WestEd is leading several projects that are helping adult education programs to increase economic mobility and equity for our nation’s most vulnerable populations and communities.
- Building Teacher Capacity for Adult Education Math Instruction: WestEd is developing and field testing the Adult Numeracy Instruction Professional Development program. The online program, which will eventually be housed in the LINCS system, is designed to help states meet more rigorous math content standards and based on the latest research on pedagogy and student engagement. WestEd’s development work draws from its extensive math education portfolio, which includes the evidenced-based Carnegie Math Pathways community college courses and professional development programs.
- Enhancing Access for Refugees and New Immigrants (Integrated Education and Training for English Language Learners): WestEd is part of the multi-agency team (with RTI International, SAFAL, and World Education) planning and developing technical assistance and resources focused on building knowledge and supporting implementation of Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) programming and activities.
- Racial Equity for Adult Credentials in Higher Education (REACH): WestEd, in partnership with the California Community College Foundation, is funded by the Lumina Foundation to support a series of institutes focused on building pathways for adult learners of color in over 25 community college credential and degree pathways from adult education and other community partners. As a part of this project, WestEd is partnering with community colleges in California and nationwide to provide technical assistance and data modeling to support pathway development.
- Using Human-Centered Design to Improve Adult Education Pathways: In 2018, WestEd led a statewide effort in California to train 60 adult education consortia in the use of human- and customer-centered design (HCD) to improve services and pathways for adult learners. This involved shepherding design teams from each consortium through a nine-week process where they went through the processes of HCD including ideation, empathy interviews, student journey mapping, rapid prototyping, and iteration to ensure program improvement.
- Delta Sierra TDLAM Adult Education Alliance: Using occupational demand and skills analysis, employer engagement, and human-centered design principles, WestEd guided a consortium planning process that included various intersectional agencies and leaders to create an integrated pathway and bridge system to assist low-wage adult learners gain employment and increase access to college credit pathways in Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics and Manufacturing (TDLAM).
