The directors of adult education from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories met to discuss implementation of the National Literacy Act and Adult Education Act (AEA) and to begin the process of developing recommendations regarding reauthorization of AEA in 1995. The forum discussions centered around the following aspects of…

A study examined basic skills programs at 21 Illinois companies. Most of the top managers interviewed recognized the basic skills training needs of their work forces; however, only 14 of the companies actually offered workplace basic skills programs. Three major motivating factors were identified as catalysts for beginning a program: a drive for…

A demonstration project was conducted in three diverse, multiethnic Western Pennsylvania communities to use older adult tutors to improve Head Start parents' literacy skills so that these parents could aid and encourage the development of their own children's literacy. During the project, the partnerships in two Pennsylvania counties developed and…

The Basic/Technical Literacy project at White River Vocational Technical School in Arkansas implemented a comprehensive curriculum to raise students' basic reading and technical literacy levels in their chosen skill area. During the project, master vocabulary lists for each skill area were developed, and self-test worksheets and study guides were…

This 1975 handbook consists of three books to be used, together or independently, by administrators in developing, implementing, and evaluating an adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program. The first book, an administrator's checklist, is designed as an inventory that specifies succinctly the critical and significant program elements. The…

The study is intended to begin the process of collecting, coordinating, and disseminating basic information about adult literacy projects and classes in England. Spanning the years 1950 to the present, the data are based on questionnaires sent to all listed adult literacy projects in England. Following a review of the history, background, and…

Emphasizes that since adults seek basic reading instruction for a variety of reasons (e.g., to further job status, to improve skills for their children's sake), planning programs should provide theory-based instruction that focuses on learner needs. (NKA)

This book offers a new and promising way to support adults in Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) programs specifically, and learners in adult education, in general. Applying renowned Harvard University psychologist Robert Kegan's constructive-development theory, Drago-Severson depicts an in-depth…

Background: Even though action research has been employed in an increasing number of fields of practice including teaching, nursing, and business, application in learning has been scarcely reported. This case study is one of the first attempts to apply action research principles to help learners improve their learning performance. Purpose: This…

This document presents congressional testimony regarding effective early childhood education. Opening statements presented by Representatives Michael Castle and Dale Kildee focused on the need to examine the effectiveness of early childhood programs and address the "pre-achievement gap" between disadvantaged and advantaged preschoolers.…

The New Horizons for Primary Schools (NHP) was implemented in 72 government schools in Jamaica, from 1998-2005. The program provided support to schools on the basis of needs identified through the preparation of a School Development Plan (also called a School Improvement Plan). This independent evaluation report first compares the schools in the…

A product-based professional development model has significantly improved the ability and willingness of P-8 teachers to use and integrate technology into instruction. This paper discusses the impacts this staff professional development model. The model was used to train 18 teachers to effectively use and integrate technology in their ESL…

Responds to Hiebert's 1994 article in Educational Researcher in which she criticized Reading Recovery (RR) advocates for failing to base RR's success on an adequate cost-benefit analysis. The authors suggest reliance on the informal judgements of local administrators rather than using administratively difficult, large-scale, cost-benefit analyses…

Effects of a restructured Chapter 1 program (RCP) on 45 first graders' literacy were examined. RCP students could read a primer fluently and performed better than comparison groups (students in the regular Chapter 1 program and classroom peers). Improvement was particularly apparent for those with the lowest initial readiness scores. (SLD)

Explores benefits derived from the "Gardendale Family" (a vertically aligned team of K-6 classrooms). Describes how older students give guidance, feedback, and validation to those in lower grades as the younger children become active members of the literacy community; and how students use written and oral language in authentic and…