This guide describes a model for a community-based literacy program for older adults that uses older adults as tutors. Guidelines are provided to program sponsors for implementing literacy education for older adults. Chapter I provides an overview of the problem of illiterate older adults and literacy education for them. Chapter II addresses the…

Adult illiteracy is a complex, costly, and growing social problem. Three common areas of controversy related to the problem are: (1) definitions of adult literacy, (2) characteristics of illiterate adults, and (3) the purposes of literacy education. Illiteracy can be understood only in relation to a culture's definition of literacy. Due to…

Description of the California Literacy Campaign instituted by California State Library highlights statewide commitment to provide public library services to help adults attain English-language ability and local projects. Examples of several projects (e.g., Modoc County Adult Tutorial Program, Tri-City Literacy Coalition), and community-based…

Media reports suggest widespread illiteracy among adults who may not be able to read, write, speak, or otherwise communicate competently enough to meet the demands of modern society. No consensus has been reached regarding a definition of illiteracy or supporting statistics. Estimates of adult illiteracy range form 0.5% to 50%, meaning that of the…

This annual report of the National Advisory Council on Adult Education highlights the activities undertaken by the Council during Fiscal Year 1987. These activities included the following: (1) co-sponsorship with the University of Pennsylvania of a symposium, "Towards Defining Literacy" (an overview of the work of the symposium is…

Four adult education programs serving homeless persons in Wisconsin were evaluated. Data were gathered through site visits, a review of program documents, and a survey of 43 homeless individuals served by the programs (7 percent of the total population served). Participants expressed very positive feelings about the programs. Many reported that…

This packet of materials was created to help literacy professionals, social agencies, volunteers, and media representatives promote literacy efforts in Michigan, especially during Literacy Action Month (September). The materials can be used to support literacy in the community, in democracy, in the family, and in economic development. Items…

A study was conducted to provide a preliminary overview of what is known about how adult education programs work and to identify issues that should be addressed in future nationally representative studies. Data were gathered through a literature review, informal interviews with state adult education directors in eight states serving a large number…

For the past 18 years, Federal policy for adult literacy has been contained principally in the Adult Education Act of 1966 and in the administration of the program it supports. When this Act was passed, few programs for adult literacy existed in the states; thus, the Act authorized 90 percent Federal funding in order to encourage states to develop…

This guide is designed to assist volunteer tutors participating in an adult literacy program. Discussed in the first chapter are the meaning of the term functional literacy, the way in which we get meaning from print, and word identification skills. The next two sections deal with the history of literacy education in industrialized countries and…

This book contains an introduction and 11 essays describing reading and writing projects in which adult literacy learners enrolled in the following types of programs participated: adult literacy and/or language classes, refugee groups, oral history and reminiscence projects, and community publishing and writing workshops. The following essays are…

In 2000, approximately 877 million adults worldwide were illiterate and 113 million children did not attend school. More than two-thirds of those individuals lived in East and South Asia, and two-thirds were females. Functional illiteracy remains high in developed and developing nations alike. The reasons include weak training in how to teach…

This document is a summary of the proceedings of a symposium that was attended by more than 100 adult literacy practitioners, researchers, and government officials in Ontario (Canada). The largest part of the document consists of summaries of the issues and policy/program options discussed in relation to the following aspects of adult literacy…

The history of American prison education from 1650 to the present can be divided into five periods. Generally speaking, the education provided in prisons has been loose, fragmented, and essentially reflective of the prevailing local prison administration. Although the trend has been toward the adoption of a more enlightened view toward inmates and…

A portrait of illiterates and literacy programs in the United States in the 1980s is derived from this summary of the most up-to-date, valid information that could be obtained from a literature review. The first section on adult illiterates identifies data sources, numbers of illiterates, and characteristics of the five main groups (the elderly,…