Education within prisons can be viewed as a form of rehabilitation to enable inmates to return to society. However, many prisoners lack fundamental education and have negative attitudes toward learning. This leads to problems in the areas of teaching prisoners and justifying educational programs within prison institutions. Correctional education…

This discussion document provides detailed guidance on the resources needed to provide high quality learning opportunities for adults who want to improve basic communication skills. Background material is provided on the size of the literacy problem, the response of educators, the level of resources allocated for adult literacy and basic skills,…

This essay attempts to forge links needed between literacy and economic activity by demonstrating analytical methods for relating the production and consumption of goods and services in an economy to the requirements for literacy among its workers. First, work force literacy is described within an economic framework. Second, economy-literacy links…

A study examined the quest for social equity by one adult education institution in New Zealand. It placed social equity in the wider context of recent developments in New Zealand society and explored models for conceptualizing social change. These models included the adaptive framework, helping/coping strategies, and allocation policies. A social…

This critical issues paper presents information on the young people served by the New York City Adult Literacy Initiative. It profiles the youngest students, ages 16-24, who were served by the Initiative in the program year 1987-88. Since more than 95 percent of youth enrolled in literacy classes were enrolled in Basic Education and English for…

A study examined the incentives and barriers to participation in adult basic education programs for African-Americans in New York City. Data were collected in a series of focus group meetings. Participants were potential students who had contacted but not yet enrolled in a program. They saw strong personal motivation as the essential factor in…

This report presents findings of an evaluation of Australia's Adult Literacy Action Campaign (ALAC) to determine whether ALAC was promoting the development of communication, literacy, and numeracy skills and skills to facilitate greater and enriched participation in society. Chapter 1 sets out the methodology and approach, which included a…

A summary of a 50-state assessment of the organization, composition, staffing, and operations of State Job Training Coordinating Councils (SJTCCs), conducted through telephone interviews with Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) or SJTCC administrators, produced a sketch of SJTCC procedures and practices. Some of the findings of the summary…

For many learners in adult basic education (ABE) or General Educational Development (GED) classrooms, the difference between staying with the program and leaving prematurely is often related to the degree of the student's involvement with other members of the class. Grouping students to work together has both support- and learning-related…

This article addresses major philosophical orientations and shows how they have practical import for practitioners of adult education. The philosophical approaches presented are conceptual (linguistic) analysis, phenomenology, hermeneutics, critical theory, and existentialism. References are made to selected works by writers in adult education who…

This guide is intended to help adult basic education (ABE) teachers teach their students to understand instructions in their daily lives. The 25 learning activities included all develop students' skills in the area of following directions by using basic situations drawn from everyday life. The following activities are included: sequencing pictures…

Designed to help educators prepare materials for newly literate individuals, this guidebook is comprised of four chapters. The first two chapters provide background material explaining the needs and requirements of newly literate people. Chapter 1 characterizes "post-literacy" materials and services and discusses the role of the…

The purpose of this instrument is to supplement data from the Adult Basic Learning Examination in assessing the functional level of adults in daily situations. It may also be used as a teaching tool for adults requesting tutoring in specific concepts and skills presented in the instrument. This instrument is an informal assessment instrument and…

A Congressional staff study was undertaken to analyze the Literacy Management Information Project Report (LMIPR), released by the U.S. Department of Education in May 1986, and to determine whether its findings were valid. The LMIPR found that there are 79 literacy-related programs administered by 14 federal agencies and that $347.6 million was…

Rio Salado Community College's (RSCC's) Adult Basic Education (ABE) program piloted a project utilizing two minicourses on videodisc, which incorporated sound instructional design and video technology. The videodisc courses, "Core Concepts in Mathematics" and "Understanding Chemistry and Energy," were designed to accommodate students who needed…