The Changes Project

SABES West
Holyoke Community College
(G Building, 3rd Floor)
303 Homestead Ave
Holyoke, MA 01040
directions

(413)552-2586
info@sabeswest.org

From 1997 - 1999, more than 30 adult learners (ESOL, beginning literacy, ABE, GED, and transition to college) from five Adult Basic Education programs in western Massachusetts conducted a participatory action research project focused on the impact of welfare reform, immigration reform and the changing nature of work on 620 of their fellow adult learners. The work of the Changes Project, as it is called, paints a picture of the impact of these three issues on the lives of adult learners at these five programs. The Changes Project was a project of the Western Regional Resource Center of the Massachusetts SABES System at Holyoke Community College and was funded by the Field Initiated Grant Studies Program of the Office for Educational Research and Improvement at US DOE.

The final report details not only the findings of the research and recommendations made by the researchers, but also describes in detail the process by which the research was conducted. Researchers make recommendations for ABE programs, fellow learners, legislators and policy makers. The experience and expertise of the participating learners described in the report serves as a basis for further discussion about the ways in which social policies and trends intersect with adult learners’ achievement of their education goals. The findings and recommendations bring focus to areas of challenge for learners, educators and policy makers and highlight avenues for reshaping policy and practice.

Holyoke Community College is the fiscal agent for this research project, which is funded by the Field-Initiated Studies Grant Program, Award #R309F70045, as administered by the Office for Educational Research and Improvement, the National Institute of Post-Secondary Education, Libraries and Lifelong Learning, U.S. Department of Education.

The contents of this report do not necessarily represent the positions of policies of the National Institute of Post-Secondary Education, Libraries and Lifelong Learning; the Office of Education Research and Improvement; the U.S. Department of Education; or any of the participating agencies, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.