State governments, school systems, and local communities are increasingly aware that social problems must be addressed in the context of education reform since many of these problems limit students' ability to learn. Unchecked, these problems have a high social and financial cost in that they prevent young people from becoming self-sufficient…

Families in urban areas struggle with drug abuse, poverty, increasing housing costs, and lack of affordable child care. The challenges confronting urban schools include a higher dropout rate, higher youth unemployment, and the need to address a variety of special needs of their student population, such as programs for pregnant students, dropouts,…

This document profiles 31 federal programs from which funding for adult literacy may be available. The document's three sections present descriptions of the following types of sources of funding and programs: (1) single pieces of legislation that contribute the major federal share of federal support for adult education in the United States; (2)…