Given changes in the 21st century workplace and expectations of employers, the notion that a bachelor's degree is the sole pathway to sustainable employment and a middle-class life in the United States has become obsolete. Many (e.g., Fleming, 2016) have argued that employers are now seeking employees with technical skills, digital literacy, and…

In 2009, President Obama and his administration sought to overhaul the existing educational reform program and launched their initiative titled Race to the Top (RTTT). RTTT, a competitive grant program, comprised six priorities designed to help states reform their current educational systems. Priority five calls for states to evaluate their…

This article investigates the effectiveness of a film-based assignment given to adult learners in a graduate-level group counseling class. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four students; data analysis suggested film-based assignments may promote deep approaches to learning (DALs). Participants indicated the assignment helped them…

The purpose of this article is to identify an issue that impacts individuals and institutions on a seemingly individual basis but collectively affects numerous program participants and their communities. Specifically, this article is about the tension between the need to provide student support service programming with the need to advocate for the…

The 25 years since the establishment of the adult basic education (ABE) program have seen a renewed focus on adult illiteracy in federal legislation. Four trends or models for the future of ABE have emerged: service to target populations, programs with an employment focus, professionalization of ABE educators, and widely spread, nonintensive…

A longitudinal study of 162 New York Adult Literacy Initiative students found that 97% were satisfied, felt the learning environment was supportive, and felt the teacher's attitude was critical. Retention suggestions were to use daily living experiences and challenging curricula, broaden the curriculum for men's interests, and attend to safety and…

The importance of numeracy for professional practice in nursing is increasingly recognized in the USA, UK and elsewhere, but there is no consensus on what is meant by numeracy for nursing, nor on how it should be taught, learned and assessed. Meanwhile, studies in various countries indicate a lack of proficiency in numeracy of some students and…

Context-rich learning can be promoted by integrating mentoring relationships into continuing professional education. Mentors promote learning in and from the workplace, assist learners in receiving help, and provide developmental and psychological support. (JOW)

Identifies mistakes--with suggested solutions--often made in promoting adult education programs: discounts for early registration; cancellation penalties; inconvenient registration procedures; inconvenient payment options; failure to list program benefits; lack of advertising of other offerings; insufficient lead time; lack of registration…

Anticipating and supporting the needs of users of technologies, programs, and services are critical to the success of distance education programs. Principal stakeholders are instructors who teach at a distance, learners pursuing distance education courses, site facilitators, and administrators. (JOW)

By following an accreditation model used in a college or university, funding agencies can be sure that adult basic education programs are following good practices rather than structuring their services to satisfy student assessment and outcome goals. (Author/JOW)

Economic analysis of the addition of a basic skills center to a word processing training center for unemployed adults showed that over three years the return on investment could be $14.00 to $1.00. (SK)

Workplace-English-as-a-Second-Language (WESL) programs are successful to the extent supervisors can be involved and supportive. They know that language and literacy needs are pertinent to tasks at hand and are the individuals that employees try to please most. Supervisors need help, encouragement, and information about the WESL program from…

Recent reports examining the federal Adult Education for the Homeless and Job Opportunities and Basic Skills programs conclude that adult education must consider the purposes for which participants will use basic skills and the barriers they face. A comprehensive human resource development system would include case management, use of formerly…