Established in 1998, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries’ TANF Literacy Initiative is a collaboration between the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS). Library and community-based literacy programs offer basic literacy instruction to TANF participants with up to 30 hours of weekly instruction in reading, math, writing, and life skills. After initial assessments by DHS staff, TANF participants are referred to local programs where they remain until they are employed or reach a sixth-grade proficiency level and are referred to other DHS education partners. The TANF Literacy Initiative is supported by funds provided to ODL by DHS. Participating programs receive resources, support, and funding.

The Survey of Adult Skills, a product of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), measures the proficiency of working-age adults (16-65 year-olds) in three key information-processing skills: literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments. In addition, the survey collects information on the reading- and numeracy-related activities of respondents, their use of information and communication technologies at work and in everyday life, and on a range of generic skills, such as collaborating with others and organizing their time, required of individuals in their work. The first cycle of the Survey of Adult Skills was conducted over three rounds of data collection, surveying around 166,000 adults aged 16-65 years in 24 countries (or regions within these countries) in 2011-12. Nine countries (or regions within these countries) took part in a second round of data collection in 2014-15 with 50,250 adults surveyed, and a third round of 34,972 adults was conducted in 2017-18 in six countries (including the United States).

This Lumina Foundation brief offers a synthesis of third-party evaluations that measure and assess the impact of strategies used by two-year colleges to improve adult completion of non-degree credential programs. Strategies include the use of academic and non-academic student supports, the creation and implementation of career pathways, and the deployment of prior learning assessments. The brief also offers data pointing to the limited labor market opportunities for the more than half of Americans ages 25 to 64 who do not hold a postsecondary credential.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation report is a feasibility evaluation of the Bridges to Pathways (Bridges) program. The Bridges program addressed youth ages 17 to 21 exiting the criminal or juvenile justice system. Through the program, participants who did not have a high school diploma earned this credential. They also engaged in social-emotional learning workshops, and participated in a subsidized internship. The Bridges evaluation is included in OPRE’s Subsidized and Transitional Employment Demonstration and assessed the Bridges program’s impact on 480 participants and their outcomes for employment, earnings, and decreased criminal activity.

This recorded webinar from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, as part of the Leading With Evidence: Informing Practice With Research series, illustrates tools piloted by states to assess the fiscal implications of services offered for children and families under the Family First Act. Key webinar features include guidance on how to estimate: costs for delivering evidence-based programs and case management; revenues used to offset costs, including Title IV-E funds and how to assess other revenue sources, such as Medicaid, to cover service delivery; and cost savings in spending on out-of-home placements by implementing prevention services.

This Urban Institute report examines the extension of foster care eligibility to age 21 and the extension of support services for foster care youth through 23 years old. The report looks at the challenges and practices of implementing extensions by child welfare agencies and supportive services providers. The report also covers recommendations for creating child welfare systems that are responsive for young adults.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation brief looks at factors that contribute to readiness of individuals and organizations to adopt quality improvement practices within the early care and education (ECE) field. The brief defines “readiness” and suggests that the measurement of readiness has not occurred widely, in part due to a lack of readiness measures that are customized for ECE. This brief suggests potential new readiness tools and adapts these measures from other fields to support broader use of quality improvement initiatives.

This Administration for Children and Families (ACF) blogpost, published by the Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, describes activities associated with this year’s observance of National Runaway Prevention Month to raise awareness of the challenges that face homeless youth. This commemoration focuses on prevention services and promotes greater understanding of why young people are homeless; in many cases, youth are asked to leave home or do so because they see no other way to improve their situation. The Family and Youth Services Bureau is cited as a key player in the effort to end youth homelessness, domestic violence, and adolescent pregnancy.