In the fields of adult literacy and adult learning, most researchers have focused on the acquisition of various skills and abilities. Very little attention has been devoted to skill retention. Without more research information, it is difficult to know whether the literacy skills learned in the nation's adult education programs are likely to be retained for very long. A literature review was undertaken to summarize what is known about the following: (1) cognitive skill retention across the life span; (2) studies of literacy and basic skills retention; and (3) policy implications of skill retention work. The main conclusion of the study was that, although much is known about fields related to that of literacy retention, very little research has been done directly on the topic and serious work needs to be undertaken soon. A set of questions to guide future work in this area was developed. (Contains 68 references.) (Author/KC)