The Adult Education for the Homeless (AEH) program was initiated with funds provided through the McKinney Act of 1987. During its first 4 years, the AEH program served over 100,000 homeless adults. In 1991, 34,000 adults participated in AEH programs in 31 states; nearly half were women. Approximately 60% of those served were between the ages of 25…

The literature on retention of adult learners strongly suggests that previous educational attainment is closely tied to participation and persistence. Educationally disadvantaged adults are more likely to lack self-confidence and self-esteem, have negative attitudes toward education, and need mastery of basic skills such as literacy before…

The purpose of this monograph is to describe a model for the infusion of career development in adult basic education (ABE) programs and to provide guidelines for program administrators and facilitators. Career development theory is applied to adults, and the specific career needs of ABE students--who are apt to be from disadvantaged…

Although volunteer tutors traditionally have formed the basis of the programs of Laubach Literacy Action and Literacy Volunteers of America, volunteers have begun to play a greater role in adult literacy instruction provided through community-based organizations, correctional institutions, churches, and federally funded adult basic education.…

The need for a better educated work force has created a corresponding need for workplace literacy programs. A number of issues have emerged as the focus of literacy education has shifted from improving social mobility to providing employment-related literacy programs. Some of these issues are related to the need for more resources for workplace…

This guide to the burgeoning literature and resources on workplace literacy begins with an overview describing issues and trends in the development of the literature base. Hints for locating and selecting workplace literacy resources in Educational Resources Information Center--ERIC and other databases are provided. An annotated bibliography of 87…

Research has suggested that many adults choose not to participate in available literacy programs because they equate literacy education with school. Two new directions in adult literacy program development are being explored in an effort to make programs more appealing to nonparticipants. The first is connected to program content and the second…

Workplace literacy programs have been viewed as the way to raise workers' basic skills so they could perform more effectively in increasingly complex work environments. As these programs have proliferated, so have the number of issues associated with workplace literacy. Some issues are related to assumptions underlying the need for workplace…

This paper is a descriptive presentation of the state-of-the-art of competency-based adult education (CBAE). Readers are provided first with a brief history of the development of the concept and are presented with basic terminology. Then, because CBAE is multi-dimensional, varied notions of functional adult education are discussed and major…

The literature base on workplace literacy is continuing to develop at an unprecedented pace. As of March 1995, the ERIC database contained over 900 items indexed with the term "workplace literacy." Of those publications, nearly 400 (44%) were added since 1992. The following trends have been observed in the workplace literacy literature since 1992:…

The increase in the number of youth under age 18 enrolling in federally funded adult basic and literacy education programs is a trend that is putting increasing pressures on programs designed to serve an adult population. Documenting the extent of the trend is difficult due to the way in which federal statistics on age of program participants have…