This report is available in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf). If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, please click on the Adobe button below to obtain a free copy. To access this report, please follow this link.

The Exploratory Case Study of 16-20 Year Old Students in Adult Education Programs was undertaken in response to reports proliferating during the past several years of an apparent large increase in the participation of recent high school dropouts in Adult Education (AE) programs. The effects of the growing presence of 16-20 year old students in AE classes were becoming a common subject of concern among AE professionals. Therefore, this Exploratory Case Study seeks (1) to document these reported youth enrollment trends in AE programs, (2) to discern characteristics of youth in AE programs that distinguish them from the more adult students who customarily attend AE classes, (3) to review offerings and practices of AE programs that serve youth, and (4) to identify issues worthy of further research.

The sample for this study consisted of five AE programs operated by Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in five large urban communities in one state. The study focuses only on AE programs within LEA jurisdiction. Non-LEA venues for youth enrollment - such as community-based organizations, volunteer tutoring activities, adult literacy initiatives, and public library-sponsored programs - were not included in this study.

Quantitative data were collected from each site regarding enrollment in Pre-GED (ABE), GED, ESOL, and career and technical programs. However, to preserve confidentiality, absolute numbers are not reported for the sites studied. Rather, all data are presented as percentages of enrollments within sites.

Qualitative data were collected in open-ended interviews at the sites and by telephone during the period February through December 2002 using a structured questionnaire. The qualitative data are presented in terms of substantive issues across sites rather than for each site separately.

In the tradition of case study research, the nature of this sample prevents generalization of the findings to other communities and states. However, the study does point to issues that can serve as an alert to policy makers and practitioners and provides a basis for systematic rigorous research in the future.

The full Exploratory Case Study is presented here as a complete document. The Executive Summary is designed as a stand-alone document to stimulate discussion.

To access the papers please follow theses links:

Adobe files (.PDF)

Executive Summary

Full Exploratory Case Study

Website created by:
Rick Bruce