Preemptive Adult Education

A recent study by the McGraw-Hill Research Foundation emphasizes that preemptive adult education saves society money by reducing costs of health care, welfare, and potential costs of incarceration. Yet the current economic climate has required states to cut budgets for adult education initiatives. The cost to the U.S. economy is significant. While the current unemployment rate is 9.1%, the unemployment rate for workers without a high school diploma is 14.7%. An estimated 74% of these dropouts will spend one or more years in poverty thus requiring public assistance, at a cost to the U.S. economy of $260,000 per recipient. Currently one million students drop out of high school before earning a diploma each year. Additionally, estimates indicate that 88 million adults in the U.S. lack either an adequate education or language skills, which both serve as a barrier to employment. Much of the at risk youth and young-adult population between the ages of 13-24 such as foster children, juvenile offenders, or teenage mothers will become one of these adult statistics lacking critical job skills. These individuals face a higher rate of unemployment or lower lifetime earning potential.There has to be a better way to reach these individuals and provide them with the education they need to succeed in life. share your thoughts.

Use end-of-year funds now for subscriptions you can activate later.

Many of our clients have indicated a need to spend funds before the end of the fiscal year.  These organizations have asked if they can purchase subscriptions to the Independent Living Skills program now and use them later.  The answer is “Yes.”  Your organization can purchase subscriptions now, and the twelve-month subscription will be activated when the student accesses the system.  This allows you to take advantage of critical resources to educate youth in transition.  We will work with you and your purchasing staff to coordinate the purchase and meet your needs.  Should you have any questions please feel free to contact us at 855-777-8032. Visit us on the web at http://www.smarthorizons.org/ils.

The National Association for Pupil Transportation’s Professional Development Series Online Training Open for Enrollment

The National Association for Pupil Transportation’s Professional Development Series Online Training Open for Enrollment

Tracking Learning Outcomes for Youth in Transition

As any hard working caseworker, foster trainer, or volunteer will tell you, one of the biggest obstacles to tracking the education of youth in transition is their constant mobility.  Each move is not only a life adjustment for the child or youth, it may mean a transition to a different caseworker, different training options, and perhaps even different methods of tracking outcomes.  In the era of internet cloud computing, an online learning management system could solve many of the problems that arise in these situations with regard to records and education plans. 

Online learning provides portability: regardless of placement or changes in housing, youth in transition can access a learning portal with any computer and an internet connection 24/7.  This connection can occur at home, at school, a public library, or even from a laptop or mobile device.  A good online educational program will be housed within a learning management system to track student records, progress, and transcripts no matter where that child is located.  The learning management system will show if the student has completed certain courses and how they are progressing. User privileges can be established by the learning provider, so that the child’s records can be accessed with login permissions.  If the child moves to a new municipality or state, complete access can be granted to the new caseworker.  This creates a seamless transfer of records without unnecessary delay. The juvenile court system and court appointed advocates can use these transcripts as proof that the youth has completed all required training to emancipate out of the system.  For those serving foster youth who are receiving educational training vouchers, copies of transcripts, grades, and schedules can be stored and easily accessed within a secure learning management system.

Online training programs can reduce the number of required instructors, thus allowing caseworkers to focus their time on critical skills development while simultaneously providing them with a better tool for tracking student progress.  A good learning management tool can upload traditional course materials, such as workbooks, assessments, or PowerPoint presentations.  This allows for the online training to be coordinated with traditional training programs. 

The goal for every jurisdiction is to prepare youth in transition with critical life skills before they age out of the system.  However, given the current economic climate, most municipalities struggle to maintain budget while not sacrificing care.  An online training program with a robust learning management function can be a much more cost-effective method of delivering quality instruction.  Classroom space is not required, as training can be done from the comfort of the youth’s home or school.  The training is self-paced and progress is recorded in real time, making it more convenient for both the student and the caseworker.  A learning management tool allows caseworkers to focus on problem areas and therefore more efficiently allocate resources for the child.  Finally, for students who have difficulty with traditional classroom settings, an online program may better fit their educational needs.

Inde Pendent: The New Face of ILS

The Smart Horizons Independent Living Skills training program is all about empowering youth to independent living. For this reason, Smart Horizons has contracted Inde Pendent to be the face of our Independent Living Skills program. Inde has taken the world of ILS training by storm. As a result of Inde's rocketing to fame and fortune,  Inde's manager re-negotiated Inde's contract to include an extensive collection of props and wardrobe pieces.

Here, Inde begins as a blank slate as it were. This is Inde Pendent prior to ILS training:

Here, Inde has begun the transition to independence with the acquisition of skills for Health and Leisure:

Moving forward, Inde takes on Financial Management skills and gets a briefcase to carry them in:

Once Health and Finances are shored up, Inde moves on to personal and professional growth in Relationships. To try out the new communication skills, Inde gets a cell phone:

Inde is ready for the other Life Skills. These are the keys to unlock all of the other doors to independent living:

Finally, Inde is ready to move toward a career as an Independent adult. The Career and School catalog is the final needed piece to an exciting transition to independence:

Find out more about Inde Pendent by visiting us at Smart Horizons. Join Inde's friends on Facebook and Twitter for all of the updates and developments with this exciting new venture.

Fla. counties to use online training for school bus drivers - News - School Bus Fleet

Fla. counties to use online training for school bus drivers - News - School Bus Fleet