10/31/2005   Share this page

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Greetings from the Acting Assistant Secretary
Community Colleges
Adult Education and Literacy
Secondary, Career, and Technical Education
Center for Rural Education
Other Department News

Greetings from the Acting Assistant Secretary

It has been my pleasure to work as the Acting Assistant Secretary of OVAE for the past month and a half. In that time, I have seen that OVAE's mission to ensure all Americans have the knowledge, career, and technical skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century work force is not only an important goal but also an achievable reality.

Long before I joined the Department I knew the importance of these goals. As the son of migrant farm workers, it was a community college that was my stepping-stone to a postsecondary education. My background taught me the importance of public service, and that knowledge has followed me throughout my career. When I was teaching high school and college in California, it was inspiring to instill that knowledge in the next generation. It was this love of public service that led me to the Department of Education and OVAE, where I will continue to work to serve this great country. In the coming months, we will work to improve OVAE's efforts for all students by harmonizing the office so every division is working towards common goals.

The first of these goals is to continue to support and enhance one of our most important postsecondary institutions, the community college. I recognize firsthand that community colleges provide opportunities for many first generation college students to earn a diploma with minimum expense and a truly excellent education. Access to higher education to those who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it is only one of the many vital roles that the community college plays within their community. Community colleges are valuable to the local economy as they serve the community with workforce development and training. Community colleges are also key in shaping state policies for dual enrollment programs. Despite this important role, community colleges face many challenges, including under prepared students and low rates of program completion. OVAE's mission is to help community colleges overcome these challenges and link them with secondary schools for partnerships that will result in students who are better prepared for postsecondary education.

We will also help every adult become literate in reading, mathematics, and English to guarantee that they possess the workforce skills necessary to compete in the international economy. To achieve this, we will need to raise public awareness of the need to improve the literacy skills of adults. We also need to improve the quality of adult basic education, English language acquisition, and high school diploma equivalency programs. Finally, we need to find ways to expand access to those programs.

The final goal will be to ensure that every secondary technical student in America will attain a high level of academic and technical knowledge, skills, and abilities. We no longer live in a world where a high school diploma alone meets the demands of the work force. Technology and global economic competition are combining in unprecedented ways to change the labor market and redefine the American workplace. Today, most jobs that allow for advancement and a good income require strong academic skills and training beyond high school. Our office will work with those in the field to ensure that all CTE students meet higher academic and skill expectations. We will also work with state and local education systems to develop and continuously improve their accountability systems that measure student achievement and that also include appropriate measures for program improvement.

As I begin my tenure here at OVAE, I look forward to attaining the goals of this office, aiming to make a difference in the lives of all students in America.

This month Indian River Community College (IRCC) located in Fort Pierce, FL, opened their new 108,000 square foot facility, the Kight Center for Emerging Technologies. Named as the number one mid-sized community college in the nation for technology by the American Association of Community Colleges and the Center for Digital Education, the Kight Center is to serve the school's goal of "building a stronger community…one student at time" by educating students on "state-of-the-art" resources, thereby allowing graduates to compete in today's highly technological career fields. The need to serve more first time students and workers seeking promotion or career changes and the demand for a high-skilled workforce are stronger now than ever before.

Acting Assistant Secretary Beto Gonzalez of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education delivered remarks at IRCC's dedication ceremony on October 11 along with many other prominent political figures, including U.S. Congressman Mark Foley. These speakers reiterated President Bush's address to the American Association of Community Colleges last year when he stated, "Indian River Community College in Florida is opening a new center to provide cutting-edge training in robotics, in lasers, in photonic technology…there's a need for these kinds of workers, and what the community college system does is provide a fantastic opportunity for job training and new educational opportunities."

The Kight Center is designed to meet the needs of local industries by working with the region's industries and manufacturers and through use of its videoconferencing. IRCC prides itself on "learning anytime and anywhere," and its videoconferencing allows access to specialized programs at other educational institutions. In response to Scripps Florida, the nation's premier biotechnology research institute, being built just south of the IRCC's service district, IRCC's video capabilities allow students to link to Florida Atlantic University, which offers a postgraduate Biotechnology Certificate that will prepare students to work in Scripps' upcoming biotechnology jobs. In partnership with Palm Beach Community College, IRCC prepares radiography technicians for the field of nuclear medicine. This is just another one of the many technological advancements in the Center.

As the national need for technological careers grows, IRCC's President, Dr.Edwin R. Massey, set out a clear vision for the college. "The Kight Center for Emerging Technologies creates an optimum learning environment to prepare today's students for tomorrow's high-tech careers. [It] will serve as a catalyst for the development of synergistic partnerships among educational, research, and science-based organizations to attract high-paying technology-based employment to our area."

In today's global economy it is vital to improve education with technological advancements. It has become clear that community colleges are seen as major drivers of economic growth. In addition to technology, the need for K-12 teachers, nurses, biotechnology, and homeland security has driven community colleges to respond to meet the economic challenges caused by shortages in these occupations and many others. Not only does IRCC offer advanced technology training and learning styles training but they also serve high school students through dual enrollment and the tech prep program, preparing the next generation workforce.

IRCC is a dedicated educational institution that has a place for every type of learner, in every walk of life and with any type of career goal in mind, and the new facility is going to help them achieve their goal by partnering with Florida's business, scientific, health care, and educational communities. As stated by President Massey, the Kight Center has set out to "play a key role in transforming the Treasure Coast into a 'Research Coast,' boasting a highly-skilled 21st century workforce ready to meet the challenges of the global economy." For more information about IRCC visit http://www.ircc.edu.

Expanding dual enrollment and other credit-based transition programs that enable high school students to earn college credit while still in high school is now at the top of the agenda of many educators and policy-makers who are working to improve the nation's high schools. President Bush, the National Governors Association, and the Education Commission of the States are among those who have recommended that more students be given the opportunity to participate in these programs. Pathways to College: Access and Success, a new report published by OVAE, offers new insights on this issue.

Pathways to College is the final report of a two-year study conducted by the Community College Research Center at Columbia University in partnership with DTI Associates to examine credit-based transition programs that are making efforts to include middle- and low-achieving students in college-level coursework. The project investigated dual enrollment programs in Iowa and New York, a middle college in California, an International Baccalaureate program in Minnesota, and a tech-prep program in Texas.

The report makes several recommendations to educators and policy-makers who are interested in including a broader range of students in credit-based transition programs, including:

• Formal recruitment strategies that engage parents, guidance counselors, teachers, and others are key to involving middle- and low-achieving students. Relying on "word of mouth" is insufficient.
• Programs should establish and identify for parents and students clear curricular pathways -sequences of high school and developmental courses-that will provide the academic foundation that students need to succeed in college-level courses.
• More systematic data collection about the outcomes of students during and following their participation in credit-based transition programs is essential. Data collection at all sites was very limited.
• The credit earning and transfer process for students must be simplified. Some programs established complex, procedural hurdles that made it difficult for students to use the credits they earned once they entered postsecondary education.

Community college faculty can take advantage of a range of summer institutes and seminars focused on topics related to the humanities available from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Selected faculty receive a fixed stipend to help cover travel costs, books and research expenses, and living expenses for the events, which are from two to six weeks in duration. Deadline for applications is March 1, 2006. Direct general questions to sem-inst@neh.gov or 202/606-8463 or go to http://www.neh.gov/projects/si-university.html

OVAE recently awarded two new contracts totaling nearly six hundred thousand dollars designed to improve math instruction in adult education programs. The GED Math Training project awarded to MPR Associates will study data from the GED math test to identify math concepts that should be emphasized in adult instruction. A Train-the-Trainer Institute will be held this summer to help math practitioners use these concepts to improve math teaching and learning in classrooms next fall. Trainers from each state will review math content and instructional techniques to pass that knowledge on nationwide.

A second contract, the Adult Numeracy Initiative, was awarded to American Institutes for Research to create baseline information on what is known about adult numeracy instruction, including information on evidence-based instruction and existing professional development models. Field experts will author commissioned papers on topics generated by the initial research. The first year will test the waters for future research by convening a panel of experts on numeracy, identifying current teacher training initiatives, and conducting a complete review of existing literature.

A new OVAE contract for nearly two million dollars to the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research will expand the capability of adult education programs to individualize learning, equip teachers with new instructional tools, and engage learners in new ways using technology. The Strengthening Programs Through Technology (SPTT) project will identify and supplement state efforts to integrate distance learning options into state adult education delivery systems, create a set of technological competencies that teachers should possess, devise a Web tool to assist teachers in developing a professional development plan to improve IT competencies, and produce an electronic gateway. The initiative will build on previous investments and support partnerships among states with similar needs. More information about the project will be posted on the OVAE homepage in the coming weeks.

Adult education performance data from the states showed a steady, modest increase in learning gains, high school completion, and postsecondary transition during program year 2002-2003, says OVAE's recently released Adult Education and Family Literacy Act: Report to Congress on State Performance. A variety of educational gains moved up two to four percentage points over three years, while high school completion jumped eleven points and postsecondary transition moved up five points. The report also shows a significant gain for the two employment measures, entering and retaining employment, with advances of six and seven points, respectively, for adult education students.

To view the full report and see your state's adult education performance information, go to: http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/ovae/2003adulted.pdf (PDF file) or http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/ovae/2003adulted.doc (Word file).

On September 30, 2005, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) was awarded $2.4 million, with an additional $2.4 million contingent upon available federal funds and demonstration of substantial progress, to implement the department's State Scholars Initiative (SSI). Based in Boulder, Colorado, WICHE is a well-respected national nonprofit organization established in 1950. WICHE brings a wealth of experience managing national initiatives and federal grants, especially in the areas of access and early preparation for college.

The State Scholars Initiative aims to encourage all students to pursue a rigorous course of study in high school. The SSI seeks to address the concern raised by a number of studies that students who lack strong academic preparation in high school tend to face limited career and educational choices and to encounter greater difficulty in the workplace and college. Accordingly, it is important to the future success of high school students that they be motivated and encouraged to select and complete strong academic courses of study. While the SSI encourages all students to pursue a rigorous course of study, a particular focus of the Initiative is to persuade and motivate vocational and technical students to select and complete strong academic courses of study in high school.

Through the State Scholars Initiative, state-level business-education partnerships work with the business community in their respective states to encourage and motivate high school students in participating districts to enroll in and complete rigorous courses of study that will benefit the students in their future careers, postsecondary education, or training. WICHE's role in the SSI is to fund and provide technical assistance, monitoring, oversight, and cost reimbursements to the state-level business-education partnerships that carry out the SSI at the state level. The services that WICHE provides will benefit both the new state-level business-education partnerships that it will fund and the fourteen state-level business-education partnerships that were previously funded by the Center for State Scholars in Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Washington. It is anticipated that WICHE will fund eight to twelve new state-level business-education partnerships.

Nancy Brooks and Ami Margolin are leading the SSI effort. They can be reached at (202) 245-7774 or nancy.brooks@ed.gov and (202) 245-6315 or ami.margolin@ed.gov.

OVAE is pleased to report its progress in implementing Perkins III accountability system to Congress and the public. In this report, OVAE shares states' progress in meeting their Perkins performance levels, offers trends in student performance, and details issues with data quality that are likely to be addressed when Congress next reauthorizes the Perkins legislation. To view the report go to http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/resource/index.html

OVAE staff attended a conference entitled, "Tech-Prep: Career Pathways for Student Success," which was hosted by the National Tech Prep Network on September 28-30 in Orlando, Florida. Attending the conference were CTE teachers, administrators, state officials, and other stakeholders.

There were various presentations focusing on innovative projects being implemented in several states, such as tracking tech prep students; developing a career pathways program that is incorporated in high school, career center, and community college curricula; and incorporating nanotechnology in tech prep programs.

OVAE staff presented an overview of tech prep data aggregated at the national level and identified some concerns about the reliability of data sometimes received from the states. This is a timely and important concern because OVAE awards tech prep grants to the states, in accordance with the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998, which requires the reporting of data in specific categories to indicate the effectiveness of the program. Attendees participated in brainstorming sessions to find solutions to problems with data reliability.

Summary papers will soon be posted at http://www.edcountability.net. For more information, please contact: Wade Smith; (202) 245-7725; wade.smith@ed.gov

In late September 2005, the Center for Rural Education (Center) hosted a "mini-summit" on rural education. The purpose of the meeting was to ensure that the goals and objectives set for the Center were aligned with needs and issues identified by stakeholders who serve the rural community. Participants included representatives from eighteen groups and consultants with significant interest in and responsibility for education in rural areas. Prior to the meeting, each participant was asked to identify the three most important issues affecting rural education. From these submissions, four major topics were chosen to include all issues raised.

The four topic areas were:

• Delivery of educational services in rural areas (teacher recruiting/retention, curriculum issues, compensation issues)
• Infrastructure of rural school districts (maintenance and use of existing facilities)
• Effects of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in rural schools (determining and reporting on results, change from historic teaching methods)
• Economic and social factors affecting rural education (challenges related to location, challenges related to population).

Questions regarding the Center and its activities can be sent to RuralED@ed.gov

On October 19, the non-partisan National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) released national and state-by-state results of the 2005 Nation's Report Card in reading and math, detailing fourth- and eighth-grade achievement on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Among the findings:

• Overall, fourth- and eighth-grade math scores rose to all-time highs, and fourth-grade reading scores matched the all-time high. (Eighth-grade reading scores decreased by one point.)
• In fourth- and eighth-grade math, higher percentages of white, African-American, Hispanic, and Asian students performed at or above proficient levels, as defined by NAEP, than in any previous year.
• The achievement gap between white and Hispanic fourth-graders narrowed, reaching an all-time low in reading and matching an all-time low in math.
• The gaps in eighth-grade math between white and African-American students and white and Hispanic students narrowed to their lowest point since 1990.
• Forty-three states and the District of Columbia have either improved or held steady in all four categories.