A longitudinal study of 162 New York Adult Literacy Initiative students found that 97% were satisfied, felt the learning environment was supportive, and felt the teacher's attitude was critical. Retention suggestions were to use daily living experiences and challenging curricula, broaden the curriculum for men's interests, and attend to safety and…

Analyzes the usage of four metaphors (school, medical and industrial, military, and banking) that commonly appear in the United States' media and in public speeches that dramatize illiteracy. Argues that educators need to be aware of the strategic use of language in this adult literacy context. (SR)

Georgia's Certified Literate Community Program is a state-supported, community-based effort that provides all levels of instruction--from basic skills to technical writing--to adults at all educational levels. The goal is to enable every capable adult to attain reading, speaking, writing, problem solving, and comprehension skills. (SK)

Describes the success of the Shared Book Experience with a GED class of inner-city adults. (SR)

Two literacy initiatives (immigrant education in the early 1900s and citizenship schools at Highlander, 1953-61) suggest a core strategy for accommodating cultural pluralism in adult literacy: considering the distinct sociocultural and political dynamics that affect the educational environment for excluded groups. (SK)

Uses the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series to examine literacy or educational attainment of African American migrants from the South to northern cities, 1880-1990. Consistent with migration theory, Black migrants had significantly higher levels of education than southern Black nonmigrants and lower levels than northern-born Blacks. Both…

Presents five educators' ideas about what the demands of literacy in the workplace in the next millennium will be. Notes increased expansion of multiple literacies and considers electronic performance support systems and expert systems. Considers how future workplace literacy is dependent on adult literacy skills. (SC)

Describes the rationale, development, and administration of the test used for measuring levels of achievement in functional literacy in Guyana. Draws attention to the difficulty of attracting funding for literacy programmes from international aid agencies, given the inflated adult literacy rate that is reported for Guyana in international…

Content analysis of five consumer education workbooks used in adult literacy classes examined depictions of the market and literacy learners as consumers. A hidden curriculum that promotes ideologies disrespectful of learners was discerned. The ideologies maintain inequalities by blaming financial failure on consumers, ignoring the larger social,…

Workplace training at the British offices of Readers' Digest is designed to improve staff skills in communicating with customers. Evaluation of workshops focused on spelling, grammar, and business writing shows that the company is achieving a return on its training investment. (SK)

Describes how the military fights against illiteracy, suggesting military methods are useful in teaching young adult civilians. Highlights: the origins of functional context education in the military; work toward literacy in the Vietnam war era; applications to teaching civilians; and the K-12 education system. Functional context education can…

Identifies three significant findings about Canadian literacy from the first International Adult Literacy Survey, examines their significance for educators and policymakers, and proposes a number of interventions to support literacy learning, especially for families from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Makes the case for a concerted effort by…

Describes four Milwaukee adult literacy programs that have responded to welfare reform. Explores challenges for community-based organizations: teaching for learning vs. training for work, coordinating education and support services, and securing resources. (SK)

Adult basic education (ABE) is an ideal venue for developing health literacy skills. Literacy and numeracy assessments used in ABE were identified and the most common were examined for health components. Only the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) included health. The two most common health literacy assessments used in general…

This study investigated the knowledge and strategies that nonliterate adults use to identify print. Participants were 20 low-socioeconomic status Brazilian adults ranging in age from 20 to 74 years. Participants' ability to identify common environmental signs displaying varying degrees of contextual information was investigated along with their…