Resources

Nearly 43 million U.S. adults lack the basic English literacy skills required to succeed in the workforce and achieve economic self-sufficiency. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is the key federal investment helping adults acquire these and other important skills, as well as to earn a high school equivalency credential. WIOA encourages adult education programs to use evidence-based strategies to improve services and participant success. This systematic research review suggests a need for more rigorous studies, as there is not yet much evidence to guide decision making around instructional and support strategies for adult learners.

One of the main drivers of transfer pathway development across various jurisdictions has been the potential cost savings or ‘efficiencies’ of seamless transfer. Broadly speaking, improving credit recognition shortens time-to-completion for transfer students, saving them both time and money. And, with respect to vertical transfer more specifically—meaning the movement of students from community colleges to universities—it is assumed that savings are to be had through the completion of courses at the cheaper community college rate. Surprisingly, there has been very little work done within Ontario to ground these assumptions about the link between transfer and savings. In this first report on this topic, ONCAT examines the relationship between various pathways and the propensity of students to borrow and the amount borrowed.

A national survey reveals a disconnect between the opportunities families want for their children and the postsecondary pathways available to them. It offers new insights into the aspirations that parents have for their children, their perspectives on what will best help them achieve those hopes, and the barriers they face.

In early 2021, the Walton Family Foundation's Strategy, Learning and Evaluation Department undertook a team-based process of identifying areas of the larger philanthropic evaluation field that the foundation can support, learn from and provide some level of leadership to as it develops and strengthens over time. With input from 18 leaders from the philanthropic evaluation field, the Walton Family Foundation explored a wide array of topics, identifying priority areas to focus on in depth, along with other contextual issues and field needs.