This article describes outcomes of group discussion sessions that took place as part of the Commission on Adult Basic Education April 2016 conference in Dallas, Texas. Researchers and practitioners in adult education were the primary attendees of the conference. Session topics and points of discussion in this paper include: the challenge of the…

The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) and the National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium (NAEPDC), with funding from the National Institute for Literacy, created a one-day workshop to assist practitioners and administrators in adult basic education, TANF (Transitional Assistance for Needy…

Informal research and development (R & D) is defined as any small-scale, decentralized agricultural or extension education program that involves the population of learners in the process of planning, implementation, and evaluation of a learning process. It involves simple experimentation with potential solutions to common problems. The presence of…

Data from recent international conferences and existing studies show that adult literacy research questions pursued by academicians and those pursued by practitioners are markedly different. Research concerns expressed by these two groups, in both developed and developing countries, are based on different assumptions regarding the nature,…

NCSALL's (National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy's) Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network (PDRN) set out to create and support systematic partnerships between practitioners and university researchers to better connect research and practice, with the ultimate outcome of improved practice, policy, and services for…

These proceedings are presented in three parts. The first, "The CPAE (Commission of Professors of Adult Education) and Its Mission," contains seven presentations: "Some Observations on the Role of the Commission of Professors" (Collins); "Which Way? This Way and That Way: Recommendations from the Task Forces" (Blunt);…

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…

A study examined the extent to which Virginia Professional Development System (VPDS) components met practitioner needs and the degree to which they constituted an inquiry-based professional development system. Interviews with over 50 Virginia Institute for Lifelong Learning (VAILL) participants focused on their use of the Centers for Professional…

The Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network (PDRN), a multi-year research and development effort, tested an innovative method of connecting research and practice. Included in the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy 1995 proposal, it began with an advisory group meeting in 1996. In 1997, South- and Northeast regions…

These proceedings comprise 33 presentations. They are "Glaser or Strauss?"(Babchuk); "Reframing Participation in Adult Education Programs" (Babchuk); "Multicultural Adult Education as Discourse in the Social Construction of Reality" (Baptiste); "Political Construction of Adult Education" (Baptiste, Heaney);…

The conference recorded in this document covered a wide variety of themes and consisted of keynote addresses, research presentations, and workshops. The following workshop presentations are included: "Vocational Education in a Developing Country" (Theron); "From the Technical to the Critical: A New Agenda for Vocational Education…

This digest summarizes the contents of the more than 50 separate items that were published by the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) National Centre for Research and Development in 1986-87. These items include major research reports, video programs, newsletters, clearinghouse reports and textbooks. The first section provides an overview of the…

This book synthesizes both the theoretical and practical perspectives of experienced practitioners of the craft of adult education. The book contains 14 chapters. "The New World of Continuing Education" (Alan Thomas) clarifies common terms in historical context. "We Have with Us Yesterday: Teaching Lessons from the Past" (Michael Welton) presents…

This proceedings contains 29 presentations: "Meaning of Participating in Technology Training" (Cynthia S. Blodgett-McDeavitt); "Applying Actor Network Theory to Curricular Change in Medical Schools" (Karen V. Busch); "Politics of Humanism" (Mary Katherine Cooper); "Reasons for the Nonparticipation of Adults in…

A conference on research to practice in adult, continuing and community education included the following papers: "Education as a Community Intervention Strategy" (Ashcraft, Andrews); "Assessing Educational Needs of Adults: An Ohio Extension Example" (Bratkovich, Miller); "Questions and Issues Related to a Lack of…