Following up on Judy's earlier e-mail -- this terrific interview with a researcher and education advocate for people in prison helps illustrate why Pell for incarcerated people (and people with certain criminal records) is SUCH a big deal. Amazing step. (Obviously it's also connected to the Ability to Benefit issue -- as so many incarcerated folks are in ABE/ASE and not yet ready for higher ed, or could benefit from IET but haven't had access to it.) ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: American Institutes for Research <piaac@air.org> Date: Fri, Dec 18, 2020 at 3:42 PM Subject: PIAAC Buzz December 2020 To: <amandabs@nationalskillscoalition.org> Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser <https://mailchi.mp/40b20e060cf2/piaac-buzz-december-2020?e=91fdccbdc5> [image: cf4f6944-ab34-4427-8766-e0e8b24b0ef4.png] *Asking the Experts: Q&A with Steve Steurer* <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=3f7cc85670&e=91fdccbdc5>On October 21, 2020, AIR staff interviewed Dr. Steve Steurer, Volunteer Reentry/Education Advocate at CURE National and a member of the Correctional Education Working Group at the Barbara Bush Foundation, to answer some questions about the PIAAC U.S. Prison Study and his new report, called *How to Unlock the Power of Prison Education* <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=b16fdd80dd&e=91fdccbdc5> . Below is the transcript of the Q&A. *1. In your report, you indicate that it was based on PIAAC data. Why did you use PIAAC data as the source? Why not other sources?* *Steve*: The biggest thing that has happened in recent years was the RAND study about recidivism <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=e44f77aae3&e=91fdccbdc5>, but it was not about education per se. I have been to a number of PIAAC meetings and thought about how important the PIAAC study was. PIAAC is more about correctional education itself—not research into the results of education for the incarcerated—and the RAND study is about what happens afterward. So, I thought PIAAC really laid out what areas of skills were lacking after people leave school, either before or during incarceration. That is an important aspect because in corrections, we tend to justify programs for politicians and for the public by saying what the impact is and why it should be funded. PIAAC gave us another viewpoint and was more important to bring out in this report. In addition, there are only a few studies that employ a statistically significant design and prove the impact of correctional education, as the RAND study points out. Read More <https://mailchi.mp/40b20e060cf2/piaac-buzz-december-2020?e=91fdccbdc5> *2. You focus on showing the value of education in prison and despite what research shows, you indicate government is not willing to fund educational programs. First, please explain the significance of investing in education for those who are incarcerated; also, what do you think are the reasons for government not supporting it? * *Steve*: Years ago, when I first started, there was no research showing crime reduction after someone gets an education. We had to rely on legislators to support funding correctional education without this research. Some legislators are proponents for education behind bars, and others could not care less about it. A number of politicians say, “Show me education makes a difference and we will fund it.” So, working with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, we did a study in three states (Maryland, Ohio, and Minnesota) looking at 3,000 inmates and their outcomes after release and saw a strong correlation between schooling and a drop in recidivism. That still was not strong enough because it showed correlation but not causality, but then RAND came out with a much stronger study. After the RAND study came out, I thought more legislators would want to fund correctional education, but it instead turned into an issue because budgets were tight and there were other priorities, such as security and substance abuse programs. There was less money for correctional programs overall because imprisonment was the prevalent focus and because the economy took a big dip in the early 2000s and again in the 2010s. Even with scientific proof, it did not seem to move the needle toward more support for correctional education, so there is a lot of work left to be done. Read More <https://mailchi.mp/40b20e060cf2/piaac-buzz-december-2020?e=91fdccbdc5> *3. What are the most significant PIAAC prison study results? Any surprises? * *Steve*: We knew that if someone does not get a good GED score, he or she probably won’t do well in college or career training. However, a PIAAC assessment can give us a much better idea of their deficits. We need to place more attention on computer literacy skills. Reading and writing are important, but technology is important too. We cannot exist anymore without technology skills. People in prison do not keep up with the current technology skills that those in society learn every day. Read More <https://mailchi.mp/40b20e060cf2/piaac-buzz-december-2020?e=91fdccbdc5> *4. What are the educational needs of those who are incarcerated, and what percentages of inmates are seeking education? What kind of quality education is available to them?* *Steve: *The size of the educational need is immense. The majority of inmates, until recently, had not earned a high school diploma. Even with larger numbers of high school completers, estimated generally at around 50%, many inmates barely have the skills needed to succeed at the college level or enter an advanced career training program. In my 40 years of experience in Maryland prisons and jails, I’ve found that most people behind bars want a better education. Frequently, they are drop-outs and special education students with negative educational experiences, but I watched as many of them experienced success in a prison classroom and became motivated to pursue more education. There are few behavioral problems in a correctional classroom because it is usually a positive place to be. Most states provide literacy, high school level, and career vocational programs in prison settings. However, because Pell grants were eliminated in 1994, there are not as many college-level courses as there used to be. In every state and the federal Bureau of Prisons, the majority of incarcerated people do not have an adequate enough education or the workplace skills they need to make enough money to succeed in society today. Yet we have minimal educational and workplace data on this population. For example, we have no idea of how many GEDs or high school equivalencies are being produced. Data from the three high school equivalency tests—the GED, TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion), and HiSET (the High School Equivalency Test)—are not publicly available. There is no centralized national clearinghouse for this information. We also do not know a lot about the funding and how much each state puts into correctional education. Recently, we asked Florida for some data on student enrollment among inmates and how many are in school on a daily basis. Only 5% of their prisoners are involved in education. Read More <https://mailchi.mp/40b20e060cf2/piaac-buzz-december-2020?e=91fdccbdc5> *5. What are the main obstacles to providing a quality multi-level educational program in prisons: policies at the state and national levels? the number of teachers? the number of service providers? What are the main obstacles?* *Steve*: In the paper, I tried to lay out the problems with the system itself. Yes, we need better education program policies at the federal and state levels. The federal Bureau of Prisons and many state models are very weak and, as a result, do not adequately integrate education programs into the current federal and state reentry models of program delivery and individualized planning. However, there are several other issues that create obstacles to providing more and better education in prisons. They include bureaucratic problems, poor incentives for people to participate in education, weaknesses in the re-entry model in terms of educational planning, a lack of current educational technology in the correctional classroom, poor state and federal funding for postsecondary education, and weak enforcement of education program standards. Read More <https://mailchi.mp/40b20e060cf2/piaac-buzz-december-2020?e=91fdccbdc5> *6. What are some of the approaches related to the education and upskilling of inmates? What are the differences in these approaches, and which have shown promise?* *Steve*: Unfortunately, there was not much data available to answer questions about what approaches are better or how many hours of instruction are needed to upskill students. We have seen cooperating businesses and colleges develop programs in many states, but, as I mentioned earlier, very few correctional and education agencies conduct solid research to determine outcomes or whether programs are based on good instructional designs. There is no way to tell that one program is better than another because we do not describe programs well, collect much long-term data, or follow accepted standards. Read More <https://mailchi.mp/40b20e060cf2/piaac-buzz-december-2020?e=91fdccbdc5> *7. Please explain two or three key effective and proven policies that are needed for improving educational reform in prison. What barriers exist to passing effective educational reform that would improve the education and skill levels of the incarcerated population? How can PIAAC data help?* *Steve*: Policy number one involves incentives for people to participate in education programs. Some states encourage people to go to school by awarding time off their sentence as an incentive. If someone gets 6 months off their sentence, that is a pretty good incentive. For example, Indiana awards 6 months for a high school equivalency certificate and gives other time awards for completing career certificates and college programs. The incentive systems really need to be looked to for rehabilitating students, a primary purpose of corrections. Another policy area involves making educational programs mandatory for corrections departments. There are federal and, sometimes, state laws for the learning disabled that many state correctional programs do not follow. Read More <https://mailchi.mp/40b20e060cf2/piaac-buzz-december-2020?e=91fdccbdc5> *8. What do you see as the biggest gap in research related to education and training programs in prisons? How can the PIAAC prison data help to bridge this gap? * *Steve*: There are great gaps in research about the kinds of programs that are most effective, how much education is needed to have an impact, and what kinds of delivery systems are most effective. The RAND study indicated some of the deficits and I discussed some of that in the paper. For example, more research needs to be done on the skills necessary to succeed in work and college programs. In general, the correctional population lags behind similarly educated people in the free general population in such skills. Research in the non-incarcerated community indicates that you could probably show greater success for incarcerated individuals if you brought them up to a certain minimal skill level. Maybe you could show that by bringing them up to a solid PIAAC Level 3 or higher, the recidivism rate would be significantly better. Instead, many, in and outside corrections, currently believe that those who get their GED are ready for success, even though the PIAAC research indicates that it is not nearly enough. Lots of people with a GED or a regular high school diploma still lack the requisite skills for success. If you could raise their PIAAC level by providing them with programs to develop the skills they lack and follow them after release, I suspect those with higher skill levels would be found to do better. There is a need to do other research to find out what types of academic and career programs have better payoffs for students and society, but I would like to see more PIAAC research in corrections overall. ------------------------------ Stephen Steurer was the executive director of the Correctional Education Association, a national teacher organization advocating for the education of incarcerated youth and adults in the United States, from 1986–2015. He was coordinator of correctional academic programs (literacy through high school) from 1973–2004 for all adult prison education programs and juvenile justice education under the authority of the Maryland State Department of Education. He has written extensively in correctional and educational journals and consulted on many federal- and state-funded projects, including the 2014 RAND Corporation correctional education recidivism studies. He worked as a consultant to the RAND Corporation for best practices research funded by the U.S. departments of Justice and Education, the Council of State Governments Reentry Resource Center, and the Vera Foundation for Pathways postsecondary education project in New Jersey, North Carolina, and Michigan. He was also a professor of criminology at the University of Maryland from 2010–2015. Additionally, Steurer is an education/reentry advocate for CURE National, associate advocate for Maryland Correctional Education Enhancement Associates, chairperson of the Criminal Justice Education Working Group for the Barbara Bush Foundation, and a correctional education consultant evaluating and creating education programs for the incarcerated population. He was an original founding member of the Barbara Bush Foundation in 1990. Steurer's career began as a teacher in middle and high schools in Chicago and Washington in reading, history, English, and Italian. Steurer received his bachelor's degree from Loyola University of Chicago, his master's from Georgetown University, and his doctorate from the University of Maryland in Secondary Education, Reading Disabilities. ------------------------------ What's New 62.7 Million U.S. Adults Have Low Numeracy Skills <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=1317063ef4&e=91fdccbdc5>Using PIAAC 2012/2014 data, the NCES Data Point *Adult Numeracy in the United States* and its subsequent Outreach Toolkit module take a closer look at the numeracy proficiency levels of adults in the United States, in addition to examining factors such as race/ethnicity and nativity status. Some key findings are: - Nearly one in three (30%) U.S. adults may have difficulty making calculations with whole numbers and percentages. - White adults make up the largest percentage of U.S. adults with low levels of numeracy (39%), followed by that of Hispanic (28%) and Black (26%) adults. View the NCES Numeracy Data Point here <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=fdbeead2d5&e=91fdccbdc5> . To view and integrate slides from the numeracy data point PowerPoint <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=979e59f1d2&e=91fdccbdc5> in your presentation, go to the PIAAC Outreach Toolkit <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=6a1a6f9d72&e=91fdccbdc5>. How many low-skilled adults are there in the U.S.? Why are there different estimates? Over the last decade, several different estimates of the number of adults in the U.S. with low literacy and numeracy skills have been reported. A new section on the NCES PIAAC FAQ page ( https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/faq.asp#6001 <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=ffb2c172e3&e=91fdccbdc5>) compares these estimates and gives more context about the different populations and datasets that are used to measure the estimates. For more details about these estimates and their differences, check out the FAQ on the NCES website: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/faq.asp#6001 <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=86fb8b4f6a&e=91fdccbdc5> . ------------------------------ Using the PIAAC Skills Map for Adult Education Advocacy Tool <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=a452d5c504&e=91fdccbdc5>Last month, ProLiteracy published a new adult education and literacy advocacy toolkit available to download online called Advocacy Toolkit for Adult Education and Literacy: How to Increase Public and Private Support Using PIAAC Data <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=69e91d8907&e=91fdccbdc5> . The toolkit features the PIAAC state and county literacy and numeracy estimates <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=faeb8db057&e=91fdccbdc5> and provides information and best practices on how to use these estimates to craft effective messages directed at policymakers, funders, and other stakeholders in order to promote adult education and local literacy programs. The toolkit’s audience is primarily individuals who are new to advocating for adult education and literacy, program directors of adult education and literacy programs, and state and citywide adult education and literacy associations and coalitions. ------------------------------ Did You Know? Non-U.S.-born adults comprise 24 percent of the population with low numeracy skills but only represent 15 percent of the total population of adults. <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=e6d51ec9dd&e=91fdccbdc5> Visit the NCES-PIAAC website <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=8ccb66b788&e=91fdccbdc5> to see more results. ------------------------------ Researchers’ Corner New PIAAC Data Training Videos on the PIAAC Gateway <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=e8817f623c&e=91fdccbdc5>The Educational Testing Service (ETS), in collaboration with AIR and with funding from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), conducted a series of training workshops from 2017 to 2019 to help researchers explore and use the PIAAC data and assessment tools. As part of this effort, video recordings of these training workshops have been made available for those who could not participate. The video presentations cover the same content presented during the workshops. View the videos on the PIAAC Gateway <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=9504c19303&e=91fdccbdc5>. ------------------------------ Press Corner - “Low Literacy Levels Among U.S. Adults Could Be Costing The Economy $2.2 Trillion A Year” (9/9/20, *Forbes) *Read more › <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=309117f059&e=91fdccbdc5> - “Better Learning Outcomes Can Help Kick-Start the Economy” (8/26/20, *Center for American Progress) *Read more › <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=60aff61609&e=91fdccbdc5> - “Interactive Skills Map: Key Tool for Comparing Adult Proficiency Levels” (7/16/20, *Westat*) Read more › <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=a2721c54d4&e=91fdccbdc5> - “The School of Life: Do levels of education and skills influence the health risks of COVID-19?” (6/20/20, *The Forum Network*) Read more › <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=1a58784c43&e=91fdccbdc5> Visit the PIAAC Gateway Pressroom <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=b26b54cf2e&e=91fdccbdc5> to view more news articles. ------------------------------ Take Action What are some strategies for promoting PIAAC at the local and state levels? This is a question that has been posed to us by readers of the *Buzz*. Here are some suggestions on how you can help: - Forward this e-mail and encourage others to sign up for our newsletter <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=41d12f5ec1&e=91fdccbdc5> . - Use the PIAAC Outreach Toolkit materials <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=cb3771903f&e=91fdccbdc5> to enrich your presentations or blogs or strengthen your funding proposals and outreach flyers with valid, reliable, and actionable data on subjects such as low-skilled workers, the health status and skills of older adults, and parental education. - Let us know <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=20cf5e09d5&e=91fdccbdc5> if you have an upcoming PIAAC-related event and we will post it on the PIAAC calendar <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=184484fbbc&e=91fdccbdc5> . - Download and print our infographics <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=5a5b02816d&e=91fdccbdc5> to learn more about PIAAC and share the printed copies with your colleagues and at conferences or other events. - Post information about PIAAC on relevant websites, blogs, and discussion lists. Do you have an outreach plan, research topic, or program related to PIAAC that you’d like to share with others? Would your organization benefit from a PIAAC presentation, webinar, or guest speaker? Contact us at piaac@air.org . ------------------------------ Educate & Elevate Campaign [image: Educate & Elevate] <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=d96b8ec80a&e=91fdccbdc5>AIR is a proud partner in the national Educate & Elevate campaign <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=8b0b01d8d7&e=91fdccbdc5>, which educates policymakers and communities about the importance of adult education. ------------------------------ The AIR-PIAAC Team Jaleh Soroui AIR PIAAC Director jsoroui@air.org Saida Mamedova Senior Research Analyst smamedova@air.org Emily Pawlowski Research Associate epawlowski@air.org Katie Herz Researcher kherz@air.org Jasmine Bitnara Park Senior Researcher bpark@air.org Becca Shipan Research Assistant rshipan@air.org Alex Lesniak Research Assistant alesniak@air.org Adam Klaits Research Assistant aklaits@air.org The PIAAC Buzz newsletter is a collection of resources and articles on issues related to PIAAC both in the U.S. and in other participating countries. The newsletter is developed by the American Institutes for Research PIAAC (AIR-PIAAC) team. Find PIAAC on Facebook <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=57b429f7d3&e=91fdccbdc5> | Forward to a friend <http://us7.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=c0d5a37b86&e=91fdccbdc5> *Copyright © | 2020 | American Institutes for Research | All rights reserved.* [image: American Institutes for Research (logo)] <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=9f6794c9f0&e=91fdccbdc5> *PIAAC is funded by the National Center for Education Statistics of the U.S. Department of Education* Unsubscribe from this list <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=fb209fa5b1&e=91fdccbdc5&c=c0d5a37b86> | Update subscription preferences <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/profile?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=fb209fa5b1&e=91fdccbdc5> This email was sent to amandabs@nationalskillscoalition.org *why did I get this?* <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/about?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=fb209fa5b1&e=91fdccbdc5&c=c0d5a37b86> unsubscribe from this list <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=fb209fa5b1&e=91fdccbdc5&c=c0d5a37b86> update subscription preferences <https://air.us7.list-manage.com/profile?u=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&id=fb209fa5b1&e=91fdccbdc5> American Institutes for Research · 1400 Crystal Drive, 10th floor · Arlington, Virginia 22202 · USA [image: Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp] <http://www.mailchimp.com/email-referral/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=referral_marketing&aid=d594c8ec6a0ea81ef5da0c3f4&afl=1> -- *Amanda Bergson-Shilcock*, Senior Fellow *National Skills Coalition* Pronouns: she/her/hers 1250 Connecticut Ave, NW Suite 200 Washington, D.C. 20036 215-285-2860 (mobile) *www.nationalskillscoalition.org <http://www.nationalskillscoalition.org/>* [image: GuideStar Member]