Degree/Diploma/Certificate

This research report provides results from a longitudinal study of GED test-takers from a 2003 cohort of approximately one-half million candidates. Data were obtained from the GEDTS International Database (IDB) and the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), a nonprofit organization. About one third of GED test passers enrolled in 2-year colleges. These enrolles tended to have higher GED test scores than non-enrollees, although the effect size was small. 

This study explored the relationship between career and technical education (CTE) course taking and high school completion rates. Data analysis was conducted with a longitudinal database of a nationally representative sample of nearly 9,000 students. Results show that for youth who are younger than 15 years when entering ninth grade, CTE combined with core academic course taking, may decrease the risk of dropout. The most favorable results are found when students take one CTE course for every two core academic courses. 

This brief from Jobs for the Future outlines a model for engaging disconnected and at-risk youth through the development of aligned postsecondary pathways and academic supports. The brief presents an overview of the current attainment and skills gap and then outlines the Back on Track Through College model, including examples of successful implementation and policy recommendations that support implementation.

This paper focuses on strategies for creating postsecondary pathways for high school dropouts in order to close the skills gap as well as connect the talents of these youth to postsecondary skills and credentials. The paper argues that in order to improve educational and economical outcomes for high school dropouts, there must be alignment of secondary, postsecondary, workforce, and adult education systems and several actions must be taken.

This guide presents superintendents with a framework for how graduation rates can be increased at the district level. An approach that has been successful in several districts, referred to as Multiple Pathways to Graduation, is also highlighted. Districts that were able to close the graduation gap did so by: reframing the dropout conversation, analyzing the local dynamics of the graduation crisis, re-designing school and district operations to increase responsiveness, and strategicallly managing a portfolio of schools.

This fact sheet discusses the importance of aligning workforce data and how that data can inform educational and economic development policy. Aligning education, employment, and workforce data also allows stakeholders to answer a variety of questions such as: What educational experience do children need to successfully pursue their desired careers and do the courses a student takes correlate to his or her later employment and earnings?