A summary of current demographic trends, best practices, and federal initiatives in adult literacy is presented as a reference for practitioners in the field who are involved in delivering education services to adults with limited English skills. The report is based on U.S. Department of Education annual state adult education statistical and…

The Bethlehem Area Chamber of Commerce (Pennsylvania) developed a model network of nine Lehigh Valley Chambers of Commerce and two literacy coalitions to improve the literacy levels of a two-county area work force. A literacy coordinator conducted the following activities: (1) publicized program provider information; (2) encouraged company-based…

The purpose of the developmental project described in this report was to provide intervention to learning disabled adults through individualized tutoring. During the project, the following activities were implemented: (1) information sessions on learning disabilities were conducted to raise awareness of the problem; (2) 20 adults, double the…

Bilingual vocational education (BVE) offers a way to improve both the job and English skills of workers with limited English proficiency (LEP). Initially using both the native language and English to provide job training makes instruction immediately comprehensible to the students. Gradually, the use of the native language decreases while English…

This document describes the AFL-CIO's Upgrading and Career Ladder Program (UCLP), which creates a system of structured, work-based learning integrating on-the-job training with related theoretical instruction. The UCLP has the following objectives: to meet workers' skill upgrading and occupational mobility needs; to encourage unions and employers…

This book is intended to assist literacy program administrators, coordinators, instructors, and volunteers in the design and implementation of literacy programs for homeless adults. Chapter 1 discusses barriers to instruction when serving homeless adults, including shelter environment, impermanence of location and opportunity, and the effects of…

This report discusses an intergenerational project instituted in 1989 at the Jewish Community Center--JCCS David G. Neurman Senior Center in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). The project is based on the idea that children and older adult immigrants could share a learning environment in order to meet specific language objectives. Project objectives and…

Based on a teacher's 14 years of experience in teaching writing, this manual was developed to help General Educational Development (GED) teachers to guide adults to improve their writing ability in preparation for the GED test. The manual is organized in four sections. The first section is a discussion of frequent concerns and problems that…

In April 1991, Enterprise State Junior College and MacArthur State Technical College established a rural workplace literacy demonstration project in partnership with adult basic education, seven employers, and a labor organization. The project served 615 persons in classes offered at the 2 colleges, 4 partner locations, and 3 additional worksites.…

This curriculum guide contains workplace-specific instructional materials developed for use in a rural workplace literacy demonstration project. Contents include instructional objectives, pre- and posttests, learning activities (some locally developed and some selected from commercially prepared materials), and job simulations. Learning activities…

This resource is designed to assist rural adult literacy students. It deals with chemicals on the farm and aims to help students understand the technical language, concepts, and operations associated with spraying safely and effectively. The kit proceeds step-by-step from purchase to disposal. Material is divided into two sections. Section 1…

A study examined the sources of motivation of adults participating in the adult literacy program at the Bob Steele Reading Center (BSRC) in Hartford, Connecticut. The "life cycle" approach used to explore motivation throughout the stages of the literacy learning process included brief case studies focusing on the importance of socioemotional…

This document is the outcome 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. The first chapter describes the work of the Math Team, a committee of 22 adult basic…

A three-year, federally-funded program to train bilingual adult literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers to serve immigrants and refugees in the Boston (Massachusetts) area is reported and evaluated. A significant feature of the project was that it trained non-native-English-speaking community members to teach literacy skills and…

A project to promote collaboration between child and adult literacy educators in a family English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy program is described. It arose from conflicting opinions and concerns voiced by teachers familiar with different student groups and with different instructional frames of reference. Quarterly teacher preplanning…