Developed to serve as a comprehensive human resource directory of adult educators in Pennsylvania, as a conceptual framework for adult basic education (ABE) in Pennsylvania and as a resource guide for ABE staff who wish to sponsor local inservice projects, this handbook provides general information about ABE, adult education services and linkages, and ABE program development and program implementation. It consists of 11 sections. Each of these sections is a collection of articles authored by Pennsylvania practitioners in the field of adult education. Included among the topics addressed in the guide are the following: the history and nature of adult education; the adult learner; types of basic and secondary ABE programs; counseling and support services; instructional processes; initiation, design, and implementation of ABE programs; cooperation, coordination, and linkage; adult education services; professional organizations; and new trends in adult education. (Included is a handbook supplement outlining the development of the guidebook.) (MN)