Access to Education Changes the Lives of Adults: Stories from the Joyce Foundation’s Shifting Gears Initiative

As part of Douglas Gould and Company's ongoing work with the Joyce Foundation's Shifting Gears Initiative, we recently developed a series of compelling stories about individuals that illustrated the power of adult basic education.

This project came about because the Joyce Foundation, its grantees and our team had the data to show that adult basic education has improved the lives of people across the Great Lakes region allowing them access to good jobs and entry to a long-term, family-sustaining career. There were very few stories illustrating the program's impact on the lives of people living in the region.

That's where we stepped in. Starting in September, 2011 the DG&Co. team spent three months in the field, interviewing students, faculty, program administrators and business partners.

• A woman in Ohio who dropped out of high school due to excessive bullying 17 years ago and returned to college to become a high school teacher.
• A visionary leader in Wisconsin who saw a need for adult basic education in Madison and built a revolutionary program that helps mid-career workers gain valuable skills and family-sustaining jobs.
• An advisor in Michigan who holds individual meetings with each adult student who comes through her program and helps them tailor their educational experience to their long-term career goals.
• A mother in Minnesota who immigrated to the United States as a child and after supporting her own children through school went back for her GED and a certificate in medical coding.
• A student in Illinois who will apply the skills he gained learning about tractors to his career and to sustaining his family farm.

While each person we interviewed was inspiring, the profiles we created go beyond individual stories. In each, the DG&Co. team focused on showing how the educational opportunities supported by Shifting Gears had a tangible benefit for communities, states and the individuals who enroll in them. The pieces became tools that could be used to advertise the programs, argue for more funding and push for policy change.

We developed approximately 20 profiles in total. To view all of the profiles, please visit Shifting-Gears.org.