OTAN News

Center for Law and Social Policy Report on AEBG Implementation Released

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty organization, released Prosperity Through Partnership: Opportunities for AEBG to Strengthen Systems and Communities. The report was supported by funding from the State AEBG Office and included contributions by the California Community College Chancellor's Office (CCCCO), California Department of Education (CDE), CASAS, WestEd, IMPAQ, and OTAN as well as field input from the AEBG regional consortia via survey completion.

In January 2016, the CLASP commenced an 18-month project to study the implementation of California's Adult Education Block Grant (AEBG) initiative. CLASP set out to foster greater understanding of the implementation of California's AEBG governance and direct service activities, analyze current and potential impacts of the AEBG initiative for partners and participants, and offer recommendations for potential policy and implementation changes in future rounds of AEBG funding and other coordinated funding streams, for consideration by the CCCCO, the CDE, and other policymakers.

The study employed several research methods including surveys, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews as well as ongoing communication with AEBG leaders and practitioners.

As a result of this study, CLASP details 19 recommendations in the following categories:

• Clarify AEBG's mission and vision so that leaders, practitioners, and community members can clearly identify and articulate the major differences between the legacy, pre-2014 adult education system and the AEBG structure envisioned by California law.
• Use AEBG to drive a comprehensive pathways system by re-imagining adult education as a strategic partner in strengthening individual economic mobility and regional economic competitiveness through community-wide skill development.
• Tie AEBG accountability to impact through the establishment of a cross-system accountability structure. This requires a number of barriers to be addressed:delineate and distinguish "populations from services" in fund reporting; clarify fund reporting on AEBG's five objectives; align data definitions and processes among AEBG, WIOA title II, and community college providers; maximize the use of WIOA-measurable skill gain in AEBG; clarify transition to postsecondary education across reporting for AEBG, WIOA title II and LaunchBoard and, measure progress on mandated objectives in AEBG regional plans.
• Provide comprehensive technical assistance and professional development. The AEBG professional development technical assistance provider can greatly enhance capacity for comprehensive capacity building.

Source: AEBG Office  Special Announcement, June 6, 2017