In an effort to determine the effectiveness of 309 (b) projects (experimental demonstration projects in Adult Basic Education funded through the Adult Education Act), selected projects were used as the basis for several case studies and evaluated. Project RFD was never intended to be utilized by Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs but instead demonstrates alternatives to current practices. Project Communi-Link was a model demonstration project in many ways, but its effectiveness outside the original pilot communities is doubted. The Southwestern Cooperative Educational Laboratory (SWCEL) ABE project for the Mexican-American community developed products of high technical quality, but local ABE programs have not used them in proportion to the investment. The Texas guidance and counseling project to improve ABE counseling developed a product which has been used extensively in Region 6, but the project was unable to carry out successful dissemination efforts outside the region. Three local impact cases (Chinatown English Language Center, Lumbee Adult Education Project, and Program for the Spanish-Speaking Community) did not involve dissemination of outcomes because of their operational orientation. The case studies demonstrate a need for a permanent dissemination system to take full advantage of the monies, time, and effort invested. (AG)