A Canadian Bar Association Task Force on Legal Literacy explored the relationship between literacy and access to the legal system. A literature review revealed that little attention had been directed to literacy and use of the legal system. Three important findings emerged from 24 focus groups of current and former adult learners: virtually all…

The seminar on "Functional Illiteracy" was planned as a follow-up to the "Workshop of Specialists in Europe on Functional Illiteracy" held in December 1986, organized by the United Nation's Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) Institute for Education. Representatives of 17 countries and UNESCO, the…

This guidebook is a practical reference for people working on the development and use of literacy materials, such as planners, administrators, writers, illustrators, and producers. Section I on rationale and principle of learning materials covers the following: categories of learners, learning behavior of adults, steps in curriculum development,…

Developed as part of a project to upgrade the workplace vocabulary and comprehension skills of Pennsylvania workers in light industry, health, hotel and hospitality, and food service occupations, this document consists of four parts: a project report, a trainer's manual, a tutor handbook, and assessment report/resource packet. The project report…

The University of Akron's Reading Assessment Component (RAC) research study assessed the effectiveness of a computer-based literacy program, Principles of the Alphabet Literacy System (PALS), as an alternative to classroom instruction for functionally illiterate adults living in Summit County, Ohio. The RAC study assessed four objectives: (1)…

This book is intended to assist literacy program administrators, coordinators, instructors, and volunteers in the design and implementation of literacy programs for homeless adults. Chapter 1 discusses barriers to instruction when serving homeless adults, including shelter environment, impermanence of location and opportunity, and the effects of…

These proceedings are from a conference that brought together representatives of the life and health insurance business, the private sector, labor, education, and government to address the literacy problem. An executive summary is followed by an introduction to the proceedings that gives an overview of the 11 presentations and by the opening…

The effectiveness of using computer courseware developed for adults reading below the fourth-grade level was investigated with inmates at Rockview State Correctional Institution. Data were collected both to establish multiple baseline data and to permit experimental group comparison with a control group. The multiple baselines portion of the study…

This policy guide is designed to assist governors and state leaders in analyzing the issue of adult literacy and in proposing specific policy strategies for dealing with this national problem. The book offers practical guidance in two areas critical to effective action: it clarifies definitions of "literacy" and "illiteracy" and provides a…

The Literacy Volunteers of America-Danbury, Connecticut, is a nonprofit community organization that provides free instruction in English for those to whom English is still largely a foreign language. For 10 years it has also provided free instruction in reading and writing for English-speaking persons whose education has not provided these skills.…

Evaluation of adult literacy programs requires different criteria from those used to judge regular schooling. Indicators for evaluating adult voluntary programs with individualized curricula are recruitment; retention, including absenteeism; one-on-one tutoring with volunteers; training in a context; support services; the "quick-fix" syndrome;…

This bibliography presents and analyzes selected books, articles, and sample learning materials on functional illiteracy in industrialized countries that are available in the library of the Unesco Institute for Education. Entries covering emerging areas of research, descriptions and analyses of country experiences and steps toward international…

This ERIC digest examines states' goals of rural literacy programs and the types of programs that have proven effective in the past. It includes several definitions of literacy applied by effective rural literacy programs. It also examines the conditions that support or limit widespread influence of effective programs in rural areas. The level of…

An evaluation of the Boston Workplace Education Collaborative (BWEC) was conducted during 1989. The BWEC is a partnership among Roxbury Community College, the Boston Private Industry Council, and the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) of Massachusetts to provide workplace literacy educational opportunities…

The eradication of illiteracy in Russia has a lengthy history but a systematic literacy campaign began only after the revolution of 1917. The literacy problem was considered to be solved two decades later. Success was due to the following factors: (1) illiterate people were eager to learn; (2) the eradication of illiteracy and preparation for…