This paper reports results of a research study linked to the effort of preparing teachers involved in literacy programs for a large adult population of non-native speakers of English in the state of Texas. Because of a state-initiated plan in Texas, the "Indicators of Program Quality for Adult Education and Literacy," extensive…

Three major models of adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy professional development are discussed: craft or mentoring models, applied science or theory to practice models, and inquiry or reflective practice models. Each is outlined, examples are provided, and innovative K-12 teacher development practices are suggested. (Contains 50…

Poor preparation of adult literacy educators is often blamed for the failure of adult literacy students. Four critical issues related to developing the adult literacy professional work force are as follows: how literacy is learned in adulthood; how practitioners learn and improve their practice; how new knowledge is generated in and for the field;…

Inquiry-based staff development is a promising direction for rethinking practice and research and for generating knowledge from a field-based perspective for adult literacy. Rethinking staff development entails investigating a number of current assumptions: the nature and function of literacy learning in adulthood; adult literacy practitioners as…

The Greater Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Literacy Council (GPLC) is a volunteer-based literacy council that provides adult basic and literacy education services to the area's citizens. The GPLC conducted an action research project to determine whether adding monthly meetings for professional teaching staff and providing opportunities for interaction…

The Administrative Leadership Institute offered a Leadership Institute, Regional Group Meetings, and online support to administrators of adult basic and literacy education programs in Pennsylvania. The program was developed following a needs assessment that gathered information from administrators in the state. The Leadership Institute, held in…

Addresses salient questions raised by a research project on interrelationships between adult literacy and English as a Second Language. A basic issue discussed is how "pedagogy" itself should be addressed in this context: i.e., how does it relate to curriculum content and how do theory and practice come together in this area? (Contains…

The Pennsylvania Adult Literacy Practitioner Inquiry Network (PALPIN) project was conducted to establish statewide and regional inquiry groups to help adult literacy practitioners improve their performance by raising and investigating issues meaningful to their day-to-day practice. The conceptual framework underlying Philadelphia's Adult Literacy…

Project Educational Quality in Adult Literacy (EQuAL) was initiated to improve the quality of adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) services provided to adult learners in Pennsylvania. Project EQuAL's objectives were as follows: (1) set performance standards to facilitate delivery of quality ABLE programs to adult learners; (2) institute a…

The quarterly theme-based publication "Focus on Basics" was launched in January 1997 as part of a multipronged effort by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy to connect research and practice in the field of adult basic education (ABE). The effectiveness of "Focus on Basics" as a means of professional…

This document is designed to help adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) practitioners develop programs that address Ohio's Indicators of Program Quality. The 47 activities included, which were identified through an extensive search of the literature on ABLE programs outside Ohio, were selected based on the following criteria: relevance to one…

This guide, which is intended for administrators of programs providing adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) services in Pennsylvania, contains 59 individually authored papers devoted to planning, managing, and improving ABLE programs. The following are among the topics discussed in the guide's five sections: understanding the role of the ABLE…

This volume of newsletters focuses on connecting research and practice in adult literacy programs. Issue A of August 2001 includes: "Techniques for Teaching Beginning-Level Reading to Adults" (Ashley Hager); "Beginning ESOL Learners' Advice to Their Teachers" (MaryAnn Cunningham Florez); "The Neurobiology of Reading and…

A survey called the Literacy Check-Up was conducted in South Carolina's Lancaster and Chester Counties in April-May 2000. The survey was designed to identify existing literacy services, determine how well the area's existing literacy programs were meeting participants' needs, and determine the community's capacity for serving adults in need of…

Since its establishment in 1996, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) has actively conducted and disseminated research to help build effective, cost- efficient adult education and literacy programs for adults who have low literacy and math skills, limited English skills, and/or no high school diploma. Funded as…