State Strategies to Facilitate Adult Learners’ Transitions to Postsecondary Opportunities

Previous research has demonstrated that some form of education or training after high school is critical to both the upward mobility of individuals and the economic competitiveness of the country. The jobs that are expected to be most in demand will require some postsecondary education.

Policy efforts to address this need often focus on improving the college readiness of students who follow a traditional pathway from high school to college, ignoring postsecondary readiness among low-skilled adult learners. This narrow focus on the traditional pathway may limit states’ capacity to address the quality and quantity of workforce demand.

Recent federal policy has recognized the need to address the postsecondary opportunities of nontraditional students and adult learners. The findings of this research were compared with existing research on strategies to address adult basic education transition to postsecondary education and training opportunities.