Questions the validity and reliability of the Reading/Everyday Activities in Life (R/EAL) test, which is intended as a self-administered, self-directed, and self-paced test of basic literacy for minority populations and others traditionally singled out by the bias of standardized reading achievement tests. (SRT)

Reviews literacy and reading achievement trends over the past century and places the current debates in a historical perspective. Concludes that upgrading literacy skills now requires new initiatives by coalitions of educators, community groups, employers, and governments. (FL)

This article discusses the problem of adult illiteracy and offers guidelines to assist librarians in developing adult literacy programs based on results of the Los Angeles Public Library's Library Adult Reading Project. Federal and state funding, partnerships, plan of action, personnel, materials, operations, and equipment are covered. (EJS)

Describes the conceptual and operational framework of Collaborations for Literacy, an adult literacy project based on the premise that the educationally disadvantaged parent and child are a learning unit and might benefit from shared learning activities. Project's objective is to encourage adults to improve their own reading through reading to…

Details a case study of a young adult who, although virtually illiterate, learned to compensate for his reading disability and earn several college degrees. (FL)

This Mentor Teacher Group Guide was created by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) and the New Mexico Coalition for Literacy (NMCL) as part of the Connecting Practice, Policy, and Research Initiative (CPPR). It was piloted with five Mentor Teacher Groups throughout the state of New Mexico in the winter of…

In the field of adult education, there is much debate about how programs can best serve students. Some educators and researchers believe that adult education programs should reflect a critical pedagogy, providing services that are culturally relevant, participant driven, and socially empowering. Noncritical programs are criticized for ignoring the…

It has long been accepted that adult literacy and numeracy is best taught and learned in real-life situations that relate to everyday needs. This means that opportunities for learning are everywhere, not just in formal learning situations. This report seeks to identify examples and principles of the successful integration of learning about adult…

Background: The Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) Education for All National Plan of Action (EFA NPA) for 2003-2015 seeks to accomplish three major tasks: equitable access, improved quality and relevance and strengthened education management. Purpose: To design a National Education For All Action Plan for basic education in Lao PDR which…

The Conference proceedings include an Introduction by Demetrios Papademetriou. Two panels presented speakers as follows: Panel I: Elementary and Secondary (K-12) Education: (1) Immigrant Integration and "Bilingual" Education (Alec Ian Gershberg); (2) Absent Policies: Canadian Strategies for the Education and Integration of Immigrant…

"GED Items" is published bimonthly by the GED Testing Service of the American Council on Education. This volume contains six issues, each containing several articles related to adult education, equivalency testing, and the General Educational Development (GED) program. The first issue features an article by Frederick Stadler on the…

A study examined the broad range of family literacy programs across Michigan to document how goals, instructional practice, assessment methods, staff training, and social support for participants varied. Three established models of family literacy were identified and described: the Kenan Model, Parents as Partners in Reading (PPR), and HIPPY (Home…

The Bitterroot Public Library (Hamilton, Montana) serves a county of 50,000-100,000 people. The Bitterroot Public Library conducted a project that involved recruitment, coalition building, public awareness, training, rural oriented, basic literacy, tutoring, employment oriented, intergenerational/family, and English as a Second Language (ESL)…

The Adult Basic Education Program at Umgeni Water, a water authority in South Africa, is a workplace literacy program that seeks to impart skills within the workplace that can be used in community development, benefiting both the business and community involved. From a pilot project in 1989, the adult education program at Umgeni Water has grown…

This manual is designed to help adult educators to understand and use the Internet in teaching adult students. The manual examines what the Internet is, how one can connect to it, and how it can be used. It also describes ways to communicate on the Internet, identifies sites where information can be accessed, and explains how search tools are…