Adult education's mission is a critical one. It seeks to provide the large and diverse population of adults who lack basic skills, a high school credential, or English language skills with the competencies they need to be productive workers, family members, and citizens. Federally funded adult education serves learners in three types of programs:…

Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 directs the federal government to conduct a national assessment of adult education, including activities to understand the extent to which adult education strategies positively affect learners. A systematic review of the research on the effectiveness of particular strategies in adult…

The U.S. Department of Education's Policy to Performance project was funded in 2009 to build the capacity of state adult basic education (ABE) staff to develop and implement policies and practices that would support an ABE transition system. Policy to Performance states were selected though a competitive process. State adult education directors…

The "Policy to Performance Toolkit" is designed to provide state adult education staff and key stakeholders with guidance and tools to use in developing, implementing, and monitoring state policies and their associated practices that support an effective state adult basic education (ABE) to postsecondary education and training transition…

This technical assistance paper provides guidance to individuals with test administration responsibilities in adult education programs. These policies apply to the approved assessments that programs may use to report educational gains in compliance with the National Reporting System (NRS) requirements. The NRS is the accountability system for the…

The key to success in Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs is a philosophy of high expectations. The philosophy accommodates both client and societal concerns. Highlights of the philosophy include the following: respecting the client's goals; giving nonjudgmental acceptance, constant encouragement, and emotional support;…

The Army's Basic Skills Education Program (BSEP) was studied to consider whether it was properly designed to determine the basic skills needed in Army jobs and to be effectively implemented. Information and reports on BSEP were reviewed, and three major commands were selected for evaluation. In designing the program, the Army did not identify the…

This handbook illustrates the process of alliance building through the experience of the Arlington (Virginia) Adult Learning System (AALS), an alliance of adult education providers in Arlington, Virginia. (The purpose of AALS is to facilitate the assessment, training, counseling, and transitioning of adult learners of English as a Second Language…

This handbook records the creation, development and growth, and stumbling blocks and successes of the Prison Literacy Project (PLP). It is intended to serve as a model for other community groups that are developing their own literacy projects. The handbook provides a history and philosophy of PLP, states PLP's vision and purpose, discusses need,…

This report presents results from interviews with a sampling of experienced Equipped for the Future (EFF) users. Chapter I provides background and context for this initiative. Chapter II provides facts and figures from the field and presents questions posed and interviewees' views. The questions are as follows: (1) Why did you or your organization…

The Iowa Adult Basic Education Assessment Study was conducted to document the qualities of excellence, accountability, and purpose that are present in Iowa's adult basic education (ABE) program. A six-step documentation procedure included creation of an ABE task force; submission of written assessment reports from ABE coordinators; development,…

This 1975 handbook consists of three books to be used, together or independently, by administrators in developing, implementing, and evaluating an adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program. The first book, an administrator's checklist, is designed as an inventory that specifies succinctly the critical and significant program elements. The…

This report describes 45 adult literacy education programs in New York State funded under Section 353 of the Adult Education Act. The projects are grouped in the following categories: statewide initiative grants; installation grants (GRASP--Giving Rural Adults a Study Program, external high school diploma grants, Job Club grants, adult career…

In an era of rising public criticism of education and decreasing resources, strategic planning can be a major tool for educational administrators who wish to respond to the increasing challenges their adult literacy programs face. Strategic planning can be defined as a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and…

This report is designed as a guide for policymakers and practitioners interested in designing more effective staff development practices. It provides information about elements of effective staff development practices identified through a review of research and site visits to nine staff development programs identified as providing effective…