ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Giving Credit where Credit Is Due: Creating a Competency-Based Qualifications Framework for Postsecondary Education and Training
Author: Ganzglass, Evelyn
Date: 2011-04-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Postsecondary Education,Competency Based Education,College Credits,Noncredit Courses,Vocational Education,Prior Learning,National Standards,Educational Innovation,Credentials,Outcomes of Education,Foreign Countries,School Business Relationship,Barriers,Federal Government,State Government,Public Agencies,Educational Policy

The national goal of increasing postsecondary credentials, to improve both equity and economic competitiveness, requires a fresh look at how to recognize learning in noncredit workforce education and training. The credit hour has long been the standard academic currency in postsecondary education. Despite its weakness as a measure of learning, in most institutions it is the building block that students collect and accumulate in order to earn their degrees. It also is the metric governments use to allocate funds to educational institutions. However, there is no standard way of valuing &quot;noncredit&quot; learning and assessing and documenting its equivalence to credit courses and programs. This is despite a growing recognition of alternative ways for students to learn, including competency-based learning. As a result, noncredit learning leads to no credential at all, rather than to an industry-recognized or postsecondary credential. This report seeks to contribute to the conversation about how to move the postsecondary and employment and training fields toward a qualifications framework for awarding educational credit for occupational education and training based on demonstrated competencies. It begins with a brief overview of sub-baccalaureate education, looking specifically at disconnects in the current system--disconnects between credit and noncredit programs, as well as disconnects between education and training provided by educational institutions and that provided by employers, the military, community-based organizations, and a host of others. The report then examines federal, state, and institutional efforts to better assure the quality of credentials and to bridge noncredit and credit-bearing instruction. Next, the report looks at a consensus-building process developed among European countries for creating more consistent expectations regarding postsecondary learning outcomes, as well as at efforts underway to apply this process to the U.S. postsecondary education system. This process suggests an approach to creating a qualifications framework that would enable postsecondary institutions to reliably and consistently award educational credit for noncredit workforce education and training, regardless of where and how the training occurred. Appended are: (1) Current State of Postsecondary Workforce Education and Training; (2) Glossary; and (3) Advanced Manufacturing Competency Model. (Contains 28 resources and 69 endnotes.) [This report was written in collaboration with Corporation for a Skilled Workforce.]
Building Comprehensive State Systems for Vulnerable Babies: A Resource for State Leaders
Author: Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Date: 2011-01-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Infants,Toddlers,State Programs,Family Programs,Pregnancy,Child Health,Child Development,Early Childhood Education,Financial Support,Child Safety,Cooperation,State Aid,Coordination,State Policy

Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) has developed this resource to help state leaders strategize how to create or improve early childhood systems to meet the needs of vulnerable babies and toddlers, their families, and pregnant women. Every state has the pieces of a comprehensive early childhood system in place. This tool will help state leaders locate and build them into a system that meets the needs of children and families, by helping them identify: (1) the essential components of state systems to support vulnerable babies and their families; and (2) action steps to design and implement a comprehensive infant/toddler system. (Contains 2 figures.)
Sinking or Swimming: Findings from a Survey of State Adult Education Tuition and Financing Policies
Author: Foster, Marcie
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Adult Education,Educational Finance,Tuition,Federal Aid,State Aid,Equivalency Tests,Costs,State Surveys,Resource Allocation,Funding Formulas,Alignment (Education),Postsecondary Education,Educational Innovation,Federal Legislation,Fees,High School Equivalency Programs

At no time in recent history has the importance of adult education been greater and the funding more threatened. Despite the fact that as many as 93 million adults in the U.S. may need basic skills services to improve their economic prospects, funding for these services is stagnating at the federal level and being slashed in statehouses and state agencies across the country. Demand remains high, with at least 160,000 people on waiting lists that exist in nearly every state. At the same time, the labor market is shifting to one that requires workers to have postsecondary credentials to compete. With this shift, the adult education system must transform the way that services are delivered--helping students meet these new demands by preparing them for college and career success, not just a secondary school diploma. To begin the conversation about how to meet existing and emerging needs with shrinking resources, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the National Council for State Directors of Adult Education (NCSDAE) surveyed state directors of adult education in February 2012. The goal was to glean information about important policies that govern the way adult education is funded, including the costs borne by local districts, community colleges, and other providers and by the states, the federal government, and students. The results shed light on a national system whose state branches are more different than they are similar. States vary widely across each topic covered--with one critical exception. Most strive to keep costs low for students, who desperately need adult education services to build a better life for themselves and improve their economic prospects. The field of adult education is changing, and with it, financing and tuition policies are shifting to meet new priorities. This survey provides a close look into instrumental funding and tuition policies, but more research should be done to understand how state policy can encourage programming in support of college and career readiness, as well as how federal and state policies may affect overall funding levels for basic skills services. Appended are: (1) Percentage of Funding, by Revenue Source; (2) State Tuition Policies; and (3) State Policies on GED[R] Testing Fees. (Contains 7 tables, 3 figures, and 30 endnotes.) [&quot;Sinking or Swimming: Findings from a Survey of State Adult Education Tuition and Financing Policies&quot; was written with Lennox McLendon.]
Farther, Faster: Six Promising Programs Show How Career Pathway Bridges Help Basic Skills Students Earn Credentials That Matter
Author: Strawn, Julie
Date: 2011-08-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Labor Force Development,Dual Enrollment,Acceleration (Education),Basic Skills,Vocational Education,Postsecondary Education,Community Colleges,Partnerships in Education,Adult Education

Students forced to complete a long sequence of remedial or English language classes before they can begin their postsecondary program rarely earn college certificates or degrees. This brief highlights six promising programs that show how career pathway bridges help lower-skilled students move farther and faster along college and career paths through dual enrollment in linked basic skills and occupational certificate courses. Because creating such bridges requires collaboration across college silos, they can also transform the way colleges operate. A list of resources is appended. (Contains 7 figures and 10 endnotes.)
Supporting Our Youngest Children: Early Head Start Programs in 2010. Brief No. 11
Author: Schmit, Stephanie
Date: 2012-03-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Federal Programs,Family Programs,Low Income Groups,Infants,Toddlers,Child Development,Pregnancy,Enrollment,Health Services,Immunization Programs,Health Insurance,Participant Characteristics,Teacher Qualifications,Teacher Salaries,Cultural Differences

Since 1965, Head Start has provided high quality early education and comprehensive support services to the nation's poorest children from ages 3 through school age. In 1994, the federal Early Head Start (EHS) program was created to address the comprehensive needs of poor children under age 3 and pregnant women. Head Start and Early Head Start's comprehensive early childhood development programs provide children and families with access to a range of services such as health screenings, referrals and follow-up support, parenting resources, and social services. Programs emphasize the importance of parental involvement and staff work to cultivate parents' abilities as their children's first teachers. Research demonstrates that Head Start and Early Head Start have had positive impacts on the lives of children and families. All Head Start programs are required to complete the Program Information Report (PIR) on an annual basis. Based on information reported through the PIR by grantees, this analysis describes the characteristics of Early Head Start children, families, and staff, and the services provided to them from the 2002 through 2010 program years. Specifically, this brief looks at program years 2002, 2006 (when the last CLASP brief was written), 2009, and 2010. (Contains 10 figures and 38 endnotes.)
Meeting the Early Learning Challenge: Supporting English Language Learners
Author: Matthews, Hannah
Date: 2011-10-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: English Language Learners,Individual Characteristics,Developmentally Appropriate Practices,Culturally Relevant Education,Student Evaluation,Early Childhood Education,Preschool Teachers,Faculty Development,Teacher Competencies,Access to Education,Educational Quality,Eligibility,Outreach Programs,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation

The Race to The Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) is designed to improve the quality of early learning and development and close the achievement gap for children with high needs. The Departments of Education and Health and Human Services define high needs to include children who are English learners, often referred to as English Language Learners (ELLs) or Dual Language Learners (DLLs). The Early Learning Challenge is an opportunity for states to direct their attention to the needs of this group of children who are often overlooked in policy conversations. The challenge for states in addressing the needs of ELLs in the Early Learning Challenge rests on gaps in research on the most effective early education practices for young ELLs and the current state of early care and education standards and policies related to ELLs. Still, strategies for how to most effectively reach and serve ELLs in quality early education exist and can be implemented. This paper presents strategies for creating and implementing a high quality RTT-ELC plan that includes ELLs by addressing the following topics: (1) Data on ELLs; (2) Developmentally, Linguistically and Culturally Appropriate Standards; (3) Appropriate Assessments for ELLs; (4) Professional Development and Workforce Competencies and Knowledge for Working with ELLs; and (5) Access to High Quality Programs for ELLs. (Contains 12 endnotes.)
The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act: Toward a Modern Adult Education System and a More Educated Workforce. [Updated]
Author: Foster, Marcie
Date: 2012-03-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Adult Education,Federal Legislation,Educational Legislation,Educational Objectives,Labor Force Development,Education Work Relationship,Postsecondary Education,Credentials,Alignment (Education),Educational Change,Technological Literacy,Accountability

The Adult Education and Economic Growth Act (AEEGA) was introduced in the House of Representatives in June 2011 by Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15) and in February 2012 in the Senate by Sen. Jim Webb (VA). The Act (H.R. 2226 and S. 2117) would amend the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) to encourage the use and availability of career pathways for low-skilled adults, strengthen the focus of adult education on postsecondary and career success, increase the number of adult education students receiving marketable postsecondary credentials, and modernize the adult education system to meet the needs of 21st century jobs. Although AEEGA could substantially improve WIA--particularly the Title II provisions that govern adult education--it could be strengthened by incorporating stronger provisions that promote better alignment between WIA Titles I and II, including a shared system of accountability. By 2018, economists predict that 63 percent of jobs will require a postsecondary education, yet, today, only 55 percent of adults have at least some college education. A growing wage gap between higher- and lower-educated workers also increases the urgency of helping workers access further education and training. Lower-educated workers are more likely to earn lower wages, be unemployed, have children who do not go to college, and have health problems that impact their longevity and economic well-being. AEEGA addresses these challenges by raising expectations for the adult education system from one that simply helps adults gain basic literacy or a secondary school diploma to one that helps adults get on a sustainable path to postsecondary and career success. It shifts the goals and purpose of adult education from a focus on receipt of a high school diploma or GED to a focus on postsecondary access and success. To fulfill this new purpose, AEEGA focuses on improvements in four main areas: (1) strengthening the focus on postsecondary &quot;transition and success&quot; for students at every basic skill level; (2) encouraging the use and availability of career pathways for low-skilled adults; (3) improving the likelihood that adult education students and individuals in workforce training will earn credentials as a result of their program; and (4) modernizing adult education delivery systems to align with 21st century technology and skill demands. (Contains 4 footnotes.) [For previous edition, see ED538032.]
A Count for Quality: Child Care Center Directors on Rating and Improvement Systems
Author: Schulman, Karen
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Child Care,Child Care Centers,Administrators,Quality Assurance,Improvement,Achievement Rating,Standards,Evaluation,Incentives,Financial Support,Childhood Needs,Identification,Alignment (Education),Early Childhood Education,Interviews

Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS)--a strategy to improve families' access to high-quality child care--assess the quality of child care programs, offer incentives and assistance to programs to improve their ratings, and give information to parents about the quality of child care. These systems are operating in a growing number of states--22 states had statewide QRIS and four additional states had QRIS in one or more of their communities as of 2010. Given that QRIS are used in a growing number of states and communities, it is helpful to examine the range of approaches these states and communities are taking in designing and implementing QRIS. It is also important to examine the opportunities and barriers for QRIS in achieving the goals of improving the quality of child care and increasing access to high-quality child care for families, particularly for the most vulnerable families. QRIS can be a tool for improving the quality of care accessed by low-income families who cannot afford high-quality care on their own. To gain more insight into different strategies for shaping and implementing QRIS, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) interviewed 48 child care center directors from nine states about their experiences with QRIS. The directors offered valuable perspectives on what is working in their QRIS and how the systems could be improved. The directors' observations indicate that QRIS work best when they help child care providers improve quality on an ongoing basis by providing financial, mentoring, and other support and when they effectively align with other high-quality early childhood and after-school systems. To that end, NWLC and CLASP recommend that state and local policy makers: (1) Set quality rating standards that appropriately reflect elements essential to the quality of care; (2) Establish a quality assessment process that is reliable and responsive; (3) Provide sufficient, sustained incentives and support for improving quality; (4) Design QRIS to meet the needs of all children; (5) Educate parents about QRIS and high-quality care; and (6) Align QRIS with other high-quality programs and components within the early childhood system. (Contains 45 endnotes.) [Additional funding was provided by Early Care and Education Consortium, New Directions Foundation, and Service Employees International Union.]
Home Away from Home: A Toolkit for Planning Home Visiting Partnerships with Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers
Author: Johnson-Staub, Christine
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Guides - Non-Classroom
Subjects: Home Visits,Child Caregivers,Family Programs,Cooperative Programs,Models,Planning,Policy Formation,State Policy,Case Studies,Program Descriptions,Professional Development,Program Implementation,Program Evaluation,Certification,Health,Safety,Grants,Data Collection,Financial Support

Home visiting is one tool used to prevent child abuse and improve child well-being by providing education and services in families' homes through parent education and connection to community resources. This toolkit provides state policymakers and advocates with strategies for extending and expanding access to state- or federally-funded home visiting through partnerships with providers of FFN (family, friend, and neighbor) child care. This toolkit includes two parts: (1) What are Family, Friend, and Neighbor and Home Visiting Partnerships, and How Can They Help You Reach Families? This section provides an overview of what home visiting partnerships with FFN providers may look like, and the role of such partnerships in serving children and families. This section also includes an overview of available home visiting models, and information about their potential for use in partnership with FFN; (2) A Home Visiting and Family, Friend, and Neighbor Partnership Planning Tool: This section of the toolkit provides a step-by-step tool to walk through questions that may need to be explored as states develop home visiting and FFN partnerships. It explores potential policy changes stakeholders at the state level may need to consider, as well as important considerations for each step of the planning process; and (3) Case Studies of Existing Home Visiting-FFN Partnerships: This section provides case studies of existing partnerships between home visiting models and FFN providers in specific states and communities. It includes detailed information about each example's background, model, professional development and workforce implications, implementation, challenges, and any available evaluation results. An Overview of Home Visiting Models is appended. (Contains 1 table, 2 figures, and 10 endnotes.)
Expanding Access to Early Head Start: State Initiatives for Infants & Toddlers at Risk
Author: Colvard, Jamie
Date: 2012-09-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Federal Programs,State Programs,Family Programs,Low Income Groups,Infants,Toddlers,At Risk Persons,Child Development,Pregnancy,Access to Education,Access to Health Care,Home Visits,State Policy,Child Care,State Aid,Federal Aid,Private Financial Support

The federal Early Head Start (EHS) program was created in 1994 to address the comprehensive needs of children under age 3 in low-income families and vulnerable low-income pregnant women. In addition to early learning opportunities, EHS's comprehensive early childhood development programs provide children and families with access to a range of services such as health screenings, referrals and follow-up support, parenting resources, and social services. Despite the program's proven ability to lessen the negative effects of poverty, consistently low levels of federal funding and increasing child poverty have kept the program's capacity low. Even the $1.1 billion increase in federal funding from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)--which increased the total number of children and pregnant women served from 93,287 in 2009 to 133,971 in 2010--failed to significantly change the percentage of those eligible who were served because poverty also increased over the same period. Using innovative funding, policies, and partnerships, states can expand the critically important EHS program and better meet the needs of more low-income children and pregnant women living in their state. In 2008, ZERO TO THREE and CLASP released "Building on the Promise: State Initiatives to Expand Access to Early Head Start for Young Children and their Families," which outlined the diverse ways states expanded upon or enhanced EHS services for infants, toddlers, and their families. At that time, the researchers found 20 states with some efforts to expand or enhance EHS services at the state level. This report provides updated information on how states are supplementing EHS four years later. Initiatives that extend the day or year of existing services are appended. (Contains 14 endnotes.)
Putting Children and Families First: Head Start Programs in 2010. Brief No. 10
Author: Schmit, Stephanie
Date: 2012-02-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Federal Programs,Early Childhood Education,Disadvantaged Youth,Federal Legislation,Federal Aid,Enrollment,Pregnancy,Participant Characteristics,Access to Health Care,Employed Parents,Parent Background,Educational Attainment,Teacher Qualifications,Child Care,Teacher Salaries

Since its creation in 1965, Head Start has provided high quality early education and comprehensive support services to three- and four-year-olds in poor families. In addition to early learning opportunities, Head Start's comprehensive early childhood development program provides children and families with access to a range of services such as health screenings, referrals and follow-up support, parenting resources, and social services. As the result of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Head Start received $2.1 billion of which $1.1 billion was designated for Early Head Start. It was estimated that the funds would serve an additional 16,000 children over two years. This brief reports on 2010 Program Information Reports (PIR) data. This data will reflect the first of the two years that the ARRA funds will impact. This policy brief uses PIR data to describe the state of Head Start in 2010 and looks at the changes and trends that have developed from 1997 until now. The PIR data summarized in this brief provides contextual information for programs and advocates about Head Start programs and the children and families they serve. In this analysis we highlight changes since 2006, which is the last year that CLASP published a trend analysis of Head Start data. Head Start requires all grantees to submit a PIR annually to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The PIR provides a snapshot of Head Start children, families, staff, and programs each program year. This brief looks at all children (birth to age 5) served through Head Start, including infants and toddlers in the Early Head Start program, children in the Migrant and Seasonal program, and children in the Head Start preschool program. (Contains 10 figures and 22 endnotes.)