This chapter reviews the implications of policy as it has affected adult basic education over the last 25 years and problematizes the increasing institutionalization and stability that it has brought to the field.

Although many adult basic education programs offer distance learning (DL) for GED (General Educational Development) and English as a Second Language learners, this topic has received little scholarly attention. This article examines the availability, usage, and effectiveness of DL for rural GED candidates in Pennsylvania; students' demographic and…

In July 2011, the Welsh Government published the first data on adult literacy and numeracy in Wales since 2004. The summary information from the National Survey of Adult Skills in Wales shows that there has been an improvement in literacy levels (though challenges still remain), but little improvement in numeracy. Discussions are ongoing with…

Understanding the origins of poor literacy and numeracy skills in adulthood and how to improve them is of major importance when society places a high premium on proficiency in these basic skills. This edited collection brings together the results of recent longitudinal studies that greatly extend our knowledge of what works in raising skill…

The right to education is an internationally recognized right. As part of the global movement for Education for All in the past two decades, the right to basic education has emerged in international law, and it carries international obligations--political and legal--on account of collective commitments by the international community for its…

Employing statistical analysis, this study has made a preliminary exploration of promoting the equitable development of basic education in underdeveloped counties through the case study of Cili county. The unequally developed basic education in the county has been made clear, the reasons for the inequitable education have been analyzed, and,…

The General Educational Development (GED[R]) Tests, established in 1945, helped determine soldiers' high school qualifications for the workforce, as they returned home from WWII. Because many soldiers dropped out of school to join the military, achieving a certain score on the test was a way for them to demonstrate that they had attained high…

Identities are constructed throughout people's lives. In this paper, I explored the emerging reading identities of 10 adults who were pursuing GED (General Educational Development) credentials. While part of a much larger study that included many data sources, this paper draws on interview data to examine how one group of adults positioned…

With "basic education" now firmly a part of the current development discourse, this paper discusses how a selection of donors in Pacific education relate to this notion in terms of shifts in their development policy, their financial commitment and their underlying political agenda. With Levesque's (2001) notion of "perception…

When discussing issues relating to students in General Educational Development (GED) Option and pre-GED programs with educators, the contention exists that it is possible to make reasonably accurate predictions on the success or failure of a student by observing a number of items. Looking at their cumulative records shows their academic and…

Wichita, incorporated in 1870 as a village, is the largest city in Kansas. Its population has increased continually. During the 1970s and 1980s, there was a huge influx of refugees into Wichita. In this article, the author discusses the growth of adult basic education in Wichita and relates stories of several adult basic education students.…

The document is concerned with the accomplishments of the Region Five Adult Basic Education Staff Development Project. An introduction and background information are followed by a review of the 10 objectives achieved in phase two. Succeeding brief sections provide a review of the management and decision-making process; a list of Region Five Staff…

This study is a review and a critique of the 2008 U.S. "National Report on the Development and State of the Art of Adult Learning and Education" (ALE) prepared by the U.S. Commission for UNESCO and the U.S. Department of Education as a preparatory document for CONFINTEA VI, the 6th International Conference on Adult Education. The study…

Considered and described a sub-university institution, which has a dual approach to vocational education and enjoys considerable autonomy, that falls somewhere between the British regional college of technology and the polytechnic. (Author/RK)

Describes and critically analyzes adult literacy training efforts in Zambia from 1945 to 1986. Offers the integrated small-scale approach as a more beneficial and cost effective means of training. Suggests that a grass roots method which attacks illiteracy both across and within the community will lead to the most effective program. (KO)