafordeterminingfundinglevelsforcommunitycolleges.Forexample,therateatwhichfundingisallocatedtouniversitiesand

collegesthroughstatelegislationisbasedonenrollment,oracalculationofthedifferencebetweenpredictedtuitionincomeandactualoperatingcosts(Blank,n.d.).Servicesandprogramsthatsupportstudentsuccessincreasegraduationrates,anotherimportantindicatorofsuccessusedforfundingallocation.

Federalfundingisprovidedthroughdirectfundingtoinstitutions,grantstostatesthatsubsequentlygotocolleges,orfinancialassistancetostudents,suchasPerkinsloansandPELLgrantswhicharebasedonstudentneed(USDOE,2004).Mostofthesesourcesdeterminefundingbasedonregularlyreportedinformationregardingthefull-timeequivalent(FTE)enrollmentofstudents,retentionrates,thenumberofstudentsdeemedpreparedtoentertheworkforce(havingcertificatesorcredentials),thenumberofstudentswhotransferintofour-yearinstitutions,andthenumberofstudentswhograduate.

7

Thepurposeofthisguideistoidentifywhatisrequiredforprogramsservingadultlearnersandcommunitycollegestoestablishandstrengthenpartnershipsfortransitioningstudentssuccessfullytopostsecondaryeducation.Familyandadultliteracyprogramsandcommunitycollegescanusethisguidetolearnabout,planfor,developandmaintainapartnership.Theguideisnotintendedtobeallinclusive,butofferswaysthatprogramsorcollegescanencourageandstrengthenthetransitionprocess,sothatitresultsinsuccessforstudentsandfamilies.

Basedonareviewofliteratureandexistingtransitionpartnerships,theguidedescribesnotonlythevalueapartnershipforpostsecondaryeducationaltransitionaddstoacommunityandtothenation,butalsothebenefitstothestudentsandtheirfamiliesaswellasthepartneringinstitutions.Itdescribeswaystheassetsthatprogramsandcollegescontributetoapartnershipcanbestfacilitatethesuccessfultransitionofadultstudentsintopostsecondaryeducation.

Thisguideisorganizedtoaddressthreekeyphasesforbuildingandsustainingasuccessfultransitionpartnership: planning,executingandmaintaining.

Planning for a Transition Partnership focusesontheinitialpreparationthatneedstotakeplacewhenenteringintoan agreementtodevelopastrongandeffectivepartnership.Likemosteffectivepartnerships,regularandopen

communicationisessential.Themoreknowledgeandinformationpartnershave,thebetterpreparedtheyaretodevelopastrongpartnershipthatmeetsstateandfundingguidelineswhileachievingdesiredresults.

Executing a Transition Partnershipincludesidentifyingthehigh-qualitycharacteristicsofprogramsandcollegesand implementingtheeffectivecomponentsthatsupportsuccessfulstudenttransitioningwithinafamilyliteracyprogram–communitycollegepartnership.

ThingsthatpartnersdotokeepatransitionpartnershipaliveandhealthyaredescribedinthesectiontitledMaintaining a Successful Transition Partnership.Thisincludesknowingandbeingresponsivetostudentneeds;monitoringpartnershippolicies,proceduresandpractices;evaluatingtheeffectivenessofthepartnership;andretainingstudentsthroughasuccessfultransitionandcredentialcompletion. Beingabletosuccessfullyplan,executeandmaintainatransitionpartnershipcanbechallengingattimes.ManyofthebarriersconfrontedbypartnersandstudentsaredescribedinKey Challenges and Possible Solutions.

Practicalchecklistsareprovidedtoassistpartnersindeterminingtheirreadinesstobegin,implementandsustainasuccessfultransitionpartnership.Otherresourcesareidentifiedthroughouttheguidetohelpinlearningaboutandincreasingthesuccessofatransitionpartnership.

Purpose and Organization of the Guide

7

8

Collegemaynotbeagoalformanyfamilyoradultliteracy programadults,butitoftenisadreamtheyholdfortheirchildren.However,thelackofknowledgeabouttheeducationalsystemandcultureintheUnitedStates,particularlyamongnon-Englishspeakers,oftendoomsthehigh-riskfamiliesservedinfamilyliteracyprogramsto repeatthecycleofloweducationallevelsestablishedin priorgenerations.

Theprimaryreasonmostparentsgiveforattendingfamily literacyprogramsistosupporttheirchildren’slearning.ThatmightbeachievedbylearningtospeakEnglish,learningwaystoactivelyparticipateinandprovidebettersupportfortheirchildren’seducation,andbyimprovingthefamily’sfinancialsituation.Childrenandthefamilyremaintheircentralfocus.

Therearemanyreasonswhysofewstudentstransferinto postsecondaryeducation.Recognizingandunderstandingthesereasonsandhavingstrategiestoaddresssomeoftheobstaclesadultsfaceareimportantaspectstobeconsideredbyfamilyandadultliteracyprogramsandcommunitycolleges.Someofthemostcommonobstaclesfacedbynontraditionalstudentsincludefinancialissues,suchasthecostoftuitionorfindingandpayingforchildcareandtransportation.Thesestudentsareparentswhooftenhavefamilyresponsibilitieswithdemandsontimeandfinances.Employmenthoursoftenconflictwith,orlimitaccesstoandprogressin,completingprogramrequirements,whichcouldrangefromgeneralcourse

schedulestotime-intensiveinternships.Ifadultsandtheirchildrenaretobreakintohighereducationandimprovethelowtransitionandcompletionstatistics,theneedforfocused,intense,andcontinuedsupportisvital.

Whileexpandingtheirownacademicskillsandlearninghowtosupporttheirchild’seducation,parents’“collegeknowledge”growsandpostsecondaryeducationmaybecomeapossibilitytheyhadneverconsideredasanoptionforthemselves.Parentswanttoprovidewellfortheirfamilies,andasnotedearlier,thehigherthelevelofeducation,themorejobopportunitiesbecomeavailable—andwiththat,thehighertheearningpotential.

Somefamilyoradultliteracyprogramadultsmayhavehadpriornegativeexperienceswitheducation—possiblyalearningdisabilitythatwasnotidentified;alackofinterestorabilitytopayattention;ordoingwellinschoolwasnotapriorityfortheirparents,sowasnottheirpriorityeither.Withoutfamilyliteracyprogramparticipation,thislackofexpectationislikelytoinfluencetheeducationaltrajectoryoftheirchildrenaswell.Evenifparentswanttheirchildrentobethefirstgenerationtoattendcollege,thelackofknowledgeandunderstandingaboutthecultureofcollegepresentsabarrierthatisnoteasytoovercome.Inaddition,therearethemoreobviouschallengesofthecostfortuition,booksandfees,childcareandtransportationandschedulingthataccommodatesfamilyandemploymentdemands.

Why Focus on Postsecondary Educational Transitions?

99

Transitionpartnershipscansimplifyalengthyandsometimesoverwhelmingprocess,assistingavulnerablestudentpopulationwhohavemanylegitimatereasonsfornotcontinuingtheireducationandencouragingthemtopersevereandearncredentialsordegreesthatavailthemofcareeropportunitiesandchoicesthatimprovetheirqualityoflife.Theseat-riskstudentsmustfirstcompletetheequivalenceofahighschooldiploma,whichdelaystheirenrollmentinacollegeprogram.Ahighpercentageofthesestudentsareplacedinremedialcollegecourses,furtherdelayingprogress.Theyoftenjuggleworkschedulesandfamilyresponsibilities,meaningtheyaretypicallyenrolledpart-time.Progressisslowandonlythemostdeterminedorthosehavingtheverybestsupportsinplacetendtopersevere.

Familyandadultliteracyprogramsandcommunitycollegesneedtoconsiderwaysinwhichtheycanprovidesupporttoenrolledstudents,especiallyastheytransitionfrom

oneprogramtoanother.Focusingtheirinitialattemptstoincreasestudentcompletionratesonnontraditionalstudentsprovidesastartingpoint.Thisfocusonservicesfornontraditionalstudentsmakessensewhen,accordingtoa2002NationalCenterforEducationStatistics(NCES)report,nontraditionalstudentsmakeup73%ofallstudentsenrolledinundergraduateprograms(USDOE,2002).Partnershipsbetweenfamilyandadultliteracyprogramsandcommunitycolleges—transitionpartnerships—canincludecreativestrategiesforretainingcolleges’nontraditionalstudentpopulation.

Workingwithcommunityprogramsthatalreadyservenontraditionaladultstudentsallowscollegestofocuslimitedresourcesonstrategiesproventohavebetterresults,suchascohortlearningorprovidingfreeremedialorskill-buildingcoursesatprogramlocations.Thesestrategiesandothersaredescribedinthisguide.

Transition Partnerships for Nontraditional Students

10

Onepromisingstrategyforimprovingthenumberofstudentswhotransitiontocollegeisforfamilyandadultliteracy programstohaveformalpartnershipagreementswithpost-secondaryinstitutionsintheircommunity.Moreandmoreprogramsandcommunitycollegesareformingpartnershipagreementsandakeytoaneffectiveworkingagreementisthatallparties,especiallythestudentsbeingserved,derivebenefits.Transitionpartnershipagreementsdemonstratetofundersthatprogramsfacilitatestudents’educational progress,provideincentivesforstudentsthatencourage retention,andprepareparentsforbetterpayingjobs.

Benefits to programsFamilyliteracyfundingoftenreliesonreporteddatathatindicateprogramimpact—highenrollmentnumbers,betterattendancestatistics,andgreaternumbersoffunctioninglevelgainsasmeasuredbytheNationalReportingSystem(NRS).DatathatarecollectedincludethenumberofupgradesthroughtheAdultBasicEducation(ABE)levels,andthenumberofstudentssuccessfullypassingtheOfficialPracticeTest(OPT)ortheGEDtest.

Itisnotonlyimportanttoreflecthighnumbersofenrolled students,butattendanceandretentionarevitalforsustainingthe“intensityandduration”neededtoimpactlearning.Someprogramshaveimplementedamanagedenrollmentsystemorattendancepolicythathasthepotentialtoimproveenrollmentandretentionnumbers,aswellascompletionrates,importantforfundingaccountability.

Anotherwaytoimproveoutcomesrelativetostudentsuccessistodifferentiateinstruction.Thereareadvantagestoheterogeneousgrouping,butgroupingstudentsasmuchaspossiblebyskilllevelallowsinstructorstotargetspecificskillsatthenexthigherlevel—thescaffoldingofinstructionthatisintenselyfocusedandencouragesstudentstoadvance.

ManyprogramsseetheirresponsibilitiesendingoncestudentsearnaGEDcredentialandbasedonfundingrequirementsandstudentgoals,thatisanindicatorofsuccess.However,havingaGEDcredentialdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatstudentsarepreparedtocompeteforjobsthatpresentopportunitiesforfuturecareergrowthandthatadequatelysupporttheirfamilies.Inordertobetterservenontraditionalstudents,programsmustapproachreceivingaGEDcredentialasawonderfulachievementandagatewaytopostsecondaryeducation—abeginningratherthananendtobeingcollegeandcareerready.

ProgramsthathelpstudentsachieveandcelebrateincrementalgainscancontinuethatsupportbeyondtheGEDcredential.ExamplesofwaysthatprogramssupportstudentsbeyondGEDcredentialattainmentareincludedinthisguide,andvaryfromcontinuingthetypesofacademicsupport,encouragementandmotivationcurrentlygiventotakingcampustours,helpingwiththeapplicationprocessorofferingcollegecoursesonsite.

Benefits of a Transition PartnershipBenefits to collegesPubliccommunitycollegesareexpectedtomaintainhighlevelsofenrollmentinordertokeeptuitionrateslow.Inaddition,theyrelyonfundingfromlocal,stateandfederalsources.

Themosthighlynontraditionalstudents(thosewithfourormorenontraditionalcharacteristics)wereconcentratedinpublic2-yearinstitutions,withabouttwo-thirdsenrolledinsuchinstitutions.[However,]amongbeginningpostsecondarystudentsseekingassociate’sandbachelor’sdegrees,thosewithanynontraditionalcharacteristicsweremorelikelythantraditionalstudentstoleavewithoutearningadegree.Theywereatgreaterriskthantraditionalstudentsofdroppingoutintheirfirstyear(USDOE,2002,p.viii).

Greaterimportanceandscrutinyarenowbeingplacedonpostsecondarygraduationrateswiththismeasureservingasanindicatorofinstitutionalsuccess.Asaresult,communitycollegesarechallengedtofindwaystoincreasetheirgraduationrates.Transitionpartnershipsfocusonthetypesofsupportneededtopositivelyimpactretentionoflargenumbersofnontraditionalstudentsandtheirdegreecompletionthatinthelongrunwillgreatlybenefitcolleges,theircommunities,andthenationasawhole. Benefits to the community and beyondMorebroadly,localcommunities,statesandthenationbenefitfromhavingabetterpreparedworkforce.Bettereducatedcitizensaremorelikelytoparticipateactivelyandcontributeinavarietyofways,suchashavingneededemployabilityskills,boostingthelocaleconomywithahighertaxableincomeandwithmorespendingdollars,beinginvolvedattheirchildren’sschool,exercisingtheirrighttovoteandcontributingtimeandmoneytosupporttheircommunitiesandcharitableorganizations.

Mostimportantly,theseindividualsandtheirfamiliesbenefitbyhavingtheopportunityforanimprovedqualityoflife.Bettereducatedparentshaveaprofoundimpactontheeducationalsuccessoftheirchildren.Oneofthestrongestpredictorsofachild’ssuccessinschoolisthemother’seducationallevel.“Mothers’educationalattainmentandneighborhoodpovertyarethetwosocialcharacteristicsmoststronglyassociatedwithschoolreadiness”(Lara-Cinisomo,Pebley,Vaiana&Maggio,2004,p.33).Helpingparentsraisetheireducationallevelisapowerfulinvestmentbecauseitimpactsthepresentaswellassubsequentgenerations.

Transitionpartnershipsprovidecontinuityincurriculaand servicesthatpavethewayforstudents’passagebetweentwoverydifferenteducationalsystems.Inintentionalandexplicitways,partnersaddressthosedifferences,aswellascommonbarriers,inordertobuildstudentknowledgeandcompetenciesneededtosucceedintheacademicsetting,intheworkplace,withinthecommunityandinthefamily.Characteristicsofeffectivepartnershipsaredescribedinthenextsection.

118

Exemplarytransitionpartnershipsincludemanyofthecharacteristicsdescribedbelow.ReadspecificexamplesoftheseandothercharacteristicsavailablethroughthestrongtransitionpartnershipprogramsdescribedinTurning Points: A Case Study of Family Literacy – Community College Partnerships(www.famlit.org/myfamilygoestocollege).

3 Leadership Itisimportantthatdecision-makersfromboth partneringinstitutionsbeactivelyinvolvedinthe transitionpartnership.Earlyon,theyshareaclear visionofcommitmenttostudentsuccessandhavethe abilitytomakeandmoveforwardondecisionsto sustainmomentum.Regularlyscheduledmeetings supportopencommunicationandstrengthen relationshipsthatareimportanttoasuccessful partnership.

3 Academic rigor Studentswhoenterfamilyandadultliteracyprograms maynothaveaninitialgoalorexpectationforentering postsecondaryeducation,yetprogramstaffshould consideritashort-orlong-termpossibilityforevery student.Allstudentsbenefitfrominstructionthat representsrealistic,buthighexpectations,andhigher orderskillsandknowledgebenefitallstudents.Use goalsettingtoinforminstructionandregularlyrevisit andadjustgoalssothatinstructioncanbepersonally meaningful.Rigorousstandardsmeanthatstudents whoexitfamilyandadultliteracyprogramsqualify toenrollincredit-bearingclassesatthecollegerather thanspendingtimeanddollarsonremediation. Offeringskill-buildingcoursesattheprogramlevelis onestrategyforpreparingstudentsforcollege-level coursesatnocostforchildcareandtuition.

3 Articulated curricula Studentsandpartnersbenefitwhencurriculaare articulatedbetweenpartnershipinstitutions.Students aremorelikelytohavetheknowledgeandskills neededtosucceedatthenexthigherlevel.Theyare lesslikelytospendtimeandmoneyrepeatingcourse worktheyhavealreadycompleted,andconsistency betweenthetwopartnerinstitutionsfostersunder standingandrespectbetweenfaculty,advisorsand administrators.

3 Understanding the nontraditional student Aconsistentmessageheardfrompartnership programsistheimportanceofbuildingstrong personalrelationshipsbetweenstudentsandstaff. Staffarebetterabletounderstandandhelpaddress manyobstaclesfacedbythenontraditionalstudents beforeacrisisisfull-blown,helpingtoprevent themfromstoppingordroppingout.Staffare alsoabletohelpstudentsdevelopnotonlytheir academicknowledge,butthecollege,careerand personalknowledgeneededtosucceedinthepost secondaryeducationalenvironment.

3 Support services Familyliteracyprogramsandcommunitycollegesare wellknownforprovidingabroadrangeofsupport services,suchasacademiccounselingandadvising, andlinkingstudentstoothercommunityresources, suchassocialservices,childcareandpublic transportation.Exemplarypartnershipprograms dedicateatransitionspecialisttocoordinateand facilitatesupportservices,helpstudentsmeetdeadlines forfinancialaidandregistration,providecareer counseling,andworkwithcommunitybusinessesto arrangeinternshipandemploymentopportunities.

Characteristics of Exemplary Postsecondary Educational Transition Partnerships

11

12

Planning for a Postsecondary Educational Transition PartnershipPlanningisessentialtotheoverallsuccessofapostsecondaryeducationaltransitionpartnership.Forprogramsandcollegesthatcurrentlydonotparticipateinatransitionpartnership,theymightfirstlookatservicesalreadybeingprovided.Theremaybewaystoimproveoralterservicestobettersupporttransitioningstudents.Examplesofpossiblechangesincludemakingaslightshiftinfocus,suchas:changingthewayeducationalgoalsareaddressed,revisitingandrevisinggoalsasstudentsprogress,expandingdatacollectionandtrackingcapabilities,lookingmorecloselyatthequalityofinstruction,andimprovingupontheadvisingandsupportservicesthatarecurrentlyprovided.Betterqualitywithinanorganizationorinstitutionmeansthereismoretoofferaperspectivepartner,anditalsowillimproveopportunitiestoattractfundingtosupportatransitionpartnership.

Beforedevelopingapartnership,therearemanyimportantthingstothinkaboutandknowthatwillinformtheprocess.Gatherasmuchinformationanddataaspossibleabout:

n Stateandnationalstandardsand/orguidelinesand regulationsforyourinstitutionandpotentialpartners (suchasthoseimposedbyasystemorafunder)

n Yourpotentialpartner(s)institution,suchasthe educationalandsupportservicesprovided,numberof studentsservedoveragiventimeperiodandretention rates

n Thecommunityandregionthatyouserve,suchas employmentopportunitiesanddemands,availability andcostofpublictransportation,andavailabilityand costofchildcare

n Thestudentstobeservedthroughatransition partnership,suchasthedemographicsforageand educationallevels,commonstrengthsandneeds

Know about your state, region and the nation Beawareofanynationalfocus,trends,demographicsor legislationthatsurroundsissuesofadultcontinuingeducation.

Forexample,thecurrentadministrationhasemphasizedtheneedtoincreasethenumberofadultstudentsenteringpostsecondaryeducation,statingthatournationwillneed70%ofadultstudentstocontinuetheireducationinorder

toaddresstheneedinoureconomy.Inresponse,theDepartmentofHealthandHumanServices,theDepartmentofLaborandtheOfficeofVocationalandAdultEducation(OVAE)areworkingtogethercloselytofocusoncareersandcareercounseling.Infact,Dr.BrendaDann-Messier,AssistantSecretary,OVAE(FamilyLiteracy–CommunityCollegePartnershipInitiativeAdvisoryBoardmeeting,April12,2010),identifiedaneedfortransitionstandardsdevelopmentthatwillresultinmorerigorousinstructioninadulteducationprograms,sothereislessneedfordevelopmentalcoursesinpostsecondaryeducation.

Reviewguidelinesforcollegesthatareissuedbythestatecouncilonpostsecondaryeducation.Collegeaccreditationisaimedatverifyingthelevelsofqualityprovidedbyinstitutionsofhighereducation.Arethereaspectsofthisregionalaccreditationthatassessservicesfornon-traditionalstudents?Whatarethestatestandardsforadulteducation?Howmightthesestandardsandguidelinesimpactatransitionprogram?

Know about your local community Identifyeducationalinstitutionsinyourcommunitythatprovideeducationtoadults.Adulteducationprogramadministratorsneedtobeawareofthecommunitycolleges,technicalcollegesandotherpostsecondaryinstitutionsavailabletotheirstudents.Whichinstitutionisaccredited?Hasdependablefunding?Isrespectedbythelocalcommunity—itscitizens,businesses,andotherinstitutions?Hasareputationforbeingproactiveorinnovative?

Postsecondaryeducationschooladministratorsneedtounderstandtheconfigurationoftheadulteducationprogramintheirarea.Istheprogramrunbythelocalschoolsystem,anothercommunity-basedorganization,oradministeredbythecommunitycollegesystem?Whatpercentageofparticipantssuccessfullycompletestheprogram?Whatpercentagecurrentlytransitionstopostsecondaryeducation?

Knowthetypesofservicesavailableinyourcommunitythatmightbeimportantforsupportingstudents.Forexample,transportationandchildcareareoftentwoconcernsstudentsmustaddress.Woulditbehelpfultoincludeanotherorganizationoragencyinyourpartnershipagreement?Howmightthatbenefitstudentsandotherpartners,andwhatwouldthatagencyhavetogain?

13

Gatherinformationaboutyourarea’seconomyinordertoknowthestrengthsandneedsrelativetoeducationandemployment.Whatlargeemployersareinyourstate,yourregionoryourlocalcommunity?Whataretheirfutureplans—dotheyforeseeclosingormovingtheirbusinessordotheyintendtoexpand,indicatingneedsforworkerswithspecificskillsets?Thistypeofinformationcanimpactdecisionsmadeaboutthetypesofskillstofocuson,credentialstooffer,stafftobehired,andinternshipopportunities,andcanboostcommunityawarenessandneededfinancialsupportforpartners.

Know and understand potential studentsKnowthestudentsbeingsupportedthroughthetransitionpartnership.Wherearetheyfromwithinyourcommunity,whatculturesdotheyrepresent,howdotheygettoyourprogramorinstitution,whattypesofjobsdotheytypicallyhold,dotheyhavechildrenorelderlyfamilymemberstheysupport,andwhataretheirprioreducationalexperiences?Everystudentisunique,yettherewillbemanysimilaritiesthatwillhelptoidentifythetypesofservicesthatwillbestmeettheirneeds.

Whataretheirstrengthsandwhataretheirchallenges?Forexample,transportationcanbeabigobstacleforstudentsaccessingeducation.Ifmostofyourstudentsdrive,youmaywanttoestablishanagreementwithlocalparkingareastoreservespaceforstudentsortoofferareducedparkingratethatyourinstitutionsupplements.Or,maybeyoucanarrangeforstudentrateswiththepublictransitsystem.Thesetypesofarrangementsmightmakeabigdifferenceinstudents’abilitytoaccessyourinstitutions,orfordualenrolledstudentstocommutebetweeninstitutions.

Whatarethespecificcharacteristicsofnontraditionalstudentsthatneedtobetakenintoaccountwhenplanningserviceswithinatransitionpartnership?Nontraditionalstudentsaredefinedashavingatleastoneormoreofthefollowingcharacteristics:doesnotenterpostsecondaryenrollmentinthesameyearthatheorshecompletedhighschool,attendspart-timeforatleastpartoftheacademicyear,worksfulltime,isconsideredfinanciallyindependentfromalegalguardian,hasdependentsotherthanaspouse,isasingleparent,anddoesnothaveahighschooldiploma,butdoeshaveaGeneralEducationalDevelopment(GED)credential(USDOE,2002).Inaddition,anumberoffactorscharacteristicallyseparatenontraditionalstudentsfromyoungercollegestudents.Adultlearnerstendtobeachievementoriented,highlymotivated,andrelatively

independentwithspecialneedsforflexibleschedulesandinstructionappropriatefortheirdevelopmentallevel(Cross,1980).Adultsgenerallyprefermoreactiveapproachestolearningandvalueopportunitiestointegrateacademiclearningwiththeirlifeandworkexperiences(Benshoff,1991).Financialandfamilyconcernsaretwoofthebiggestconsiderationsthatimpacttheadultstudentexperience(Benshoff&Lewis,1992,p.1).

Achallengeforallstudents,butparticularlyfornontraditionalstudents,isbeingabletopersistlongenoughtoreachtheirgoals.Formostnontraditionaladultstudents,attainingacertificateordegreerequires“hundreds,ifnotthousands,ofhoursofinstructiontoachieve”(Comings,2007,p.23).Oftenstudentsmustcompleteaseriesofdevelopmentalcoursesbeforetakingcredit-bearingcourses,extendingthetimeframeconsiderablyforstudentsalreadyfacingmanyotherobstacles.PersistencefornontraditionalstudentsbeginswithalongjourneythroughABEandGEDclassesandalsomayincludemanysessionsofESLclasses.Atthesametimetheyareattendingtheseclasses,studentsoftenareworkingfulltimeandfacingthedailyresponsibilitiesofbeingaparent.

Whataretheirgoalsandwhatmotivatesthesestudentstopersist?Whatservicesareprovidedbytheprogramandthecollegethatenablestudentstopersist?Whatservicesmightbeconsideredthatcurrentlyarenotavailable?Knowingthesethingsasyoubegintodevelopatransitionpartnershipwillallowyoutoprovideservicesthattrulyenablestudentstosucceedratherthanprovidingservicesyou“think”theymightwantorneed.

Learn the historyAsawaytoavoidmissteps,learnthehistoryofpriorrelationshipsbetweeninstitutions.Speakwithstaffwhohavebeenaroundforawhileorwhoarelikelytohavebeeninvolved.Werethereeverattemptstodeveloparelationshiporpartnershipbetweentheinstitutions?Whathappened?Istheresomeonethatmightbeagoodpersontoinvolveagain?Aretheresuggestionsfrom“lessonslearned”thatmayleadtoasuccessfulpartnership?

14

Explorecontactsorrelationshipsthatstafffromvariousdepartments,programs,aspectsorservicesatyourorganizationorinstitutionmayalreadyhavewithstaffatthepartnerinstitution.Thesecanbevaluablecontactsforgettingafootinthedoorattheotherinstitutionandprovidingexamplesofwaysyourinstitutionsalreadyworktogethersuccessfully.

Learn about potential partner(s)Onceyouhaveidentifiedpotentialpartners,learnasmuchaboutthemaspossible.Maybeyouwillwanttodevelopapartnershipthatincludesseveraldifferentinstitutionsororganizations.Howwouldeachinstitutionororganizationcontributetothepartnership?Howwouldeachbenefitfromapartnership?Whatwouldtheygainthatwouldmotivatethemtoengageinapartnership,andwhatwouldtheybringtothetablethatwouldbenefitotherprogramsandadvancethegoalfortransitioningadultstudentsintopostsecondaryeducation?Thingstolearnaboutapotentialpartnerinclude:

n The organization’s mission Whatistheirmission?Haveaclearunderstandingof theirmissionandgoals,becauseitneedstobe compatiblewithyourown.Apartnershipshould advancethemissionandgoalsofallpartners.

n Standards Whatrequirementsmusttheymeetforpublicor privateoversight?Therearestate,andinsomecases federal,standardsforbothadulteducationand communitycolleges.Familyandadultliteracy programsoftenreceivefundingfromvarioussources, andfundersmayestablishrequirementsattachedto things,suchasqualityofservices,numbersortypes ofstudentsserved,minimumprogramcompletion ratesandstaffprofessionaldevelopment. Postsecondaryinstitutionsarecommonlyregulatedby accreditationboards.Haveagraspofthestandardsthat mustbemetandthinkofhowapartnershipmight supportthosestandardsorfulfillaccreditation requirements.

n Available Programs Knowthetypesoftraining,credentialsandprograms thatareofferedbyyourpotentialpartner,andlook forareaswhereyourprogramsareorcouldbealigned inordertoprovideasmoothtransitionprocessfor students.Forexample,manyfamilyandadultliteracy programsandcommunitycollegesofferEnglishasa SecondLanguageanddevelopmentalorremedial coursesforreadingand/ormath.Itmightbenefitboth entitiestoalignthoseservicesorevenconsolidate themtosavevaluableresourcesandallocatethose resourcestootherneededservices.Forexample,the

programcouldofferbasicorintroductorylevelsandthe collegecouldofferadvancedsections.Youmaywishto shareinstructionalstafforfacilities. n Strengths and challenges Identifythestrengthsandunderstandthechallenges possiblepartnersface.Thiscanaffecttheapproach youtakewhenfirstproposingapartnership.Ifan institutionhasawaitinglistorisovercrowded,itmay beinterestedinsharingspaceorofferingclassesat yourlocation.Ifenrollmentratesarelow,strategiesfor increasingenrollmentthroughyourpartnershipmight beveryappealing.Whatistheaverageannualor semesterenrollment?Whataretheretentionrates? Howmanystudentsactuallyexittheprogramor institutionwithacompletedcredential,diplomaor degree?

n Requirements Learnabouttheapplicationrequirements,thefeesor costtostudents,theschedulefollowed(suchas semesterorquarters,publicschoolcalendar,summer programifavailable),deadlinedates,entranceor placementtestrequirements.Forexample,ifastudent completestherequirementsforaGEDinApril, whatisthewindowoftimeforapplyingforclasses orfinancialaid?Willhehavetositoutforverylong andpossiblylosemomentumtopursuefurther education?Aretherethingshecandoduringthattime, suchascompleteplacementexamsorspeakwithan advisor?Ifastudentappliestothecollege,butscores lowontheplacementtest,couldshetakeaskill- buildingclassatthefamilyoradultliteracyprogram thatequatestoadevelopmentalcourseatthe communitycollege?Wouldshehavetowaitforthe nextenrollmentperiod?Whatwouldshehavetodoto beeligibleforservices?

Explore models of successful transition partnerships Therearetransitionpartnershipsbetweenfamilyliteracyprogramsandcommunitycollegesthatcanbeconsideredsuccessfulorthatshowpromise.Insomecases,thesepartnershaveresolvedchallengesandcanprovidestrongexamplesforothers.Turning Points: A Case Study of Family Literacy – Community College Partnershipsincludesdetailsaboutpartnershipsthatcaninformyourownpartnership.

Contactprogramsandinstitutionsinyourstateandregiontoseeiftheyhavetransitionpartnerships.ExploretheirWebsitestoseewhatservicesandprogramsareinplacetosupportnontraditionalstudents’transitionintopostsecondaryeducation.

14

15

Looktonationalorganizations,suchastheNationalCollegeTransitionNetwork,www.collegetransition.org,focusedspecificallyontransitioningstudentsandinvolvedwithservingthisparticularpopulation,forinformationandasawaytonetwork.Attendconferencestolearnmore.Theseorganizationscanprovideinsightsintoissuesaroundtransitionpartnershipprograms,havelistservswhererelevantconversationsoccur,andareoftenengagedintransitionresearchorhavetransitionmaterialsavailable.Identifysuccessfulworkingmodelswhereyoumightlearnfromtheirexperiences.

Identify leaders responsible for and committed to the partnershipKnowthenames,titlesandrolesoftheinstitution’sleaders.Thesearethepeopletoengageintheprocessofdevelopingapartnership,becausetheyareabletomakedecisionsandmovetheprocessforward.Speakinitiallywiththedirectorofaprogramorthepresidentofthecollege.Ifhechoosestodesignatesomeoneelsetotakechargeofthepartnershipinitiative,clarifywhetherornotthispersonwillbeabletospeakfortheorganizationandmakedecisions,ratherthandelayingprogressbyneedingtoexplaintoandseekapprovalfromherleaders.

Determine and agree upon vision and goalsItisimportantforpartnerstohaveavisionforstudenttransitionsanddevelopapartnershipagreementthatdescribeshoweachpartnerwillservethissharedvision.Programscanaddresstransitioningservicesatvariouslevelsandhaveasingularfocusorcanintegratetwoormoreofthesetypesofservices.Herearesomethingstoconsiderasyouestablishavision.

n Thevalueofbuildingapartnershipandconsiderations fordevelopingaformalagreement n Resourcesthateachinstitutioncontributestosupport studentsuccess n Thetypesofsupportservicesadultstudentsneedin ordertosuccessfullytransitionintopostsecondary education n Commonchallengesandpracticalsolutions n Waystoprovidetheacademic,personal,careerand collegeknowledgestudentsneedinordertosucceedin thepostsecondaryeducationalenvironment n Theimportanceofearlyandsustainedtransitioning support

Developgoalsforthetransitionprogram.It’simportanttohaveattainabletransitiongoalsthatstillallowpartnerstostriveforwhattheywishtoachieve.Forfamilyandadultliteracyprograms,afirstgoalmightbetohaveallGEDstudentsexplorecollegeprogramsbeforeexitingtheliteracy

program.Identifyobjectivesthatsupportthatgoal.Forexample,programsmightbuild“collegeknowledge”withstudentsbyintegratingcollegeinformationintotheintakeprocess.Asstudentsidentifylong-termgoals,youmightmentioncollegeasanoptionforsupportingtheirothergoalstogetabetterjoborearnmoretosupporttheirfamilies. Thenidentifyotherplaceswhereyoucanrepeatandexpandonthatinformation.

Foracollege,thefirstgoalmightbetohaveacertainnumberofstudentstransitionfromthefamilyoradultliteracyprogram.Tosupportthatgoal,thecollegemightdecidetoprovideon-campusspacefortheliteracyprogram.Collegestaffofvariousacademicandadministrativeareascanschedulevisitstotheprogram,givingstudentsinformationandopportunitiestoconnectmorepersonallywithsomeone.Partnerscanworktogethertoarrangeacampustourwhereprogramstudentsexperiencethecampusfirsthand. Outline intended outcomes and set benchmarksHowwillthesuccessofthetransitionpartnershipbemeasured?Clearlyoutlinetheintendedoutcomesandsetbenchmarkstobeaccomplished.Itmightbehelpfultosetshort-termversuslong-termoutcomestoaccountforbuildingthepartnershipoverseveralyears.Forexample,thefirstyearmayfocusonestablishingtheservicesrequiredtoprovidenontraditionalstudentswiththeresourcestotransitiontopostsecondaryeducation.Determinethecriticalservicesthatcanbeimplementedandaddresstheeducationalandsupportneedsoftheidentifiedpopulationofstudents.Servicesmaybeaddedincrementallyasthepartnershipgrows,resourcesareconsolidatedandnewfundingisacquired.

Recruitmentandplacementofstudentsmaybeoneofthefirstactivitiesjointlyundertakenbythepartnership.Basedonpriorresearchandplanning,howmanystudentscanthetransitionprogramserveoverall?Whatnumberrealisticallycanberecruitedeachyear?Thinkhonestlyaboutwhatthepartnershipcanaccomplishyeartoyearandsetbenchmarksappropriately.Buildthetransitionpartnershiptowardlong-termoutcomesthatidentifyhowmanystudentsaretransitioningfromfamilyandadultliteracyprogramsintothecollegeandhowmanyarecompletingdegreesorcertifications.Istheprogramcosteffectiveallowingeachofthepartnerstoconserveandsharevaluablefinancialandprogrammaticresources?

Determinewhowillberesponsibleforcollectingoutcomeandbenchmarkdata.Partnersmayalreadybecollectingsomedatathataddressesidentifiedoutcomesandpartnerscansharedataasappropriateforcombinedresultsandreportingpurposes.Clearlydefinerolesandresponsibilitiesattheoutsetinordertoavoidmisstepsasdataiscollected,analyzedandreported.

15

16

Checklist for Planning a Postsecondary Educational Transition Partnership

3 Become familiar with state standards and guidelines for educating nontraditional adult students.

3 Determine if there is a national mandate or legislation related to adult continuing education.

3 Research particular employment needs/demands in your community or region.

3 Identify the providers of adult and postsecondary education in your community and what programs they offer. Determine connections across the programs to support student transition.

3 Gather more information after identifying a potential partner. Consider, for example, organization mission, required standards, available programs, and application requirements.

3 Review available data regarding the types of students served by these institutions, the annual percentage of graduates/program completers, and where these adults go as they exit the programs.

3 Uncover any prior efforts to establish a transition partnership between institutions. Determine what worked and what didn’t in order to avoid any future pitfalls in establishing a partnership.

3 Find out if there are other transition partnerships in your state and what they have done to create a successful partnership. For information about three highly successful transition partnerships, read Turning Points: A Case Study of Family Literacy – Community College Partnerships (www.famlit.org/ myfamilygoestocollege).

3 Identify leaders at partner programs and institutions who can make decisions about engaging in a formal partnership and are willing to devote the time required to make the partnership work.

3 Determine and agree upon a vision and goals for the partnership.

3 Identify intended outcomes, set benchmarks and define procedures for data collection, analyses and reporting.

17

Executingapostsecondaryeducationaltransitionpartnershipiswherethehardworkbegins.Everyoneneedstobeworkingtogetherwhilekeepinganeyeonthevisionandgoalsthatweresetforthinplanningthepartnership.Althoughtherewillbemanytaskstofullyexecutethepartnership,thefirsttaskinvalidatingtheformalpartnershipistocompleteandsignapartnershipagreementthatoutlinestheresponsibilitiesandcontributionsofeachpartner. Establish a formal partnership agreement and meet together regularly Developaformalpartnershipagreementwithyourtransitionpartner(s).Identify:thepurposeofthepartnership;thepartneringagencies;thetermortimeframeforthepartnershipbeforeitisreviewed,revisedand/orrenewed;whateachpartnerwillgainandwhateachpartnerwilloffer.

Thepurposeoftheagreementshouldbebaseduponasharedvision,missionandgoalsandidentifyspecificoutcomesforthepartnership,aswellasserviceseachpartnerintendstocontributetowardrealizingthoseoutcomes.

Manystateshavestandardscallingfortransitioningincreasednumbersofadultstudentsintopostsecondaryeducation,andaformalpartnershipagreementcandescribehowstatestandardswillbeaddressed.

Agoodwaytomaintaincommunicationwithinthepartnershipandaddressdecisionsistostipulatewithinthepartnershipagreementthatregularmeetingsareheldwhereeachpartnerisrepresented.Makesurethattherightpeoplearepresent—ifdiscussingthepossibilityofofferingdevelopmentalorskill-buildingcoursesatthefamilyoradultliteracysite,thefamilyoradultliteracyprogramcoordinatorandthecollegecoordinatorfordevelopmentaleducationneedtobepresent,aswellasthedeanorpresidentwhocanauthorizefinaldecisions.Followameetingagendaandhonoreveryone’sbusyschedulebybeingprepared,startingandendingthemeetingontime.Afterwards,preparemeetingnotestorecorddecisionsandforusewhenpreparingthenextmeetingagendaandreportsforfunders.Thesecanbedisseminatedtoallmemberstoconfirmaccuracyandremindmembersofpendingtaskstobeaccomplished.

Develop a relationshipRegardlessofaformalpartnership,buildingapositiverelationshipbetweenthefamilyoradultliteracyprogramandthecommunitycollegewillencouragebothpartnerstofindwaystoworktogether,improvethepartnershipandthetransitionprogramoverall.Bothinstitutionsprovideeducationalservicesfornontraditionaladultstudentswithinthesamecommunity.Findingwaystoworktogetherbenefitsbothinstitutionsand,mostimportantly,supportssuccessforstudents.

Holdinformalmeetingswhereinformationisshared.Partnersenterthesemeetingshavingfoundationalknowledgeaboutboththefamilyoradultliteracyprogramandthecommunitycollegewhichisagoodspringboardforbuildingarespectfulrelationship.Identifyprogramareasthatareagoodfitorthatcouldbecomplementarywithminoradjustments.Bothinstitutionscanshareinformationabouttheirstrengthsanddiscussstrategiesforaddressingchallenges.Isthereanyreplicationofvaluableservicesthatcanbeeasilyallocatedtooneinstitutionortheother?Arethereplaceswherecurriculamightfittogetherbettersostudentsarenotexpectedto“circlebackandjumpthroughthesamehoopsoverandover”?Theseareallthingsthatsupportsmoothtransitionsforstudentsandcanbedonepriortocraftingaformalpartnershipagreement.

Recruit, assess and place students Recruitmentofstudentsbybothpartnerswillbeessentialtomeetingtheirownindividualmissions.However,assessmentandappropriateplacementofstudentsforserviceswillbecriticaltothesuccessofthetransitionpartnershipandwillcontributetotheinstitutionalsuccessofeachpartnerindividually.Furthermore,itwillbenefitstudentsinsavingbothtimeandmoney.Identifyhowrecruitmentwilloccurandcapitalizeoncross-institutionalprocedurestostreamlinetheprocessasmuchaspossible.

Adultscurrentlyenrolledinfamilyliteracyprogramshavegoalsfortheirchildren,theirfamilies,andforthemselves.Quiteoftenstudentshaveneverconsideredattendingcollegeasapossibilityforthemselves,althoughalmostallprogramparentsidentifythatasagoalfortheirchildren.

Recruitmentofadultprogramstudentsintothetransitionprogramtakesplaceovertime.Itbeginsduringintake,whenstudentsidentifytheirgoals.Moststudentsidentifygettingajob,learningEnglish,orgettingaGEDcredential

Executing a Postsecondary Educational Transition Partnership

18

astheirgoal,butthisiswhentheideaofotherpossibilitiescanbeplanted.Students’originalgoalsarerespected,butconversationsaboutwhathappensafterthatgoalisachievedandinformationaboutthebenefitsofhavingacredentialordegreeareshared.Guestspeakersinvitedtotheprogramfromthecommunity—employers,paststudents,communitycollegepersonnel—shareinformationaboutwhatcollegecompletionholdsforthestudents’futures.Asstudentsgetclosertoreachingtheiroriginalgoals,theybegintothinkaboutwhat’snext.Theyarenowawareofoptionsandthroughthetransitionpartnership,thesupportsystemisinplacetoencourageandhelpstudentsreachforbiggerdreams.

Acentrallocationforassessmentofstudentscanbeefficientandeffectiveforbothpartners.NotallGEDcredentialcompletersorhighschoolgraduatesmaybereadyforcollegecoursework.Basedonvalidassessments,thesestudentscanbeplacedwithinthefamilyoradultliteracyprogramtogaintheneededskillstobecollegeready.Otherstudentsdeemedcollegereadycanenrollimmediatelyincoursesatthecollegewithalllikelihoodforsuccess.

Anotherimportantreasontoassessandtrackstudents’progressistobeabletointervenewithsupportatcriticaltimes,bothattheliteracyprogramlevelandinpostsecondaryeducationalsettings.Nontraditionalstudentshaveahighfrequencyofdroppingoutor“stoppingout.”Theyoftenintendtoreturn,butmayneedtositoutforaperiodoftimeduetovariousissues,suchasthoserelatedtofamily,workandhome.Bycloselytrackingstudents,pitfallscanbeavoided,suchaslosingcoursecreditsorfailingacourseifnotofficiallywithdrawingfromit.Insomeinstancessupportmightbeavailablethatwouldallowthestudenttostayenrolled—maybecompletingcourseworkonlineorcomingbacknextsemestertomakeupmissedclasssessions.Whenstudentsneedtositout,theylosemomentumandoftenneverreturn.Havingsomeonetrackthishiatus,provideencouragementandhelpfacilitatetheprocessforreturningtoclasscanmakeahugedifferenceinretention.

Anassessmentcentercentralizesservicesimportanttobothplacingstudentsappropriatelyandmonitoringtheirprogressastheyproceedthroughapostsecondaryeducationaltransitionprogram.Thepartnershipidentifieswhoisbestatprovidingassessmentandplacementservicesforthepartners,butalsosharesresponsibilityandresourcesforinsuringthatstudentsareprovidedwiththebestservicespossibletomeettheireducationalandpersonalneeds.

Align curriculaAligningcurriculahelpsstudentsandinstructorsfocusonlearninggoalsratherthanrelyingontext-driveninstruction.Someprogramsusecompatiblesyllabiandtextbooks,butmanyfocusonskillsorcompetencies.Someprogramsprovidefreeentry-levelskill-buildingmath,readingandwritingcoursesthatalignwiththedevelopmentalcoursesatthecollege.Thisbetterpreparesstudentsforsuccessoncetheyenterthecollegecampusandsavesdollarsforthemratherthanpayingforcoursesthatdonotfulfilldegreeorcertificationrequirements.

Provide high quality instruction that includes high expectations for studentsHavingrealistic,buthigh,expectationsforlearnerstendstoimprovethelevelofinstructionandimpactsstudents’confidenceandmotivation.LookingbeyondcompletionoftherequirementsforaGEDcertificate(oftenthefinaleducationaltargetofmanyfamilyandadultliteracyprograms)encouragesprogramstoelevateexpectationsforstudents.

RobertBickertonexplainedattheAdultEducationtoCommunityCollegeTransitionsSymposium,“Twopointsabouthighexpectations:Weengageinacertainamountofgoalsubstitution.”Studentsenteradulteducationprogramsandclaimtheyneedahighschooldiploma,buttheiraspirationsmaygobeyondthat.ProgramstafflistentothosedreamsandsubstitutetheGEDratherthanexpectingmore.Bickertonalsoexpressedconcernaboutprovidingexpansivesupportforstudents,sometimesattheexpenseofnothavinghighexpectations,whichdisablesthemfromachieving(MPRAssociates,Inc.,2007,p.30).

Helpstudentssetacademicgoalsbyidentifyinggoalsearlywithallstudentsandreviewandrevisethemregularly.Someprogramshelpstudentssetgoalsduringtheintakeprocessandfollowupatregularintervalstocheckprogress.Providetransitioninginformationregularlyandoften,beginningwiththeintake/registrationprocess.Plantthedreamofeducationasalong-termjourneyaccessibletoallandcontinuesharinginformationonaregularbasisthroughoutthestudents’enrollmentinyourprogram.

ManystudentsidentifylearningEnglishorgettingajobastheirgoalsforattendingtheprogram.LearningEnglishisanimportantgoalthatwillimpactastudent’slifeinmanyimportantways,butasthestudentbeginstolearn,shemaydecidethatit’snotherfinalgoal.Shemayaddanewgoal,suchasgettingherGEDcredential,oncesheseesthatlearningEnglishiswithinherreach

19

andnotasoverwhelmingataskasoncethought.AstudentmaywanttogetaGEDcredentialasawaytofacilitategettingabetterjob.Withmoreinformation,hemaydecidethatoncehecompletestherequirementsfortheGEDcredential,hewillcontinuetoworkforcertificationinhisfieldbecausethatwouldincreasehisearningssubstantially.Itisimportanttohonorandrespectstudentgoals.

Informationaboutmanyavailablelearningopportunitiesthatstudentsmightaccesscanbeprovided.Asstudentsprogressandrevisitgoals,theyarearmedwithinformationthatenablesthemtoconsidernewoptionstheymaynothaveknownwereavailable.Originalgoalsbecomestepping-stonestonewgoalsandlearningbecomesalifelongprocess.Providetransitionservicesforallstudentsatallstagesoflearningandprogress.

Studentperformanceandadvancementtypicallyimprovewhenfamilyandadultliteracyprogramsapplyrigorousstandardsforhiringinstructionalstaffandincludehigh expectationsforstudentperformance.Thisisespeciallyimportantforprogramsbuildingstrongtransitionpartnershipswithcolleges.Fewerquestionsarelikelytoariseregardingqualityofinstructionandcourserigoriftheprogramandcollegehavecomparablecriteriaforinstructors’educationalqualificationsandexperience.Thisalsocontributestowardreciprocalcommunications,suchasarespectfulsharingofsyllabiinanefforttoalignskillsandcontent.Collegesexpecthigh-qualityinstruction,particularlyifpartnersplantoalignstandardsandcurriculaorconsiderofferingfor-creditcourses,suchasorientationorintroductiontocollege.Havingcomparablestaffqualificationsopensthepossibilityofsharinggreaterresources.Forexample,theliteracyprogramcouldprovideinstructionforaone-creditorientationcourseheldattheprogramandofferedfreetoacohortoftransitioningstudents.

Anotherassettoahigh-qualityinstructionalprogramisstaffwhorepresenttheculturesoftheirstudents.Theyareabletocommunicateandpossiblyshareahistoryoratleastanunderstandingofsimilarbackgrounds,experiences,circumstances,andchallenges.Priorstudentswhohavebeenhiredbytheprogramorcollegehaveaddedcredibilitybecausethey’vetraveledthesamepath,andtheirsuccessandachievementcanbeoneoftheverybestpersonalmotivatorsyoucanprovide.Ifyourprogramisunabletohirestudents,helpthemfindemploymentwherepossible—throughotherjobs,internshipsandvolunteerwork.Studentswhoareona

pathtosuccessserveasgreatambassadorsfortheprogramandcollegeandtheirsuccessintheworkplaceoftenencouragesotherstotakesimilarsteps.

Collectandusestudentdatatoassess,informservices,andtotrackstudentprogressincomparisontotheirgoalsandthegoalsoftheprogram.Themoreyouknowaboutyourstudents,thebetteryouareabletoservethem.Assessmentisalwaysanimportantcriterionindecision-makingforreviewingandrevisingstudentservices,especiallyintargetinginstruction,andaccuratedataalsoprovidessolidevidenceforcurrentandfuturefunders.

Finally,itwillbeimportanttocelebrateaccomplishmentsandhonorstudentsuccesstowardtheirgoals.Knowingthatthejourneyisquitelongformanynontraditionalstudents,incrementalsuccessneedstobeacknowledgedorcelebrated.AdvancingalevelwithinABEisprogress.CompletingtherequirementsfortheGEDcredentialprobablymeansreachingagoal,asdoessuccessfullycompletingthefirstsemesterofcollegeandcompletingthefirstyear—abenchmarkthatalsodesignatesapotentialincreaseinincome.Planningwaystoapplaudstudentsuccessnotonlysupportstheachievingstudent,butalsoencouragesotherstudentstostaythecourseforachievingtheirowngoals.

Allofthesefeaturespointtotheneedforprogramstoadoptthebeliefthatallstudentshavepotentialtotransitionto postsecondaryeducation.WhenadulteducationinstructorsandadministratorsmovebeyondthinkingthattheendprogramgoalistheGEDcredential,advising/counseling,academiccontent,dailyinstructionandassessmentareimpacted.Noteverystudentwilltransitiontocollege,buthigherorderskills,suchasnotetaking,organization,problemsolving,andstrongskillsinEnglish,mathandotheracademicareasthatpreparethemforcollegewillbetterpreparethemforthe21stcenturyworkforceaswell.Inordertosucceed,studentsneedtodevelopstudyskillsandself-managementskills,andtheyneedtobecommittedtoshowingupontime,completingwork,andturningassignmentsinasrequired.

20

Provide instruction that supports more than academic learningExpertshaveidentifiedfourtypesofknowledgethatstudentsmusthaveinordertosucceedinthepostsecondaryeducationalenvironment:academic,personal,collegeandcareerknowledge.

n Academic knowledgeInstructionalstaffinfamilyoradultliteracyprogramsandcommunitycollegesoftenaddressacademicknowledge,assumingstudentshaveothertypesofknowledge.However,themethodofinstructionmightrequireadjustmentstobemoreeffective.Nontraditionaladultstudents“prefermoreactiveapproachestolearningandvalueopportunitiestointegrateacademiclearningwiththeirlifeandworkexperiences”(Benshoff,1991,ascitedinBenshoff&Lewis,1992,p.1).Deliveringcontentinareal-lifecontextandusingexperientialactivelearningstrategiesisfarmoreeffectivethanalectureapproach.Infact,itislikelythatmoststudentsprefertobeactivelyengagedintheirlearning.

n Personal knowledgeTherearemanyreasonswhynontraditionaladultstudentsdidnotgraduatefromhighschoolandmanyneedtostrengthentheirpersonalknowledgeandskillsinordertosucceededucationally.Asmentionedbefore,persistenceisanecessaryingredientineducationalsuccess,andformanystudentsitisanobstacleaswell.Studentsmayneedtolearntomeasuresuccessbythesmallstepstheytaketoreachamoredistantgoal—theGEDcredentialstartsthemontheirjourneyandeachsuccessfullycompletedcoursemeanstheyareonestepclosertoreceivingapostsecondaryeducationdegreeorcertificate.Nontraditionalstudentsoftenfacealongandarduousjourneythatinvolvesmorethanafewsemesters

ofclass.Theynotonlyneedtobelieveinthemselvesandtheirgoalinordertopersist,buttheyalsoneedtoberesilientandbeabletoproblemsolvewhenthingsdon’tgoasplanned(Comings,2007).

Forsomestudents,prioreducationalexperiencesmayhavebeennegativeandtheyneedtolearntofocusonthehereandnow.Theyareinadifferentsituationandtheynowhavemanylifeexperiencestobringtobearontheireducationaljourney.Theirsuccessesshouldberecognizedasincentiveforthemtocontinuetheirstepstowardtheirgoal.Oftenthesestudentsneedtolearnhowtomanagetimeandmoney,tobeabletoprioritize,andtohaveaback-upplanforlikelyproblemswithchildcare,transportation,orhealth.

Studentsneedtolearntoadvocateforthemselvesandbeproactiveratherthanreactive,takingstepstosupporttheirownsuccess.Thisincludesknowingwhoandhowtoaskforinformationandhowtoberesourcefulandnegotiatewithothers,fromthebabysittertotheclassinstructor.

Alloftheseaspectsofpersonalknowledgebenefitfromorganizationandanabilitytobuildanetworkofsupportwithothers,includingfamily,friends,neighbors,programstaff,fellowstudents,andthecommunityasawhole.Staffmodeltheseskillsandprovidelessonsthatsupportthedevelopmentofskills,suchasorganization,communication,andproblemsolving.Someprogramsandcollegesplacestudentsinlearningcohortsasawaytobuildasupportivecommunityofpeersandfocusondevelopingpersonalknowledge.

n Career knowledgeOneoftheprimarygoalsformanyadultstudentscontinuingtheireducationistogetabetterjob.Instructioncansupportthedevelopmentofnotonlythetechnicaloradministrativehardskillsrelatedtocareers,butalsothesoftskills,oftenconsidered“peopleskills,”thatareequallyasimportant.Othertransferrableskillsincludetheuseoftechnology,theabilitytocommunicateideasandtoproblemsolve.Theseskillscanbeembeddedintovariouscontextsofinstructionatalllevels.Mostprogramsandcollegeshavegoalsandlearningoutcomesrelatedtotechnology.Theyhavecomputerlabsavailabletostudents,andintegratetheuseoftechnologyintoclassactivitiesaswellashomework.

21

Careerexplorationcanbeeasilysupportedthroughassignments,andguestspeakersrepresentingcommunitybusinessescanprovideatouristapproachtolocalcareeropportunities.ActivitiesthatsupportcareerexplorationaredescribedinOn Our Way: Educational Toolkit for Families—A Program Instructional Guide(www.famlit.org/myfamilygoestocollege).

ApartnershipprogramdescribedinTurning Points: A Case Study of Family Literacy – Community College Partnershipshasamentorshipprogramandprovidesproject-basedandservicelearningactivitiesaswellascoordinatedvolunteeringopportunities.Theseopportuni-tiesallowstudentstoexperiencefirst-handthedemandsofajobwithinthecontextofaparticularcareerpath.Inadditiontotheskillrequirements,studentsrealizetheimportanceofshowingupon-timeandgettingalongwithco-workerswhileapplyingtheiracademicskills.

Careercounselingcanbeasharedservicewithinatransitionpartnership.Collegesoftenprovidecareercounselingwithatypicalstudentgoalbeingtogetajoborabetterjobandliteracyprogramswithtransitionspecialistsoftenincludecareercounselingasoneoftheresponsibilitiesdesignatedtothatposition.

n College knowledgeManynontraditionaladultstudentsarefirst-generationcollegestudentsandlackanunderstandingofthecultureofpostsecondaryeducation.Attendanceisexpected,buttypicallynoonecallstoprovidereminders.Thereisatimelineofimportanteventsthatinclude:applyingforfinancialaid(andknowingthataidisoftenbasedonneedratherthanacademicstrengths);applyingforadmissiontothecollege,aswellastoaparticularprogram;takingrequiredplacementexamsthatmayindicateaneedforremedialcourses;understandingthelevelsofcertificationanddegreeswithinhighereduca-tion,aswellasanestimatedlengthoftimeforearningeachcredential;knowingprogramcurriculaanddegreerequirements;understandingthecoursenumberingsystemandthenewvocabularyencountered,suchassyllabus,bursar,registrar,developmentalcourses,andcurriculum;takingtheinitiativetocommunicatewithinstructors,usingofficehoursandtheimportanceofcontinuingtoaskquestionsuntilfindingtherightpersonandgettingananswer;knowingwhentoaskforhelpandtakingtheinitiativetoaccessadvisingortutoringservices;beingorganizedandmanagingtimewellenoughtofindparking,locatingclassesandarrivingpreparedandontime.Thereareamyriadofthingstolearnthatcoulddiscouragesomeonenewor

inexperiencedwithpostsecondaryeducation.Buildingcollegeknowledgeisoftenaddressedthroughcollegeorientationclasses,butprovidinginformationregu-larlythroughouttheadults’programenrollmentallowsstudentsanopportunitytohear,see,experienceandaskquestionsaboutthisnewculturetobereadilypreparedforthecollegeenvironment.Ascomfortlevelsgrow,studentsaremorelikelytoconsidercollegeasanappropriateoption.ReadTurning Points: A Case Study of Family Literacy – Community College Partnerships (www.famlit.org/myfamilygoestocollege)forexamplesofhowthisishandledinotherprograms.

Create learning cohorts of students Infamilyandadultliteracyprograms,managedenrollmentisaneffectivestrategythatgroupsstudentstogetherforclassesoveradefinedperiodoftime.Managedenrollmentpreparesstudentsfortheregularattendancenecessaryforpostsecondarysuccess.Itbreaksstudentcommitmentintosmaller,“bite-sized”chunksratherthanjoiningaprogramforanundefined,possiblylengthyperiodoftime.Wewantfamiliesenrolledforthelong-term,butbreakingthatintoshortertimeperiods,suchassix-toeight-weektermsdefinesthedurationandencouragestheintensitynecessaryformakingacademicgains.Oftenassessmentfollowstheperiodofenrollmentandstudentgainsmightresultintheirplacementatahigherlearninglevelforthenextperiodofenrollment—stepsofmeasuredsuccessalongthepathtowardaneducationalgoal.Managedenrollmentoffersbigbenefitsinotherwaysbecauseitallowsstudentstodeveloprelationshipswitheachotherthataresupportiveandmotivatesthemtopersistintheirattendanceandreachingtheirgoals.

Atthecollegelevel,astrategythatiseffectiveforsupportingstudentlearningistoenrollstudentsincohortsthatprogressthroughclassestogetherorevenspecificdegreeorcertificationprograms.Aswithmanagedenrollment,giventhedifferententrypointsandratesofprogress,thiscanbechallenging,butthebenefitsdefi-nitelyoutweighthechallenges.Forexample,informationcanbeintegratedacrossthecurriculum,studentsprovidemoralsupportforoneanother,andlearninglevelscanbesupportedmoreeasily.

Provide integrated servicesOftenpartnersfindwaystosharefacilitiesandstaff. Somecollegesprovideon-campusspaceforfamilyoradultliteracyprograms.Studentswhoattendthefamilyoradultliteracyprogramonacollegecampusarealreadyfamiliarwiththecampuslayout.Itiseasiertoaccesscampusspeakersanddepartments,suchascounseling.

22

However,programsandcollegesoperatingatdifferentlocationsstillcanandshouldprovideintegratedservices.Justfromthephysicalperspective,integratingservicesmakestransitioningeasierforstudents.Programstaffmightuseacampusmaptohelpstudentsbecomefamiliarwiththeservicesandlocationsofofficesoncampus.Studentslearnsomeofthelanguageassociatedwiththecollegeculture,suchasregistrar, bursar andsyllabus.Theymaytakeacampustour,usingpublictransportationtogetfromtheprogramtothecampus,haveameetingwithoneormoreprogramcoordinators,visitthelibraryandlearninglabs,andmeetwithsomeonefromtheadvisingstaff.Studentsbecomecomfortablenavigatingthenewsetting,seefamiliarcollegestaffthatpreviouslyhavevisitedtheprogram,andareabletoreviewandapplytheirnewlyacquiredknowledge.

Successfultransitionpartnershipsintegrateservicesbyofferingcollegeclasses,suchasdevelopmentalcourses,ESLororientationclasses,attheprogramsite.Whenprogramsprovidethesetypesofclassesatnocosttostudents,preciousfinancialaiddollarsarereservedforcredit-bearingcourses.Thecollegebenefitsbyimprovingstudentretentionrates,theprogramincreasestheirnumberoftransitioningstudents,andstudentsaremorelikelytocompleteprograms.SeveralapproachestointegratingservicesaredescribedinTurning Points: A Case Study of Family Literacy – Community College Partnerships (www.famlit.org/myfamilygoestocollege).

Encourage students to access support servicesAvailabilityandaccessibilityofsupportserviceshaverepeatedlyindicatedastrongandpositiveimpactontheretentionandsuccessofnontraditionalstudents(MPRAssociates,Inc.,2007,p.12).Thelessassertivenatureofnontraditionalstudentsmakesitimperativethatinstitutionspreparestaffinwaysthatbestmeettheirneeds.

Manysupportservices,suchasservicesforstudentswithspecialneeds,tutoring,mentoring,writingcenters,mathlabs,staffedcomputerlabs,childcare,counseling,advising,cohortlearningandstudygroups,alreadyexistattheprogramandcollege.Partnersmaychoosetotailororenhancesomeoftheexistingsupportservicesfortransi-tioningstudents,suchasincludinghoursthatareconducivetoworkingparents,providingdetailedinformationsuitedtofirst-generationstudentsandaddressingissuessuchaschildcarethatfacilitatestudentretention.

Whenstudentsareidentifyingtheirgoalsduringtheintakeprocess,askthemtoidentifyboththeirstrengthsandthethingstheyfeelcouldbebarrierstotheirlearningsuccess.Helpthemcapitalizeontheirstrengths,andtogetherstrategizesolutionstobarriers.Thetwobiggestbarriersforstudentscontinuingtheireducationinvolve“…moneyandtime,givenworkandchildcareresponsibilities.There’sanarrayofotherpersonalissues,suchastransportation…andlackofstablehousing.Illnessisalsoanissue…”(MPRAssociates,Inc.,2007).

Identifyingandplanningwaystoovercomebarriersisimportant,butstudentsalsomustcommittotheirgoalenoughtodothehardworkassociatedwithaddressingthosebarriers.Staffcanhelpstudentsidentifyresourcesforservices,suchaschildcareprogramsinthevicinityneartheirhomeorneartheschool.Theycanalsohelpstudentsdevelopabackupplanforanoccasionwhenachildisillorchildcareisnotavailable.

Someprogramsdoagreatdealwithstudentgoalsetting,butprofessionaldevelopmentforstaffaboutcontinuingeducationandtransitioningcouldhelpassurethatconsis-tentandaccurateinformationisshared.Preparingfamilyandadultliteracyprogramandcommunitycollegestafftounderstandandaddressspecialconcernsandneedsofnontraditionalstudentscanimprovetheireffectiveness.

Whenprogramandcollegestafftracktransitioningstudents,particularlyduringtheirfirstyearatthecollege,theyareabletohelpstudentsproblemsolvetoovercomeobstaclesbeforetheystopordropout.Theremaybesolutionsforaddressingtransportationissues,lossofchildcare,orachangeintheworkschedulethatinterfereswithschool,andsomeoftheseissuesaretheverythingsthatpartnerscanjointlyplanforandaddresstogether.Arecom-mendedsolutionisforthepartnershiptohireatransitionspecialisttocoordinateservicesandmakesurestaffreceiveappropriateprofessionaldevelopment.

Atransitionspecialistisonefeatureofexemplarypostsec-ondaryeducationaltransitionpartnerships.Responsibilitiesvary,buthavingapersondesignatedtocoordinatethemanyaspectsofatransitionpartnershipmakesahugedifferenceinmakingsurethathighqualitytransitionservicesareimplementedandthatindividualstudentsdonotslipthroughthecracks.Thispersonisusuallyemployedbythefamilyoradultliteracyprogram,butcanbejointlyemployedthroughthepartnershipwithofficesateachlocation.TheColorado SuccessUNlimitedInitiative(ColoradoSUN,http://www.cccs.edu/Foundation/SUN.html),anationallyrecognizedtransitionproject,usesatransitionadvisortorecruit,supportandtransitionGEDstudentsintocommunitycolleges.

23

Checklist for Executing a Postsecondary Educational Transition Partnership

3 Establish a written memorandum of understanding (MOU) for clearly defining the vision and goals of the partnership and detailing specific expectations and contributions of each partner.

3 Create a partnership relationship that supports communication, action, and ongoing resolution.

3 Insure recruitment and appropriate assessment and placement of students.

3 Articulate curricula and promote academic rigor.

3 Implement high-quality programmatic features that set high expectations for students, result in increased student achievement and accomplish partnership goals.

3 Provide instruction that supports more than academic learning, such as personal knowledge, career knowledge and college knowledge.

3 Create learning cohorts of students to encourage motivation, problem solving and mutual support for accomplishing goals.

3 Share resources while integrating and consolidating services.

3 Provide and make support services accessible that encourage students to enroll in programs and persist through degree completion.

24

Afterthetransitionpartnershipisestablishedandprogressing,itwillneedthoughtfulcaretoguaranteethatitcontinuestobenefitstudents,thepartners,andothercommunitystakeholders.Everyonemustbecommittedtoupholdingtheplanforthepartnership,butalsomustdevoteeffortstofurtheringitsreachandvalue.Thereareimportantactivitiesthatwillcontributetotheongoingsuccessandmaintenanceofthetransitionpartnership.

Build awareness within the communityIncreaseawarenessaboutthetransitionpartnershipbeyondthepartnerstootherstakeholders.Includestateeducation,localschooldistrict,andlocalbusinessrepresentativesandotherpostsecondaryeducationproviders,suchastechnicalinstitutesorapprenticeprograms,inapartnershipmeeting.Theseorganizationsmaybeabletocontributeinexcitingandcreativewaysbysharingideasabouthowtosupportstudenttransitionsandfurtherrecruitstudents.Forexample,thestatedepartmentofeducationrepresentativesmayhaveinformationaboutfundingsourcesforyourpartnershipventure.Technicalprogramscanidentifyskillsetsthatyourstudentswillneedandmightworkwiththecollegetobuildatransitionbetweenabeginningcredentialandadegreeprogram.Businessescanprovideshadowingandinternshipopportunities,publicizeyourprogramwithemployeesandworkwithpartnerstoprovideon-siteclasses.

Monitor policies, practices and procedures Revisitonaregularbasisthepolicies,practicesandproceduresthatwereestablishedduringtheplanningstageofthepartnershipandhavebeenimplementedduringtheexecutionphase.Aretheyworkingandappropriateforcontinuingtomeettheneedsofstudentsandpartners?Wouldchangesorrevisionsinfluenceoutcomesmorepositivelyoraddressoutstandingproblems?Effectiveandefficientimplementationofpolicies,practicesandprocedureswillbecriticaltothesuccessfultransitionofstudentsfromfamilyandadultliteracyprogramsintothecommunitycollege.

Identify and evaluate results Partnersmaintainresponsibilityfortheaccountabilityofthetransitionpartnershipensuringthatitachievesidentifiedoutcomesandbenchmarks.Partnersmustreviewoutcomeandbenchmarkresultsatstrategicpointsandmakeadjustmentsasneededtoguaranteethatthepartnershipisachievingdesiredresultsforstudentsandallpartners.Adjustmentsmayrequirerevisingpolicies,practicesorproceduresthatareseenasnotcontributingtopositiveresults.

Partnersalsomustaskthehardquestionsaboutwhetherornottheservicescurrentlybeingimplementedareprovidingintendedresultsinaneffectivemanner.Whatservicesaren’tachievingresultsandwhatmightbethecause?Canthoseservicesbeeliminatedwhilestillachievingintendedoutcomesordothoseservicesrequireagreaterfocusoneffectiveimplementationtoshowprogresstowardoutcomes?Areadditionalservicesrequiredand,ifso,howwillthoseservicesbeprovided,whowillberesponsibleandhowwilltheybefunded?Constantattentiontoaccomplishingshort-andlong-termoutcomesisessentialtomaintainingasuccessfultransitionpartnership.

Reevaluate vision and goalsOnanannualbasis,reflectonthevisionandgoalsofthetransitionpartnershipandassesswhetherthepartnershipislivinguptothevisionandmeetingthegoalsasoriginallydefined.Dothevisionandgoalsadequatelyreflectthepartnershipandconnecttoalltransitionservicesandactivities?Areservicesbeingprovidedtomeetthecontinuingneedsofidentifiedstudents?Determineifchangesneedtobemadetoanyservicestoaddressthegoalsorviceversa.

Communicate consistentlyCommunicationamongthepartners’leadersisessentialformaintainingasuccessfultransitionpartnership.Partnersneedtocometogetheronatleastaquarterlybasis,ifnotmoreoften,todiscussandaddresspartnershipgoals,implementationofservices,definingandclarifyingpartnerrolesandresponsibilities,problemsandconcerns,andongoingresults.Maintainingapostsecondaryeducationaltransitionpartnershiptakeshardworkandcommitmentonthepartofallpartners.

Partnershipsbenefitfromotherstaffworkingtogetheraswell.Studentsbenefitfromadvisors,financialaidofficersandcareercounselorscommunicatingacrossinstitutions.Instructorsatbothinstitutionscanshareinformationaboutcourseobjectives,content,textbooks,syllabiandstrategies.Ongoingandconsistentcommunicationisthefoundationforinsuringthatthepartnershiprelationshipremainsstrongandcontinuestoworkforthelongterm.Goodcommunicationamongthepartnerswillbereflectedinthepositiveoutcomesachievedbystudentsinmeetingtheireducationalandpersonalgoals.

Maintaining a Successful Postsecondary Educational Transition Partnership

25

Identify and seek to resolve problems, issues or concerns Addresschallengesduringongoingpartnershipmeetingsthatstandinthewayofachievingthegoalsandoutcomesforthetransitionpartnership.Isitanissueorproblemthatcanbeaddressedbyclarifyingimplementationofanestablishedpolicyorprocedure?Identifywhotakesresponsibilityforclarificationoranyneededfollow-up andsetadeadlineforresolution.

Ifitisaconcernorissuethatrequiresbrainstormingtodeterminepotentialsolutions,thenelicitthehelpofallpartnerpersonneltoadequatelyconsiderallperspectives.Gatherallpossiblesolutions,discussfullyandcometoconsensusabouttheapproachthatwillbetakentoresolveit.

Aboveall,acommitmenttoaddressproblemsmutuallyastheyarisewillbethebestapproachtokeepingthetransitionpartnershipontrack.

Insure retention and long-term success of students Bothprogramandcollegestaffsupporttheprocessofrecruitment,andtheyareequallyinvolvedinretainingstudents,onceenrolled.Programmaticfeaturesfortransitioningstudentssuchasarticulatedcurricula;instructionthatpreparesstudentsacademically;partnershipservicesthataddressbarriers;embeddedcollege,personal,andcareerknowledge;theencouragementandbeliefthatstudentscansucceed;andcloselytrackingstudentprogress, allcontributetowardstudentretention.

PartofthefederalfamilyliteracydefinitionthatappearsintheElementaryandSecondaryEducationAct,theHeadStartAct,theCommunityServicesBlockGrantAct,andtheWorkforceInvestmentAct(includingtheAdultEducationandFamilyLiteracyAct)refersto“…servicesthatareofsufficient intensity intermsofhours,andofsufficient duration,tomakesustainablechangesinafamily…”Intensityanddurationareeasiertoachievewithadultlearnerswhenattendancerequirementsarepartoftheirparticipationagreement.Thisencouragesacommitmenttolearningonthepartofthestudentandimpliesacommitmentonthepartofstafftofollowalearningplanthatwillleadstudentstowardeducationalgoalsoveragivenperiodoftime.Asawaytolendweighttotheattendancecommitment,askstudentstoreviewandsignanagreementtoabidebytheprogram’sattendancepolicy. Astudy(Scrivener,Sommo,&Collado,2009)conductedbyMDRCin2005and2006incollaborationwithChaffeyCollege,alargecommunitycollegeinsouthernCalifornia,examinedtwoprogramsatthecollege–OpeningDoorsandEnhancedOpeningDoors–designedforstudentsonprobation.OpeningDoorswasaone-semester,voluntaryprogram.Theprogramincludeda“CollegeSuccess”course

taughtbyacollegecounselor.Thecourseprovidedinformationonstudyskillsandrequirementsofcollege.Studentsalsowereexpectedtovisitthecollege’s“SuccessCenter”forenteringstudentswhowerenotpreparedforcollege-levelworkwheretheycouldreceivesupplementaryindividualizedorgroupinstructioninmath,readingandwriting.EnhancedOpeningDoorswasatwo-semesterprograminwhichstudentsweretoldtheywererequiredtotaketheCollegeSuccesscourse.

Findingsforbothprogramsincluded:

n ThevoluntaryOpeningDoorsprogramdidnot meaningfullyaffectstudents’academicoutcomes. n TheEnhancedOpeningDoorsprogram,with requiredparticipation,improvedstudents’ academicoutcomes. n ThegreatersuccessoftheEnhancedOpeningDoors programmayhavebeendrivenbythehigherrateof participationintheCollegeSuccesscourse.Only abouthalfoftheOpeningDoorsprogramgrouptook theCollegeSuccesscourse,comparedwith approximatelythree-fourthsoftheEnhanced OpeningDoorsprogramgroup.

Retainingnontraditionalandhigh-riskstudentsandimprovinglong-termoutcomesfortheminfamilyandadultliteracyprogramsandcommunitycollegesinvolvescommitmenttoinstitutionalizingspecificpoliciesandprovenprograms.Intensive,well-definedandimplementedprogramslikeEnhancedOpeningDoorscanmakeadifferenceforthesestudentsinultimatelyachievingtheirgoals.Maintainingasuccessfultransitionpartnershipisrealizedinnotonlytheretentionandtransitionofstudentsinthefamilyandadultliteracyprogramsandcommunitycolleges,butalsointhedegreecompletionofthesestudentsandtheirsuccessfultransitionintosatisfyinglife-longcareers.

26

Checklist for Maintaining a Successful Postsecondary Educational Transition Partnership

3 Increase community awareness of the transition partnership and invite stakeholder involvement.

3 Monitor policies, practices and procedures to insure ongoing effective implementation of student transition services.

3 Identify and evaluate outcome and benchmark results.

3 Reevaluate vision and goals to assess whether all aspects of the transition partnership are connected and working together.

3 Communicate consistently across partner institutions to address all aspects of the transition partnership.

3 Work collaboratively to identify and seek to resolve problems, issues and concerns.

3 Institutionalize specific policies and proven programs to insure student retention and long-term success of students.

27

Key Challenges and Possible SolutionsEvenstrongtransitionpartnershipsfacechallenges.Someofthese,suchasstudentattendanceandretention,havetodowiththenontraditionalstudentsbeingserved.Somechallengesrelatetofinancing,suchasbeingabletoprovideaTransitionSpecialist,havingadequatespaceforadditionalservices,providingprofessionaldevelopmentforstaff,addingclassesorsectionsthatservecohortsoftransitioningstudents,addingservicesandphysicalaccommodationsforanincreasedenrollment.Somechallengesrelatetosystem,stateandfederalregulationsandsomearetiedtohelpingstudentsresolvestrugglesthatimpedeprogress.Howmightpartnersaddressthevarietyofchallengeswithwhichtheyareconfronted?

Choosing accessible locationsAccessibilitytoacollegecampusorfamilyliteracyprogramisatypicalconsiderationwhenfirstestablishingalocation.However,withinatransitionspartnership,transportationbetweenthetwolocationsalsomustbeaconsideration.Closeproximitybetweenbothlocationsallowsforfluidityinworkingrelationships,providesopportunitiestoshareorpairinstructionalstaffandspace,andcontributestotheeaseofdualenrollment.Accessibilityviapublictransportation,availableparking,oraneasycommutebetweenthefamilyliteracyprogramandcollegecampusarefeaturesthathelpaddressanimportantbarrierfacedbymanystudents.

Understanding procedures and meeting important deadlines Manystudentsareunawareofthetimeframesandproceduresthatareessentialtoensuringasmoothtransitionintopostsecondaryeducation.Therearemultiplearrangementstomakeanddeadlinestomeet.Studentsneedtoapplyforfinancialaid,meetwithadvisors,takeplacementtests,register,purchasebooks,getstudentidentificationcards,arrangeforchildcare,sign-upforparkingpermitsormakeothertransportationarrangements.

GetdeadlinedatesforsubmittingtheFederalApplicationforFederalStudentAid(FAFSA).TheearlierstudentssubmittheFAFSA,themorelikelytheyaretoreceiveaid—applyingforaidisatime-sensitiveissueandbasedonneed,moneyisoftenallocateduntilfundsaregone.

Partnersworkingtogethercanensurethatstudentshaveadequatetimeandinformationtogetthesetasksdone.TheCollegePlanningFormtohelpstudentsidentifywhatneedstobedoneandwhenisavailableintheprograminstructionalguide,On Our Way: Educational Toolkit for Families,availableatwww.famlit.org/myfamilygoestocollege.

Helping students access financial aidApplyingforfinancialaidisnotforthefaint-heartedandstudentsoftengetboggeddownintheprocess.Theformsarecomplicatedandstudentsseetheprocessastoodifficult.Theyoftenthinkthataidisallocatedbasedonlyonmerit.Transitionpartnerscandomuchtoalleviatestudents’anxietyandfrustrationoverfinancialaid.Programscaninvitesomeonefromthefinancialaidofficetospeakwiththeirstudentsorcanencouragestudentstomeetwithafinancialaidcounseloratthecollege.Someprogramsandmanycollegesassiststudentsincompletingtheformsonline.Studentswilllearnthatalthoughmanyfinancialaidopportunitiesarebasedonmerit,studentswhocannotaffordcollegeoftenqualifyforneed-basedgrantsandloans.

IsraelMendozadescribedastudyconductedinWashingtonstate,saying,“Wesawthatstudentswhogetfinancialaidversusstudentswhodon’tarethreetimesmorelikelytosucceedorcompleteaprogram.Ofthe70%withahighschooldiploma,guesswhat?Theywereeligibleforfinancialaid.Lessthanone-fourthofthemknewaboutitoraccesseditorweretoldaboutit”(MPRAssociates,Inc.,2007,p.7).

Someaidrequiresthatstudentsenrollinsixcredithoursormore(thetypicalequivalentoftwocourses)whichisaheavyloadforanewstudentfacingmultipleriskfactorsontopofworkandhavingafamily.Advisorsandcounselorscanhelpstudentssetclassschedulesthatmeshwiththeirotherobligations.

Supporting student persistenceAscitedpreviously,averylowpercentageofadulteducationstudentstransitionintopostsecondaryeducation.Ofthosestudentswhodo,thepercentagecompletinganycollegeletalonereceivingadegreeisevendrasticallylower.Mostadultstudentsfacemanyhoursofinstruction,and“researchsupportstherelationshipbetweenpersistenceandlearning”(Comings,2007,p.25).Studentpersistence—thedeterminationofstudentstoperseverefortheintensityanddurationrequiredtoprogressthroughvariouseducationallevels—canbeencouragedbyavarietyofpartnershipservices.

Tracy-Mumford(ascitedinComings,2007,pp.29-30)recommendsweavingthefollowingpersistencestrategiesintoallaspectsofanadulteducationprogram,andthesesuggestionsareimportantforpartnerstoconsiderfortransitioningstudents.

28

n Recruitmentmethodsthat“provideenough informationforpotentialstudentstomakean informeddecisionaboutenrolling” n Intakeandorientationproceduresthat“helpstudents understandtheprogram,setrealisticexpectations, buildaworkingrelationshipwithprogramstaff,and establishlearninggoals” n Initialassessmenttoolsthat“providestudentsand teacherswithinformationonbothcognitiveand affectiveneeds”tointegratewithinstruction andformthefoundationformeasuringprogress n Strategiesforprogramsandteacherstoformally recognizestudentachievement n Counselingservicesthatidentifystudentsatriskof droppingoutearly n Referralservicesthatcoordinatewithsocialservice agenciestoensurethatallstudentsareconnectedto thesupportservicestheyneed n Asystemforcontactandfollow-upwhere programshelpstudentswhodropoutreturn totheprogramandsolicitsinformationonwaysto improveprogramservices n Non-instructionalactivitiesthathelpformabond betweentheprogramanditsstudentsandtheir families n Programevaluationthatinvolvesstudentsinassessing andofferingadviceoneachaspectoftheprogram n Childcareandtransportationassistance n Instructionandinstructionalstaffarequalifiedto supporteffectivelearning n Astudentpersistenceteamthatcoordinatesdropout preventionactivities,collectsdataonstudent persistence,andinvolvesstudentsandteachersin addressingthisissue

Creating manageable goals Thinkingintermsoflong-rangegoalsishardformanyadultlearnerswhofaceoverwhelmingresponsibilitiesdaily.Inmanycases,theeffortofsustainingtheirfamiliesmakesplanningaheaddifficult.Asaresult,theyhavetroublecommittingtomorethanashortenrollmentperiod.Makingtheusualtwo-tofour-yearcommitment,whichrealisticallymaybeanevenlongerperiodifstudentstakeonlyoneortwoclassesatatime,isemotionallyandmentallyimpossibleforsomestudents.Sequencedcredentialsthatcanbecompletedinshortertimeperiodsarefarmorerealisticandmanageable.

Togetherpartnerscanuseavarietyofstrategiestomakelearninggoalsachievable.Forexample,theycanrecognizeandacceptpriorlearningandworkexperiences,scaffoldclassesandcredentialsinwaysthatstudentsrealizegains,workwithemployerstoofferclasseson-siteandprovideincentivesforprogress.

Establishingtransitionpartnershipsthathaveopencommunicationandinteractionbetweenthepartnersisoneofthebestwaystomeetthechallengesandprovidesolutionsthatmaximizestudents’benefitsandtheirultimatesuccess.Anotherwaytoincreasethesuccessofthepartnershipisforpartnerstohaveagreeduponvision,goals,policies,proceduresandexpectedoutcomes.Carefulplanningattheoutsetofthetransitionpartnershipcanalleviatemanychallengesasthepartnershipprogresses.Overall,partnersshouldrememberwhenstudentssucceed,thepartnershipissuccessful.

29

Goodpartnershipsallowgoodthingstohappen.Withagenuinebeliefinthevisionandimportanceoffacilitatingtransitions,partnerslookforcreativesolutionsinplanning,implementing,andmaintainingatransitionpartnership.

Successfulpartnershipsareaboutpeople—decisionmakerswhoplanandprovideongoingleadership,individualsfrombothpartneringinstitutionswhoworkcloselytogethertoconnectinstructionandservices,employerswhoencourageandrewardstudentprogress,communityagenciesthatstepuptoresolveissues,suchastransportationandchildcare,andthestudentswhodedicatecountlesshourstowardthedreamofimprovingthequalityoflifefortheirfamilies.

Therearemanyelementsthatcomposeasuccessfultransitionpartnership,andtherecertainlyisnotoneabsolutepatternthatfitsall.Thisguideisintendedtostimulateideasabouttheimportanceofhelpingahugesegmentofournation’spopulationadvanceeducationally.

ConclusionStrongpartnershipssupportthemissionofthepartnerinstitutions,servetheircommunities,statesandthenation,andalterthepathofstudentsandfamiliesinmeaningfulandpositiveways.

Strongtransitionprogramsintegratemanyservicestoaddresstheneedsandlevelsofthediversepopulationofstudentstheyserve.Acombinationofservicesdeliversastrongerimpactandachievesbetterresults.Forexample,combiningthesemorespecifictransitionserviceswithadvisingactivitiesmeansthatmorestudents:1)understandtherealmofpostsecondaryeducation;2)realizethatopportunitiesforadvancingtheireducationexistand3)arelikelytorevisetheiroriginalgoalstoincludehighereducation.Withthesupportoforganizationsandinstitutionsinvolvedinstrongtransitionpartnerships,nontraditionalandfirst-generationstudentswhohavebeenexposedtobasic“collegeknowledge”realizethatwhatwasperceivedasroadblockscanbeturnedintopromisingandproductivefutures.

30

References

Benshoff,J.M.(1991).Nontraditionalcollegestudents:Adevelopmentallookattheneedsofwomenandmen returningtoschool.Journal of Young Adulthood and Middle Age, 3,47-61.

Benshoff,J.,&Lewis,H.A.(1992).Nontraditional college students.Retrievedfromwww.ericae.net/edo/ ED347483.htm.

Blank,C.(n.d.).About community college funding.Retrievedfromwww.ehow.com/about_4898432_community- college-funding.html.

Comings,J.P.(2007).Persistence:Helpingadulteducationstudentsreachtheirgoals.InJ.Comings,B.Garner, &C.Smith,(Eds.),Review of adult learning and literacy: Connecting research, policy, and practice(pp. 23-46).Mahwah,NJ:LawrenceErlbaumAssociates.Retrievedfromhttp://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/ resources/ann_rev/comings-02.pdf.

Cross,K.P.(1980,May).Ourchangingstudentsandtheirimpactoncolleges:Prospectsforatruelearningsociety. Phi Delta Kappan,May,630-632.

Lara-Cinisomo,S.,Pebley,A.R.,Vaiana,M.E.,&Maggio,E.(2004).Are L.A.’s children ready for school? Santa Monica,CA:RandCorporation.Retrievedfromhttp://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/ 2004/RAND_MG145.pdf.

MPRAssociatesInc.(2007,November).Adult Basic Education to Community College Transitions Symposium: Proceedings Report.Washington,DC:U.S.DepartmentofEducation.

Scrivener,S.,Sommo,C.&Callado,H.(2009,April).Getting back on track: Effects of a community college program for probationary students.Washington,DC:MDRC.Retrievedfromhttp://www.mdrc.org/ publications/514/full.pdf

U.S.CensusBureau.(2009).2006-2008 American community survey 3-year estimates.Retrievedfromhttp:// www.census.gov/

U.S.DepartmentofEducation,NationalCenterforEducationStatistics.(2002).The condition of education 2002, NCES2002–025,Washington,DC:U.S.GovernmentPrintingOffice,2002.Retrievedfromhttp://nces.ed.gov/ pubs2002/2002025.pdf.

U.S.DepartmentofEducation,OfficeofVocationalandAdultEducation.(2004).Community colleges: Federal resources supporting local opportunities.Retrievedfromhttp://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED482965.pdf

Viadero,D.(January28,2010).A study offers a caution on Obama’s community college pitch.InsideSchool Research:EducationWeek.Retrievedfromhttp://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2010/01/

31

32

325 W. Main StreetSuite 300

Louisville, KY 40202502.584.1133

www.famlit.org