This policy guide is designed to assist governors and state leaders in analyzing the issue of adult literacy and in proposing specific policy strategies for dealing with this national problem. The book offers practical guidance in two areas critical to effective action: it clarifies definitions of "literacy" and "illiteracy" and provides a…

This guide for teaching literacy to adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students is intended as an aid for regular ESL teachers who must deal with different levels of literacy in the classroom. The guide is not a comprehensive curriculum, but is intended to be incorporated into a "survival" ESL curriculum. Because it contains…

Some factors that should be considered when administering tests to adults include the following: (1) adults have a difficult time adapting to new things; (2) everyone resists change to some degree; (3) change requires new learning; (4) various things influence a person's ability to learn new things and make changes; (5) childhood events can…

This paper describes a program to provide educational and employment services to high school dropouts and unemployed adults in seven rural Tennessee counties. The program offers supplemental services and coordinates job development and placement with Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) administrative personnel. Program activities include basic…

The Literacy Volunteers of America-Danbury, Connecticut, is a nonprofit community organization that provides free instruction in English for those to whom English is still largely a foreign language. For 10 years it has also provided free instruction in reading and writing for English-speaking persons whose education has not provided these skills.…

Evaluation of adult literacy programs requires different criteria from those used to judge regular schooling. Indicators for evaluating adult voluntary programs with individualized curricula are recruitment; retention, including absenteeism; one-on-one tutoring with volunteers; training in a context; support services; the "quick-fix" syndrome;…

A study assessed the pilot phase of a program called New Chance, which offers intensive, comprehensive, long-term services to young mothers, 17 to 21 years old, all of whom are poor and most of whom are welfare recipients and high school dropouts. Program services, which center on education, occupational skills training, parenting and health…

This document reports the oral and written testimony of witnesses at a Congressional hearing held to examine H.R. 3266, the Workforce 2000 Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Amendments of 1989. The bill is aimed at reforming JTPA targeting and training efforts. It focuses on critical support services and targeting issues and includes provisions…

The Criminal Justice Initiative (CJI) was conducted in Washington, D.C. from fiscal year 1984 through fiscal year 1986 to relieve overcrowded prison conditions by reducing the recidivism rate. Objectives of the project included hiring additional prison staff to provide security and increase prisoner processing, expanding the education program, and…

An evaluation of the Boston Workplace Education Collaborative (BWEC) was conducted during 1989. The BWEC is a partnership among Roxbury Community College, the Boston Private Industry Council, and the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) of Massachusetts to provide workplace literacy educational opportunities…

Knowledge of Jordan's historical background and the role of well-educated individuals and groups in motivating adults to participate in learning activities is essential for finding ways to recruit and retain adults in education programs. Some means that have proven effective include the following: (1) persuading religious and social leaders to…

This guide is intended for use in the development of an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) course, and civics. The guide was produced in response to the high proportion of amnesty applicants illiterate in Spanish, their native language, and in need of instruction in ESL and civics, which are necessary for legalization. The guide consists of five…

Anecdotal evidence from literacy educators sometimes suggests that many people can do well despite being illiterate; however, this perspective ignores the essential theory of literacy. This theory rests on the premise that the most essential difference between human beings and other creatures is the human ability to make "symbolic…

The four 1990 issues of the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit (ALBSU) Newsletter are gathered in this packet. The newsletters are published quarterly by the ALBSU for persons teaching in adult literacy, English as a Second Language, and basic skils programs; for persons responsible for funding and organizing such programs; and for those who are…

This report contains two sections: a summary of a conference on state literacy initiatives including the agenda and list of participants, and a series of profiles of the literacy efforts of individual states. The four issues identified and discussed at the meeting were (1) development of state initiatives; (2) coordination and expansion of state…