In this “Dear Colleague” letter, the Department of Education clarifies important information about student eligibility for Pell Grants and student financial aid. Through the Higher Education Act’s “Ability to Benefit” provision, federal aid will be provided to students without a high school diploma (or equivalent) if they participate in career pathways programs that meet certain criteria, which are described in the guidance letter.

In the latest issue of the Office of Child Support Enforcement's Child Support Report, practitioners can learn about programs and initiatives that help fathers deepen their financial and emotional commitments to their children. Topics include temporary custody, the Responsible Fatherhood Toolkit, Medicaid, collaborative partnerships, and more.

On July 1, 2015, the National Skills Coalition (NSC) hosted this webinar focused on opportunities for integration between the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) systems. The Webinar featured national and local experts to address key principles for aligning human capital investments to produce better outcomes for individuals and local economies.

This report describes some prominent career and college pathways programs and models, as well as identifies localities where this type of approach has gained the most traction. The authors discuss overall principles that characterize the most promising programs and provide recommendations for future investment to strengthen these types of initiatives.

Youth transitioning out of foster care and into adulthood need various supports to navigate the challenges they face. Recently, federal child welfare policy has significantly increased the availability of these supports. In 1999, the Foster Care Independence Act amended Title IV-E of the Social Security Act to create the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. This amendment increased funds available to states for independent living services including training in daily living skills, education and employment assistance, counseling, and case management. Although these funds can be spent on a wide range of services and supports, much of the funding is being spent on services aimed at promoting educational attainment, which has become increasingly essential to economic self-sufficiency and better lifelong outcomes.

This publication explains key provisions and implementation dates for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). It provides stakeholders with different opportunities to implement the provisions and programs enumerated in the Act.

On Tuesday, March 24, 2015, the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood (HMRF) Technical Assistance Team conducted a webinar entitled, “Keeping the Ship Afloat: Reducing Staff Turnover and Building Stability Systems.” The webinar provided context, challenges, and solutions associated with retaining staff and managing transitions. Featured speakers discussed promising practices and lessons learned from research and a veteran program with extensive experience. HMRF also released a factsheet that highlights effective strategies programs can use to retain staff and maintain services during staff transitions. Additionally, a supplemental checklist provides tools to manage and maintain staff commitment to the program.

This post from a TANF program specialist at the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) describes OFA’s efforts in improving TANF programs across the country. To share ideas about improving case management, integrating two-generation approaches, engaging workforce partners, and enhancing training, OFA has launched a national policy academy. The first groups to enter the academy are Connecticut, Colorado, Maryland, North Carolina, Ramsey County (Minnesota), Utah, Washington, and West Virginia.

Welcoming America’s Fostering Community Engagement and Welcoming Communities Project provides technical assistance to the nation's refugee resettlement network. The project offers new tools and support to create a robust community of practice across refugee agencies, mainstream providers, and geographic communities. It enhances and sustains resettlement work in local communities; builds new partnerships; promotes a positive community climate; and ensures the successful integration of refugees in cities and towns across the US.

Through this Request for Information (RFI), the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor sought to further support the development of high-quality career pathways systems by jointly soliciting information and recommendations from a broad array of stakeholders in the public and private sectors, as well as in State, regional, tribal, and local areas.