This document summarizes an extensive study of policies and practices in adult literacy and adult basic education in a number of countries undertaken by Rosa McKenna and Lynne Fitzpatrick. The original study contains considerably greater detail and analyses issues on a country-by-country basis. The countries studied--Canada, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Australia--are all western democracies, some with federal and others with unitary systems of government. All are primarily English speaking, although Canada is bilingual, and most have significant indigenous and immigrant minorities, often disadvantaged and with special literacy needs. This summary report is organized around five headings related to the key features of effective adult literacy policy and program practices identified in the main study. These are: (1) policy contexts and concepts; (2) program development and delivery; (3) regulatory frameworks, product development and quality assurance; (4) issues for the teaching workforce; and (5) implications for Australia. The study found that adult literacy issues are widespread in the countries studied and impact on their capacity to build high-skill, knowledge-based economies and inclusive societies. The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), conducted in the 1990s by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Statistics Canada (1995, 2000) in all countries studied, has acted in most cases as a catalyst for a review of literacy policy and practice, although less so in Australia than elsewhere. The survey revealed that all countries studied have significant proportions of their adult populations--between 45% and 55%--with the lowest two levels of literacy proficiency, suggesting that these adults may have trouble with everyday tasks. The survey focused on print-based prose, document and quantitative literacies. (Contains 1 table.) [The information in this report was compiled by Robin Ryan. For "Building Sustainable Adult Literacy Provision: A Review of International Trends in Adult Literacy Policy and Programs. Support Document," see ED493938.]