Describes how the military fights against illiteracy, suggesting military methods are useful in teaching young adult civilians. Highlights: the origins of functional context education in the military; work toward literacy in the Vietnam war era; applications to teaching civilians; and the K-12 education system. Functional context education can…

Reviews evidence regarding the content, standards, and use validity of the International Adult Literacy Survey's performance scales and self-assessment scales. Concludes that there are serious questions about the performance scales and that self-assessment data may help identify adults who believe they have poor literacy skills. Suggests that…

Describes the FORECAST readability formula for adults working with job materials, which was developed in the early 1970s. Suggests that it is a better measure of who wants and needs basic skills than the International Adult Literacy Survey. (JOW)

The field of cognitive science (as represented, for instance, by intergenerational literacy programs) offers new ways to think about increasing cognitive abilities, which is particularly important in view of the disappointing outcomes of many intervention programs that do not seem to make their participants more knowledgeable or better thinkers.…

This report was prepared to fulfill the need for an information source on basic skills in the armed services. To prepare the report, researchers obtained and reviewed published literature from various document files. Service representatives of the Joint Service Working Group on Literacy/Basic Skills established by the Assistant Secretary of…

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…

Two focuses of a discussion of literacy and vocational competence should be the need for a more profound understanding of literacy and the relevance of that understanding for studying reading in vocational settings. A developmental model of the acquisition of literacy considers reading a second signaling system for speech. People who become…

This monograph describes the job-related basic skills requirements of the work force and explores ways of developing and improving the reading, writing, and computational abilities of workers. The paper first examines trends that are influencing the demand for basic skills, such as the decline in youth population and the increase in service and…

In the mid-1960s, as part of the "War on Poverty," the armed services accepted up to 100,000 personnel per year who would have been rejected had not standards for reading and mathematics abilities been lowered. Over 80 percent of these persons completed their tour of duty and more than 90 percent were rated above average in their…

This report provides a 5-year perspective on the adult literacy education (ALE) system in the inner city of San Diego, California. Chapter 1 introduces the research. Chapters 2-5 in part 1, "The Struggle To Learn," contain the following: information about the difficulties of determining how many adults might benefit from basic skill…

This notebook contains materials for a workshop to teach participants how to address the needs of youth and adults for improved literacy, employability, and productivity. Chapter 1 provides information about the current state of youth and adult literacy, employability, and productivity in the United States. Chapter 2 presents a conceptual…