Examines assumptions (such as "every adult can read to some extent" and "adult students will be well motivated") held by a veteran high school social studies teacher before he began teaching adults how to read. Discusses how some of the assumptions were valid, some invalid, and others partly valid. (RS)

Designed to provide a comprehensive literacy reference for public libraries, this handbook presents a glossary of terms, background information on functional literacy, and brief reviews of 14 additional topics: (1) literacy statistics; (2) adult performance levels; (3) the problem of adult education; (4) illiteracy generates itself; (5) about…