As an Instructor and the Administrator of a large countywide GED program from 1994 – 2005, I coordinated with the State Department of Education office and the local school districts of the city and surrounding suburbs. In addition, we were able to work with federally funded programs – including the Literacy Initiative, colleges and universities, community organizations, area businesses in the private sector, and Education and Training (E&T) agencies - that included Workforce Development training to high school, college, and GED students and job seekers of all ages 14 through senior citizen. Further, we operated a Family Literacy and drop-in childcare program for students’ and job seekers’ children and other relatives. We were fortunate enough to have 4 clinics in our building for referrals back and forth among our services.

All this occured under the funded system operating previous to the Workforce Investment Act, although some of these programs can be found today around the country. Links at the end of this article will show you how to find them.

I also operated a Medical Office Training Program that graduated two classes of 12-14 individuals each, or 26 in total, along with a GED certificate if they had not already achieved that goal. Of these students, 21 (81%) found and held full-time occupations in medical offices, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, dental offices, veterinary practices, and similar office settings. This was a high percentage compared with similar community E&T programs in the state, many achieving less than 60 or 70% success. Our classes taught medical terminology, business English and writing, work readiness skills, and certified Receptionist Training based on a proven curriculum.

At the height of our programming, we assisted record numbers of students and job seekers to attain a GED or high school diploma, achieve US Citizenship, learn English as their second language, and attain jobs or start businesses. For example, at the beginning of the 2000s, in one year January 1 – May 1, we referred and helped place approximately 600 individuals into part-time and full-time jobs. Our staff consisted of myself, 7 student interns, and 2 volunteers. Motivation to achieve and to enjoy doing it was foremost in our success.

Form time to time during those years, we were fortunate enough to have a second paid staff member and during those period, we ran work simulations that combined all aspects of GED/high school core classes, work readiness, and work skills that included customer service. Twice, we successfully operated a simulated restaurant for a day at the end of a class year, complete with food and decor. The project entailed planning the restuarant as a business, floor plans, ordering, inventories, menus, prepration, serving, inspections, hiring & interviewing, and dozens of related tasks. 

Other innovative educational programming kept students and job seekers interested. After School programs and Summer Employment for youth in middle and high school were great additions that provided work skills training, paid internships, and other benefits like college high school/college credits from a few sites. 

This was just my own corner of an E&T agency. In another division, one particularly super Employment Counselor created an E&T program with the help of a local truck driver’s training school and a nearby motel. This counselor was able to place homeless individuals that were motivated to succeed into a free room and board situation for two weeks or more while they completed certified truck driving school with a CDL license.

The school placed the graduating students into jobs immediately after graduation and some of the drivers lived in their trucks for two to four weeks, at which point they could afford rent. A few studied for GED certificates and received those as well at a later date. This was a fantastic program.

Other programs included high school arts and sciences training in state parks. and other course routes that were different. The major key seemed to be hands-on project based learning, which in many settings works better than any other style or type.

Horizontal teamwork was also essential, with all members contributing. A particularly exciting program was one in which high school students went to high school at a local Metropolitan Zoo and earned a high school diploma with possible college credits, learned about related occupations, worked in summer jobs, and achieved a head start in college with transferred credits from this educational program.

During these years, you can see that the discipline of education created several new and alternative pathways for attaining a high school diploma and a vocational or college education.

Some of these innovative programs cut costs and times required to graduate by a significant amount.

A portion of these excitingly efficient programs allowed students to graduate from a 2-year community college with both a GED (General Equivalency Diploma for high school certification) and an Associate’s Degree (AA) in a chosen field at the same time. Other programs awarded college credits for high school coursework.

One option in education is kind of multigenerational campus. In some cities, a high school campus is located on the grounds of and connected administratively to a college or university campus. The high school students may enroll in both institutions (dual enrollment). In other cities, high schoolers may still procure dual enrollment at the local college or university, even though they are separate entities. Another option is that of achieving college credit for performing well in high school Advanced Placement Classes.

One Korean model of this system is prominent on a university campus in South Korea upon which elementary school students attend school M-F and half a day on Saturday and train in Taekwondo and physical fitness as well(physical training 3-4 hours a day). Their education proceeds from there smoothly to the university level. The elementary school itself produces a national demonstration team of young black belts. I have seen them up close and can say that training 20+ hours per week produces a jaw dropping group of youngsters - happy, excited but in control, intelligent, verbally gited, eager to work, creative, high-endurance, mannerly and respectful, confident but not conceited. In America, we have some magnet schools that are physical education based and produce similar results.

In addition, some of our nation's cities host community schools, charter schools, and magnet schoolsdedicated to producing high school graduates that are also certified in MOUS, C+, and other Information Technology(IT) certifications. These students can graduate from high school and step into a high paying career.

Where Can You or Your Child Find These Options?

ZOO SCHOOLS- Check the website of any zoo for information about a zoo school, or call the zoo Not all zoos have these schools onsite, but many do. Don't be confused by short-term "zoo school camps" for kids and/or adults that last for only one week. These are great, but you are looking for a high school or a full school of grades K-12 on the campus of a metropolitan zoo. Often the class size in smaller than in other schools, which is advantageous.

DUAL ENROLLMENT - Check your own city or county for schools and school districts that offer such programs as the following. Or, call your State Board of Education and ask about dual enrollment in high school and college or vocational/technical school. In fact, some high schools offer a Career Center in which students earn vocational certificates as well as high school diplomas.

• PAVTEC- Portland, Oregon. High school articulated credit program at Portland Community College: PCC Dual Credit. At least 43 high schools participate in this program. A cost is involved.
• Post Secondary Education Option - Ohio. FREE! -- Qualifying Students attend college free and receive both high school and college credits. College credits apply to a degree at many colleges and universities.

GED & COLLEGE - At least 1 in 7 (14%) high school diplomas earned in the USA each year come from passing GED Tests, first administered in 1942 and updated regularly..

• City College of New York (CUNY)- GED, Adult Basic Education (BE), ESOL, transition to college. All Burroughs of NYC.
• GED PLUS - GED and College - Florida GED PLUS College Preparation Program Implementation Guide.
• NEXT STEP- Clarkston, Georgia. DeKalb Technical College GED Transition Program - GED preparation and testing, followed by vocational/technical training and certification. Partners with Community E&T Organizations, school systems, corrections facilities, and private business.

OTHER COMBINATION PROGRAMS - Distance & Online Education Options - Full Listings and Review.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES - High school classes for college credits. Search the colleges to see whether they accept the credits. Hundreds of schools accept these credits.

COLLEGE CREDIT FOR LIFE EXPERIENCES - Check the link at Back to College and then contact local colleges and universities for similar programs.

COLLEGE-CREDIT BANKING - Example --1) What is a Credit Bank? 2) International Credentials Evaluation.