Meeting Performance Measures Versus Supporting Students? The Experiences of College and Career Readiness Professionals with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Wioa)

Since the 1960s, federal funding for adult education programs has decreased while the administrative requirements to receive funding have disproportionately increased. New program accountability standards, part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), increased the importance of performance measures, standardized testing, and post-secondary outcomes. Limited research is available at the state level about the experiences of adult education programs. This dissertation focuses on the experiences of College and Career Readiness (CCR) professionals in western North Carolina with WIOA's performance-based funding requirements, serving students, and maintaining state funding. CCR administrators from eight different community colleges in the western region of North Carolina were interviewed. Using interpretive policy analysis, findings were categorized into themes regarding performance measures, serving students, and maintaining state or program funding. This study offers new insights into the experiences of college and career readiness adult education program professionals in western North Carolina and the need for community college administration to be more involved and interested in learning how these programs can benefit the college and community.