About two-thirds of the 963 million people in the world who cannot read and write are women, according to the United Nations. Women who are illiterate cannot pass on literacy skills to their children. The United Nations proclaimed 1990 International Literacy Year and conducted conferences for literacy. Education for women and girls was designated…

This publication contains 11 papers, all of which reflect the emphasis on literacy that continues to dominate adult education at the end of International Literacy Year. The papers include four presentations from conferences related to literacy held in 1990, one on literacy and peace held in Indonesia and one on literacy in China held in Macao. The…

Project READ had a two-fold purpose: to improve the reading levels of diagnosed learning disabled adults, and to investigate the following research questions: (1) which of three teaching approaches selected for this study is most effective for reading disabled adults? (2) what is effective assessment? and (3) how may the impact of reading…

The Manitoba Task Force on Literacy conducted public hearings to determine the root causes of illiteracy in the province and to make recommendations for programs to help adults become literate. The Task Force was especially solicitous of the opinions of learners--illiterate people who are now participating in literacy education programs. Some of…

Intended to assist in the formulation of effective policies for adult literacy in British Columbia, this paper reviews the current discussion of adult literacy policy and programming across Canada. It also reviews existing policies in Canada and in British Columbia, in education ministries, and in other ministries with interests and activities…

This guide is designed to help volunteers and teachers use English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) materials in the Free Library of Philadelphia's Reader Development Program collection. The first part is a general overview of ESL, including a description of approaches and methods for teaching. The second part presents suggestions for successful…

Conference presentations of four individuals are included. The first presentation, by a new reader (Marty Finsterbusch), discusses the diversity of the illiterate population and urges new readers to become actively involved in the instruction and administration of literacy programs. Advantages include improved recruitment, improved communication…

Based on a 3-year case study of an open-access community college, this monograph examines the background to, causes of, and possible resolutions for the decline of literacy in open-access colleges. Chapter 1 presents a working definition of literacy; considers the nature of literacy in a community college setting; and raises issues concerning the…

This paper explores some of the issues involved in developing an index of functional literacy that can serve diagnostic purposes. In 1985, Secretary of Education William J. Bennett outlined principles for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), including a principle calling for NAEP to "develop an index of functional literacy…

A discussion of adult learners and a description of instructional reading strategies--based on thinking--for adult learners are presented in this paper. A definition of adulthood and the nontraditional learner in the paper highlights adults' cognitive skills, interests, and literacy levels, while the metacognitive awareness of disabled and good…

A study examined the services provided by and the role and training of volunteers in adult literacy programs in the United States. Data on a national probability sample of approximately 800 adult literacy programs that was collected by the Center for Statistics through its Fast Response Survey System indicated that in spring 1985 adult literacy…

This document contains the proceedings of an annual conference of corrections officials who gathered in order to build relationships for improving correctional education. Papers in the document include the following: (1) opening general session remarks and conference goals by John K. Wu, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Vocational and Adult…

This resource book is intended to assist colleges and universities in developing literacy action programs to serve their communities. The following topics are covered: definitions of literacy and types of learners and programs; steps in starting a program (planning, first steps, and first meetings); guidelines for working with learners, community…

Illiteracy is a serious problem in the United States, and Hispanics have substantially higher rates of illiteracy than any other major population group: by the traditional measure of literacy, the completion of five years of schooling, 11.9 percent of Hispanics 25 years and older could be considered illiterate, compared to 1.8 percent of the…

Semantic mapping, which involves the application of vocabulary meanings, increases cognitive processing, and develops the cognitive structure, is recommended for use with literacy students in adult learning centers. Semantic mapping can be used as a prereading or prewriting stimulus, or as a postreading check of comprehension. Also, developing…