Thanks to increased advocacy and research, several major federal laws, and heightened awareness of the changing demands of the workplace, more attention is being focused on adults with learning disabilities (LD). There is still no consensus on definitions of LD. Estimates of the incidence of LD range from 5% to 20% of the population. Adults with…

Traditionally, student assessment has focused on measuring learner skills. Assessment of literacy needs, from the learner's perspective, is also an important part of an instructional program. This digest focuses on ways to determine what learners want or believe they need to learn. Many of the activities described can include or lead to assessment…

This digest provides parents of highly or profoundly gifted children with practical suggestions based on the experience of other parents and the modest amount of research available. Parents are encouraged to understand that such children are significantly different from other children and have two primary needs: to feel comfortable with themselves…

Presented in a question-and-answer format, this digest offers guidelines in choosing an enriching summer program for gifted students. The following questions are addressed: What are the possibilities? What needs do summer programs meet? Who should make the selection? What does the selection process involve? What variables are important? and What…

A review of Knowles' andragogical model (1984) and Pratt's writings (1988) on the appropriateness of learner-centered instruction established that, even though learners may need both direction and support, they can still be involved in designing/directing their own learning in meaningful ways. Adult educators can obtain information about the…

This digest explores the concept of mentoring with gifted students and offers guidelines on its implementation. The literature on mentoring is reviewed, noting the maturing effect of mentor relationships and the particular value of mentors for disadvantaged students and for females. Among six guidelines offered are: decide what (not whom) the…

A needs assessment for use with adult learners of English is a tool that examines, from the learner's perspective, what kinds of English, native language, and literacy skills the learner believes he has, literacy contexts in which the learner lives and works, what he wants and needs to know to function in those contexts, what he expects to gain…

Part-time instructors have been increasingly in demand in adult and vocational education. The two greatest benefits an educational program realizes by employing part-time instructors are cost savings and staff flexibility. Part-time employment offers certain benefits to instructors. Particularly drawn to such teaching commitments are semiretired…

Noting that one of the three major themes for the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services is the role of the library in literacy education, this digest begins by describing how national awareness of the problem has led to legislation, both at the state and federal level, to fund new literacy programs and expand existing…

The digest addresses ways that parents and educators can nurture giftedness in young children. Problems in appropriate school placement for young gifted children with uneven development are discussed and illustrated with examples. In selecting a program, parents need to look for a highly individualized program in which children are encouraged to…

The special instructional needs of limited English proficient (LEP) students in special education programs are discussed. The degree of the student's disability (mild, moderate, or severe) directs both the program focus and the need for specialized knowledge to deliver appropriate instruction. A responsive English as a second language (ESL)…

Communication and the exchange of information are key components of the relationships between parents of young children and the staff of programs that serve them. Professionals who work with families are likely to be more effective when they are aware of how aspects of their own communication practices may affect parents' ability and willingness…

The 1990s saw the outdoor education community undergo a process of critical redefinition as it attempted to address multicultural issues. This digest defines multicultural education, reviews the current status of multicultural diversity in outdoor education, poses questions for researchers and practitioners, and offers suggestions for relevant…

Gifted students with disabling conditions remain a major group of underserved and understimulated youth. This digest stresses the importance of both accommodating the disability appropriately while recognizing and nurturing the individual's intellectual strengths. Discussion of assessment is followed by a series of lists intended to assist parents…

In recent years, the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teaching profession has made discoveries about teaching beginning or low-level adult learners (those with little or no schooling in their native languages, learners who may not be familiar with the Roman alphabet, those with learning disabilities, and those literate in their native languages…