This guide was developed to aid facilitators in delivering orientation sessions for new adult education staff. The orientation is designed for 14-16 hours of class time; the 15 lessons are organized in three 5- to 6-hour days. The following topics are covered in the lessons: (1) introduction and goals; (2) what is literacy?; (3) materials; (4) the…

Employers, unions, and government agencies are placing increasing emphasis on evaluation of workplace literacy programs. Because workplace literacy programs are generally short, focused on workplace-specific literacy tasks, and small, the standardized tests that have traditionally been used to assess school programs are inappropriate for…

An investigation compared the demographic profiles of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and LEARN respondents to explore whether people who telephone Canadian literacy groups are representative of the full range of people with literacy needs. (LEARN is ABC Canada's media campaign to link potential learners with literacy groups.)…

This guide is an introduction to the theory and practice of using literature to teach life skills to persons who are or have been incarcerated. It is organized in three sections, each written by a practitioner who has used literature in a particular environment with a particular audience. The three sections are "Why Literature? The Power of…

In response to the National Goals 2000 Literacy initiative, literacy programs in New Jersey increased their efforts to meet literacy goals. In the summer of 1993, a needs assessment survey was conducted to determine the training and program development needs of adult education classroom teachers, teacher aides, substitute teachers, program…

The role of literacy volunteers has taken on new dimensions due to national policy changes and changing views of literacy providers. The fifth National Education Goal, which stated that by the year 2000 every adult American will be literate, has resulted in increased interest in adult literacy programs. The role of the adult new reader is changing…

Research was conducted to illustrate how the profile approach to measurement could be used to define "standardized fits" between literacy task difficulty and adult proficiency. To provide understanding of this type of standard, the study began by comparing clothes anthropometry to educational measurement; in the former, the concern is…

A curriculum was developed that is intended to be a practical interpretation of Francis Kazemek's metaphor of adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) as storytelling. The curriculum, which is intended to encourage adult basic education (ABE) students to develop literacy skills by reading/writing about their experiences and visions, is designed…

This report explores background data collected as part of recent large-scale literacy surveys because these data may contribute to an understanding of the variables associated with demonstrated proficiency. The first section reviews various approaches to large-scale assessments of literacy. This review sets the context for exploring variation in…

Developed by educators from the Emily Griffith Opportunity School, this teacher's guide was developed for a 4-hour workshop to teach employees how to read the charts and graphs they need in the workplace. The unit covers four types of graphs: pictographs, bar graphs, line graphs, and circle graphs. The guide is divided into four sections: reading…

In an era of rising public criticism of education and decreasing resources, strategic planning can be a major tool for educational administrators who wish to respond to the increasing challenges their adult literacy programs face. Strategic planning can be defined as a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and…

Improving retention in adult literacy programs is of great concern for both instructors and administrators. A learner-centered program is a must for improving retention. In such a program, a support system for learners should be readily accessible. Instruction should be based on students' goals, and program staff should be available to help…

Leaders and decision makers in Africa and nations of African diaspora must face a number of challenges in their attempts to further development through literacy: (1) reinvent a concept of African development that is a product of the native genius of Africa and that is rooted in the matrix of indigenous cultural values, realities, and…

This guide provides help in locating and securing funds for family literacy programs and illustrates how family literacy programs may be organized and implemented by explaining important legislation and presenting examples of collaborative family literacy efforts that use a variety of resources. The booklet is organized in four parts. Part I…

Adult literacy is an integral part of today's educational movement and will continue to be a focus as changing needs of society are addressed. This bibliography presents annotations of 40 journal articles and ERIC documents dealing with instructional strategies in adult literacy. Annotations in the bibliography date from the period 1989-1992 and…