This project provided a year-long skill development Workforce Education Institute for 100 work force literacy providers and instructors in Pennsylvania. The institute included an intensive, 3-day summer workshop, 2 follow-up workshops, and a 2-day spring workshop designed to meet the individual needs of the participants. In evaluations submitted…

A study was conducted to develop a set of instructor standards that describe high-quality teaching behavior for adult literacy teachers, program administrators, state staff, and stakeholders. The standards were created by a task force of 15 experienced adult literacy practitioners and reviewed and revised by focus groups of practitioners at seven…

The purpose of a state report card is to provide the general public and policymakers with information to assess and improve post secondary education in each state. "Measuring Up 2008" is the fifth in a series of biennial report cards that evaluates states in six overall performance categories: (1) Preparation for post-secondary education…

A project provided technical assistance to the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) in selecting and recognizing 10 outstanding ABLE students via an awards ceremony and publication of a booklet and flyers in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Success Stories project. In addition to the…

The stories of 10 outstanding Pennsylvania men and women in this booklet illustrate the determination of educationally disadvantaged people to overcome insurmountable obstacles. They were aided in their successful struggles to enhance their reading and math skills as well as their careers by their participation in various adult basic education and…

This collection of selected reminiscences of a volunteer teacher in the Pennsylvania prison system recounts her experiences teaching illiterate and near-illiterate prisoners (and others) how to read. The collection describes several different individuals (in and out of prison), their diverse reactions to reading, and their understanding and use of…

A curriculum was developed that is intended to be a practical interpretation of Francis Kazemek's metaphor of adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) as storytelling. The curriculum, which is intended to encourage adult basic education (ABE) students to develop literacy skills by reading/writing about their experiences and visions, is designed…

This booklet contains 10 success stories of Pennsylvania men and women who discovered adult education programs that gave them the tools to create a new life for themselves and their families. Their stories affirm the ability of each adult to use education to overcome great difficulties. Some overcame physical and learning disabilities. Some…

A staff development project designed a publication for the effective statewide dissemination of significant current or previous Section 353 special demonstration projects in adult literacy education in Pennsylvania and for the provision of feedback to project directors about their project's strengths and weaknesses. During the project, 72 programs…

A project was undertaken to design an information dissemination newsletter to meet the professional development needs of Pennsylvania's adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) practitioners. It was decided that an 8- to 10-page-long newsletter would be produced for 5 months that included information/articles from as many sources as could be…

This publication contains stories about 10 outstanding Pennsylvania citizens who realize that a high quality education is essential to meeting life's challenges. These stories describe how 10 men and women faced great obstacles and overcame seemingly impossible barriers to become contributing and productive members of the Commonwealth of…

A proven, successful adult basic literacy improvisation theater project was expanded through development of videotapes. Because rural Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, consists solely of a number of small towns, traveling great distances to do presentations made outreach difficult. Project staff conducted the following activities: purchased a…

A project was conducted to develop a summer institute for new (up to 2 years' experience) adult education teachers in Pennsylvania. During the first phase of the project, the institute was designed as a 3-day intensive training session consisting of 14 workshops (most presented twice), and teachers were recruited. The second phase of the project…

A project designed an operational system and develop a skilled pool of trainers, in conjunction with Pennsylvania's Regional Professional Development Centers (PDCs), to deliver high-quality, uniform training modules in needed content areas to adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) staff throughout Pennsylvania. Procedures for identifying,…

This document is the final report of the first year's operation of a project designed to train literacy and adult education providers and organizations in business, industry, and labor to develop and implement effective workplace literacy programs. The program, which operates in Pennsylvania on the state and regional levels, initiates the…