This document contains the final report and manual from Project Network, an experimental learning program that allowed adult literacy learners to interact via the Internet. The classes consisted of instruction in the following areas: basic keyboarding, simple networking techniques, accessing America Online, sending and receiving electronic mail…

The productivity of the U.S. work force is a primary determinant of the standard of living of the U.S. population. Worker productivity is affected by many factors, including the education and skills of the work force. This handbook highlights several measures of productivity and education, and addresses the link between these two sets of measures.…

This issue features articles by adult basic education (ABE) practitioners within the field about their approaches to teaching essay writing. In preparing this issue, nine teachers attempted to "catch themselves in the act" of teaching essay writing and subsequently document their approaches and questions. Most of the articles explain how a student…

This resource book provides materials and methods for a model Entrepreneurship Training Center (ETC) school-to-work program for rural out-of-school adults. Introductory materials include learning goals within ETC's four curriculum areas, instructional methods, and introduction to key concepts. The remainder of the book is divided into four…

This report presents a concise and useful overview of the issue of business/education partnerships to develop and implement workplace literacy programs. The first chapter focuses on the challenges of developing a literate work force for Florida. It considers the changing workplace and work force, Florida trends in illiteracy, the impact of…

An evaluation was conducted of the workplace literacy program developed through a partnership among the Sanford (Maine) Public Schools and three employers. During the project, 859 employees were recruited, tested, evaluated, and counseled, with 340 receiving extensive evaluation and counseling and an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Through…

This handbook was designed to help adult literacy education teachers to understand the plastics industry, develop a curriculum, and teach basic skills classes in a plastics company. The book contains four main sections. The first section, on the basics of plastics, contains a brief history of the industry, an elementary description of the…

In order to help adult readers with problems, it is necessary to develop an approach to teaching them that is sensitive to language and that makes explicit reference to the way language works to make meaning in texts. A language-based approach requires teachers to become more aware of the relatively invisible language system that lies behind the…

In 1989, almost no organized recruitment efforts were made, either for tutors or learners, for Project READ, an adult literacy program held at the Longview, Washington, Public Library. The retention rate remained at 63 percent. Seventy-one tutors participated in the program; the average number tutoring each week was 34. Tutors from all walks of…

Located in Baytown, Texas, Sterling Municipal Library's Adult Literacy Project provided free one-to-one tutoring to all totally and functionally illiterate adults in its service area. All tutoring was performed in the library during regular hours of operation. The project used Literacy Volunteers of America methodology and limited itself to…

Teachers' and developers' descriptions of intergenerational literacy programs for immigrants are collected here. Topics addressed include appropriate program design, the quality of intergenerational collaboration, student journals, learner-centered curriculum design, traditional and personal storytelling as a literacy approach, education and…

This document includes a final report and curriculum guide developed by a project to improve the basic skills of adults enrolled in a union-based, preallied health, adult basic education program. Its objective was to prepare learners to become more effective workers and union members by incorporating worker-centered materials into the curriculum.…

This brief lists computer-based adult literacy training materials. The listings are divided into three sections: work force/workplace literacy curricula; general curriculum/program development; and guides and research reports. The first section contains nine programs or sets of program materials (including computerized and print materials): Basic…

This paper, which is intended to assist adult literacy practitioners interested in conducting research about their programs, discusses the four stages of the action research process: identifying questions to guide the research, collecting information to answer the questions, analyzing the information collected, and sharing the results with others.…

This handbook provides a broad overview of the stages and activities to be undertaken to establish workplace learning (WPL) programs. It is designed to lead WPL service providers and employers through the process of developing a WPL program. Each chapter begins by stating the purpose and the outcomes expected upon completion. Throughout the manual…