Building Pathways to Success for Low-Skill Adult Students: Lessons for Community College Policy and Practice from a Longitudinal Student Tracking Study (The “Tipping Point” Research)

David Prince & Davis Jenkins, Community College Research Center

This report is based on a first-of-its-kind study of the progress and outcomes of low-skill adults in community colleges. Key findings: (1) Attending college for at least a year and earning a credential provides a substantial boost in earnings for adults who begin with a high school diploma or less.  (2) Short-term training, such as that often provided to welfare recipients, may help individuals get into the labor market, but it does not seem to help them advance beyond low-paying jobs.  (3) Neither adult basic skills education by itself nor a limited number of college-level courses provides much benefit in terms of earnings.  (32 pages – downloadable PDF)