Effects of Mandatory Basic Education for Adult AFDC Recipients

Abstract

Only small education effects were found for a large-scale program requiring participation in basic education by adult welfare recipients without a high school diploma or with low reading or math pretest scores. Positive results found in some of the research sites suggest that, with a focused program effort, GED certificates and improved achievement test scores may be obtained for individuals with pretest scores that are relatively high for this population. Raising achievement levels and increasing GED receipt appreciably among the many welfare recipients with lower pretest scores will require substantially improved program effectiveness.

Return on Investment for Adult Basic Education: Existing Evidence and Future Directions

“…Moreover, the experimental group in Riverside achieved earnings increases without improving literacy skills. When basic skill gains were measured by baseline test scores, there were no differences in literacy skills between the treatment and control groups although the treatment group made the largest increase in hours of ABE under GAIN (Friedlander & Martinson, 1996).…”

“…The participating programs randomized welfare recipients into treatment and control groups and offered ABE, GED, and ESL to the treatment groups but not to the control groups for at least the first 3 years of a 5-year follow-up period (although control group participants were allowed to access other local programs). Amid many reports and journal articles on the findings of these experiments, at least six are worth noting as they documented crucial 3-year, 5-year, and 9-year program impacts along with cost-benefits estimations (Boudett & Friedlander, 1997;Friedlander & Martinson, 1996;Greenberg et al, 2010;Hamilton et al, 2001;Hotz et al, 2006;Riccio et al, 1994).…”

The Preparation and Stability of the ABE Teaching Workforce: Current Conditions and Future Prospects

“…The effect of underprepared teachers on student achievement is unknown. Given the lack of evidence that ABE leads to signifi cant increases in adults' literacy skills (Beder, 1999;Friedlander & Martinson, 1996;Sheehan-Holt & Smith, 2000), adult educators must recognize the problems inherent in the present system of teacher training. Of course, there are many infl uences on student learning, as has been shown in the K-12 student achievement literature (e.g., class size, socioeconomic status, school resources, culture, and leadership, and teachers' working conditions).…”

Continuum of Literacy Program Models: Alternative Approaches for Low‐Literate Welfare Recipients

“…However, there is mounting evidence that academic programs may be inappropriate for those welfare recipients who have the lowest levels of literacy skills. In a study conducted prior to the welfare reform initiatives, Friedlander and Martinson (1996) found that the impact of attending academic literacy programs on welfare recipients was concentrated among those members of the sample who possessed higher initial literacy levels. The findings suggest that welfare recipients with lower literacy skills should be enrolled in alternative literacy programs, whereas those with higher skills are strong candidates for traditional academic literacy programming.…”