To write well, it is only necessary to write simply and clearly. To learn how, one must want to write clearly, be willing to work hard, and follow some basic guidelines. Before writing, create an outline by arranging ideas on note cards and putting them in a logical sequence. Write to the reader's level of knowledge about the subject. Avoid…

This paper defines the concept of "improvement infrastructure" and "educational capital" for education, and it uses the case of the National Writing Project to develop an extended, data-based illustration of the design and generativeness of an improvement infrastructure. Since 1983 there have been multiple "waves" of…

Elements of a writer's style reveal to readers what sort of a person it is with whom they are spending time. These revelations are important because they are a mark of respect for readers. To develop style, follow these guidelines. Find a subject to care about and which others should care about. It is this caring which will be the most seductive…

The literacy problem in the Cleveland area and recommendations for dealing with it are presented in this booklet. Beginning with a definition of literacy and a discussion of the human costs and economic consequences of illiteracy, the booklet advocates reducing adult illiteracy, eliminating basic skills deficits, and improving communications…

This guidebook is one in the Target Topic Series developed to highlight issues and concerns related to effective community education operation. It is intended for the community educator and community education advisory council member who want to discover ways in which community education can carry its message to the people in the school district…

Practical examples from everyday life, spanning personal financial matters to traveling and even cooking conversions are the lessons offered in this useful guide. The vast majority of older students and adults who come to America come from countries that use the metric system. Learning a new system for measuring, telling time, and so forth is…

Problem solving skills such as patterning facts, locating problems, separating problems and solutions, and presenting effective written products are essential to success in the business community. Facts can be patterned using a grid relating a problem's effect at the individual, group, situational, and organizational level. Such a grid tests each…

This adult literacy curriculum best serves groups of students, but is also effective for one-on-one tutoring methods. The material covers the history of broad form deeds in Kentucky (instruments with which coal rights, but not the farmlands above the coal, were sold to mining companies) and includes four personal narratives of Kentucky residents…

The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports suggest that the issue of declining quality in American education may be more complex than media accounts have portrayed it. If one looks at isolated communication skills, it appears that many students understand the fundamentals of reading and writing. The results also…

Described are various models and methods that have helped communities around the United States and Canada give the public a better understanding of legal and judicial systems. An introductory section discusses the role of the legal profession in improving public understanding of the law, how to put together a team to teach about the judicial…

This book is intended for people who want to organize their own learning either individually or as a member of a community group rather than fit into a more predetermined and perhaps more formal educational experience. Section 1 focuses on learning to a purpose. Section 2 discusses getting going. In the next section are suggestions for finding…

This volume surveys major sources of published data on the academic performance of California public secondary school students and compares current performance levels to those attained in the State in the recent past, as well as to national trends. Chapter I is an introduction. Chapter II, "General Measures of Student Preparation,"…

Developed and taught during 1979 by facilitators working with groups of community women in central Vermont and in metropolitan Boston, these courses are intended to promote the visibility of women's accomplishments, to enhance women's personal growth, and to increase females' analytic skills in a political context. Each of the nine chapters in the…

Part of a larger report on the Four Directions Project, an American Indian technology innovation project, this section includes six "pathfinders" to locating information on college preparation and career planning. The pathfinders were designed by students in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of…

This paper describes Project FORWARD, funded by the Texas Education Agency to develop a life skills curriculum for JOBS (Job Opportunities and Basic Skills) participants. The Project FORWARD curriculum is designed to promote individual self-worth and independence so that participants can achieve self-sufficiency and eliminate dependency on…