When labor, management, and literacy educators collaborate to develop a learner-centered literacy program, literacy educators must be willing to learn about the work and lives of industrial workers. The Academy at Eastern Michigan University is an alternative to traditional adult basic education that engages adults in collaborative learning.…

A literacy program incorporating adult learning principles was designed using functional materials and an appropriate methodology, and the feasibility of this program was assessed in an adult basic education setting. Analysis of achievement data indicated that the application of adult learning principles to adult literacy resulted in effective…

This conference report on adult basic education in European prisons contains the following introductory materials: a list of participants, the program, and introductions to the seminar by Frank Dunne and Pierre Freynet. "Keynote Address" (Robert Suvaal) discusses five items a prison educator must deal with: philosophy, position of…

This document contains a congressional hearing on S.1016, which would provide financial assistance for the establishment and operation of Literacy Corps programs. (The Literacy Corps would enlist college students to tutor in reading and math for 6 hours per week in a 10-week semester). Testimony includes statements and prepared statements from…

Summarized the reports of the committees that have been involved in planning all types of adult education programs in Finland. (JOW)

The ideal learning center is, in essence, a living definition of competency-based education. Such a center has the capability of meeting the diverse needs of adult school students while at the same time raising the coping skills or competencies of its participants on an individualized basis. (Author)

Estimates of the true extent of illiteracy among the United States's adult population vary widely. The Department of Education has estimated that there are 23 million illiterate Americans and an additional 46 million American who function only marginally in an increasingly technological society. Federal support for adult literacy began in 1965…

This statement of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, focuses on the approaches that provincial ministers have taken to address the problem of adult illiteracy. First, it sets out concisely the nature and extent of functional illiteracy in Canada. Second, it describes a sample of the initiatives already under way to create effective…

Recent new patterns in Mexico-United States migration are examined briefly, and the implications of each for planning and implementing adult education programs are discussed. The patterns noted include: (1) migration of greater distances and from new areas in Mexico, both to border areas in Mexico and to locations in California and the West Coast;…

This bilingual exploration of program-based research discusses research in the everyday life of literacy programs and is also an account of one practitioner's personal experience. The first part explains the concept of program-based research. The second part reports on the relative lack of research in this area and gives a brief analysis of the…

Addressed to professionals involved in program evaluation, this working paper covers various aspects of evaluation planning, including the following: planning as a sociotechnical process, steps in evaluation planning, program planning and implementation versus evaluation planning and implementation, the literacy system and its subsystems, and some…

This paper describes seven ideas that would help a literacy program work well. Some examples are given to show how each idea could be used in different parts of a literacy program. Some questions are also listed that could stimulate discussion about each idea. The seven quality guidelines or ideas are as follows: (1) community focus--a good…

This report presents a conceptual and structural framework for adult education staff development in Virginia. It recommends to Virginia adult educators and policymakers a set of structures to support staff development activities and then offers a philosophy to guide activities within those structures. The report first traces 2 years of a staff…

Although the federal government, the private sector, and local literacy providers all have important roles in national literacy policy, the goals, shape, and content of the system for enhancing adult literacy in the United States will be developed and implemented by the states. A national commitment to adult literacy will thus mean different…

The author discusses four major issues that confront the development of required basic education: the huge number of people needing education; the extreme poverty of these people; the increasing number of those in need of education; and lack of success in past attempts at combating ignorance and illiteracy. Also, a basic education delivery system…