The article provides a narrative summary of the development of the Ghent (Belgium) public school program for children aged two-and-a-half years to eight years. The program for each age level is described in terms of its purpose, nature, and program evaluation design. Cognitive development and skill learning are distinguished. (DB)

The purpose of this booklet is to provide information on what is known about standards for effective basic skills improvement programs to persons developing such programs, philosophies, standards, and strategies. It also provides access to current thinking by practicing professionals on standards for building effective programs to eligible…

Explains the importance of competence in standard American English in a developmental writing curriculum and reviews several theories of basic writing instruction. (EL)

The Swedish Basic Skills in a Long Term Perspective research project, which is described in this paper, was prompted by the belief that only a long-term perspective could reveal significant changes in schools and society at large. The general purpose of the described project is to endeavor, in historical and societal terms, to elucidate and…

When designing competency based education programs to meet state requirements, California educators would do well to select only a small number of highly significant competencies per basic skill area, for which they can devise on-target instruction and valid competency measures. (SJL)

Nine industry-based adult literacy programs across the country were studied to identify exemplary training programs and practices that business and industry trainers, planners, and policymakers and individuals in the public education sector alike could replicate in designing adult literacy programs. Training programs offered by the following…

The educational excellence movement has made an academic curriculum a high priority for all high school students, including the 40 percent who do not go on to college. The joint efforts approach to incorporating basic skills into the vocational curriculum is based on the following assumptions: (1) academic skills are embedded in vocational…

A study examined basic skills programs at 21 Illinois companies. Most of the top managers interviewed recognized the basic skills training needs of their work forces; however, only 14 of the companies actually offered workplace basic skills programs. Three major motivating factors were identified as catalysts for beginning a program: a drive for…

Although the National Workplace Literacy Program is relatively new, a new orthodoxy of program development based on particular understandings of literacy and learning has emerged. Descriptions of two model workplace education programs are the beginning points for an examination of the assumptions contained in most reports of workplace education…

Resulting from a project involving district, state, and federal educational agencies, the papers in this, the first of two volumes, are intended to provide information from research and practice that can help school districts in their efforts to make decisions about goals and methods of basic skills instruction. The topics of the papers in the…

This manual is intended for use by trainers of teacher aides in New Careers programs (which focus on training the unemployed and/or underemployed for entry-level placement as nonprofessionals in human service occupations). An introductory chapter considers the qualifications of the training team, qualifications of the trainee, the function and job…

A 30-month study was designed to provide a comprehensive examination of training for teachers and volunteer instructors in adult basic education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL). Phase I provided a systematic examination of the delivery and content of training. Three primary research activities were collection of extant data on staff…

The delivery and content of training for teachers and volunteer instructors in adult basic education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) were documented in a study. Two sources of information were the research literature and extant data from states on training activities. Findings indicated that training for adult education teachers and…

Resulting from a project involving district, state, and federal educational agencies, the papers in this, the second of two volumes, are intended to provide information from research and practice that can help school districts in their efforts to make decisions about goals and methods of basic skills instruction. The topics of the papers in the…

To meet the remedial-instructional needs of its recruits, the Coast Guard developed a basic skills program, entitled the Basic Educational Enrichment Program (BEEP), at its recruit training center in Cape May, New Jersey. Objectives of the program were to ensure that all graduates of Coast Guard recruit training possess at least eighth-grade…