The State of GED Programs in Chicago: Progress, Challenges, and the Road Ahead

High school equivalency credentials provide a valuable second chance for the approximately 1.1 million young adults aged 16 to 24 in the U.S. who leave high school without a diploma each year (NCES, 2020). For adult learners who have not completed high school, passing the battery of General Educational Development (GED) tests to attain this alternative certification can open doors to college, career training, employment options, and other opportunities on the path to economic mobility.

However, barriers such as assessment costs, strict score requirements, need for tutoring, and lack of time persist. These obstacles preclude many from obtaining this important credential. Community-based GED preparation programs are working to shift this paradigm – by shaping local ecosystems with pathways to student success.

As a national leader in adult education reform and innovation, Chicago’s patchwork of providers offers inspiration and lessons for similarly large cities working to move the needle on educational equity and outcomes. By examining the landscape of GED programs in Chicago, policymakers and practitioners gain insights into reforms that tackle access gaps head-on.

Scope of the Problem: National and Local GED Attainment Trends

GED certificate attainment has largely remained stagnant both nationally and specifically in metro areas like Chicago where need is most acute. Each year over 20 million U.S. adults aged 16 years and older lack a high school credential. This includes nearly 11% of Chicagoans based on the latest census figures (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2019).

Research by CLASP reveals that just 11% of youth who drop out eventually earn an equivalency like the GED within 4 years. Further of all test takers, under 30% actually pass the GED (CLASP, 2021). Completion along racial lines shows even wider divides – 33% for White test takers compared to between 10-15% for Black and Hispanic counterparts (CLASP, 2021).

Barriers to improving pass rates start before students walk in the door. Almost 60% of individuals who start studying cite cost of the exams themselves as a top challenge. The computer-based tests now charge $30 per module, or $120 total for the full battery – massively inflated from just over $60 in 2002 (CLASP 2021). The implications fall heavily on students from low-income backgrounds struggling to cobble together the funds just to demonstrate skills they have worked hard to attain.

Recent Policy Innovations Expanding Access Statewide

Recognizing the trends in performance gaps and barriers faced by underserved youth and adults, Illinois embarked on ambitious efforts to catalyze change across delivery and funding of GED programs. By raising standards for quality while injecting funding to enable innovation, their efforts provide a useful blueprint for equitable reform.

Most notably, the state passed its Adult Education Strategic Plan in 2019 which called for doubling enrollment in equivalency programs by 2025. The associated $12 million boost sought to spur providers to build local infrastructure and capacity targeting at-need residents. Recommendations focused on student-centered program delivery – involving wraparound support services, bridge models into postsecondary pathways, and improved transitions between adult education providers.

To promote access, Illinois now offers vouchers to fully subsidize GED testing for qualifying individuals through its Workforce Equity Initiative. This means low-income students can focus efforts on learning rather than worrying about fees during their preparation. Other changes involve allowing 16 and 17 year olds to take the GED for the first time – granting more opportunities to at-risk youth.

Several leading GED providers in Chicago have made strong headway fleshing out the strategic plan’s goals around integrated support structures, community alignment, and bridge programs. Their emerging approaches provide scalable models the state can apply in lower-capacity regions as well – fast tracking innovation.

Comparing Models: Scaling Effective Programming in Chicago

Home to over 100 adult education entities, Chicago represents one of the most robust landscapes for investigating promising developments in GED preparation models (CLASP, 2021). The concentration of providers coupled with strong civic infrastructure through City Colleges and influential non-profits enables robust partnerships and coordination.

While traditional classroom programs still dominate offerings, organizations are testing blended and standalone virtual modes as well – seeking to balance flexibility for working adults with support structures lacking in many strictly online models. Analysis indicates differentiated solutions accounting for variations in student demographics and needs outperform one-size-fits all approaches.

Several exemplary programs surface in comparing integrated support models disrupting traditional siloed education-only options:

UCAN Academy

UCAN bridges best practice among violence prevention non-profits and adult education to tackle opportunity gaps facing court-involved youth through their innovative Academy initiative. Blending virtual sessions 3x a week over 16 weeks with cognitive behavioral coaching, project-based learning, and transitional planning support – the program reported an average 3x learning pace for the charter 2021 cohort versus typical GED courses.

Centralizing barriers youth face from legal entanglements to housing access as influencers of success – UCAN co-designs solutions to provide stability while accelerating skill gains. Initial graduates overwhelmingly secured college and employment placements after supportive transitions. UCAN exemplifies interweaving Maslow’s heirarchy of foundational and self-actualization needs.

Instituto Justice Leadership Academy

A pillar for Chicagoland Latinos for over 30 years, Instituto del Progreso takes a cultural wealth model empowering identity, community ties, and popular education to foster achievement. Their Justice Leadership Academy combines supportive cohorts, bilingual instruction leveraging strengths in native language, legal guidance to overcome barriers to employment and education, skill building workshops, and leadership development.

Completers transition into living-wage jobs, small business entrepreneurship fueled by microloans, and college pursuits – branching out as community organizers applying smart justice frameworks addressing root causes influencing quality of life. Instituto demonstrates the compounding value of programs moving beyond temporary solutions toward lasting capacitation and liberation.

Truman Middle College

As the first early college model blending high school equivalency with college studies in Illinois, Truman Middle College offers a catalyst for system leaders to rethink transitions. The majority Black and Latinx 16-21 year olds admitted faced challenges completing traditional high school. But given supportive pathways and accelerated rigor over 3 years – nearly 100% attain an associate degree and/or vocation certificate alongside their diploma.

By braiding foundational remediation addressing gaps, enrollment in career pathways like IT and healthcare matching student interests, and intentional mentorship – Truman builds the scaffolding needed to excel in higher education for youth who faced structural hurdles. The approach warrants replication based on entry barriers illumination and effective responses.

Future Directions: Where Chicago Goes From Here

While Chicago outpaces peer cities in scaling interventions moving the needle on adult education access thanks to immense local capacity and coordinated reform efforts, much work remains reaching the estimated 200,000 residents lacking a high school diploma.

Ongoing challenges reaching more learners through programming require acknowledging and addressing root causes. Barriers range from public transit deserts and distance from program sites to lack of childcare during courses. Continuous listening through human-centered design research must inform structural decisions.

Additionally, reliance primarily on limited regional and state funding strains program quality, outreach, and supplemental services. Philanthropic, business, and grassroots donors represent an untapped area policymakers can cultivate to sustain innovations beyond grant horizons. Resource constraints should not deter providers from piloting new hypotheses using low-cost experimentation.

Ultimately realizing the promise for adult education comes down to pipelines. Building reliable pathways to align opportunity youth and adult supports across regional systems – as displayed by bright spots like UCAN, Instituto, and Truman – boosts outcomes further. Helping individuals traverse disconnected services remains imperative.

Sector leaders must continue connecting siloed delivery channels across funding structures, political turf, and gaps between rhetoric and reality for Chicago’s must vulnerable residents. But the building blocks for systems change exist as highlighted in these emerging approaches. Turning potential into sustainable progress depends on coalition builders taking promising programs to scale.

References

CLASP (2021). Making the Grade? Progress on State Adult Education Strategic Plans. https://www.clasp.org/making-the-grade

National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). The Condition of Education 2020. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/

U.S. Census Bureau (2019). American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs