Amidst diminishing federal investment in Adult Basic Education (ABE), there is growing interest in return on investment (ROI) as an economic rationale to support ABE funding. Against this backdrop, we provide an overview of the ROI concept and methods and the empirical evidence on ABE program impacts to broaden the discourse among practitioners…

More substantive evidence is needed of the impact of adult basic education programs. There are many indicators that might be used in evaluation--employment status, self concept, attitudes, level of living; this evaluation should be continuous and longitudinal. (PT)

As an aid to Adult Basic Education (ABE) practitioners in planning and conducting effective program evaluation activities, this monograph provides for a broader approach than is typical of ABE program evaluation. The monograph is organized around the following major elements of program evaluation: context, outcomes, inputs, processes, judgments,…

The National Literacy Program in Namibia (NLPN) was launched in 1992 with the objective of achieving 80% national literacy among adults. Several evaluations, including an evaluation of system policy and performance, have been conducted. The methodology of these evaluations and the philosophy behind them are discussed. (SLD)

Systematic guidelines for evaluating programs in adult basic education are presented in the document. Program activities in adult basic education involve four main levels of activity (classroom, local, State, and Federal), each of which can profit from appropriately focused evaluation. Patterns of association among personnel and activities are…

The overall purpose of this evaluative project was to improve the administrative and programmatic aspects of public adult and continuing education programs in Illinois--particularly those funded under public law 91-230 (The Adult Education Act). A second major purpose was to provide a model for future evaluative efforts. Twenty local programs were…

This guide raises and discusses questions to guide workplace literacy. The historic context for this handbook is the progress of Project REACH from its inception in 1986 to the present. An introduction considers how an workplace literacy. An introduction considers how an organization's history affects program decisions. Chapter 1 looks at…

Author hopes to find ways to put the emphasis of evaluation in adult basic education on assessment of student performance with the main diagnostic intent of raising competencies in societal coping functions. (Author/GB)

An adult basic education evaluation design should be directly related to realistic and assessable process and outcome objectives of a project. The design should be established early, and baseline data should be obtained prior to, or at least concurrent with, initiating the delivery of services. (CT)

This article critically reviews recent studies of adult basic education (ABE), general education development (GED), vocational, and college education programs in prisons. Thirteen studies were collected from various databases across multiple disciplines to examine the types of program evaluations and statistical analysis techniques researchers…

The arguments for the monitoring and evaluation of adult literacy and basic education programs are no different from those justifying monitoring and evaluation of any other educational program. The priority and status accorded different programs are likely to determine commitment to their internal and external evaluation and the form that these…

Written primarily for use in training, this monograph is addressed to the middle-level evaluation worker in literacy projects and programs. The 12 chapters deal with the following topics: evaluation as a link in the "ideology to technology" chain, evaluation models and approaches, the situation-specific strategy model of evaluation, making…

An outcome of a study of adult basic education programs initiated three years ago by the Columbia University Center of Adult Education, the evaluation guide with its step-by-step instructions can be used for both formative and summative evaluations of adult basic education programs. Background research involved in this publication included direct…

An evaluation model for workplace literacy programs was developed and applied at two industrial plants. Development of the model included a literature review and consultation with plant managers. The model included interviews, questionnaires, Cloze tests, class observation, plant-gathered productivity indexes, and supervisor ratings. The…

This guide is designed to help Ontario's literacy program coordinators implement the Core Quality Standards in their literacy programs. It provides ideas about simple approaches to evaluation which they can use. The first part of the guide discusses what program evaluation is and what it can do for the program coordinator. The second part…