Effective program management and staffing are vital for the continued success of IET programs, including sustainable strategies for communicating with collaborators and scaling IET programs. Resources in this section support data-based decision-making and planning processes for continuous improvement.
Continuous Improvement
The resources in Continuous Improvement support the collection, analysis, and use of data-driven and outcome-based decision-making for continuous improvement of all program elements.
Findings from the Mississippi Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training Program
Urban Institute (2022)
This resource presents findings from the evaluation of the MIBEST initiative, which integrates career and technical education with adult education to help residents without a high school credential or with low incomes gain valuable skills and employment. It provides comprehensive insights into the program’s implementation, outcomes, and return on investment, focusing on policy changes, student support services, and partnerships that enhance the educational and economic opportunities for nontraditional students in Mississippi. The report can be used as a guide for structuring evaluations of program models and program outcomes as measured against an established theory of change.
CAEP Integrated Education and Training in CA Research Brief
High Road Alliance (2022)
The brief summarizes listening sessions with 27 providers of California IET programs, including success stories and key takeaways in the following areas: (1) collaborative partnerships, (2) teacher recruitment and training, (3) student recruitment and enrollment; (4) retention support; (5) support services to connect students to work; and (6) support services to connect students to further training. This resource is helpful for anyone, including state and local leaders, who wants to survey the range of approaches to IET development, understand the value proposition from a researcher's perspective, or consider options for how to approach IET development.
Contextualized College Transition Strategies for Adult Basic Skills Students: Learning from Washington State’s I-BEST Program Model
Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University (2012)
This report documents the findings and recommendations from the final phase of a multi-year evaluation of the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) model. In this model, basic skills instructors and professional-technical faculty jointly design and teach college-level occupational classes that admit basic skills–level students. The first two sections of the report document the research design process used for the evaluation, and the appendix provides a sample questionnaire for analyzing resources required for program implementation.
Opportunity Grant and I-BEST Programs: Enrollment and Outcomes
State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (2018)
The report presents analysis of the outcomes of the Opportunity Grant and I-BEST programs. It provides insights into the effectiveness of these programs in improving educational attainment and employment prospects for low-income students. It also can be used as a guide for the types of questions that can be used to evaluate the enrollments, demographics trends, completions, and employment outcomes of IET programs.
Sustainability and Scaling
The resources in Sustainability and Scaling support the sustainability and scaling processes for the ongoing evolution of IET programs among all partners.
Thinking Big: A Framework for States on Scaling up Community College Innovation
Jobs for the Future (JFF) (2013)
This resource covers a wide variety of issues that arise in the scaling-up process, from defining the problem to financing and sustaining successful initiatives.