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 project was conducted to determine formal and informal competencies based on an expanded definition of workplace environmental literacy. A secondary goal was to develop a compact between employers and training program graduates whereby graduates would have preferential access to employment opportunities. Issues that arose during the…

This document presents the Adult Literacy Plan for the state of Florida. Section 1 provides a rationale for the plan. Section 2 sets forth goals and objectives. The statutory intent is described in Section 3, which focuses on the Florida Model Literacy Program Act of 1987 (FMLPA). Section 4 presents a statement of the problem. It provides…

Illiteracy is seen to be a feature of the Australian prisoner population. This belief has remained largely untested. A study compared the literacy abilities of prisoners to those found in the adult general population. Additionally, the study compared male and female prisoner literacy abilities. Assessments were made on a profile of literacy…

An intergenerational literacy program addresses the needs of adult students enrolled in remedial reading classes at a community college. Their classroom behavior marked by passivity or anxiety, these students are usually able to derive the surface meanings of familiar text, but demonstrate little analytic or reflective thinking about what was…

The Harvard Adult Literacy Initiative was established in the Harvard University School of Education through the university's Reading Laboratory in 1987. Basic goals of the initiative are to: provide professional training and find effective procedures for training teachers and administrators in the field of adult literacy; conduct research; develop…

This document, intended for Literacy Volunteers of America tutors, explains how to carry out collaborative small group tutoring. Chapter 1 explains the benefits of small group tutoring and collaborative learning. Chapter 2 tells what factors to consider when forming a small group (e.g., whether there is a desire to be in a small group, the…

The Family Literacy Program in Eau Claire, Wisconsin is an example of a strong linkage between professional educators, volunteers, and parents. The program uses the strengths of reading professionals working with preschool students and adult learners in order to break the intergenerational cycle of illiteracy. Cooperation and hard work are the…

This paper describes the literacy education work being done by two agencies, the Swedish International Development Authority (SIDA) and the Canadian Organization for Development through Education (CODE). SIDA strives to promote economic growth, economic and social equality, economic and political independence, democratic development, the use of…

The rural work force has lower basic skills to supply labor for new jobs with higher literacy demands. At all levels of education the rural population is at a disadvantage compared with the urban population. One out of five rural adults in Pennsylvania has not continued education past the eighth grade. Among the costs to businesses from employee…

A project titled "Word of Mouth" was conducted to develop and evaluate model computer courseware to teach word attack skills to adult basic education students. The project was based on the use of multiple strategies to figure out unknown words, the importance of breaking down multisyllabic words, and the necessity of the use of audio in…

These profiles of Adult Education for the Homeless programs funded by the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act are compiled from final reports submitted to the Division of Adult Education and Literacy, U.S. Department of Education, by the 50 states and from site visits by division staff. Data are reported for varying lengths of time for the first year…

This Congressional report contains testimony concerning reauthorization of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act, which authorizes and provides funding for the various national volunteer antipoverty programs, including Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), the Service Learning Programs, and Special Volunteer Programs. Included among those persons…

Media statements and pronouncements by leaders in various sectors throughout the nation confirm that literacy still means the ability to work with the printed or written word. It is also evident that the term literacy includes more than reading. Literacy encompasses writing, speaking and listening, computing, and even problem-solving skills.…

The Texas Examination of Current Administrators and Teachers (TECAT), is a basic literacy test that was administered to 202,000 practicing educators in March 1986. The test was developed in response to state action for educational reform. The Texas reform legislation provided for redistribution of resources to poorer schools and for salary…