Discussion List Members,
I hope your holidays were fun and refreshing and you had a chance to
catch up on some visiting with relatives and friends.

I'm not caught up yet on the Thursday Resources I have located but not
sent out.  It will take a little more time to review the rest.  But
there are more than enough on this list to warrant sending them out, as
you can see!

Happy New Year!
Donna

Donna Brian
Moderator, LINCS Workplace Literacy Discussion List
Off-list contact djgbrian at utk.edu 

To post a message:
workplace at nifl.gov 

To subscribe/unsubscribe/change options/access archives:
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/workplace 

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NRCCTE (National Research Center for Career and Technical Education) 
The National Research Center for Career and Technical Education is the
primary agent for generating scientifically based knowledge,
dissemination, professional development, and technical assistance to
improve career and technical education (CTE) in the United States. The
NRCCTE works to improve the engagement, achievement, and transition of
high school and postsecondary CTE students through technical assistance
to states, professional development for CTE practitioners, and
dissemination of knowledge derived from scientifically based research.
The NRCCTE is funded by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education at
the U.S. Department of Education.
http://www.nrccte.org/   

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>From MDRC  http://www.mdrc.org   


"Helping Public Housing Residents Find and Keep Jobs: A Guide for
Practitioners Based on the Jobs-Plus Demonstration" 
	This guide contains practical advice on implementing a program
model - known as the Jobs-Plus Community Revitalization Initiative for
Public Housing Families (Jobs-Plus) - aimed at helping public housing
residents find and keep jobs. The most rigorously evaluated employment
initiative ever tried in public housing, Jobs-Plus has shown strong
potential for improving the employment outlooks of low-income workers
and job-seekers. As implemented during the demonstration, Jobs-Plus
combined three components: (1) employment-related services; (2)
financial incentives, in the form of changes to rent rules to help make
work pay, sometimes supplemented with efforts to raise residents'
awareness of other available work incentives such as the Earned Income
Tax Credit; and (3) community support for work, which consisted of
meaningful opportunities for public housing residents to promote work
among their neighbors, especially by participating in efforts to recruit
other residents to Jobs-Plus and publicize its services.
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/506/full.pdf   

"Moving from Jobs to Careers: Engaging Low-Wage Workers in Career
Advancement"
	The Work Advancement and Support Center (WASC) demonstration
offers a new approach to helping low-wage and dislocated workers advance
by increasing their wages or work hours, upgrading their skills, or
finding better jobs. At the same time, these workers are encouraged to
augment and stabilize their income by making the most of available work
supports, such as food stamps, public health insurance, subsidized child
care, and tax credits. This report presents preliminary information on
the effectiveness of strategies that were used to attract people to the
WASC program and engage them in services.
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/505/full.pdf 
 
"Promising Instructional Reforms in Developmental Education: A Case
Study of Three 'Achieving the Dream' Colleges"
	This report documents instructional reforms implemented by three
colleges involved in a Lumina Foundation project to improve
developmental education. A large proportion of first-time community
college students need developmental education to boost their skills to
succeed in college courses, but few make it through developmental
education, let alone earn a certificate or a degree. Reforms that
project colleges instituted aimed to accelerate students' progression
through developmental education, reduce their financial aid challenges,
and increase their engagement. The colleges participating in Achieving
the Dream receive professional coaching and grants totaling $450,000
over five years. They collect and analyze data to improve student
outcomes by mining transcripts and other information to understand how
students are faring over time and which groups need the most assistance.

>From this work, they implement strategies to improve students' academic

outcomes. Achieving the Dream colleges evaluate their strategies, expand
effective ones, and use data to guide budgeting and other institutional
decisions.
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/504/full.pdf 
 
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Brought to our attention through the Office of Vocational and Adult
Education's Thursday Notes, December 18, 2008

"Coming to Our Senses: Education and the American Future"
	The United States must take immediate action to reverse its fall
from the top ranks of countries with a college-educated workforce. If
postsecondary success is not made a national priority, our country's
economic and social health will continue to weaken. This is the pressing
message delivered today on Capitol Hill by a College Board commission of
influential leaders focusing for the first time on the entire pre-K
through college pipeline. The national commission recommends a specific
10-part action agenda to reverse the current trend and promises annual
evaluations to track success.
http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/coming-to-our-senses-
college-board-2008.pdf 

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>From Achieve Perspective  http://www.achieve.org/ 


"Making College and Career Readiness the Mission for High Schools: A
Guide for State Policymakers"
	Meaningful standards-based reform is about more than standards.
It's about ensuring that the standards are embedded in curriculum,
assessments, data and accountability systems so that all students
graduate from high school ready for the real world. That means that many
of the "traditional" assumptions and ways of thinking about testing and
accountability must change. We need to move past the notion that testing
means only large-scale multiple-choice assessments and that
accountability is inherently punitive. States want-and need-guidance on
how to create a next generation assessment and accountability system
that moves past these divisive notions.
http://www.achieve.org/files/MakingCollegeandCareerReadinesstheMissionfo
rHighSchool.pdf  

"Ready for College or Ready for Work: Same or Different?"
	In this policy paper, ACT examined three research questions: (1)
What level of readiness in reading and mathematics is needed to be ready
for entry-level jobs that require less than a bachelor's degree, pay a
wage sufficient to support a family, and offer the potential for career
advancement? (2) Are the levels of performance needed to be
college-ready and workforce-ready comparable? and (3) Are ACT scores
that benchmark to college and workforce readiness similar or different?
By exploring those questions, and data from the ACT and WorkKeys
assessments, the report provides empirical evidence that that comparable
readiness is needed whether planning to enter college or workforce
training programs after graduation and recommends that policies be set
to reflect this convergence.
http://iwin.iwd.state.ia.us/pubs/education/readycollege.pdf  

"Standards for What? The Economic Roots of K-16 Reform" by Anthony P.
Carnevale & Donna M. Desrochers
	The authors synthesize economic, demographic and educational
trend data and discuss the continuing growth in demand for skilled
workers and the persistent pressure on the American education system to
meet high standards for a growing share of students. It documents the
increased demand for high skills in jobs and the decreasing
opportunities for individuals with no post-secondary education or
training. The report notes that education is related to the nation's
competitiveness and economic stability and that the gap in wages based
on education attainment will only continue to grow. In particular, the
authors contend that the goal of K-12 education should be to prepare
students for more education whether that is vocational training,
community college, certification or a four-year degree to adequately
prepare them for the workforce.
http://www.learndoearn.org/For-Educators/Standards-for-What.pdf  

"Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for
a Brighter Economic Future" 
	This report was presented to Congress by a 20-member committee
composed of university presidents, CEOs, Nobel Prize winners, and former
presidential appointees. It analyzes the current economic challenges
facing the U.S. and develops four overarching recommendations along with
20 implementation actions that federal policymakers can take to create
high-quality jobs and focus new science and technology efforts on
meeting the nation's energy needs. The four recommendations are:
increase America's talent pool by vastly improving K-12 math and science
education; sustain and strengthen the nation's commitment to long-term
basic research; develop, recruit, and retain top students, scientists,
and engineers from both the United States and abroad; and ensure that
the U.S. is the premier place for world innovation.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11463  

"What Mathematics Should 'Everyone' Know and Be Able to Do?"
	This essay discusses a teaching technique called "quantitative
literacy," which refers to teaching course content through inductive
teaching, or allowing students to first learn mathematics through
specific, relevant examples that reflect real applications of
mathematical concepts required in the workplace, marketplace and
society. The author encourages teachers and professors to rely on
project-based lessons, rooted in real-world applications from the
perspective of a worker, consumer, citizen and personal interest, while
recognizing this will require a shift in pedagogy and assessments.
http://www.maa.org/ql/pgs33_42.pdf  

"Mathematics at Work"
	These five individual brochures present case studies drawn from
leading industries nationwide (aerospace, construction, health care,
manufacturing, and information technology) to illustrate the advanced
mathematics knowledge and skills embedded in jobs that offer
opportunities for advancement and are accessible to high school
graduates.
http://www.achieve.org/MathatWork  

"Business Leader's Tool Kit"
	The "Business Tools for Better Schools" toolkit creates a "one-
stop" shopping site where business can get background information,
facts, research and practical tools for engaging in education reform.
The toolkit was developed in consultation with national, state and local
business organizations as well as companies with support from the GE
Foundation. The toolkit is designed to be business-oriented and user
friendly, both for those with experience in education reform and
newcomers. The toolkit is organized into four major sections: Case for
Action, Education Priorities, Business Champions and Tools for Action.
Among the Education Priorities are: ensuring all high school graduates
are college- and career-ready, improving the STEM pipeline and focusing
on data-driven decision making.
http://www.biztools4schools.org/  

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>From Public-Private Ventures (PPV) http://www.ppv.org/  


"Going to Work with a Criminal Record: Lessons from the Fathers at Work
Initiative"
	Many of the 650,000 adults released from American prisons each
year find their way to One-Stops or community-based, faith-based and
other organizations that provide employment services. Yet relatively few
of these organizations specifically target former prisoners. Workforce
development practitioners have experience with a wide range of job
seekers, but a great number of them are looking for additional guidance
about the complexities of connecting formerly incarcerated people to the
labor market and helping them stay on the job. "Going to Work with a
Criminal Record" was developed to help meet this need. The report
describes seven fundamental lessons workforce organizations should
consider as they help formerly incarcerated people move toward stable
employment, along with a more detailed discussion of how program staff
can put these lessons into practice. It outlines how to avoid mistakes
and how to develop important relationships, including with employers,
parole officers and the local child support enforcement agency.
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/238_publication.pdf  

"Jobs Going Begging in Some Fields"
	In this editorial by Sheila Maguire, vice president for labor
market initiatives (CNN), she notes that even during the current
economic downtown, certain industries lack qualified workers; Maguire
urges Congress and the next presidential administration to invest in
training for low-skilled workers to meet demand in these industries and
help spur economic growth.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/02/maguire.job.training/index.html  

"By Design: Engaging Employers in Workforce Development Organizations" 
	Workforce development practitioners and policymakers have come
to recognize the importance of employers as customers. Too often,
however, not enough time is devoted to considering (much less
implementing) the organizational and programmatic changes necessary to
truly engage employers. By Design describes strategies used by three
organizations to effectively engage employers in workforce development
efforts. Jewish Vocational Service, San Francisco; Training, Inc.,
Boston and WIRE-Net, Cleveland, have successfully involved employers in
a variety of different ways-from including them on the Board of
Directors to having them teach training classes. By Design outlines
employer-engagement strategies in detail to help other organizations
substantively involve employers in daily activities and services.
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/151_publication.pdf  

"Fixing a Flat at 65 MPH: Restructuring Services to Improve Program
Performance in Workforce Development" 
	Business leaders have easy access to primers on organizational
change; indeed many are bestsellers. In contrast, little is available to
nonprofit executives intent on restructuring their organizations. And,
while many lessons from the business world are relevant, there are
unique aspects of nonprofits' missions and organizational cultures that
demand special attention. This report examines the restructuring of
three leading workforce development organizations that were seeking to
improve performance. Based on their many achievements and the occasional
misstep, Fixing a Flat at 65 MPH offers nonprofit managers seven guiding
principles addressing the most significant challenges likely to arise
during a major reorganization.
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/11_publication.pdf  

"Making Work Supports Work"  
	The National Center for Children in Poverty's Making Work
Supports Work report assesses state and federal work support policies
and identifies and promotes policy reforms. The piece draws on results
from two web-based tools: the Family Resource Simulator and the Basic
Needs Budget Calculator. Using these tools, the report provides insight
into how much families need to make ends meet and examines the complex
interactions among earnings, benefits and basic expenses. A
comprehensive work support system should accomplish two goals:
- Provide adequate family resources: If parents work full-time, their
earnings combined with public benefits should be sufficient to cover
basic family expenses.
- Reward advancement in the workforce: When parents' earnings increase,
their families should always be better off.
http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_824.pdf  

"The Best of Both: Community Colleges and Community-Based Organizations
Partner to Better Serve Low-Income Workers and Employers" 
	In theory, it makes considerable sense for colleges to partner
with community-based nonprofits to help low-income workers gain the
skills needed for success in the labor market. In practice, effective
partnerships between these organizations are few and far between. The
Best of Both examines several of these partnerships in an effort to
understand how they should be structured, the potential pitfalls they
face and what each side should expect from the other.
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/88_publication.pdf  

"Working to Learn: Skills Development Under Work First" 
	For the thirty years, participants in most employment programs
first got training then went to work. Work First has turned that model
upside down, as practitioners find that public funding now often
requires that people are in jobs before they can get training. At the
same time, participants still need new skills to get living-wage jobs,
and employers need more skilled workers to stay competitive. This report
provides practitioners and policy makers with an opportunity to benefit
from the experience of nonprofit organizations, public agencies,
community colleges and employers that have been able to meet Work First
requirements and provide needed training. The report describes their
experiences and sets out the organizational strategies and operating
principles that underlie these effective programs.
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/publications/assets/99_publication.pdf  

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>From Jobs For the Future  http://www.jff.org  


"Better Together: Realigning Pre-College Skills Development Programs to
Achieve Greater Academic Success for Adult Learners"
	How can states help working adults bolster pre-collegiate skills
that restrain them from taking full advantage of college credit-level
career and technical programs? Better Together offers examples of a
better way to meet this challenge through the alignment of two distinct
systems for strengthening pre-collegiate skills: adult education and
developmental education. 
http://www.jff.org/Documents/BTBetterTogether.pdf   

"Taking Care of Business: The Lessons of WINs"
	Including a guidebook and four user-friendly manuals, this
series from Workforce Innovation Networks-WINs-shows how organizations
can play a unique and important role in advancing the employer side of
the nation's workforce equation. The guidebook and manuals provide clear
information and guidance on replicating the successful practices learned
throughout the course of the 10-year WINs partnership. WINs is a
partnership of the Center for Workforce Success, the nonprofit education
and training arm of the National Association of Manufacturers'
Manufacturing Institute; the Institute for a Competitive Workforce, a
nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and Jobs for the
Future, a Boston-based national nonprofit working on education and
workforce development.
http://www.jff.org/KnowledgeCenter/Taking+Care+of+Business%3A+The+Lesson
s+of+WINs.html  

"Working Solutions: Addressing the Workforce and Education Challenges of
Black and Latino Males"
	On January 10, 2008, more than 200 government and school
officials along with business and community leaders discussed ways to
help men of color overcome traditional obstacles to gaining and
succeeding in high-skill, higher-paid jobs. The discussion took place at
the fifth annual "Making a Difference in Our Community" breakfast,
hosted by Jobs for the Future in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s
birthday. This is a transcript of that meeting.
http://www.jff.org/Documents/workingsolutions.pdf  

"Exploring Rural Context and Opportunities: A Report to the National
Fund for Workforce Solutions"
	This report identifies design issues that should be taken into
account in developing a rural-focused element to the NFWS grantmaking
program. It also identifies "sites of excellence" or promise from which
to learn.
http://www.jff.org/Documents/RuralOpportunities.pdf  

"Working for Health: The Newsletter for Jobs to Careers: Promoting
Work-Based Learning for Quality Care"
	Working for Health is the newsletter of Jobs to Careers:
Promoting Work-Based Learning for Quality Care. It is produced by Jobs
for the Future, the National Program Office of the Jobs to Careers. The
initiative seeks to advance and reward the skill and career development
of the low-wage incumbent workers who provide care and services on the
front lines of our health and health care systems. 'Jobs to Careers' is
a $15.8 million national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, in collaboration with the Hitachi Foundation and the U.S.
Department of Labor.
http://www.jff.org/Documents/J2CNewsFall08.pdf  

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>From NCVER (National Centre for Vocational Education Research,

Australia) http://www.ncver.edu.au/ 

"Investigating learning through work: The development of the Provider
Learning Environment Scale"
	This research examines how vocational education and training
(VET) providers can create an environment where learning becomes a
central, natural, ongoing and integral part of the way they work. It
does this by exploring what research says are the key features needed to
foster effective learning in the workplace. It then uses this research
to develop and trial an instrument which larger providers can use to
assess their organisation's learning environment. A set of questions in
the fact sheet supporting this report will help smaller providers
consider how good their learning environment is.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr04025pra5.pdf  


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