Document Author: Kathleen M. Shaw

Market Rhetoric versus Reality in Policy and Practice: The Workforce Investment Act and Access to Community College Education and Training (2003)

This article examines the impact of the Workforce
Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 on access to community
college education and training. The market-oriented,
customer-focused rhetoric of WIA is compared to the
realities of WIA implementation in three states: Rhode
Island, Illinois, and Florida. The authors first discuss the
emergence of WIA in the context of recent marketdriven
pressures on community colleges. Next, they provide
an overview of the relevant components of WIA.
Finally, they examine how the implementation and practice
of WIA affects the ability of low-income populations
to obtain postsecondary education. They find that WIA’s
rhetoric, intended to promote educational quality and
increase customer choice, is not reflected in either formal
policy or implementation. Important policy elements
such as accountability measures and the focus on
multiple customers have undercut the rhetoric of free
choice. Thus, in practice, WIA has actually limited
access to education and training at community colleges.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Impact of Work-First Policies on College Access (2005)

The college participation rates of African Americans and Latinos continue to lag behind those of other
racial and ethnic groups in the United States, despite the efforts of financial aid and affirmative action
policies. Two recent federal policies that are “work-first” in nature threaten to further exacerbate
racial and ethnic disparities in college access. This article examines the complex ways in which
the 1996 welfare reform and the 1998 Workforce Investment Act differentially affect opportunitiesf or
college enrollment among disadvantaged adults. Utilizing national and state-level data, the authors
argue that both policies restrict access to postsecondary education through the implementation of
their guiding philosophy, “work-first,” which emphasizes rapid job placement as the strategy of
choice in achieving stable employment and moving out of poverty. These policies have reduced the
size of the clientele receiving welfare and restricted access to education and training for those who
remain on the rolls. Moreover, this reduction in access is particularly acute among African Americans
and Latinos. Thus, the findings indicate that these work-first federal policies serve to limit higher
education opportunities available to these already disadvantaged populations