The Florida Model Literacy Program Act of 1987, known as the Florida Adult Literacy Act, committed the state to an organized, systematic, and coordinated attack on adult illiteracy at the state and local levels. The Florida Adult Literacy Plan was developed to implement the provisions of the act and provide a basis for state and local planning…

This collection of brief program descriptions focuses on the efforts of 10 community colleges to meet the current and future needs of their communities in the areas of economic development, worker training and retraining, and literacy education. The 10 colleges highlighted are: (1) Central Arizona College, which offers a highway maintenance worker…

Project Learning T.I.P. (To Improve Productivity) was conducted at three hospitals by the Dade County Public Schools to increase the literacy skills of the approximately 4,000 lower-level hospital employees who were deemed by their supervisors to be limited English proficient or to lack basic skills. Because of recruiting efforts limited by lack…

The National Workplace Literacy Program forges dynamic partnerships among businesses, workers, and educators facilitating the transition from yesterday's work environment to tomorrow's. The program's success is indicated by high retention rates, organizational acceptance, and intense grants competition. Valid and reliable measures are needed that…

This manual provides guidance for local unions setting up worker education programs--from basic skills to job training. It is based on the experiences of many different Service Employees International Union (SEIU) locals with diverse programs. The introduction explores the nature of worker education programs, determines what benefits accrue to…

Given the fact that adult citizens of non-English speaking background (NESB) in Australia are actual or potential bilinguals, this paper argues that developing or enhancing those bilingual literacy skills is beneficial to both individuals and Australian society as a whole. The viewpoint is based on a research project with NESB women. Barriers to…

Many older Canadians (almost half, by some surveys) have low levels of functional literacy that lead to problems with everyday life. More than half of Canadians over age 55 have less than a grade 9 education, and they often have lower incomes than more literate seniors. However, older people are the smallest group represented in adult basic…

The product of a project conducted in Massachusetts to apply the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" to adult basic education (ABE) learning environments, this volume is a collection of teacher-researchers' essays on field-based application of the adapted…

This document begins with a summary of the Online Action Research (OAR) project, which had the following objectives: (1) examine the effectiveness of instructional approaches and classroom practices in adult basic education (ABE) and adult English as a Second Language (ESL); (2) use a variety of assessment strategies to determine literacy outcomes…

Changes in the U.S. economy are altering employment patterns, and these changes have implications for workers whose language is other than English. This digest summarizes the existing types of programs that prepare English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) adults for the workplace or help workers whose first language is other than English who are already…

A 353 demonstration project was conducted in Philadelphia for the following purposes: (1) to develop learner-relevant educational materials to stimulate basic literacy and critical thinking skills; (2) to foster empowerment in adult learners through voter participation; and (3) to produce a manual for increasing literacy skills through voter…

This checklist was developed to be used for evaluating and enhancing the performance of established workplace education programs. With minor modifications, the document also may be useful for evaluating other types of training and education programs. Management, labor, and education partners may use the checklist as a stand-alone evaluation…

This checklist was designed to be used in developing new workplace education initiatives and enhancing established programs. The checklist is organized in four sections that cover the following topics: (1) program design and administration indicators; (2) participant achievement indicators; (3) program outcome indicators; and (4) evaluation tools.…

Service integration is a public policy strategy that brings together many services for highly disadvantaged persons, refashions the delivery of those services to meet individual needs, and increases the possibility of long-term success. Literacy training is an appropriate centerpiece for service integration because it contributes to the long-term…

Liberal adult education in Victoria, Australia, takes its ideals, if not its form, from the pre-war university and Workers Education Association (WEA) partnerships: the university providing tutors and content, the WEA providing contact with unions and workers. Unique to Victoria is the level to which community-based adult education has been…