Blog
Adapting Study Design to Address Recruitment Challenges
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The Teaching Skills That Matter–SkillBlox (TSTM-SkillBlox) instructional support pilot was designed to help adult education teachers integrate instruction aligned with the TSTM framework, a U.S. Department of Education initiative supporting learners’ academic and employment goals. At the center of the pilot was SkillBlox, an emerging digital application that enables teachers to find, organize, and share open educational resources aligned to TSTM skills and topics. Teachers also received professional development webinars and ongoing support to apply TSTM…
Blog
From ESL to HSE: How a New Curriculum Helps Build Academic English, Civics/History Knowledge, and Digital Literacy
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by John TrerotolaCILIA-T (Content Integrated Language Instruction for Adults with Technology Support) is a comprehensive curriculum that has been designed for adult learners with the goal of enhancing students’ academic English skills, civic understanding, and digital literacy. (While the CILIA-T curriculum is primarily leveled for adult ESL classrooms, it also includes many elements that can be effectively adapted for pre-HSE and HSE settings. As a GED English and Social Studies teacher—and as a member of the team that developed CILIA-T—I have incorporated…
Blog
Adapting Proven Math Models for Adult Learners
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When the Adult Numeracy in the Digital Era (ANDE) team set out to design and pilot a new adult numeracy course in Pennsylvania, they began with an ambitious idea: could successful mathematics expertise and technology originally developed for K–12 and postsecondary settings be meaningfully adapted for adult basic education (ABE)?
Blog
Disseminating Throughout Development
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The Content-Integrated Language Instruction for Adults with Technology Support (CILIA-T) was designed to integrate civics, U.S. history, and academic English with digital skills development through a 16-module open-access curriculum. From the outset, the team recognized that dissemination needed to be more than a final step at the end of the grant period. Building visibility early, even before the curriculum was complete, would help generate interest, cultivate partnerships, and support eventual adoption. This required new thinking: what can be shared when the…
Event
NASWA 2026 Winter Policy Forum
The Winter Policy Forum is a gathering for NASWA state workforce members to discuss current and developing trends in the workforce system and how they will be affected by changes occurring in the national landscape. The meeting focuses on collaborating with representatives from the Administration, Congress, U.S. Dept.
Blog
Building SkillBlox with the Right Development Partner
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SkillBlox was envisioned as a free application to help teachers find, organize, and share digital learning resources aligned with the Teaching Skills That Matter (TSTM) framework. Rather than serving as a complete curriculum, it was meant to be a flexible lesson design tool, allowing educators to curate high-quality open educational resources into “Blox” of activities they could use directly with learners. The promise of SkillBlox was to make instructional planning more efficient, collaborative, and aligned with evidence-based teaching practices.
Event
The Forum 2026 - NAWB
The Forum (sponsored by the National Association of Workforce Boards) is the premier annual event for workforce leaders, employers, educators, and partners working to build stronger communities and competitive economies. It’s the one place where policy, practice, and partnership come together, equipping you with the insights, resources, and connections to drive impact at home.
Event
SXSWU EDU
SXSW EDU is 300+ sessions and workshops across 4 days in Austin, where inspiration and creativity are unlocked, with 15+ powerful films and performances, 2 trailblazing competitions, 50+ interactive exhibitions, and 120+ mentorship and networking opportunities that spark new possibilities in education.
Event
National Skills Summit 2026
The 2026 Skills Summit is an advocacy-focused convening for workforce policy champions who are eager to protect workforce investments that workers, local businesses, and our economy rely on - while shaping a more fair and prosperous future for everyone. Held in Washington, DC on February 5-6, 2026, the Skills Summit is a chance for NSC’s network of practitioners, workers, students, and employers to influence members of Congress at a pivotal moment – before key funding and implementation decisions are made.
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Announcement: Researcher-Practitioner Collaborations in Adult Foundational Education
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The CREATE Network has released a new resource: “Researcher-Practitioner Collaborations in Adult Foundational Education: A Brief on Strategies for Engaging Practitioners in Research on Interventions.” This brief discusses strategies for Adult Foundational Education (AFE) researchers to use in collaboration with state and program staff in designing, implementing, and evaluating AFE interventions.
