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As states grapple with competing priorities and constrained resources, there is an increasing focus on efficiency and alignment of programs and resources across state agencies. The College and Career Readiness and Success (CCRS) Center recently analyzed and compared four federal laws that govern the education-to-workforce pipeline. They are: (1) The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA); (2) The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V); (3) The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); and (4) The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Although states have years of experience implementing these federal requirements and programs, they are administered across different state agencies or different offices within a state agency, and coordination across initiatives can be a challenge. This brief identifies opportunities to connect, align, and leverage state policies, programs, and funding across these four federal laws to establish an education-to-workforce pipeline. ESSA, Perkins V, IDEA, and WIOA play important and complementary roles in educating the country's workforce and providing the academic, technical, and employability skills needed to be successful. Creating this coherent education-to-workforce pipeline requires aligning implementation efforts across the four laws and their key stakeholders. Together, ESSA, Perkins V, IDEA, and WIOA can facilitate an education-to-workforce pipeline that provides all individuals with the academic, technical, and employability skills they need to be successful in the workforce. Table 1 provides additional details for each of the four laws.

In 2007, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) law was passed in Minnesota mandating newborn hearing screening. Recognizing that a number of state-level agencies and statewide advocacy and direct services organizations share responsibility for serving deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing children and youth, the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH) formed a Collaborative stakeholder group to create positive, systemic changes in order to achieve better education, language acquisition, and career outcomes for students who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing. MNCDHH is a governor-appointed Commission that advocates for communications access and equal opportunity with Minnesotans who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing. The 5-Year Collaborative Plan is a strategic plan that is facilitated by MNCDHH to support and guide the work of this Collaborative. Wilder Research was contracted by MNCDHH to help create a data-driven Collaborative Plan. This report summarizes results of the background research completed to inform the Plan, including a review of the landscape of existing services and supports; the characteristics of children in Minnesota who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing; and the strengths and needs of the service system. [This report was produced with the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH).]

Ensuring that all students achieve successful post-school outcomes has been a goal of U.S. education policy for many years. Clear statements and policy priorities emerged in the late 2000s about a goal for all students to leave high school ready for success in postsecondary education or employment (often referred to as college and career readiness). With the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015, states were required to coordinate educational services with the requirements of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014. Although states had already begun this work by aligning their English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, and science standards with college and career readiness, there were questions about how to meet the requirements outlined in the ESSA assessment regulations for alternate assessments based on alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS). States face peer reviews of their assessments; these require states to demonstrate that students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who met the states' alternate academic achievement standards were on track to pursue postsecondary education or competitive integrated employment. This Brief provides information on alternate achievement standards and WIOA, then makes several suggestions about ways to show that a student who meets a state's alternate academic achievement standards is on track to pursue postsecondary education or competitive integrated employment. In addition, several recommendations are provided for states on how to build a strong system to support the realization of the intent of ESSA and WIOA requirements for their students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.

The Pathways for Academic Career and Employment (PACE) program is established to provide funding to community colleges for the development of programs that will lead to gainful, quality, in-state employment for members of target populations by providing them with both effective academic training to ensure gainful employment and customized support services. This is the sixth year for Pathways for Academic, Career and Employment (PACE) reporting. PACE funds are allocated pursuant to the community college state general aid distribution formula established in Iowa Code which are eligible to be carried forward to the next year. The figures noted in this report were obtained from each of Iowa's 15 community colleges. Colleges continue to work hard to implement PACE programs in their regions and communities as they align themselves with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) legislation. Each college has committed to building career pathway frameworks and structuring programs to ensure increased employment success of the identified target populations. This is achieved by refocusing program activities around collaboration with WIOA core partners and adult basic education programs, balancing services, and engaging sector partnerships. [For the Fiscal Year 2018 Report, see ED600812.]

Policymakers at the state and federal levels have expressed concern over the emerging "skills gap"--the mismatch between the job skills employers are looking for and the skills that applicants in the labor market possess. The skills gap is most acute for middle-skilled jobs; that is, jobs that require training beyond high school but less than a four-year college degree program. To address labor market challenges, many have turned to America's workforce development system. If the goal is to increase the number of job seekers that participate in high-quality training programs, more can be done to improve the coordination between the Department of Labor and these groups. This report offers recommendations for enhancing the federal workforce development system by reviewing and identifying inefficiencies in the current system. It concludes by forwarding several policy suggestions aimed at improving the way that Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding is used by job seekers and training providers.

The social, economic, political, historical, and racial context shaping the criminal justice system is complex and extensive. As a result, individuals who have been incarcerated face limited opportunities--particularly for education and training--both during and after incarceration. Historical investments in corrections and policies that prioritize punishment over prevention and rehabilitation have failed in improving public safety and have greatly marginalized low-income communities and communities of color. However, research has shown that correctional education and training can significantly improve outcomes by increasing employment prospects and reducing recidivism for those returning to society. These positive outcomes are leading to increased federal and state momentum to improve postsecondary access for prisoners and are lifting this issue higher on reform agendas. Nonetheless, the education and training needs of prisoners are far more complex than what traditional postsecondary education can meet and linking those needs to training that articulates to post-release opportunities is essential for successful reentry. Building on the theme of continuity from incarceration to reentry, these briefs highlight the continuous improvement stories of states that are moving toward this type of alignment. This brief focuses on Ohio. [For other briefs in this series, see ED582770 (Indiana) and ED582912 (California).]

State adult education systems, which receive significant funding from the U.S. government, are the primary source of many key integration services for adult immigrants--from English classes and literacy programs to civics courses and some workforce development activities. Although such programs have existed for decades, the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in 2014 brought notable changes to adult education systems, including through its instituting of the Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) program. The implementation of IELCE, which began in 2016, has led to the development of many innovative programs that serve the objectives of increasing participants' English proficiency along with economic and civic integration. Yet the reach of these programs, and especially their employment-focused Integrated Education and Training (IET) component, has been limited by relatively low enrollment and demand as well as barriers to participation. In addition, the IET requirement attached to IELCE has placed a significant burden on adult education providers and appears to crowd out important efforts to support immigrants' broader economic, civic, and social integration. This report, which represents one of the first public studies of IELCE, examines the program's design and the challenges it has faced, including those related to accessibility, practicality, and demand. The study also discusses ways the federal government and states could better ensure that integration programs are able to meet immigrant learners' wide array of integration needs and goals.

This supplementary document supports the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) Secondary Transition Position Statement by providing definitions of terms for students and youth with disabilities, as well as definitions related to: (1) Career Development; (2) Employment; (3) Collaborative Systems; (4) Student Skills; and (5) Policy. [For "Secondary Transition Services. Position Statement," see ED622621.]

High-quality workforce training can help workers get good jobs, improve the efficiency of businesses, and boost productivity in the economy. Unfortunately, the United States supports too little workforce training, and the training it does support too often fails to lead to good jobs or boost productivity. To improve job quality, a range of reforms is necessary--including policies that raise workplace standards such as the minimum wage; ensure full employment; strengthen worker voice and power; and improve skills. This report focuses on how workforce training can be reformed so that it is as likely as possible to lead to a good job. The report first discusses the benefits of high-quality sectoral job training as well as the need for increased worker voice in training. It then describes the existing public workforce system and existing funding for training programs, highlighting elements upon which reform could build. Finally, it outlines an effective model of reform and proposes recommendations that are necessary for successful implementation.

The California Department of Education (CDE) provides adult literacy services to one-fifth of adults enrolled in the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) program in the United States. The adult education program addresses literacy needs of individuals by providing adults with the skills and knowledge necessary to (a) gain employment or better their current employment; (b) obtain a high school diploma (HSD) or high school equivalency (HSE) certificate; (c) attain skills necessary to enter postsecondary education and training; (d) exit public welfare and become self-sufficient; (e) learn to speak, read, and write the English language; (f) master basic academic skills to help their children succeed in school; and (g) become U.S. citizens, exercise their civic responsibilities, and participate in a democratic society. This report is a compilation of California's responses to the four questions that the United States Department of Education (ED), Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) poses annually to all states and territories receiving federal supplementary funding from the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), Title II of the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The questions asked each state to describe: (1) successful state leadership projects and activities supported with State Leadership Funds; (2) significant findings from its evaluation of the effectiveness of the adult education and literacy activities based on the core indicators of performance; (3) ways in which it has supported collaborative activities with local Workforce Investment Boards and One-Stops; and (4) successful activities and services supported with EL Civics funds. [For the 2016-2017 report, see ED596631.]

A significant workforce shortage exists in most skilled trades areas in the U.S., but this is especially true in building and construction trades. The number of jobs in the construction industry is expected to grow by almost 20% between 2008 to 2018, while only growing by 11% for all other industries. With the prospect of significant shortages in the building trades, coupled with stronger border security and stiffer immigration enforcement, the question begs to be asked, who is going to build the wall politicians are calling for on the border between the U.S. and Mexico?

This paper studies teacher attrition in Wisconsin following Act 10, a policy change which severely weakened teachers' unions and capped wage growth for teachers. I document a sharp increase in turnover after the Act was passed, driven almost entirely by the exit of older teachers, who faced strong incentives to retire before the end of pre-existing collective bargaining agreements. I find that student academic performance increased in grades with teachers who retired following the reform, and I obtain similar results when instrumenting for retirement using the pre-existing age distribution of teachers. Differences in value-added between retirees and their replacements can potentially explain some, but not all, of the observed academic improvements.

This paper examines the U.S. social insurance system, which we define broadly to include both programs supported by dedicated taxes and other federal programs that provide income support, assistance in meeting basic needs, or services to improve economic opportunity. The paper considers the social insurance system as a whole as well as its component parts, providing an overview of major federal programs in the areas of education and workforce development, health, income support, nutrition, and housing. The paper covers how the social insurance system is organized, how eligibility is determined and who benefits, how the benefits and services are delivered, and how the system affects poverty and inequality. We focus primarily on the system as it operated prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also look at how various programs respond to economic downturns. Coming at a time when policymakers will start shifting their focus from using the social insurance system to provide relief from the pandemic and recession to considering what changes should be made in the system on an ongoing basis, the paper also reprises an array of proposals to strengthen the system in various ways that The Hamilton Project has commissioned in recent years.

The Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins IV) is the principal source of federal funding to states for the improvement of secondary and postsecondary career and technical education programs. States are provided with funds for distribution to local educational agencies (LEAs) and postsecondary institutions for enhancing academic and technical knowledge and skills individuals need to prepare for further education or careers in current or emerging employment sectors. A number of important themes resulted from the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act, including accountability for results and program improvement at all levels, an increased level of communication and coordination within the Career & Technical Education (CTE) system, better integration of academic and technical skill development, and a comprehensive effort for secondary and post-secondary institutions to align their programs with needs and demands of business and industry. One of the most prominent changes is the requirement for each state to develop new "programs of study", a unified program of academic and technical content connecting high school and postsecondary CTE programs leading to credentials or certificates recognized by industry. This report presents data collected during the 2016-2017 school year from Wyoming post-secondary schools under the guidelines set forth by the Perkins IV Act. The information contained in this report illustrates how CTE programs are working in the state of Wyoming and also provides invaluable data to inform future planning. [For the previous report, "Carl Perkins IV State Report: Post-Secondary Schools and Students, 2015-16," see ED593392.]

The California Department of Education (CDE) provides adult literacy services to one-fifth of adults enrolled in the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) program in the United States. The adult education program addresses literacy needs of individuals by providing adults with the skills and knowledge necessary to (a) gain employment or better their current employment; (b) obtain a high school diploma (HSD) or high school equivalency (HSE) certificate; (c) attain skills necessary to enter postsecondary education and training; (d) exit public welfare and become self-sufficient; (e) learn to speak, read, and write the English language; (f) master basic academic skills to help their children succeed in school; and (g) become U.S. citizens, exercise their civic responsibilities, and participate in a democratic society. This report is a compilation of California's responses to the four questions that the United States Department of Education (ED), Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) poses annually to all states and territories receiving federal supplementary funding from the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), Title II of the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The questions asked each state to describe: (1) successful state leadership projects and activities supported with State Leadership Funds; (2) significant findings from its evaluation of the effectiveness of the adult education and literacy activities based on the core indicators of performance; (3) ways in which it has supported collaborative activities with local Workforce Investment Boards and One-Stops; and (4) successful activities and services supported with EL Civics funds. [For the 2015-2016 report, see ED596630.]

"Changing the Course of Family Literacy" re-examines the importance and value of family literacy programming and offers several policy recommendations to focus attention on the four-component model used in Even Start. This paper explores the current status of Family literacy and, after gathering information from 47 states, found that 11 states and the District of Columbia funded family literacy programs in 2015-16. These states and local programs have fostered partnerships and braided funding to preserve and support family literacy programs and services. This paper poses a rationale and recommendations to support family literacy programs as an essential strategy for assisting low-income families in improving their education and employment prospects.

As many as one in three businesses in the United States struggled to fill needed jobs in 2015. Millions of Americans, including at least 5.5 million youth, are disconnected from employment. Governors have a tremendous opportunity through the implementation of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to reset their state workforce boards that oversee the publicly-funded workforce system. They have the ability to equip their state workforce boards with the opportunity to provide system leadership that: communicate a clear vision; build a strategic partnerships; and keep the system accountable. "Building a High-Performing State Workforce Board" outlines key strategies governors can focus on to align state education and workforce programs to the needs of business, and connect individuals to jobs.

Accelerating Opportunity (AO) combined integrated career pathways at two-year colleges with team teaching, acceleration strategies, supportive services, and policy changes. It aimed to help low-skilled adults earn occupational credentials, obtain well-paying jobs, and sustain rewarding careers. This final implementation report documents activities and outcomes for AO states and colleges in Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana. Ingredients for successful implementation included receiving state leadership support, remedying policy barriers, considering college institutional factors, investing in team teaching, utilizing partnerships within and outside the colleges, and providing student supports. [For "The Second Year of Accelerating Opportunity: Implementation Findings from the States and Colleges," see ED559322.]

This report, the second installment in Advance CTE's "Connecting the Classroom to Careers," series, explores an issue that is often a stumbling block for K-12 work-based learning--ensuring these experiences are safe and legal for students. This report features New Jersey, Kentucky and California and their approaches to dismantling work-based learning's legal barriers, including training teachers to understand the state and federal legal, health and safety requirements for work-based learning and mitigating work-based learning liability concerns for schools and employers. Debunking these myths is critical to scaling work-based learning. Starting with educating themselves, states can and should play an instrumental role in helping correct misconceptions about students under the age of 18 in the workplace. [For the other reports in this series, see ED581093, ED581094, and ED581095.]

This report presents findings from a review and analysis of literature on the importance, effectiveness, and availability of support services for participants in job training programs in the United States. It assesses current knowledge about these services by examining reports on training and education programs, as well as literature on the importance of supportive services for low-income individuals in general. The report also examines the availability of supportive services in the workforce development system, funding sources for these services, and common barriers to employment and training--such as lack of access to child care, transportation, and stable housing--that these supports can address. The report was informed by interviews with 25 experts on workforce development and supportive services. It is a part of a larger Institute for Women's Policy Research project on the role of supportive services in promoting job training and employment success that is funded by the Walmart Foundation.

Workforce development in the United States today is spread across higher education institutions (primarily public two-year and for-profit colleges), labor market institutions, and workplaces, with public funding from a range of sources. But outcomes for students and workers are weaker than they could be, especially among disadvantaged students and displaced workers; funding for workforce development programs is insufficient and not always effective. I propose the following changes: (1) Implement reforms and additional funding in the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) for postsecondary occupational training for disadvantaged students; (2) Add modest taxes on worker displacement along with new funding for retraining; and (3) Create a permanent version of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants to fund partnerships among community colleges, workforce institutions, and states. Together, these actions would improve credential attainment and employment outcomes among the disadvantaged and employees at the risk of being displaced.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by Title IV of the Workforce Investment Opportunities Act (WIOA) of 2014, defines Competitive Integrated Employment as, "work that is performed on a full-time or part-time basis for which an individuals is: (a) compensated at or above minimum wage or commensurate with individuals without disabilities performing similar duties and with similar training and experience, (b) eligible for the level of benefits provided to other employees, (c) at a location where the employee interacts with other individuals without disabilities, and (d) presented opportunities for advancement similar to other employees without disabilities in similar positions." As families, schools, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies and other partners plan and engage in transition planning with students, it is important to understand that employment looks different for each student. Competitive integrated employment options should be individualized and align with a students' interests, preferences, skills, and support needs; and with the labor market needs of businesses. By making the connection between students' interests skills, and preferences and business needs, good job matches can be brokered so employment is a mutually beneficial outcome for both the student and business. Empowering students to determine, plan for, and receive appropriate workforce supports is key to a student being successful in competitive integrated employment. Research has found that youth and their families who collaborate with educators, local agency personnel, and businesses are more likely to be employed as adults. Perhaps more interestingly, the nature of the support provided to the student on and off the job determined the difference between a successful job placement and an unsuccessful one. Collaboration among partners working with the student is important and can lead to the desired outcome of competitive integrated employment after high school. This report provides links to web sites offering primary resources for employment preparation and supports needed to prepare youth for competitive integrated employment. This includes links to resources applicable to youth and young adults; families of young adults with disabilities; administrators; school-level practitioners; and vocational rehabilitation counselors. Lastly, a list of organizations and their web sites relevant to secondary education is provided.

The California Department of Education (CDE) provides adult literacy services to one-fifth of adults enrolled in the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) program in the United States. The adult education program addresses literacy needs of individuals by providing adults with the skills and knowledge necessary to (a) gain employment or better their current employment; (b) obtain a high school diploma (HSD) or high school equivalency (HSE) certificate; (c) attain skills necessary to enter postsecondary education and training; (d) exit public welfare and become self-sufficient; (e) learn to speak, read, and write the English language; (f) master basic academic skills to help their children succeed in school; and (g) become U.S. citizens, exercise their civic responsibilities, and participate in a democratic society. This report is a compilation of California's responses to the four questions that the United States Department of Education (ED), Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) poses annually to all states and territories receiving federal supplementary funding from the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), Title II of the Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The questions asked each state to describe: (1) successful state leadership projects and activities supported with State Leadership Funds; (2) significant findings from its evaluation of the effectiveness of the adult education and literacy activities based on the core indicators of performance; (3) ways in which it has supported collaborative activities with local Workforce Investment Boards and One-Stops; and (4) successful activities and services supported with EL Civics funds.

This report is Iowa's response to the four questions that the United States Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), requires of all states and territories receiving federal funding through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title II, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). The overall goal of the Act is "to increase the employability, retention, and earnings of participants and increase occupational skill attainment by participants and, as a result, improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation." The federally-funded adult education and literacy programs administered by the Iowa Department of Education's Division of Community Colleges provide lifelong educational opportunities and support services to eligible participants. Programs assist adults in obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary for work, further education, family self-sufficiency, and community involvement. By improving the education and skill levels of individual Iowans, the programs enhance the competitiveness of the state's workforce and economy. Iowa adult education programs help learners to accomplish the following: (1) Gain employment or better their current employment. (2) Obtain a high school equivalency diploma by passing the state selected assessment. (3) Attain skills necessary to enter postsecondary education and training. (4) Exit public welfare and become self-sufficient. (5) Learn to speak, read, and write the English language. (6) Master basic academic skills to help their children succeed in school. (7) Become U.S. citizens and participate in a democratic society. (8) Gain self-esteem, personal confidence, and a sense of personal and civic responsibility. Appended to the report is: Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title II, Section 223 State Leadership Activities.