The states should expand their efforts to provide literacy education to state employees, regardless of the type of job they hold or where their job is located. Every government agency whose employees work with or have contact with persons likely to need literacy education should assume identification and referral responsibilities. Likewise,…

Six demonstration projects were conducted in England to identify and help meet the basic communication needs of individuals who embarked on work-related skills training. Unemployed adults were divided into two strands. Strand A concentrated on those adults who without significant help with basic communication skills would be unable to reach the…

A study was conducted to determine the costs of illiteracy in Canada and to suggest future efforts to combat it. Research was conducted by interviewing 35 persons involved with education in Canada, such as officials of the Ministry of Skills Development, other government officials, statisticians, employment service personnel, representatives of…

This guide is intended for use in developing informational materials intended to be read by adults with limited reading skills. Most of the examples used throughout the guidelines relate to food and nutrition; however, the concepts they illustrate are applicable to any topic. The following topics are covering: knowing a written message's intended…

There is a need for instructional models in English as a second language (ESL) and adult basic education (ABE). However, before adequate models can be built, a unifying theory of learning for this unique instructional category must be advanced. Existing learning theories, particularly for adult learners, are helpful but need to be refined to fit…

Organizations and groups responsible for the bulk of the nation's adult basic skills provision are currently reaching an estimated 9-10 percent of the needy population. This represents an increase from the 7-8 percent reached in 1984. Adult Basic Education (ABE), the largest single program in the nation, has shown an overall growth in enrollment…

Illiteracy is an alarming national problem. An estimated 27 million Americans are considered illiterate, and another 45 million are considered marginally competent in basic skills. Although literacy efforts have been increasing, little attention has been focused on women. This oversight could be costly. Four critical factors weigh heavily in favor…

In March 1988, the Institute for Literacy Studies at Lehman College, New York, initiated a short-term, participatory research project in alternative assessment. It consisted of two major components--a five-session seminar held for two hours on Wednesday afternoons in May and June and two rounds of interviews with Adult Learning Center (ALC)…

This resource guide provides a set of assessment instruments to help the adult basic education teacher appropriately place each learner at Level I, Level II, and/or General Education Development Level of instruction. An introduction briefly describes instruments and suggests examples of implementation. A teacher's guide contains general directions…

The many advantages claimed for using the computer in adult literacy instruction--privacy, immediate feedback, individualization, control, and flexibility--have also been observed in the practice of dedicated teachers, without the help of computers. Fortunately, many scholars still emphasize the need for teacher sensitivity and teacher-student…

A study of the philosophies and practices of community-based literacy programs focused on their nature, characteristics, and needs. Five activities were conducted: determination of criteria for defining literacy programs as community-based; program identification; survey and interview of program directors; meetings and follow-up conversations with…

The Literacy Prescription Project has served 250 clients in Illinois by providing individualized instruction and complete diagnostic reports--developing four profiles of adult disabled readers who can be treated with associated instructional techniques. Profile One adults cannot read the simplest pre-primer text and can only recognize a few words…

This document describes the British Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit (ALBSU) because information on the ALBSU experience might be useful to planners working to establish a similar national literacy center in the United States. (The ALBSU was formed in London in the mid-1970s to support the BBC's television-based national adult literacy…

The field of cognitive science (as represented, for instance, by intergenerational literacy programs) offers new ways to think about increasing cognitive abilities, which is particularly important in view of the disappointing outcomes of many intervention programs that do not seem to make their participants more knowledgeable or better thinkers.…

This workbook is focused on helping students learn how to use the newspaper as reading material. The workbook contains 26 lessons with short word lists at the beginning of each lesson and exercises which utilize the words from the word lists. The guide also includes five self-check exercises. (MS)