Nationally, retaining students in adult basic education (ABE) is an ongoing challenge for numerous programs. The problem is the low retention rates among adult basic education learners in a non-profit ABE program in a large metropolitan city in Georgia. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how persistence affects student…

The focus of each Technology Solutions for Adult Basic Skills Challenges column begins with a common challenge facing adult basic skills practitioners. This article examines a technology solution to two large and related challenges: student engagement and student persistence, which, from a program or school perspective, is often described as…

The differential treatment of youth of color in schools perpetuates disparities in academic outcomes. Alternative education programs may represent a constructive approach to preventing or mitigating these disparities. This study examines the outcomes of an urban alternative education program in the United States. Secondary analysis of demographic,…

Workforce development interventions have historically been heavily driven by federal funding, much of which was designated towards short-term training programs (less than six months) and rarely involved interaction or collaboration among colleges. The resulting efforts by the colleges to improve, update, or expand their workforce development…

According to the instructors and administrators at a local adult education (AE) program in Houston, Texas, retaining and graduating general education development (GED) students has been a constant challenge. Locating GED attendance barriers could enable AE programs to develop techniques that increase student retention and graduation rates. The…

Adult literacy is a long-lasting issue in modern US and adult literacy education often falls off the radar of the support system for education. This study examined and synthesized extensive literature relevant to adult literacy education with a focus on minorities in the US. It identified progresses and challenges in three major issues in adult…

In this qualitative research study, we sought to better understand the experiences of adult learners in adult education centers. We conducted eight focus groups with 104 adult education students from 25 adult learning centers. Five groups were made up of English-speaking ABE students; learners in the three ESL groups spoke Spanish. We used an…

Understanding the origins of poor literacy and numeracy skills in adulthood and how to improve them is of major importance when society places a high premium on proficiency in these basic skills. This edited collection brings together the results of recent longitudinal studies that greatly extend our knowledge of what works in raising skill…

This case study covers an ethnographic assessment of an adult ESL program at a community center in southern Minnesota. We studied factors preventing learners from attending classes and formulated improvement strategies by using a cultural broker framework and Knowles's (1990) principles of adult learning. Additional curricular structure and more…

This guide addresses issues of learner persistence, motivation, and retention in adult basic education (ABE). Based on findings from the NCSALL Adult Student Persistence Study, participants engage in an examination of their own interests and experiences with learner motivation and retention and examine strategies of other practitioners. The goal…