In-Between: Late-Arriving Teens in Adult Education Programs Navigating Child and Adult Immigrant Narratives

We report on a grounded theory study of late-arriving immigrant youth (LIY) who arrived in the United States at 16–18 years of age and were referred to daytime General Education Diploma (D-GED) programs. These programs provide an alternate path to a high school diploma for youth with insufficient knowledge of English to complete graduation requirements before turning 19 years. Based on interviews with 38 youth from Latin America, we propose the core category of our grounded theory to be students Navigating Child and Adult Immigrant Narratives while making educational and career decisions. This process begins before immigration when youth imagine ambitious alternate selves—ideal educational and career selves in the United States, consistent with the American Dream and immigrant child narrative. The D-GED programs represent a compromise between a child and adult educational pathway. Students in these programs felt excluded from the regular high school but received social and emotional support while on a faster track to graduation and self-sufficiency as adults. However, students lacked concrete information and roadmaps for how to attain their ambitious goals. The study highlights the unique challenges faced by LIY as they develop ambitious and realistic education and career goals.

A City College’s GED Students—Factors and Unanswered Questions

The goal of this study is to have a better understanding of today’s general education development (GED) students so proper services and support can be provided to meet their needs. Through students enrolled in GED programs in a health science career pathway–focused city college, the study learned the students’ employment status, career intention, and sources of finding the GED programs. It tracked academic year gaps between the students’ very first and current GED enrollment in the city college and found a mild correlation between student age and year gap. It also identified GED students’ unbalanced learning skills in math and reading.

Overcoming the Barriers to Successful Completion of GED Programs among Prison and Jail Inmates

This study examines the barriers faced by inmates participating in General Educational Development (GED) courses in prisons and jails, with the goal of proposing strategies for the removal of these barriers. By examining the literature surrounding prison and jail GED programs, the factors are categorized as those unique to each inmate (inmate factors), those experienced within the prison environment (environmental factors), and barriers that arise as a result of social conditions (outside factors). By examining various similar examples in the literature, solutions are discussed that have helped prison inmates overcome similar barriers.

Challenges and Solutions to Assisting Older Adults in Completing the GED

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges and solutions encountered by Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs currently serving older adults seeking a GED credential in states where this is the only high school equivalency option available. The following questions guided this research: (1) what are the perceived characteristics and needs of older students seeking a high school equivalency diploma?; (2) how do GED programs promote the success of their older students?; and (3) what are the future service and planning needs of these GED programs with regard to this population? To address these questions, a series of 55 one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with experts across 32 GED-only states was carried out. Findings revealed a consistent, shared experience in terms of overall attitudes and challenges among these experts, as well as a variety of innovative practices and recommendations for assisting older learners.