Bridging Memphis‘ GED Gap: Expanding Access and Opportunity
Memphis faces massive inequities in high school completion and credential attainment that gate opportunities for thousands of adults. Over 85,000 Memphians lack a high school diploma or equivalency like the GED – a rate of 19.6%, much higher than Tennessee‘s average of 14.4% [1].
Table 1. Adult Educational Attainment (ages 25+), Memphis vs Tennessee/US
This education gap has profound economic and social consequences – nationally, those without a high school credential earn $10,000 less annually and face much higher risks of unemployment, poverty and incarceration [2]. They also lack the prerequisite skills and credentials to pursue higher wage jobs, technical certifications, and higher education.
However, by obtaining a GED credential through passing a series of high school equivalency exams, these uncredentialed adults can open doors to dramatically improve their mobility and livelihoods.
A GED signals to employers and colleges that applicants possess essential core academic and critical thinking abilities equivalent to high school graduates – granting access to better job opportunities, vocational training programs, and higher wage potential.
That‘s why GED-granting institutions and community programs play a crucial role by providing accessible and affordable test prep and educational support services tailored to adult learners seeking this recognized high school equivalency.
An Ecosystem of Providers Prepares Memphis Adult Learners
In Memphis, there exists an ecosystem of providers offering formal test preparation, tutoring, counseling and other support aimed at helping adults prepare for and ultimately pass the GED exams.
Major anchors of adult education include Southwest Tennessee Community College and Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Memphis, which respectively served over 1,600 and 1,100 GED-seeking students in 2021 [3]. As the area‘s largest community college and technical/vocational college, both are recognized statewide leaders.
Southwest Tennessee‘s Adult Education program is praised for its affordability, breadth of course offerings accommodating various levels, and structured pathway helping credential-seekers transition to college and workforce programs after completing their GED.
However, dated materials and limited individualized instruction pose challenges, especially for those with skill deficits ranging from elementary to secondary levels. With 46% GED exam pass rates, outcomes lag state and national averages [4].
Figure 1. Southwest Tennessee CC GED Program Stats
| Enrollees | 1,657 |
| Pass Rate | 46% |
Meanwhile, TCAT Memphis‘ unique Integrated Education Skills Training (IEST) program blends remedial academics with hands-on technical skills training in fields like welding, automotive repair, IT, healthcare and more.
This integrated and applied learning model, showing 93% exam pass rates, accelerates credential attainment while preparing transitional students for high-demand trade careers [5]. TCAT Memphis also actively works with industry partners to connect completers with apprenticeships and direct job opportunities. Its approach has made IEST an exemplary model TCAT now replicates statewide.
Local community-based organizations also provide accessible GED prep programming targeted at underserved neighborhoods. Shelby County Schools‘ Adult Education centers across over 20 locations countywide, while Memphis Literacy Council offers free classes through libraries, churches and community centers.
These local non-profits play an outsized role propelling credential attainment given Tennessee spends just $1.3 million on adult education – less than any state save Mississippi [6]. They rely predominately on philanthropic grants and federal pass-through funding.
Figure 2. Major GED Providers in Memphis
By tailoring programming to differing community needs – whether broad-access, skill-based, or socioculturally competent – this landscape of providers advances progress, if inconsistently, towards bridging Memphis‘ stark academic equity gaps layered by race and class.
Why Access and Support Falls Short
While Memphis benefits from having various types of GED preparation programs, significant barriers exist that prevent many adults from accessing, regularly participating in, and ultimately completing the sequence needed to pass the exams and earn their credential.
The above interlocking barriers contribute to the reality that nearly 60% of adults who start GED classes in Memphis end up stopping out before finishing them and attempting the exams according to local providers [7].
Financial pressures are most acute – juggling low-wage jobs, family commitments and economic uncertainty, many credential-seekers lack the time, resources or stability to sustain months or years of intensive test prep. For those lacking foundational skills or managing learning disabilities, self-directed preparation poses extreme difficulty.
Navigating transportation access and logistical costs like child care also routinely derail participation and attendance. Furthermore, inconsistent levels of family support and engagement influence persistence ranging the spectrum.
These adult life barriers demand programming sufficiently funded to provide wraparound supports – from case management to social-emotional guidance to emergency assistance funds.
Policy Recommendations for Expanding Support
Advocates assert expanding GED access in Memphis will require capturing local political will coupled with growing state investments that historically lag all Southern states.
I propose Memphis launches an "Adult Learner Initiative" entailing public, philanthropic and employer funded investments in:
- Universal free transportation via bus passes and ride share credits
- Free on-site child care and after-school programming
- Emergency housing and tuition assistance
- Bilingual Community Navigators guiding learners through social services and institutions
The City should also incubate partnerships with healthcare and technology anchor institutions to pioneer skills-based training programs with stackable credentials preparing adult learners for quality in-demand jobs.
Such an initiative would build on models launched in Nashville, Knoxville and other Tennessee cities demonstrating increased adult enrollments and GED completion rates when provider networks banded together to offer centralized wraparound services and transitional job pathways [8].
At the state level, Tennessee must bring adult education funding on par with benchmarks set by Sothern states at minimum. Channeling additional funds based on equity need indexes further ensures students with the greatest barriers access resources needed support credential attainment and upward mobility.
Conclusion: Memphis Deserves Better
Memphis suffers from vast inequities rooted in race, class and educational disparities that lock families into cycles of poverty and disadvantage generations of talent from opportunity.
Amplifying access to recognized high school equivalency credentials delivers a bridge to help thousands of the city‘s most marginalized adults secure advanced technical skills and knowledge needed to unlock better livelihoods and economic mobility.
Through organizing political will, social capital and intelligently deploying resources into evidence-based solutions, Memphis can actualize such promise and set an example for regional neighbors.
The blueprint and imperative exists. Memphis‘ families deserve the actualization of such promise set before the city‘s education system and economy.
Sources
- US Census Bureau (2021), American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
- United Way ALICE Report (2020). The Consequences of Insufficient Household Income.
- TN Dept of Education (2021), Adult Education Annual Report
- Southwest TN Community College (2022), Institutional Performance Outcomes
- TCAT Memphis (2022), IEST Annual Report
- Southern Educational Foundation (2022), Balance of State Resources for Adult Education
- Daily Memphian (2021), Bridging Memphis‘ GED Gap
- TN Higher Education Commission (2020), Adult Learner Demonstration Projects Report
