In the spring of 1988, 33 representatives from 20 institutions or organizations sponsoring National Issues Forum (NIF) literacy programs attended a national conference in Washington, D.C. Throughout the conference, representatives from the organizations sponsoring NIF literacy programs made statements on the importance of NIF as a tool for learning basic skills and as a means of giving citizens who would otherwise be left out the nation's public policy debate a chance to take part in it. Updates were presented on NIF literacy programs for English-as-a-second-language, adult basic education, and General Educational Development program students on three topics: "Freedom of Speech: Where To Draw the Line,""The Superpowers: Nuclear Weapons and National Security," and "The Trade Gap; Regaining the Competitive Edge." (This document includes brief reports on the NIF forums held in the following locations: Brooklyn, New York; Port Washington, New York; Mound, Minnesota; Mt. Vernon, Georgia; Los Lunas, New Mexico; South San Francisco, California; Anoka County, Minnesota; and Shakopee, Minnesota. (MN)