In 1990, the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges developed a national workplace literacy demonstration project to raise awareness of the link between local economic development and basic workplace skill performance, and to stimulate a local leadership initiative around a community-wide effort to raise worker performance levels.…

The Toledo Area Welfare Coordination Task Force, coordinated by the Private Industry Council and funded by the Job Training Partnership Act, brought together more than 20 community leaders representing private and public organizations that have a role to play in implementing the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) program in Lucas and Wood…

This report discusses evaluation as required under the Department of Education rules and regulations for the National Workplace Literacy Program (NWLP). It is intended to help workplace literacy programs meet the requirements of the rules and regulations governing the NWLP so that the Department of Education can determine the value of programs.…

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…

Computer assisted instruction programs for adult literacy are becoming more prevalent in learning centers, community organizations, and in schools across the country. Computers are also being used to curb illiteracy at the source, in elementary and secondary schools, in an effort to reduce dropout rates. Two IBM (International Business Machines)…

Designed for use by adult basic education (ABE) teachers and directors, this publication presents a general overview of the major areas incorporated into the Oklahoma ABE program. Contents include a schematic diagram of ABE administration; ABE philosophy; state and federal guidelines; map of percentages of population 25 years and over with less…

Influences upon trends in literacy research include national and international agendas, active networks, and public images of literacy. Five trends in literacy research can be discerned. The first trend is research that tries to determine the extent of difficulties with literacy and its causes. Another trend is a shift in views and definitions of…

A study examined and specified the effects of selected variables on adults' reading strategies and comprehension. Subjects, 20 adults in an adult basic education group, 20 students in a "high-risk freshmen" group, and 18 students enrolled in a senior level reading methods course, were administered an informal reading inventory (IRI), an…

A study investigated key aspects of New York City's Workplace Education Program of the Central Labor Council for Worker Education in 15 union workplace literacy programs. The program enrolled 3,775 students and offered 215 classes in English as a Second Language (ESL), basic education (BED), and union-specific or skills programs. Within each type,…

Designed to provide practical resources for planning and teaching reading development courses, units, or lessons, the objectives and strategies contained in this handbook are generally oriented toward adult basic education academic upgrading or prevocational programs. The first section of the handbook, which focuses on the development of reading…

Operation Bridge was created by the Detroit Public Schools to train counselors to work with adult education students in outreach sites and traditional adult education centers. Thirteen adult educator-trainees received training via course work on the counseling process and counseling practices at Michigan State University, internships at social…

Questions and answers are presented concerning the consequences for higher education of the passage of the RAISE Bill (Senate Bill 357), a comprehensive education bill designed to raise educational standards in Florida. This statement by Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) covers: (1) the bill and its provisions for higher education; (2) ways in…

Experience in adult English as a second language (ESL) programs in recent years supports the claim that they are always intended to meet specific needs of the learners. Six program models for adult English for Special Purposes (ESP) courses are identified and described. These are: (1) Survival and Coping Skills ESL, (2) Literacy ESL, (3)…

Nine industry-based adult literacy programs across the country were studied to identify exemplary training programs and practices that business and industry trainers, planners, and policymakers and individuals in the public education sector alike could replicate in designing adult literacy programs. Training programs offered by the following…

The effectiveness of using computer courseware developed for adults reading below the fourth-grade level was investigated with inmates at Rockview State Correctional Institution. Data were collected both to establish multiple baseline data and to permit experimental group comparison with a control group. The multiple baselines portion of the study…