A handful of technological episodes: fire, wheel and axle, Industrial Revolution, Faraday's discovery of electromagnetic induction, the transistor, and the digital age, have historically altered humanity. We are now witnessing/participating in the next transformational technology: 3D printing. Although dating back nearly 30 years, the technology…

The following profiles address how the state departments of education are supporting local educators in classroom implementation of the Common Core by providing and/or facilitating the development of instructional resources and materials aligned to the new standards. In order for instructional resources and materials to be aligned to the Common…

The project was an effort to alleviate a recognized need of educationally disadvantaged students enrolled in vocational agriculture classes in Pennsylvania. This need extended to teacher preparation, instructional materials, and vocational guidance. Instructional materials in ornamental horticulture, agricultural mechanics, and agricultural…

A study was conducted to develop a set of instructor standards that describe high-quality teaching behavior for adult literacy teachers, program administrators, state staff, and stakeholders. The standards were created by a task force of 15 experienced adult literacy practitioners and reviewed and revised by focus groups of practitioners at seven…

A project was undertaken to design an information dissemination newsletter to meet the professional development needs of Pennsylvania's adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) practitioners. It was decided that an 8- to 10-page-long newsletter would be produced for 5 months that included information/articles from as many sources as could be…

This document contains a final report and a handbook from a project to develop a comprehensive text on Pennsylvania government structure and taxes written on a lower (fourth- to eighth-grade) reading level for adult basic education students. The report describes how available government publications were researched, and a five-unit handbook that…

A project was conducted to examine vocational education curriculum materials developed through state and federally funded projects to determine principles and methods used and to examine strengths and weaknesses of each. A survey instrument was disseminated to all Pennsylvania schools with vocational programs. Consultants were utilized to develop…

This document consists of a brief final report and a handbook from a project conducted to develop family numeracy activities and incorporate them into adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) classes in two Pennsylvania counties. The 10 activities, which were designed to help adult learners foster the development of numeracy concepts/skills in…

Project IMAGES (Improving Management of Adults/Guiding and Educating Staff) was conducted throughout Pennsylvania to provide two three-hour training sessions for the special needs of both experienced and inexperienced staff of adult basic education programs. Instruction was given in the counseling areas of age variance management and the…

As part of a statewide, structured diffusion plan, inservice training sessions were held for teachers and administrators from many local schools to encourage use of V-TECS (Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States) competency-based curriculum materials in local schools. Use of other recommended vocational education resources was also…

The primary objective of the Success Stories: From Learning to Leadership project, which was conducted by a private consulting firm, was to provide technical assistance to the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) in its efforts to select and recognize the achievements of 10 outstanding ABLE…

This project continued a 2-year project that had focused on development and implementation of training in content areas needed by staff from ABLE (Adult Basic and Literacy Education)-funded agencies in Pennsylvania. The project continued to coordinate the review and selection of training materials for professional development in designated content…

To increase the supply of modularized instructional materials to meet the need for preservice and/or inservice education of professional vocational educators, the National Center for Research in Vocational Education and seven interested states organized in 1978 a Consortium for the Development of Professional Materials for Vocational Education. To…

A project was conducted to train Pennsylvania vocational educators to manage, develop, and evaluate interactive video and computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Activities included a day-long workshop that consisted of a general introduction session and small group sessions to provide hands-on experience with interactive video software, an overview…

A project was conducted to provide staff development workshops about adults with learning problems to agencies throughout Pennsylvania. Workshops and accompanying guides on nine topics ranging from understanding learning differences, problems, and disabilities to alternative instructional techniques were developed. Workshops were conducted…