New York State Postsecondary Education Summit

Change is coming to adult education through reauthorization of the federal Workforce Investment Act and federal policy. Adult education, like the nation’s K-12 schools and colleges, will play a key role to increase the number of New Yorkers and Americans who complete two years of postsecondary education.

The postsecondary systems in New York State, including non-credit and adult career and technical education programs, provide a broad set of instructional opportunities for New York’s adult citizens. Building on the successes these systems have had with making higher education a reality for adult students, the adult education system will be charged with creating and funding adult career pathways to help out-of-school youth and adults obtain the skills and credentials required for family-sustaining employment and rewarding careers.

All SED-funded adult education providers are encouraged to participate in both Summit I and Summit II.

In the light of postsecondary transition as a system change, the GED examination is being retooled and geared to much higher high school graduation standards between 2010 and 2015.

New York needs to prepare now for the future.

1. highlight both national and New York state models of best practice for transition into postsecondary education, with a special focus on models grown in New York;
2. provide information, tools and resources to move existing postsecondary transition programs to the future, and to implement models in each region of the State; and
3. provide an opportunity for networking and sharing among programs and colleagues to support and further the growth and development of New York State’s postsecondary system through more systemic connections with adult education programs.