A New Model for Adult Learners
Nearly half of the American higher education population consists of working adults—over age 24, attending college part time, and balancing family, work, and school. Most of these learners are seeking knowledge and skills that will enhance their professional lives. They see higher education as an adjunct to their professional development. For many of these students,…
Read MoreRemember the Working Adult College Student
According to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the fall 2019 college enrollment included 12.5 million students under age 25 and 7.4 million students 25 and older. If historical patterns hold about one-third of those enrollees will not earn a degree in eight years. According to the National Student Clearinghouse’s (NSC) 2019 report, Some College,…
Read MoreListening to Learners: What Non-Completers Have to Tell Us About Education Policy
Policymakers recognize that to remain competitive in a global, tech-enabled world, the United States will need an ever more educated and skilled population. For their part, states have increasingly focused on helping residents who started college, but left without a degree to return and earn a credential. And for good reason: 36 million Americans have…
Read MoreAdults Completing Degrees—How Tackling A Persistent Problem Creates New Value
The urgency to integrate adult learners into national and regional economic growth plans is—finally—tangible. Colleges and universities are reporting lower enrollments and are looking to adult learners to fill seats. Employers are looking for candidates with postsecondary credentials and national funders are looking for solutions to the persistent Some College No Degree problem. These adults…
Read MoreWorking Americans Want “Equal Time” in the Presidential Debates about Higher Education
The working men and women of Iowa would like some “equal time” in the higher education debates currently crisscrossing their state as presidential candidates seek their support in the upcoming caucuses. Most press coverage of the Democratic nomination contest would have you believe that just about all of the candidates are running on some version…
Read MoreTransforming Yesterday’s Postsecondary System to Better Serve Today’s Students
A college degree is a proven pathway to a higher median-income level and improved social mobility for students, especially those from low-income backgrounds, and for greater equity for society as a whole. Yet many students who enroll in college do not finish; across the United States, there are 36 million adults–or approximately 10% of the…
Read MoreWhat “Persistence and Retention” Means for Adult Learners
In an era when declining enrollment looms large, and the demographics of higher education are undergoing an unprecedented shift. Colleges and universities are clamoring to attract so-called “nontraditional students.” But, while institutions are quick to market more flexible pathways to a degree, many still expect their adult, parent, and working learners — who are rapidly…
Read MoreSquaring the Circle for Adult Learners: How to Connect Prior Learning with the Liberal Arts
With the increase of adult learners in today’s higher education landscape, currently 27% of the undergraduate population, it is essential that colleges and universities meet both the unique educational needs of adult learners and maintain curricular quality. Fortunately, these two goals are neither mutually exclusive, nor are they incongruent with pathways we now see from…
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