A stratified random sample of 1,500 state legislators from 12 states was surveyed regarding their perceptions and knowledge of issues in reading instruction. The states were selected to provide a balanced mix of state sizes, state budget sizes, and geographic regions. Within states, legislators were selected to balance districts. Both mail surveys…

This newsletter reviews two books about family literacy in the United States. The first, "A Survey of Family Literacy in the United States" (edited by Lesley Mandel Morrow, Diane H. Tracey, and Caterina Marcone Maxwell), is a reference guide for educators and policymakers that includes the following: brief descriptions of programs for children and…

A study examined 60 adult students' informal knowledge of percent and its relationship to their formal computational skills. The students studying in adult education programs were interviewed to ascertain the following: (1) their ideas of the meanings of three benchmark percentages--100, 50, and 25 percent--as they appear in advertising and media…

This study examined adult students' informal knowledge of percent and its relationship to their computational skills. Sixty adults studying in urban and suburban adult education programs were interviewed to ascertain: (1) their ideas of the meanings of benchmark percents, 100%, 50%, and 25%, as they appear in advertising and media contexts; (2)…

A project was conducted to teach family financial management to a class of adult basic education (ABE) students. Materials on budgeting were provided, and students had to prepare budgets based on various fictitious situations described. After 2 weeks, changes in their situations were introduced so that they had to alter their budgets accordingly.…

This booklet describes 10 outstanding adult education and literacy programs, one for each of the country's 10 geographic regions, that won awards from the U.S. Secretary of Education in 1992. The winners embody the best elements of how the adult learning system will move the nation to meet the National Education Goal for Adult Literacy and…

The revised General Educational Development (GED) tests introduced in 1988 require higher-level analytical skills of examinees than previous tests. The most immediate revision is the writing skills test, which requires examinees to demonstrate writing ability. This guide provides the GED student with a plan for writing an essay that will receive a…

This report discusses the place of numeracy in adult education, examines conceptions of what numeracy and numeracy provision might include, and explores links between literacy and numeracy provision. Section A takes a critical look at how much attention is being paid to mathematics education in adult education/adult literacy programs and addresses…

The primary goal of a project was to encourage students in adult basic education, General Educational Development, and English as a second language to express their thoughts and feelings through writing. Its objectives were to collect and publish exemplary student writings from adult education programs throughout the state of Pennsylvania and to…

A Florida task force investigated the educational levels of the state's elderly population. Data collection included the construction of statistical summaries, examination of existing documents (including a prior study of education and the elderly), and a review of the literature on aging. The following information was gained from the study: a…

While special care is needed to adapt approaches and strategies to the instructional requirements of adult populations, the innovative learning experiences inspired by the NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics are examples of good pedagogy that integrate nicely into an androgogical learning environment. This paper…

Learning disabilities can be overcome although solutions are complex and costly. The range of individual disabilities is wide, and improper screening and diagnosis is common. A learning disability is a disorder affecting understanding or the use of spoken or written language. Approximately 5 percent of adults have such disabilities. In addition,…

Argues that requiring student input and responsibility is an effective method for teaching reading to adults. (RB)

A study was conducted to identify adult basic education (ABE) teachers' perceptions of the positive and negative results of formal testing and to obtain descriptive information concerning typical testing practices in U.S. ABE programs. One thousand twenty surveys, in packets of 20 each, were mailed to 50 ABE state directors and the District of…

Literacy should be viewed as a continuum of undereducation, stretching from those who cannot read and write at all at the low end to those who have less than a high school education at the high end. People at different points have different needs, which may differ greatly from those current literacy programs try to meet. The track record of…