A summary of current demographic trends, best practices, and federal initiatives in adult literacy is presented as a reference for practitioners in the field who are involved in delivering education services to adults with limited English skills. The report is based on U.S. Department of Education annual state adult education statistical and…

The four papers in this series were commissioned for the first meeting of the National Commission on Adult Literacy, which met in Nashville on November 14, 2006. The first paper, "Adult Education and Literacy Legislation and Its Effects on the Field," provides the basic provisions of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA,…

This document provides an overview of programs and activities in adult and secondary education, along with statistical data about adult education efforts in the United States. The first part of the document presents seven short sections about council functions and programs in adult education. Included in these sections is the following…

This report presents the findings of a rapid response inquiry about the new training opportunities afforded through an amendment to Section 353 of the Adult Education Act that increased the state set-aside for innovative demonstration projects and teacher training projects. The report also describes a number of activities supporting the newly…

This 310 Special Project performed the following activities: (1) reviewed 10 years of Pennsylvania's materials funded under Section 310 of the Adult Education Act and published six "FOCUS on Curriculum" bulletins describing outstanding projects; and (2) prepared a 1985 addendum to Pennsylvania's listing of publishers' materials for adult…

This special demonstration project was undertaken to field test and disseminate a curriculum entitled Emergency English for Refugees (EER). Designed to meet the immediate English language needs of pre- and non-literate adult refugees and immigrants, the EER is a 26-unit competency-based English-as-a-second-language (ESL) curriculum that deals with…

This document explores selected issues related to connecting welfare reform initiatives and the literacy movement and provides basic information about literacy education and its economic impact. Literacy is defined, and similarities and differences between adult basic education, adult secondary education, and English-as-a-Second-Language programs…

Florida supported a wide range of educational activities for adults through an extensive network of public and private agencies during fiscal year 1989-90. In 1990, 419,429 adults participated in adult education programs. Adult educational programs assisted adults in completing requirements for U.S. citizenship and getting off welfare. A total of…

This paper presents a historical overview of the field of bilingual education and vocational education. The extent of the need for bilingual vocational education is described along with the status of current programming. The description of the state of the art includes program design, assessment practices, instructional materials, personnel, and…

This document contains project abstracts for 29 adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) demonstration programs that were conducted in Pennsylvania in 1997-1998 through grants funded under Section 353 of the Adult Education Act. Each abstract includes the following: project name, number, purpose, impact, outcomes, conclusions/recommendations,…