“Over 26 million adults in the U.S. currently have no high school diploma, more than 3 million have not attended college and are earning less than a living wage, and over 8 million have not attended college and speak little or no English” (7).
The quality of life of these 37 million adults must be very low because of their lack of education. There seems to be a strong correlation between the post-secondary degree and a so called living wage: people who hold college degrees in general earn more than people without one. The 8 million adults who have not attended college and speak little to no English are probably finding themselves in the worst position than others: since they speak little to no English, their chances of getting a decent job are very slim, and that, in turn, makes it almost impossible to pursue the elusive and desirable American dream.
“The good news is that adults are making up an ever larger share of the total enrollment in postsecondary institutions. By 2004, adults made up approximately 43 percent of total enrollment at community colleges (includes full-time and part-time)”(7).
It seems that adults now are more aware of the correlation between the post-secondary education and better quality of life, and are attempting to improve the said quality of life, whether financially or in terms of self-improvement. Their enrollment in the post-secondary institutions like community colleges that are designed to cater to the needs of adult learners confirms commitment to improving their lives.
“Nontraditional students—for example, those who have delayed enrollment in postsecondary education, work full-time while enrolled, or have dependents other than a spouse—were more likely than traditional students both to participate in distance education and to be in programs available entirely through distance education” (8).
Since non-traditional students have a large "workload" (a full-time job, family to support, etc.), it is only natural that they were very likely to sign up for courses that are offered online or remotely and do not demand a student's presence in class on a particular date and time. Online/remote courses allow non-traditional students the flexibility of tailoring their education according to their personal needs.
“States vary significantly in their success in moving students through this traditional educational pipeline. . . . But reliance on and attention to the traditional educational pipeline alone will not be enough” (22).
The fact that in some states the students present in the traditional educational pipeline still have problems moving through it, shows that traditional education does not guarantee a successful outcome. Therefore, in order for non-traditional students, who because of various factors find it even more difficult to obtain post-secondary education, to be successful, states have to take into consideration the amount and needs of non-traditional students and adjust the traditional educational pipeline to meet those needs and offer more educational choices outside of the traditional educational pipeline. Offering financial aid for part-time non-traditional students could be a great start.
My quote: "Approximately one in five adults nationally has some college experience but no degree. At the state level, proportions in this category range from of 27.5 percent in Alaska to 15.5 percent in Massachusetts, but most state proportions of adults with some college and no degree cluster around the national average of 20 percent" (26). Adults with some college experience but no degree inhabit a virtual grey area: they do have some college experience but not enough so that they can apply (and ultimately get) for high-paying jobs. They are not qualified for some jobs and somewhat over-qualified for others. And the fact that there is quite a large number of them (one in five, nationally!) means that there are less people in the workforce who could potentially make a huge difference. This group of people should be the primary target for the national and state educational programs because since they do have some college experience, they might be more inclined to go back to college to complete the degree.
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