Adult education's mission is a critical one. It seeks to provide the large and diverse population of adults who lack basic skills, a high school credential, or English language skills with the competencies they need to be productive workers, family members, and citizens. Federally funded adult education serves learners in three types of programs:…

Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 directs the federal government to conduct a national assessment of adult education, including activities to understand the extent to which adult education strategies positively affect learners. A systematic review of the research on the effectiveness of particular strategies in adult…

The paper describes the planning, preparation and conduct of an academic treatment program for 120 adjudicated delinquents identified as learning disabled (LD). The remediation program, conducted in three locales, each representing a different demographic focus, was based on an academic treatment model incorporating elements of process training…

This supplementary volume presents appendixes A-E associated with a 1-year study which determined what secondary school students were doing as they engaged in the Chelsea Bank computer software simulation activities. Appendixes present the SCANS Analysis Coding Sheet; coding problem analysis of 50 video segments; student and teacher interview…

A 1-year study determined what students were doing as they engaged in the Chelsea Bank computer software simulation activities. The major goal of the analysis was to build a knowledge base for the development of assessments that would guide instruction and focus teachers and students (in middle-level and high school classrooms) as they used the…

Argues for the value of high-quality minimum competency testing (MCT) programs in efforts to restore honesty to public school promotion practices. Lists the seven characteristics of a good program and discusses the effects of MCT on students, on curriculum and teaching, and on public perceptions of schooling. (Author/WD)

This report describes the work of the schools in the Local Initiative Grants Programme (which funded, through the Basic Skills Agency, 103 secondary schools throughout England and Wales), and draws upon the most effective practice identified in aspects of basic skills provision. Emerging from the work of the Local Initiative Grants Programme are…

Reviewing the current justifications for minimum competency testing (MCT) programs, the author finds them inadequate. He asks whether reading, writing, and computation skills can be proven necessary for a successful life and whether MCT programs can be demonstrated to be the best means of promoting students' living skills. (SJL)

Tech prep prepares people for technical careers by linking high school studies with community college coursework. The Pee Dee Tech Prep Program in North Carolina is a joint venture between the Richmond County Schools and Richmond Community College that connects essential skills learned in high school with occupation-specific skills taught in…

Describes the Summer Training and Education Program (STEP) designed to reduce summer learning losses, improve reading and math skills, increase graduation rates, and reduce the incidence of teen parenthood. Reports that STEP succeeds in slowing, and in many cases stopping, summer learning losses of at-risk students. (RS)

The Office of Research and Evaluation of the Dearborn Public Schools (Michigan) presents a longitudinal study to analyze grade nine student academic growth over a 2-year period utilizing the results of the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP). The TAP is a nationally normed test designed to assess student progress toward widely accepted…

This is an evaluation of the Equal Career Opportunities Program conducted for bilingual high school students in New York City in 1979-1980. The program served Spanish and French/Creole speaking students, and was designed to provide effective bilingual instruction in basic skills, career education, and preoccupational training. Its goal was to…

This paper examines the effects of Upward Bound Programs upon underachieving minority group members and assesses the various sub-components of Upward Bound Programs. A description of national evaluations as they relate to the programs is presented and a framework is provided that is essential for understanding the history of Upward Bound from the…

After 2 years of a 5-year pilot project to develop approaches to strengthen basic competencies of students enrolled in vocational programs in Oklahoma, two of the projects were reviewed. The study sought to: (1) document the incidence and level of basic skills instruction, along with the teaching methods and materials used, in the vocational and…

This study (one portion of a larger study) was designed to identify the characteristics of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title I basic skills programs in institutions for neglected or delinquent youth that appeared to be effective in producing student achievement gains. The study attempted to contrast small samples of more effective and…