The Breaking Through Practice Guide

This resource is the 2010 companion piece to the earlier research document that details the Breaking Through study.  This Practice Guide translates the insights from the research into lessons learned for adult educators especially those in community colleges.

The guide may be used for strategic planning, in-service workshops, building external partnerships, etc.  This valuable resource is a “must read” for all who are concerned about the dismal transition rates of students from adult basic education/GED into college, especially now that postsecondary education has become almost mandatory in the workplace.

The format enables the reader to see how each of the components or “high leverage strategies” identified in the Breaking Through research can be implemented.  A specific Table of Contents for each section provides page numbers within the section.  Following a research summary of related studies in the introduction of each section, vignettes of the strategy as implemented in various community colleges are presented along with Tips (key points set aside in the margin).  At the conclusion of each section a case study of one college is presented to show how the strategy may be “scaled up” or broadly implemented.  References follow each section of the resource.  Supplemental Materials at the end of the resource provide profiles of the colleges, definitions of terms, information on certificates, and other brochures and worksheets.

The evaluation studies that were conducted by certain colleges on particular strategies (e.g., accelerated learning group vs. comparison group following current practice) produced impressive results.  Further studies are ongoing so more results from implementing the strategies will be forthcoming.

The Aligning Programs for Low-Skilled Adults section is very useful to the field of adult education. A historical perspective of adult education explains the barriers to integration. Adult educators need to think beyond the traditional belief of the GED being the goal and explicitly create programs that support transition to college. For example, GED students may have the foundation skills but a traditional adult education program does not include formal research and writing research papers; both of which are essential college skills.

The Contextualization Toolkit may be used by adult educators in any type of program.  Based on the concept of functional context education, contextualization means that basic skills instruction is offered in the context of the work content.  The implication for adult education and workforce development program instructors is that they closely coordinate so that basic skills instruction is immediately applied rather than presented in a separate prior course.

Noteworthy also is the recommendation of establishing certificates for mastering chunks of learning materials. The certificates document specific accomplishments not only for the student but also for employers and other external agencies.  Some students are actually able to use the certificates to obtain jobs before completing the full program of study.  Importantly, instead of the “all or nothing” mentality of a college degree program, learning becomes modular with documentation for each step of the program.  A similar process could be used in pre-college adult education and workforce development programs to encourage persistence. 

The resource also discusses how GED programs and community colleges can work together to increase successful transitions and to eliminate the need for developmental learning courses at the college level.  The resource has a wealth of other ideas that are relevant to adult educators regardless of program location.