Making the grade

By kim ciottone

A steady push to expand options for nontraditional learners held its place as a top line item for Central Mass. colleges and institutions throughout ‘05.

Recently released data shows that the average level of education of the state’s workforce, and the income of its residents, are projected to decline over the next two decades. Latest counts estimate that more than 1.1 million of the state’s 3.2 million workers do not have the skills required to perform in the state’s rapidly changing economy, according to the Boston-based Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth.

Those trends will continue unless the state can increase the number of Hispanics/ Latinos and African-Americans going to and successfully completing college, notes the San Jose-based National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Racial and ethnic groups that are the least educated represent the fastest growing populations in the state. If Massachusetts does not improve educational attainments of those populations, education insiders say, the percentage of the state workforce overall with less than a high school diploma will continue to rise. The number of residents achieving two or four year college degrees subsequently will decline. In a state noted for its brainpower and highly skilled workers, the trend could mean a major blow to the economic future of Massachusetts, and its ability to attract and retain employers.

UMass tackles minority issue

The UMass system, which runs campuses in Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell and Worcester, offers several programs to tackle those issues head on.

Completing a degree has a demonstrated, consistent and powerful impact on an individual’s life chances, says J. Keith Motley, VP for Business and Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts President’s Office. With those proven payoffs, Motley notes that community and state colleges offer more affordable options for many members of minority groups in Massachusetts.

One major approach to improving attainment levels of low income and minority populations is engaging students at the early stage of their education. UMass science professors are currently participating in a $12.5 million National Science Foundation program to improve science education for nearly 33,000 middle and high school students in the state’s public schools. Additionally, each of the college’s five campuses work closely with local K-12 programs.

"We don’t want to wait until we have them on our campuses. We want to begin to do this type of proactive intervention early, so we can inspire them to successfully obtain a college education," says Motley.

The approach mirrors measures being taken to counter a looming shortage of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students. A conservative projection by the National Science Board’s Science and Engineering foresees a 24,000-person shortfall of STEM skilled workers in Massachusetts by 2009.

Grant-funded through the Massachusetts Department of Education, with money from the No Child Left Behind Act, the LIFT2 (Leadership Initiatives for Teaching and Technology) program is one of several to recently emerge in the state. It is operated through the Metro/South West Regional Employment Board’s Center of Excellence. The program aims to motivate math and science teachers to use technology in the classroom by placing them in paid "externships" in corporate settings. The goal, Director Dave Cedrone explains, is to provide teachers with first- hand experience of real-time workplace practices and technology.

In terms of the future workforce, these types of proactive programs are highly important, say educators. Like many community and state colleges, the UMass system sponsors numerous workforce development programs, particularly in lower income areas, to allow more people to obtain marketable work skills.

In addition, higher education institutions know that some people are unable to make it to an actual campus setting due to transportation, family and scheduling issues. For those students, there is online. "UMassOnline has become a sort of additional campus for us, which allows us to do distance learning and encourage the success of more non-traditional students," says Motley. A national model of web-based distance learning, UMassOnline currently serves over 14,000 students.

A major challenge for UMass in 2006 and beyond is simply making more people aware that these new opportunities exist. Says Motley: "There are some folks who think that college is out of reach for them, because all they hear about is the high cost, particularly in the case of private colleges."

Community colleges: Targeting adults

At Mount Wachusett Community College, President Daniel Asquino believes that colleges in 2006 will need to spend more time addressing such issues as affordability, accountability of student performance, and retention.

And, in his view, the education system need to be tackling such issues well before students enter a college setting. "Clearly, when you look at the MCAS and high school graduation rates among minorities, they are much lower than for other groups," says Asquino. "When those students go to college, their dropout rates are also much higher."

More intrusive, rather reactive counseling, will be key to improving those declining retention rates, according to Asquino. MWCC’s offers two supportive tutoring services to students having difficulty in a class. The college’s Academic Support Center provides assistance with academics, and its Visions services, funded through the federal TRiO program, provides tutoring and an array of support services to qualifying students.

"There needs to be more of a wrap-around system of intervention so that we are being more proactive," says Asquino.

Additionally, higher education institutions need to have programs to make certain that when students do leave the campus, they can move right into the job market. A major trend for ‘06 and beyond, Asquino says, will be continued emphasis on Adult Basic Education programs. These include: English as Second Language and basic math skills for under-performing students, as well as for immigrants entering the workforce.

MWCC, located in Gardner, operates additional campuses offering such programs. At its Leominster Campus & Corporate Training Center, the college offers computer skills training and certificate programs to non-traditional learners. MWCC’s Devens Learning Center and Shriver Job Corps centers are open to all adult learners over the age of 16. Those programs are tailored to meet the needs of adult learners. Among the coursed offered: career preparation and planning, high school diploma and GED attainment and vocational training. The center also provides on-the-job training and placement support services.

Mass Bay Community College, at its campuses in Wellesley and Natick, also offers workplace literacy training in partnership with local businesses. These courses emphasize the integration of writing and computer literacy, mathematics competency, and adult basic education courses.

The Quinsigamond Community College Adult Basic Education Centers, located at the Worcester Common Outlet Mall, Plumley Village in Worcester and Assabett Valley Regional Vocational School in Marlboro, provide literacy skills for undereducated and under-prepared populations. The centers are also designed to be a full resource for organizations and companies to train their workers.

These satellite locations also offer public seminars that help individuals advance their careers, along with several of the college’s for-credit programs. The centers additionally provide training for front-line employees in need of basic English as a Second Language education, up to skills training for middle and senior management teams. The three sites serve a combined 350 students. However 1,204 students are currently on the waiting list for those programs, according to Christine Hebert, director of Adult Basic and Occupational Education at the Center. Approximately 25,000 people are on Adult Basic Education waiting lists statewide.

Rise of online learning

Online programs at Worcester State College continue to offer non-traditional students increased access. The programs allow students to pursue both degree track programs, as a well as certificates.

The online segment is growing very fast, says David Kelley, executive director of Massachusetts Colleges Online, which encompasses 22 colleges throughout the state, including Worcester, Fitchburg, and Framingham State colleges. "We are now up to 1,000 online course offerings," says Kelley. That has doubled since last year. Some of the colleges are experiencing 10-15 percent growth, and as high as 20 percent of their students enter through the online world, verses the traditional campus setting.

Online accessibility means that the state’s colleges and universities are reaching and attracting non-traditional. The online approach also appeals to those adults, including minority groups, who would not typically consider attending college for various reasons, including access to transportation. Says Kelley: "The only way for some non-traditional students to raise their economic opportunity levels is by taking courses online."

A call to action

The state currently provides $29.3 million to such outreach educational efforts. The federal government provides $10.5 million more in funding to Adult Basic Education programs in Massachusetts. Governor Mitt Romney’s pending Economic Stimulus Bill includes an additional $6.5 million in funding for basic adult education.

Many of the industries that have been driving economic growth in the state, such as high tech and advanced manufacturing, require a highly skilled workforce, says Michael Goodman, director of Economic & Public Policy Research for Boston’s UMass Donahue Institute. While the state Legislature has begun to increase funding for higher education, more is needed, says Goodman. "Adult Basic Education Programs, English as a Second Language and Basic literacy skills programs, need to be fully funded," he says. Doing so will not only improve the life chances and economic future of more people, but will also ensure a steady stream of skilled workers needed for business expansion.

"Overall there does need to be more investment in these educational institutions," says Goodman. "We need to put our money where our mouth is as a Commonwealth, and we need to make it easier for people to avail themselves to these options."

Kim Ciottone can be reached at

kciottone@wbjournal.com

SIDEBAR: How schooling pays 

Barring a turnaround in current trends, experts say, declining education standards could well result in lower personal income in Massachusetts – and a decrease of the state’s tax base. Per capita income in Massachusetts will decline by 4 percent from $25,998 in 2000 to $24,860 in 2020, according to projections in a report by the San Jose-based National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

The report shows the following ‘05 salary levels by educational level for Massachusetts:

• High school level graduates earned approximately $38,000

• Those with a bachelor’s degree about $60,000

• And those with master’s level degree about $80,000

The salary gaps between different levels of educational attainment are nearly 60 percent higher than they were in the 1980’s, adds Andrew Sum, director of the Northeastern University Center For Labor Market Studies.

Earnings for all males in the state who don’t have a college degree dropped consistently over the past five years. Says Sum: "The problem is that we have low-income white, African-American and Hispanic males who are doing horrendously in school, and the labor market isn’t there for them anymore."

K.C.