In the United States and many other nations, adult literacy students are marginalized. To serve the educational needs of these adults, governments have established an educational system that is marginalized among education systems. In California, the adult literacy education system is marginalized in the following ways: it is a noncredit system…

Recent research on adult education and literacy development (AELD) programs in workplaces that teach English, reading, and mathematics skills integrated with job knowledge indicates they contribute to improved job-related literacy and mathematics skills, improved job productivity, and increased reading to children at home. AELD programs can help…

This paper explores some of the issues involved in developing an index of functional literacy that can serve diagnostic purposes. In 1985, Secretary of Education William J. Bennett outlined principles for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), including a principle calling for NAEP to "develop an index of functional literacy…

Looks at the increasing rate of illiteracy in developing countries and the role of family literacy programs in combating the trend. Describes family literacy programs as different from traditional literacy programs in that they are designed to maximize the probability that adults will succeed in transferring their new beliefs, attitudes,…

The Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) has been systematizing and promoting adult education in the United States since 1966, when the Adult Education Act (AEA) was passed. Today, some 4,000 organizations operate under the rules and regulations of the latest reauthorization of the AEA, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA).…

As articulated by President Reagan, the Adult Literacy Initiative has two goals: to raise all adults in the country to a functional reading level and to focus on promoting literacy among adults--not "stamping out" or "attacking" illiteracy. Professionals at the National Adult Literacy Project and Conference considered the…

Reviews evidence regarding the content, standards, and use validity of the International Adult Literacy Survey's performance scales and self-assessment scales. Concludes that there are serious questions about the performance scales and that self-assessment data may help identify adults who believe they have poor literacy skills. Suggests that…

In the United States and Canada alike, expressions of concern over the fact that the demand for skilled workers far exceeds the current supply have been heard repeatedly. However, several studies would seem to indicate that, as familiar as these claims about the supply and demand for skilled workers may be, they are very contentious. If a Hudson…

This report provides information on design and evaluation of workplace literacy programs (WLPs) to improve work force readiness and an overview of concepts about the nature, uses, and abuses of standardized tests in program evaluation and accountability. Chapter 1 takes a sociohistorical and sociopolitical perspective in discussing the knowledge…