Focuses on the impact of a family reading project on parents and library staff in an English borough and the partnerships it fostered between organizations involved in the initiative. Considers the project's impact on parents, public libraries and schools. Notes that one of the most important benefits of the partnership courses was pleasure…

Suggestions are presented that are drawn from basic skills instruction at the English Learning Centre at Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology (England), an open learning center geared specifically for ESOL students. Funded for 2 years as a special project by the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit, the center examines procedures that…

In this article, the author discusses the emergence of unions and social movements which provide opportunities for adult educators in forwarding their adult literacy campaigns. The author describes the recent World Social Forum (WSF), held at the end of January in Porto Alegre, that provides ample opportunities for adult educators to make…

A system was developed in the Open Learning Centres to make resources and instructional materials available to adult basic education (ABE) students. The materials were organized so that information could be provided to students to help them make choices among the items. Initially, a color coding system was devised, but it was found that it was not…

The study described in this book was designed to create an overall picture of the type of student found at a school for educationally substandard army recruits in England, to establish the causes of the student's educational backwardness and relate these to linguistic performance, and to compare the effectiveness of the approaches and methods used…

This CD-ROM, which may be used with the Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 operating systems, contains benchmark information on the scale of need for basic literacy and numeracy skill development in 317 district council authorities (DCAs) and unitary authorities (UAs) in England. The following items are included: technical report on the 17 surveys of more…

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the Further Education National Training Organisation (FENTO) developed new subject specifications for teachers of adult literacy and numeracy (DfES and FENTO, 2002). These were designed "to ensure that ... all new teachers of adult literacy and numeracy are equipped with the appropriate and…

The Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit (ALBSU) is committed to improving the quality of basic skills provision in England and Wales. It has encouraged the development of quality assurance in basic skills so that potential and existing students know what they should be entitled to expect. ALBSU's Good Practice documents published since 1984 have…

"Pots of Gold" is a family finance research project delivered within Sure Start Children's Centre areas across Newcastle. It is funded by the DfES through the Basic Skills Agency and managed by Newcastle Family Learning Service. This project has been delivered in two phases, running from October 2005 to December 2006. Phase 1 ran from…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of different styles of literacy provision in areas covered by eight British local education authorities representing 5,770 literacy students. A sample of tutors selected to represent the range of styles gave information on the provision they made for 1,730 students and more detailed information about 174…

The aim of the Basic Skills at Work Program was to help improve the competence of the work force in England and Wales in basic literacy, numeracy, and communication skills. Of the 82 Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in England and Wales, 73 participated. Surveys of basic skills requirements as perceived by local employers indicated that…

The four 1990 issues of the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit (ALBSU) Newsletter are gathered in this packet. The newsletters are published quarterly by the ALBSU for persons teaching in adult literacy, English as a Second Language, and basic skils programs; for persons responsible for funding and organizing such programs; and for those who are…

This collection of papers is intended to provide adult educators and administrators information that will assist in making decisions about, initiating, financing, and evaluating adult literacy programs in England. Papers in the first part of the book focus on definitions of adult literacy, examining the dimensions of the problem, the potential…

This collection of four papers focuses on the Lancaster and Sussex Projects (England) that place an emphasis on writing outside of school and outside of work by "ordinary" people in their everyday lives. The papers refer to each other; the first is an introduction for the others. "Introduction: Making Writing Visible on the…

A project invesitgated the current whereabouts of students whose names appeared on adult basic education class registers during October 1986 in Hackney, England. The city was identified by 1981 census data as the most deprived local authority area in England and Wales. Returns were received from 375 students (out of 506 to whom questionnaires were…