Education Services
Guidelines
Reentry education includes adult education, career and technical education, postsecondary education, and such other evidence-based approaches as cognitive-based instruction. Providers also should consider adopting the career pathways approach; creating integrated education and training (IET) programs; integrating employability skills into the curriculum; developing student recruitment and retention strategies; and using advanced technologies to enhance instruction and improve students' digital literacy skills.
Career Pathways
Reentry education providers should identify existing career pathways or develop new pathways for their students. Career pathways include many of the same components as the Reentry Education Framework—partnerships, service alignment, and multiple entry and exit points.
Integrated Education and Training Programs
Reentry education providers should seek to connect students with integrated education and training (IET) programs that combine basic skills and workforce instruction. IET programs may be offered in correctional facilities and in the community.
Employability Skills
Reentry education providers should seek to integrate employability skills—the general skills necessary for success in all jobs—into their instruction, or to develop a program focused specifically on these skills.
Establishing a Partnership Agreement
Reentry education providers should develop a plan for:
- Recruitment in prisons: Identify students most likely to benefit from educational programming.
- Recruitment in jails: Raise awareness of community programs and offer accelerated training opportunities.
- Recruitment in community-based programs: Refer students to community partners and regularly follow up with students.
- Student retention: Provide wrap-around services and engage former students as mentors.
Educational Technology
Providers should consider one of the following secure approaches to give students and staff access to online resources:
- Disconnected Internet: Providing access to offline files identified by facility staff.
- Point-to-Point: Operating a secure line between the facility and a vendor.
- Restricted Access: Allowing only permitted content to be viewed.
Tools
This graphic illustrates findings from a brief on using educational technology in corrections and describes three common approaches and the benefits and challenges of adopting technology in correctional facilities.
Resources
- Career Pathways Toolkit: A Guide for System Development Organized around the six key elements of career pathways, the tool kit suggests action steps and offers tools to support the development of career pathways systems.
- College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education A set of college and career readiness standards identified by experts and focused on content most relevant for adult learners.
- Educational Technology in Corrections 2015 Overview of and recommendations for using advanced technologies in correctional facilities, with discussion of emerging approaches and lessons learned.
- Educational Technology in Corrections video A brief video highlighting the benefits of providing access to advanced technologies in correctional education.
- Employability Skills Framework Identifies key employability skills in an interactive framework and shows connections among skills identified by major national and state initiatives.
- Findings from the Accelerating Opportunity Evaluation Describes findings from evaluation of an initiative focused on strengthening the transition from adult basic education to postsecondary education.
- Gig-economy: Opportunities and Challenges for People with Criminal Records Provides tips to help individuals determine whether and how to take advantage of the flexible employment arrangements in the gig economy.
- Health Care Opportunities for People with Criminal Records Provides tips to identify potential opportunities in the health care industry for people with criminal records.
- Moving Pathways Forward: Supporting Career Pathways Integration Provides targeted technical assistance and an email-based information services to promote career pathway implementation.
- National Reentry Resource Center Provides a searchable resource collection on a variety of reentry topics, including correctional education and employment.
- Reentry Mythbuster: On Information Technology Access Describes approaches to offering limited Internet access in correctional institutions, including its use for education and education-related activities.
- Registered Apprenticeships for Reentry Provides tips and recommendations for adapting registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships to the corrections and reentry contexts.