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News Briefs - Fall 2006
Lumina Foundation for Education Awards $850,000 Grant to Expand Lifelong Learning Accounts (LiLA)
In August, CAEL received a new grant from Lumina Foundation for Education. This grant provides support for CAEL’s LiLA policy activities for the next two and a half years. CAEL will use the investment to expand its work with state and federal policy leaders, launch a public relations campaign, and work more closely with community colleges to further LiLA awareness and, ultimately, to improve educational access for working adults. For more information on this new grant, www.cael.org/pdf/CAEL_Press_Release_08-14-06-Lumina-LiLAs-Grant.pdf, and on LiLAs see www.cael.org/lilas.htm .
ALFI Assessment Toolkit Adds New Section in Response to Community College Version Pilot
CAEL’s work to develop and pilot test a new community college version of the ALFI Assessment Toolkit was completed this summer. Ten thousand students from 25 community colleges participated in the ALFI Assessment Toolkit pilot. A new “transitions” section and scale that assesses students’ satisfaction with various points of transition during their educational experience (non-credit to credit, 2 year to 4 year, etc.) and their rating of the importance of this activity to their educational experience has been added to the tools and the ALFI database. CAEL originally envisioned that this new section would only be added to the community college version, but it was decided that since these new questions provide valuable information for all schools, the new transitions section has been added to all versions of the ALFI Tools. Additionally, the tools have been validated and the revised surveys are available for use.
For more information about the ALFI Assessment Toolkit, visit www.cael.org/alfi.htm
CAEL Begins Design of Comparative Analysis Highlighting Lifelong Learning’s Importance for State and National Policy Agendas
CAEL leaders and ALFI Policy Network members reviewed the ways to highlight the importance of adult and lifelong learning on state and national policy agendas. Peter Ewell, Vice President at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) and CAEL Board member, discussed the study that CAEL is funding on State comparisons of Adult Learning data and sought advice for next steps with the study. Pamela Tate led a discussion on further development and refinement of a State Policy review tool that could be used in the states to build on the data and examine State policies and programs that enhance or hinder adult learning in the states. CAEL has now begun to design a comparative analysis that supports the importance of lifelong learning opportunities to the future of the nation. The Adult Learning Policy Network, since May, has contributed to the design framework and has provided support to CAEL for the project. The Policy Network will continue its work and a final report on recommendations and progress will be made to the Lumina Foundation in 2007.
Featured Provider Network (FPN) Welcomes Thirty-Ninth Member
CAEL created the Featured Provider Network (FPN) in February 2005 and introduced it publicly in July 2005 with 14 members. Our Featured Provider Network is a group of regionally accredited, quality higher education institutions focused on serving working adult students with online and “on-ground” educational opportunities. They have agreed to offer tuition discounts to all CAEL Tuition Assistance Management (TAMS) clients. CAEL recently welcomed the 39th member to the FPN, Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, New Hampshire. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate programs via several formats: during the day on campus, evening and weekend part-time and hybrid courses, and distance learning through SNHU Online.
CAEL Researches Value of Companies Supporting Transitions for Mature Workers
CAEL is undertaking research for the Conference Board to determine the value to companies of supporting transitions for mature workers. These transitions may include retraining for a new career (paid or volunteer), or even a new role within the company that involves flexible scheduling or a new role. CAEL is studying three companies who are going through the decision process; one that has decided to launch such a program; one that has decided not to proceed; and one that is in the midst of the decision making process.
Work Advances in 26 U.S. Regions Determined by U.S. Department of Labor Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED); CAEL Provides Research on Successful Adult Learning Programs
CAEL is continuing to provide technical assistance to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and 13 funded regions as part of the WIRED Initiative. In November 2005, the U.S. DOL selected CAEL, the Council on Competitiveness, and New Economic Strategies to serve as the technical assistance resource team for its national Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative. This USDOL initiative is providing $15 million over three years to each of 13 sites selected for participation in the WIRED initiative. The intent is to transform regional economies through innovative approaches to economic and workforce development. After the initial visits to the 13 regions, the CAEL team, along with our TA partners, started assisting four specific regions in developing their implementation plans, identifying resources for sustaining their projects beyond the DOL funding, forming their governance and operations teams, and better defining the projects to be carried out by the partner organizations. All 13 regions have now asked for CAEL’s assistance with specific needs they have identified such as:
- Improving the linkages between the various levels of the education system in their region;
- Introducing prior learning assessment to the colleges in the region
- Helping to launch a Lifelong Learning Account demonstration
- Helping the public sector workforce boards to collaborate effectively to meet the needs of targeted industries
The Department of Labor also gave small planning grants to an additional 13 sites, referring to them as the “virtual regions.” We facilitated the first meeting of these teams at the DOL’s WIRED Academy in June, and also met with them at DOL’s Workforce Innovations conference in Anaheim in July to determine technical assistance needs which CAEL might address. We expect to be receiving additional assignments to specific virtual regions later this fall.
One of our deliverables was to create an inventory of successful adult learning programs from across the country. The document, Building Blocks for Building Skills, was distributed at the Academy in June, and at the Workforce Innovations conference in Anaheim. It is available in either a printed version, or as a pdf file. For a printed copy of this publication, contact Tonia Pullen at 312-499-2681 or tpullen@cael.org |
