My guess is that a lot of people may assume that the majority of those who live in poverty are high-school dropouts—and certainly not college graduates. The fact that a vast majority of poor people finished high school, and quite a few went to college, might mean that economic policies slightly more sophisticated than “educating our way to prosperity” may be required to help people work their way out of poverty in the U.S.
Interactive Chart Shows Decline in Good Jobs Despite Growth in Educational Attainment
Earlier this week, Colin Gordon of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) published an interactive chart on CEPR’s blog based on “In Where Have All the Good Jobs Gone?” a report published by CEPR in July. That report used CPS data to show that the share of good jobs (which they define as those with an earnings threshold of $18.50/hr plus health coverage and a retirement plan) has fallen—even as the age and educational attainment of the workforce has gone up.
Using this chart, you can select different combinations of demographics and “good job” elements (earnings, health coverage, retirement plan) to compare and contrast. If you enjoy pointing and clicking at charts and getting depressed about the economy, this is definitely worth checking out. I especially recommend it to recent college grads…
EDP Success Story Is a Good Reminder That the GED Is Not the Only Option for Adults Without a High School Diploma
This article from The Madison County Courier serves as a useful reminder that there are other ways for out-of-school adults to attain a high school-equivalent credential other than obtaining a GED. With all the controversy surrounding the new GED and/or whether states can or should develop something new to replace it, EDP programs quietly continue chugging along as an alternative. When D.C. LEARNs’ hotline was running at full strength back in the 2004-09 period, we often suggested to callers that they meet with EDP programs, especially those callers who were working full-time in skilled jobs and who had a history of poor test-taking.
Republican Platform Essentially Endorses House Republicans’ WIA Reform Plan
(Updated Below)
The 2012 Republican platform was released today. For what it’s worth, it implicitly endorses the approach that Republicans in the House took with their Workforce Investment Act (WIA) reauthorization bill, H.R. 4297. This bill, which was passed by the House Education and the Workforce Committee in June, would consolidate all of the different WIA funding streams and convert them into a block grant program for states. H.R. 4297 isn’t mentioned specifically in the Republican platform, but consolidation of federal workforce programs is explicitly endorsed (see page page 7):
It is critical that the United States has a highly trained and skilled workforce. Nine federal agencies currently run 47 retraining programs at a total cost of $18 billion annually with dismal results. Both the trainees in those programs and the taxpayers who fund them deserve better. We propose consolidation of those programs into State block grants so that training can be coordinated with local schools and employers.
UPDATE 8/29/12: It’s also worth pointing out that, unsurprisingly, the GOP platform says nothing about adult education or adult literacy—with one exception: it offers explicit support for family literacy programs (See page 36):
Because parents are a child’s first teachers, we support family literacy programs, which improve the reading, language, and life skills of both parents and children from low-income families.
Literacy & Policy 