Adult education's mission is a critical one. It seeks to provide the large and diverse population of adults who lack basic skills, a high school credential, or English language skills with the competencies they need to be productive workers, family members, and citizens. Federally funded adult education serves learners in three types of programs:…

Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 directs the federal government to conduct a national assessment of adult education, including activities to understand the extent to which adult education strategies positively affect learners. A systematic review of the research on the effectiveness of particular strategies in adult…

This report examines the literature on practices and programs seeking to improve students' transition from adult education to postsecondary education. Ultimately, the report seeks to provide practitioners with models for effective strategies in transitioning students to postsecondary education that can be implemented at community colleges…

This report reviews government-funded, English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) projects for adults at three schools: in Arlington (Virginia) public schools, in an El Paso (Texas) community college, and in the Massachusetts Department of Education. The Arlington Adult Learning System (AALS) demonstrated how coordination by a community-based…

This report describes a multi-year transitional program designed to move limited-English-speakers in the elementary grades into mainstream classroom instruction, focusing on the study of literature as a central strategy. The program is designed to challenge students academically, be comprehensive, provide continuity, and build explicit connections…

This study, undertaken from 1983-84 through 1988-89, compared the relative effectiveness of two alternative programs (structured English immersion and late-exit transitional bilingual education) with that of the program typically funded through the Bilingual Education Act, the early-exit transitional bilingual education program. The…

The report looks at programs and approaches for educating students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It is intended as a guide for school and district decision-makers to help them identify instructional approaches and programs appropriate to their students' needs. Four program alternatives are discussed: newcomer programs;…

These instructional units are intended to help limited English proficient students establish the solid foundation of reading skills that will enable them to make a transition from English as a Second Language programs to General Educational Development or community college classes. An introduction and information on use of the lessons discuss the…

The English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) curriculum of the Arlington (Virginia) Adult Learning System (AALS) is presented. AALS is a consortium in which an adult education provider (the public school system) coordinates efforts of its own organization with a community-based organization, a vocational institute, and a university to transition…

This handbook illustrates the process of alliance building through the experience of the Arlington (Virginia) Adult Learning System (AALS), an alliance of adult education providers in Arlington, Virginia. (The purpose of AALS is to facilitate the assessment, training, counseling, and transitioning of adult learners of English as a Second Language…

This paper discusses and advocates the application of structured immersion, or transfer instruction, to the elementary school curriculum in English as a second language (ESL). It is proposed that transfer instruction, bridging bilingual or ESL programs and the mainstream all-English curriculum, helps children transfer the concepts and skills they…

An examination of the effectiveness of programs for limited-English proficient (LEP) students in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) derived information on LEP student counts, programs and services for LEP students, program costs, and LEP student achievement. Information indicated that the count of LEP students was growing (3,042 in…

Adapted from a curriculum guide prepared by the Hartford, Connecticut Bilingual Program's Vocabulary Development Committee, this guide to vocabulary development in sheltered English offers practical ideas for content area instruction to limited-English-speaking students in the language classroom, with the objective of facilitating transition from…

This supplementary secondary school program reports on the fourth year of a program focused on instructional intervention, parental involvement, and staff development in a school district with a 46% at-risk student population; more than 630 students were preliterate or limited education Hispanics. In this fourth year, the program continued to…

This guide offers information and supporting materials to educators wishing to establish a high school equivalency program, drawn from experience with the External Diploma Program of Boston's (Massachusetts) Chinese American Civic Association. The program focuses on developing the reading and writing skills of non-English-speaking immigrants. An…