A functional reading program, as distinct from the standard middle school reading program, specifically ensures that all students will acquire the reading skills necessary for survival in our society. Survival reading behaviors to be achieved include the ability to read labels on packages, to locate references in a newspaper, or to translate…

This paper reviews research which indicates that (1) more adults spend more time at job related reading than at any other type of reading; (2) materials written for functional purposes (job manuals, newspapers) are often too difficult for the people who are supposed to read them; (3) secondary English courses focus more on teaching reading and…

Designed for use as supplementary reading material, the reader is a collection of short stories (1 to 3 pages in length) developed from interviews with 12 Chippewas living in the Minnesota areas of Cass Lake, Leech Lake, Inger, Pine Point, and White Earth. The interviewees represent various occupations including teacher, school principal, nurse,…

Argues that national policy has imposed on American public education four different standards of literacy, each one more demanding than the one preceding it--signature, recitation, comprehension, and application. Suggests, also, that each standard, which had its root cause in the nation's economy and social structure, was initially applied only to…

Prepared for instructors in adult literacy programs, this paper summarizes a reading curriculum designed to meet the needs of a predominantly Spanish-speaking community. The reading instruction curriculum is presented as a sequence of educational objectives under five headings: basic skills, structural analysis, vocabulary, comprehension, and…

A report is presented on a two-year project developed by the Cleveland Public Schools to develop and pilot-test a "packaged" curriculum model designed to support both the basic and functional skill development of high school students in each of five major content areas--English, social studies, mathematics, science, and…

The Port of Baltimore Workplace Skills Development Project had the following objectives: perform literacy audits on at least 20 job titles within the port-related industries; develop curriculum modules providing literacy skill instruction using a functional context approach reflecting the Port of Baltimore needs; offer instructional services to at…

The Snap-On Tools Workplace Literacy Grant developed a curriculum for training adult workers in technical math and reading, English as a Second Language (ESL), and blueprint reading. Curriculum development was based on a workplace audit. Reading levels increased an average of 0.8 of a grade level. Flexibility and implementation of adult student…

Together, these four newsletters contain 36 articles devoted to adult literacy research and practice and the relationship between them. The following articles are included: "A Productive Partnership" (Richard J. Murnane, Bob Bickerton); "Welcome to 'Focus on Basics'" (Barbara Garner); "Applying Research on the Last Frontier" (Karen Backlund, Kathy…