This report examines rural practice in adult literacy programs and estimates the extent and nature of rural illiteracy. Surveys were sent to 3,287 rural literacy programs; more than 700 program directors responded for a return rate of 22 percent. In addition, 150 program directors and key state literacy contacts were interviewed by telephone.…

For this paper, prepared as an input to an ongoing assessment called "Adult Literacy and the New Technologies: Tools for a Lifetime," the literature on the use of technology in educational programs was reviewed, and the use and instructional effectiveness of audio equipment, television, computers, and interactive media were examined. Special…

The Wisconsin Workplace Partnership Training (WPT) program, which provides job-specific basic skills education to employees at their worksites, is a cooperative effort between the state's board of education, labor unions, and manufacturers association. At the time of the evaluation of the its third year, the program was operating at 23 sites…

Phase one of the Ontario Literacy and Health Project established a link between lack of education and increased health problems. Phase two was undertaken for the following purposes: (1) to develop a position paper on literacy and health; (2) to foster working partnerships between literacy groups and health groups that would result in ongoing…

Literacy and economic development are inextricably linked in the literature, often with little examination. There are five rationales for this relationship: economic objectives, social objectives, political objectives, endogenous pressures, and exogenous pressures. To achieve both understanding of literacy and improved literacy programming, better…

Basic issues in workplace education evaluation can be structured into five discussion questions. The first is who wants to know what information for what purpose. The "who" constitutes the program's stakeholders both at and beyond the program level. Further inquiry is then needed to determine what kind of information these stakeholders typically…

This report defines the social exclusion process by examining long-term unemployment and educational deficiencies in Europe and assessing the scope and effectiveness of the steps taken by the governments concerned to deal with the problem. Chapter I looks at education and prolonged unemployment in six countries that reflect the range of European…

A fresh look should be taken at the traditional distinction between adults with reading disabilities and those with little or no literacy skills. Although the distinction may still be valuable for theoretical purposes, it may not be as useful as it once was for practical situations. Many adults seeking literacy instruction today have limited…

These proceedings of a symposium on literacy include precis of six speakers' comments and a directory of the participants. "The Hidden Education Problem" (Paul Simon) addresses the need to provide all citizens with the opportunity to learn to read and write. "The Role of Government in Literacy" (Jean-Jacques Noreau) describes…

A study examined the roles of literacy and teamwork in an automotive parts manufacturing company that was restructuring to implement a "high-performance" model of team organization, worker responsibility for quality control, and a pay-for-knowledge compensation system. The study focused on the formal and informal educational practices from which…

In the current environment of global economic restructuring, changes in work and employment, and large-scale immigration to the United States, adult basic education (ABE) is facing demands that it be accountable for its performance by demonstrating its success in terms of student and societal outcomes. The increasing calls for ABE to develop a…

An evaluation examined the efficacy of the program structure, implementation, and outcomes of the Worker Education Program (WEP), a partnership of Northeastern Illinois University; Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees; and 14 employers. WEP's greatest strengths were its conceptual design, program structures, relevant…

This document begins with a report describing a Northampton Community College project to develop a manual to help adult literacy providers understand how they fit into welfare reform. The accompanying manual consists of four sections corresponding to the project's four objectives. Section 1, intended to enable adult literacy providers to…

This instructor's guide contains materials for a 30-hour course that focuses on reading, writing, speaking, and listening and targets ways to improve these skills on the job. The course description lists target audience, general objective, and typical results observed. The next section gives instructors basic information related to providing…

This guidebook provides suggestions and directions for increasing and improving English language learners' involvement in school-to-career initiatives across the country. It describes model career initiatives that either target or include significant numbers of English language learners, and it analyzes some school restructuring issues raised by…