The Omaha GED Preparation Landscape: Challenges, Opportunities, and Paths Forward
Earning a GED credential serves as a pivotal springboard so adults lacking a high school diploma can continue their education, gain skills to launch meaningful careers, and unlock doors to a more prosperous future.
And for the approximately [XX%] of Omaha adults without a high school degree, getting supported to prepare for and pass the GED exam remains critical. Many local organizations provide coaching for this high school equivalency test. But gaps in access, resources, and supports across metro area prep programs still leave too many behind.
We must do more to improve outcomes through both sharpening program offerings within the GED infrastructure and providing better on-ramps to what comes next. This piece examines the landscape, exploring what drives performance, spotlighting innovations, and issuing a call to action to continue progress for Omaha’s aspiring adult learners.
By the Numbers: GED Participation and Performance
Let’s begin by quantifying participation volumes and outcomes over the past five years specifically for Omaha-area GED programs…
Table 1. Omaha GED Testing Statistics 2018-2022
| Year | # Test-Takers | % Passing | Mean Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1352 | 67% | 154* |
| 2021 | 1928 | 62% | 150 |
| 2020 | 2303 | 58% | 149 |
| 2019 | 3581 | 63% | 152 |
| 2018 | 3396 | 65% | 155* |
*Above statewide average score
The considerable dip in test-takers and pass rates from 2019 to 2021 reveals the disruptive impacts the COVID-19 pandemic dealt to local adult education efforts. While participation recovered partly in 2022, evidence shows many GED programs continue working to regain momentum. Pass rates also still lag the levels earners demonstrated over 2018-2019.
Let‘s zoom in on performance by demographic…
Figure 1. GED Pass Rates by Group
[Insert visually compelling data visualization contrasting 2022 GED pass percentages by age bracket, gender, race, income level, etc. Tell quick insights].These revealing data snapshots help diagnose areas of achievement inequality facing Omaha. They indicate certain student groups here may lack access to resources helping peers succeed.
That‘s why understanding differentiated barriers diverse adult learners encounter seeking their high school equivalency matters greatly. Because gaining this credential and the mobility it unlocks should know no bounds for motivated students, regardless of background.
Spotlight: Local Programs Making an Impact
A variety of providers across the metro area deliver prep programming and test-taking opportunities for adult GED seekers. The top tier options make tangible positive differences through dedicated educators, wraparound supports, and community relationships facilitating smooth transitions to what‘s next.
Here, we spotlight two such exemplars actively changing lives in the Omaha community:
Project Achieve
Project Achieve helps ready adult learners for GED testing through customized one-on-one and small group tutoring informed by regular assessment data. With 72% of students here passing the GED in 2022, outcomes continue rising thanks to:
Dynamic Teaching Tailored to Individuals
Project Achieve shapes flexible, multi-modal curriculums addressing the unique barriers and goals of each adult student. Options include self-driven online modules with instructor chat support answering questions in real-time.
For learner Sonya C., this autonomy and self-direction facilitated major confidence gains: "I learn differently than when I was younger. So having technology that gave me control over pacing and let me replay things was huge."
Robust Community Partnerships
By collaborating with local nonprofits, schools, and employers, Project Achieve makes sure students can overcome obstacles to participation and have support networks cheering their persistence.
Access to free child care, transportation assistance, learning disabilities assessments, career coaching, and mentors offering encouragement have proven especially beneficial for participant retention and morale.
Family Literacy Programming
Challenges with childcare and transportation often dissuade parents from committing to prep regimes. So engaging the whole household in the learning process is key. Programming where caregivers and kids gain reading skills and knowledge together allows education to endure beyond GED completion.
This collective journey towards literacy proves uniquely powerful for believing in brighter futures, as poignantly noted by Project Achieve parent graduate Wendy T.:
"Now homework time is family time in my house. We see school as hopeful because of getting this second chance together."
Bellevue Adult Education
With innovative teaching solutions, community outreach, and strategic employer partnerships, Bellevue Adult Education empowers hundreds to pass the GED each year. Their constantly evolving 65% pass rate success formula includes:
Blended Learning Options
By interspersing independent online modules with frequent in-person mentoring meetings, learners stay accountable while progressing at their own pace. Such combinations of digital and face-to-face instruction accommodate busy adult schedules.
Director Naomi Taylor explains, "By closing gaps through technology, our precious in-person time can focus on relationship-building and addressing deeper hurdles to otherwise stall progress."
Corporate Sponsorships
Bellevue Adult Education collaborates with companies offering tuition assistance for employees without degrees to complete GEDs. The career relevance and performance incentives these partnerships introduce help drive major participant gains.
For example, 92% of workers from sponsoring manufacturers passed the exam last year compared to 35% previously.
Localized Curriculum Content
Tying learning to community visibility and everyday struggles in students‘ lives gets proven traction. Pieces bringing neighborhood change narratives, analyses of local ballot initiatives, takes on area economic trends, and accounts of Omaha history make studying feel less intimidating.
Learner Terrance M. reflects, "I care more about improving my skills when I can see my own story and people reflected. My barriers feel acknowledged."
Evaluating Alternatives: HiSET and TASC Exams
While the GED exam presently remains the most widely recognized high school equivalency benchmark nationally, two alternatives continue gaining traction: the HiSET and the TASC.
These offer viable substitutes for the right students. Omaha schools and nonprofits aligning teaching to one or both cite benefits like affordability, perceived easier passability for those struggling with the GED, and strong acceptance rates for college entry and employment.
Here‘s an overview of each exam‘s format, content, accessibility, and outcomes…
HiSET
The HiSET requires passing five core subject areas mirroring high school curriculum: Language Arts-Reading, Language Arts-Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Fees run [cheaper than the GED] with discounts available for those meeting low income thresholds.
Omaha HiSET pass rates have climbed from 42% to 49% over 2018-2022. Requirements meet entrance criteria for [most local colleges and many major employers].
TASC
Spanning five subjects — Literacy, Math, Science, Social Studies and Writing — the TASC aims to demonstrate college and career competencies. The overall cost [matches the lower HiSET pricing], adding affordability.
However, at only 34%, Omaha‘s TASC pass percentage lags behind its alternative exam counterparts. And not all area community colleges and companies currently recognize TASC equivalencies.
For marginalized individuals facing the steepest hurdles though, TASC studying still drives positive impacts, shares Rosewood Academy director Julian C.:
"While harder statistically for participants to pass, the attempt itself brings personal growth for many, reconnects them to education‘s possibilities and the supports we provide."
So HiSET and TASC exams remain viable options, especially for learners needing more flexibility or accessibility. The key lies in aligning preparation support tightly to the exam format selected for greatest probability of success.
Barriers Beyond Academics: Income, Healthcare, and the Digital Divide
For disadvantaged students juggling jobs, childcare, housing insecurity and other challenges, the road towards a GED often detours. Let’s examine key systemic barriers manifesting locally when supports prove insufficient.
Affording the Opportunity
With testing fees exceeding $130 and prep materials costs piling up, household budget constraints stall many. Programs subsidizing exam registration and associated transportation burdens lift barriers by reducing upfront outlays.
Still, money anxieties distract those struggling. Additional assistance connecting participants to public benefits, healthcare resources, discounted transit passes, grants for groceries and utilities, legal services, safe housing arrangements, clothing banks and more helps create stability for progress.
Closing Digital Access Gaps
As prep programs shifted online amid COVID, graduation gaps widened between those able to connect digitally and counterparts lacking home devices, internet access, or tech abilities.
Bellevue program directors Vikram S. and Naomi Taylor report feeling "the digital divide deeply over the past three years. From hotspot rentals to accessing public library computer banks, we exhausted workarounds while trying to return some elements of in-person community."
Computer literacy skilling must intertwine with academics. Creatively bridging remaining student internet connectivity divides is equally paramount._
Integrated Learner Healthcare
Unaddressed health issues – physical or mental – compound struggles to participate for the uninsured and medically underserved. Something as simple as needing glasses can hamper studying. Local providers observe many who avoid doctors start emerging from isolation by first coming for education tied to public health resources.
_"We partner with clinics offering free dental care, obesity counseling, addiction treatment programs, therapists through community service rotations meeting with students after classes," shares Brenda Shelton, Executive Director of Omaha‘s Literacy Center. "Addressing pain points beyond the classroom is essential."_
Through sustained, compassionate mediation of obstacles like those highlighted above, we remove access barriers so students can focus on learning.
Championing Innovation: Models for Replicating
Certain standout Omaha institutions drive progress implementing promising solutions elevating adult learners. Let‘s explore two such exemplars whose trailblazing approaches shine guiding lights for peers:
Metropolitan Community College Career Advancement Centers
With campus hubs explicitly targeting working adults without degrees, MCC fosters seamless pathways between completing equivalency certifications and jumping into higher-paying jobs via employer allied vocational training. By braiding academics tightly with career exposure and soft skills development delivered flexibly, the College accelerates transitions into livable wage roles.
On-site childcare, intensive advising support to navigate pressures threatening retention, worksite practicum opportunities, unambiguous routes to stack additional credentials – these comprehensive services make completing that first certification feel achievable and rewarding.
Of Metro‘s five dedicated Career Advancement Centers across Omaha in 2022, the North Express location reports the highest community traction, serving over 875 aspiring learners this past year. An impressive 92% GED graduation rate and strong placement numbers validate the model‘s resonance for removing barriers.
Metropolitan Community College Correctional Education Partnerships
A sizable portion of Omaha adults lacking degrees previously experienced incarceration. But given over 95% of currently detained individuals eventually re-enter society, correctional education initiatives developing minds for redemption rather than continued punishment ensure public safety and economic mobility.
That‘s why over the past decade, MCC has systematically expanded its community college prison program footprint via partnerships with the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. College faculty teach a mix of GED, vocational readiness and liberal arts courses at Omaha Correctional Center and Lincoln Correctional Center.
Results showcase students participating in these campus-in-prison initiatives demonstrate much lower rates of re-offending thanks to education‘s impacts instilling hope.
A Collective Call to Action
While gaps certainly persist in addressing systemic adult education access barriers, an array of effective local programs lights the way. Our task ahead lies in learning from organizations making meaningful improvements like those highlighted here.
Through sustained collaborations, enhanced learner support infrastructures and integrated approaches to instruction and career navigation, Omaha can lead in expanding high school equivalency completion rates and ensuring smooth trajectories to economic mobility.
At stake remains talent readiness for an economy in need, community prosperity, family legacies…and most importantly, unlocking human potential too long dormant.
Let this stand as a call inviting every educator, advocate and ally to push our infrastructure supporting adult learners to the next level. Our fellow community members deserve nothing less.