The Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia

Preparing Adults for the Knowledge Economy

posted May 20, 2007

Photo by Tom Cogill

The U.S. labor force includes 54 million adults who lack a college degree. For those adults wishing to upgrade their skills and credentials, the outlook is getting brighter, however, thanks to some groundbreaking work by Curry faculty members, Brian Pusser, David Breneman, Sarah Turner, and Bruce Gansneder.

“A great deal of attention in higher education institutions, in policy making sectors, and in the work force is now turned to incorporating adult learners into postsecondary education and helping them earn degrees,” says Pusser. “The change is happening very rapidly.”

Pusser is the principal investigator on the Emerging Pathways exploratory research project funded by the Lumina Foundation for Education. The project seeks to transform educational institutions, as well as state and national policies, to promote baccalaureate degree attainment for nontraditional students.

“For much of our history,” according to the first report published from the project, “the nation’s robust industrial economy has allowed many Americans to earn a comfortable living without having earned a baccalaureate degree. Those days are all but gone.”

The emerging knowledge economy and global industrial production will reward postsecondary education. Yet many aspects of the current system built around traditional students—kids right out of high school taking classes full time—are not structured to support adult learners working full-time jobs and often caring for families. Traditional avenues for adult learners seeking postsecondary education— community colleges, and continuing education programs — often lack the resources needed to meet the growing demand.

The Emerging Pathways project grew out of an earlier project funded by the Sloan Foundation. Breneman, Turner, and Pusser examined the success of for-profit degree granting institutions like the University of Phoenix for meeting the needs of many adult learners seeking a baccalaureate degree. The next direction for their research seemed obvious: Are their centers of entrepreneurial energy and outreach in nonprofit degree granting institutions that have the potential to better serve this population?

The current project has two phases, according to Pusser. Phase 1 has culminated in a recent report from Lumina entitled, Returning to Learning: Adults’ Success in College Is Key to America’s Future. The report described what researchers have learned about adult learner needs and characteristics and made recommendations for nonprofit postsecondary institutions and state and national policymakers.

In Phase 2, currently in progress, Pusser and his team of researchers are working to develop instruments that institutions and policy makers can use to implement changes and facilitate success.

This interdisciplinary project has brought together experts around the country to work with Curry faculty, including Kay J. Kohl, executive director and CEO of the University Continuing Education Association, John S. Levin, Bank of America Professor of Education Leadership and director of the California Community College Collaborative at UC Riverside, and John Milam, founder of HigherEd.org, Inc.

Nancy Deutsch of the Curry School has joined the project for its second phase.

“This has been a nice opportunity to work with Curry School colleagues not in my program area, as well as partners in other parts of the country,” Pusser says. “We’ve tried to be as collaborative and cohesive as we can, while bringing together groups with very specific expertise.”

The ultimate goal is to ensure that investments in adult learning benefit society. Yet, the focus on the success of individual learners is much of what motivates Pusser and his team in this endeavor. “In our project interviews, person after person told us, ‘I’m doing this for my kids. I want to set a good example for them,’” says Pusser. “Given their demanding lives it’s a real challenge for many adult learners to progress one class at a time. We need to reward that persistence and build a process of support to help them meet their goals – no matter how long it takes.”

Additional information on the Emerging Pathways project can be found online:

Lumina Foundation for Education report - http://www.luminafoundation.org/publications/ReturntolearningApril2007.pdf

Emerging Pathways Web site –
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/emergingpathways

Publisher:
Curry School of Education Foundation
PO Box 400276
Charlottesville, VA 22904

Editor:
Lynn Bell
Director of Communications