This guide, which is intended for project directors, coordinators, and other professional staff involved in developing and delivering workplace education programs, explains the workplace education evaluation process, the main approaches to evaluation, and considerations in selecting appropriate evaluation instruments. Discussed first are the…

This handbook presents reading materials for a distance education course designed to enhance an understanding of the nature of workplace literacy needs and to show how to develop and teach in workplace literacy and basic skills programs. The three reading materials presented in the handbook are: (1) "Developing and Evaluating Workplace…

Twelve case studies of learners in workplace literacy programs at cosmetics and medical instruments firms and a municipal services department were conducted to identify key elements related to broad transfer of the skills learned in the classes to life outside the classroom. A general model of the factors (instructional elements, learner…

Attention has been focused on whether U.S. competitiveness in a global market can be sustained if the work force has deficient reading skills. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 90 million adults (50 percent of the adult population) do not have the literacy skills they need to function in society. These persons have limited reading…

This packet of information was developed to be distributed as an informational referral tool for a workplace literacy project following an oral presentation by project staff. It includes the following sections: a managers' checklist; questions managers ask; manager's survey; information about workplace literacy; characteristics of work-based…

Techniques for effective communication are presented in a work style handbook for use by adults with little or no English language skills. Minibook A is composed of some learning activities in the form of games that provide language drill and encourage group rapport. They accommodate students' diverse learning styles and provide flexibility in…

This document consists of the first four issues (Volume 1) of "Literacy Works," a newsletter of the Saskatchewan Literacy Network. The premier issue reports on the board, staff, and historical perspective of the network, and also contains a brief article on education for the workplace, a review of "Writing to Read" by Martin…

Materials from the Literacy Symposium that begin this document are a letter of support from Barbara Bush, a symposium agenda, and lists of panel participants, speakers, symposium staff, and members of the Academic Advisory Council to the U.S. Government Printing Office. These are followed by 21 pages of quotes from particpants. Those quoted…

Since colonial times, definitions and estimates of illiteracy in the United States have been debated. The Census Bureau's major indicator is number of years of schooling completed. However, average grade-level attainment is high, whereas estimates of levels of reading ability remain low. In addition, these measures are inadequate for adults. A…

Literacy and work force preparedness are two of the most important issues facing education today. Findings of nationwide studies show that reading and writing performance of students is inadequate. One of every eight current workers reads at the fourth-grade level or lower. The nation's economic future will be determined by the quality and…

The literature shows that state federations of labor should be, and many are, actively involved in current state literacy initiatives. The United States must develop a coherent and comprehensive system of lifetime education. This will require a greater commitment of public and private resources to education and training. Too many employers are…

Most major workplace literacy programs involve unions. Organized labor's current leadership in worker education and training is not a continuation of earlier activities but an expansion of union interest and activity that is unprecedented in the history of organized labor. These efforts do not rely on public funding, because many unions have…

This document examines the activities and resource needs of local basic skills programs; examines the major national organizations that lead, coordinate, and provide technical assistance to local providers; suggests how new organizations can assist and support the delivery of adult literacy services; and recommends public and private sector action…

This document takes a comprehensive look at the resources, problems, and needs of the literacy field and focuses on the long-term requirements for expanding literacy services and ensuring high quality instruction in the United States. (A major conclusion is that the present system, with proper funding and other resources, has the capacity to…

This blueprint is intended to give employers and organized labor an overview of the issues involved in workplace literacy. The guide is divided into six sections. Section 1 defines and introduces workplace literacy. Section 2 highlights some of the issues employers and organized labor are facing as a result of low literacy levels in the workplace.…