The quality of a literacy program can be assessed by taking into account the following factors: purpose of the program, how the program meets the most important current needs of the adult population, if it is accessible to the people who need services, and whether the literacy content is relevant to learners' needs. Flexibility of funding also is…

The Casco Bay (Maine) Partnership for Workplace Education was a federally funded workplace literacy program that provided customized basic skills education at seven business sites in the Portland area. The partnership served more than 2,000 employees from 1993-96. Program characteristics included the following: ongoing and self-directed learning;…

A YWCA-based family literacy model curriculum in Elgin, Illinois is described. In 1990, the Elgin YWCA had the following program components in place: six daytime and five evening ability level classes for adults taught by certified teachers; a preschool English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program for 3- to 4-year-old children of adult students;…

The purpose of the developmental project described in this report was to provide intervention to learning disabled adults through individualized tutoring. During the project, the following activities were implemented: (1) information sessions on learning disabilities were conducted to raise awareness of the problem; (2) 20 adults, double the…

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…

This report contains two sections: a summary of a conference on state literacy initiatives including the agenda and list of participants, and a series of profiles of the literacy efforts of individual states. The four issues identified and discussed at the meeting were (1) development of state initiatives; (2) coordination and expansion of state…

The following papers are included: "Seminar's Focus on Practice Puts Action on the Human Level" (Margaret Gayfer); "Literacy: What Do Definitions Tell Us?" (Carman Hunter); "The Practice of Literacy in the Netherlands" (Ella Bohnenn); "The Approach of Popular Literacy Groups in Quebec" (Louise Miller); "Perspectives and Lessons from the Adult…

Project LIFE, which began in October 1987, was a model program that involved a coalition of community agencies in addressing the problem of adult illiteracy in a community college setting, enhancing participants' employability, and providing them with career adaptability. To improve outreach efforts, program planners made heavy use of commercial…

In Malawi, adult literacy deserves immediate attention in order to promote health, family planning, and productivity. While policy commitment for adult literacy promotion has not been lacking, intensified action has been. In 1979 the government accepted the Unesco Mission Report to undertake a functional literacy program on the successful…

The FLITE (Family Literacy Involvement Through Education) program is a partnership between a public school in the Bronx, New York, and the City University of New York that brings together two federal funding streams (FAMILY FIRST: Family-School Partnership Program and Even Start) to provide adult literacy, parenting education, and early childhood…

India has made considerable progress toward universal primary education but has the dubious distinction of having the highest illiteracy rates in the world. Stringent endeavors are being made at the national, state, and district levels to eradicate illiteracy through mass approaches and programs. Extension is recognized as the third dimension of…

The Adult Learner Competencies Project included literature research and consultation with adult education practitioners in Pennsylvania to establish learner competencies that could be used by all adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) providers in the state. During the project, existing and emerging lists of adult learner competencies were…

This report provides an overview of projects funded under Section 353 of the Adult Education Act (1991) that support Ohio's efforts to develop individual growth and leadership in the field of adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) and program improvement. The programs profiled are grouped in the following categories: resource centers; ABLE…

Extensive reading is an approach to teaching reading that has been utilized with English as a Second Language (ESL) learners, but not widely used in the adult literacy classroom. This article investigates whether this approach can be utilized in a classroom for adults who have difficulty with reading. A description of our implementation of…

The series "Self-instructional Notes on Social Participation" is a six volume series intended as teaching aids for adult educators. The theoretical, methodological, informative and practical elements of this series will assist professionals in their work and help them achieve greater success. The specific purpose of each notebook is…