This catalog is a checklist that provides an overview of objectives that can be explored in an adult literacy program. It is intended to (1) help instructors form a quick idea of what students already know; (2) show learners that they already do know a great deal; and (3) help learners and instructors plan the program ahead by making a selection…

These analysis tools assist educators and employers in identifying the basic skill competencies required for adults with special learning needs who enter vocational training programs and/or employment. The tools also provide a system for assessment that is related to those competencies, and they assist in making appropriate accommodations in…

In 1990, the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges developed a national workplace literacy demonstration project to raise awareness of the link between local economic development and basic workplace skill performance, and to stimulate a local leadership initiative around a community-wide effort to raise worker performance levels.…

This report discusses evaluation as required under the Department of Education rules and regulations for the National Workplace Literacy Program (NWLP). It is intended to help workplace literacy programs meet the requirements of the rules and regulations governing the NWLP so that the Department of Education can determine the value of programs.…

A study was conducted to provide a preliminary overview of what is known about how adult education programs work and to identify issues that should be addressed in future nationally representative studies. Data were gathered through a literature review, informal interviews with state adult education directors in eight states serving a large number…

Influences upon trends in literacy research include national and international agendas, active networks, and public images of literacy. Five trends in literacy research can be discerned. The first trend is research that tries to determine the extent of difficulties with literacy and its causes. Another trend is a shift in views and definitions of…

A study examined the nature and extent of adult literacy needs in the American labor force. Data for the study were collected from a review of the literature, site visits to nine industry-based training programs, and consultation with a technical panel of experts. Input from company managers, instructors, and trainers familiar with the…

Nine industry-based adult literacy programs across the country were studied to identify exemplary training programs and practices that business and industry trainers, planners, and policymakers and individuals in the public education sector alike could replicate in designing adult literacy programs. Training programs offered by the following…

The effectiveness of using computer courseware developed for adults reading below the fourth-grade level was investigated with inmates at Rockview State Correctional Institution. Data were collected both to establish multiple baseline data and to permit experimental group comparison with a control group. The multiple baselines portion of the study…

This policy guide is designed to assist governors and state leaders in analyzing the issue of adult literacy and in proposing specific policy strategies for dealing with this national problem. The book offers practical guidance in two areas critical to effective action: it clarifies definitions of "literacy" and "illiteracy" and provides a…

The Literacy Volunteers of America-Danbury, Connecticut, is a nonprofit community organization that provides free instruction in English for those to whom English is still largely a foreign language. For 10 years it has also provided free instruction in reading and writing for English-speaking persons whose education has not provided these skills.…

Evaluation of adult literacy programs requires different criteria from those used to judge regular schooling. Indicators for evaluating adult voluntary programs with individualized curricula are recruitment; retention, including absenteeism; one-on-one tutoring with volunteers; training in a context; support services; the "quick-fix" syndrome;…

A review of selected research studies and practices on the teaching of literacy to limited English proficient (LEP) students suggests that there is considerable variation in the way literacy is defined. Several methods currently being used to develop LEP students' literacy skills are reviewed. Many LEP students continue to be taught reading skills…

This bibliography presents and analyzes selected books, articles, and sample learning materials on functional illiteracy in industrialized countries that are available in the library of the Unesco Institute for Education. Entries covering emerging areas of research, descriptions and analyses of country experiences and steps toward international…

A two-part survey of Ohio employers of JTP (Job Training Partnership) Ohio Title IIA participants asked 497 employers about: (1) their attitudes and opinions toward JTP Ohio and their participation in JTP programs (272 responses) and (2) employment and earning data for Title IIA participants who worked in the firm after ending their JTP training…