Adult basic education programs in California, Illinois, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia were reviewed to assess the progress made by the programs in reducing illiteracy. The programs' management was also evaluated. It was found that although some positive achievements have been made, the program successfully reaches only a small fraction of those needing it. In the program's first nine years, about 4.6 million adults enrolled, but only about one percent of the 57 million adults in the target population and four percent of the 15 million adults with less than eight years of schooling have participated in any given year. Through fiscal year 1972, 17 percent of the 3.5 million participants at or below the eighth grade level had achieved an eighth grade equivalency education. Management problems include: lack of realistic and measurable program goals and evaluative criteria, misdirected recruiting, limited benefits of special projects and unsystematic dissemination of their results, lack of coordination with Federal antipoverty and manpower-training programs, and inaccurate reporting of data. The report recommends several actions (including legislative and congressional) for combating these problems. (Author/PR)