Prior research has classified strategies to facilitate adult learners' transitions to postsecondary opportunities into five broad categories: advising, General Educational Development-plus (GED-plus), English as a second language, career pathways, and college preparatory (Zafft, Kallenbach, & Spohn, 2006). This two-part study relied on…

Launched in 2011, the Accelerating Opportunity (AO) initiative aims to increase the ability of students with low basic skills to earn valued occupational credentials, obtain well-paying jobs, and sustain rewarding careers. AO encourages states to change the delivery of adult education for students interested in learning career skills by enrolling…

"Accelerating Opportunity" responds to the nation's growing need for improved pathways from Adult Basic Education (ABE) to credentials of value in the labor market. It builds on promising practices developed in "Breaking Through," an initiative of Jobs for the Future and the National Council for Workforce Education, and…

This six-chapter monograph describes the development of adult basic education (ABE) in the Netherlands. It documents a process from the development of literacy by enthusiastic volunteers to professionalized and institutionalized adult education, which is still evolving. In chapter 1, a general outline of the problem of functional illiteracy…

This study outlines some of the literacy problems of immigrants to Canada and the attempts being made to overcome these problems. The study first examines some of the popular definitions of literacy with a view to finding one that might be a goal for all illiterates in Canada regardless of their birthplace. Next, the latest data are analyzed to…

This booklet describes the adult education system in Indonesia. The first section provides background information, including the geographic and demographic characteristics and the socioeconomic setting of the country. The history of education in the country is also discussed. Government policy is the topic of the second section. Included are a…

In Malawi, adult literacy deserves immediate attention in order to promote health, family planning, and productivity. While policy commitment for adult literacy promotion has not been lacking, intensified action has been. In 1979 the government accepted the Unesco Mission Report to undertake a functional literacy program on the successful…

This book provides a historical overview of illiteracy as a social phenomenon in Belgium, examines public policies, and profiles literacy in the French and Flemish communities. It is organized in six chapters. The first chapter presents an overview of literacy in Belgium, with information on the educational system and cultural diversity. Chapter 2…

This paper summarizes 14 case studies from 13 countries commissioned by Unesco to describe the educational provisions for adults in the special context of scientific and technological development and to study a selected number of programs at greater depth. The countries chosen by Unesco are all countries with developed or developing industries,…

The number of entrants to the labor market today in most sub-Sahara African countries far exceeds the number of new jobs generated by the economy. This mismatch is one of the most serious problems the region faces. With too few jobs to go around, vocational training should focus on the generation of self-employment possibilities. In the mid-1970s…

Basic education for girls and women has been part of UNESCO's and UNICEF's concerns since the early days of the two organizations. Both organizations not only consider access to basic education a fundamental human right, but also see girls' and women's education as vital in enhancing their roles as contributors to and beneficiaries of development.…

Research conducted in Kenya had two purposes: to describe the literacy program and literacy learners and to determine the literacy skill levels of participants and to what use they are putting those skills. Researchers collected data from 5 districts in Kenya, including information about the characteristics and functioning of the literacy centers,…

Research conducted in Tanzania had two purposes: to describe the literacy program and literacy learners and to determine the literacy skill levels of participants and to what use they are putting those skills. Researchers spent a month in each of four villages gaining information about the socioeconomic system, communication, development, the role…

World Education, with a small grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development, began an experimental pilot project in nonformal education at a university research center, a pilot project that eventually became the Government of Nepal's national literacy program. The program evolved gradually over 12 years (1977-89) and was molded in…

This tool kit suggests various International Literacy Day activities to raise awareness of the issues of adult literacy and language learning, to connect local literacy programs with national programs, and to help achieve the National Literacy Summit goal by 2010. The kit is intended for individuals, programs, and organizations that want to call…