Since 1991, the U.S. has had a national research and development (R&D) center focused on programs that help adults to improve their language, literacy, and numeracy skills; to acquire a General Educational Development (GED) or other high school certification; and to transition into postsecondary education or training. For the first five years,…

The 2017 edition of the "Digest of Education Statistics" is the 53rd in a series of publications initiated in 1962. The "Digest" has been issued annually except for combined editions for the years 1977-78, 1983-84, and 1985-86. Its primary purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field…

The 54th in a series of publications initiated in 1962, the purpose of the "Digest" is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of education from prekindergarten through graduate school. It contains data on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and…

A stratified random sample of 1,500 state legislators from 12 states was surveyed regarding their perceptions and knowledge of issues in reading instruction. The states were selected to provide a balanced mix of state sizes, state budget sizes, and geographic regions. Within states, legislators were selected to balance districts. Both mail surveys…

This newsletter reviews two books about family literacy in the United States. The first, "A Survey of Family Literacy in the United States" (edited by Lesley Mandel Morrow, Diane H. Tracey, and Caterina Marcone Maxwell), is a reference guide for educators and policymakers that includes the following: brief descriptions of programs for children and…

This bibliography is a listing of literacy learning materials (137 items), curricula documents (6 items), reference documents (19 items), and resource materials (16 items). All were developed in Manitoba (Canada). Ordering information and a list of abbreviations and acronyms are included. The bibliography was compiled for the National Literacy…

The issue of evaluation in adult literacy is addressed in this paper. It is assumed that evaluation is a necessary and vital function in an adult literacy program because it helps administrators understand their efforts, increases information available about a program's functioning, builds an image, and facilitates the discovery of information on…

This digest reports on findings from recent literacy surveys and interprets these findings in light of theoretical and definitional issues involved in estimating literacy; examines approaches commonly use to measure literacy and enumerates concerns about the limitations of these approaches in linguistically diverse contexts; and concludes with a…

In recognition of the needs of adults whose native languages are other than English or who possess minimal literacy skills in English, the National Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights gave a grant to the Literacy Volunteers of Washington County, Rhode Island for tutors to develop lessons on the Bill of…

This report discusses the place of numeracy in adult education, examines conceptions of what numeracy and numeracy provision might include, and explores links between literacy and numeracy provision. Section A takes a critical look at how much attention is being paid to mathematics education in adult education/adult literacy programs and addresses…

A model of evaluation planning, implementation, and management is presented that includes: (1) a management information system (MIS) to provide a description of the size and scope of adult literacy and post-literacy programs (ALPPs); (2) naturalistic evaluation to provide insight into the meanings of ALPPs as experienced by participants; and (3)…

Learning disabilities can be overcome although solutions are complex and costly. The range of individual disabilities is wide, and improper screening and diagnosis is common. A learning disability is a disorder affecting understanding or the use of spoken or written language. Approximately 5 percent of adults have such disabilities. In addition,…

This document on the history of the Scottish Institute of Adult and Continuing Education (SIACE) includes seven papers as follows: "Preface" (E. Gerver); "The Beginnings 1949-1957" (J. Inglis); "The Institute under Tom Landsborough 1957-1971" (J. Inglis); "The Lean and Hungry Years 1971-1978" (J. Inglis);…

Only 26.4% of the 100 millon people living in Pakistan are literate. There are sharp differences between urban and rural literacy rates, literacy rates in the four provinces of Pakistan, and the literacy rates for men and women (with females constituting the largest group of illiterates in the country). Politically there has been a great deal of…

Pakistan, like the rest of the world, is confronted with urbanization, industrialization, the information explosion and all the complexities that characterize the atomic age; however, the majority of Pakistanis have yet to acquire basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills which are essential to meet the simplest demands of modern living. An…