Dr. Jacobson's analysis of "hard to serve" is well founded, especially from an academic and theoretical perspective, yet the author is left wanting. Is the solution to merely change the language, the terminology of the legislation, or the terminology used by policy makers as well as practitioners? Are these adults hard to serve or ill…

In the last decade many people have questioned the long-range effectiveness of literacy education in America. The response to this discussion about the "literacy crisis" has been the growth of three commonly held generalizations: (1) that in previous eras, Americans enjoyed remarkable levels of literacy; (2) that the role of print has been…

Discusses the gap between the basic skills of many workers and the more complex skills required by many jobs. Points out that many employers offer basic skills training because they cannot find qualified entry-level workers and find glaring deficiencies in their existing workers. (JOW)

Presents highlights of a panel discussion on workplace literacy at the Literacy in the 21st Century Research Conference (Edmonton, Alberta, October 1997). Participants from business, government, and university discussed Syncrude Canada's Workplace Literacy Program, implications of the International Adult Literacy Survey for the labor market, and…

Argues that on-the-job reading makes special demands upon readers. Presents a technical reading strategy that involves a five-step prereading checklist and four postreading analyses. (FL)

A core concept in dealing with drug addiction is the relationship between fear and drug use. In order to deal with fear, one response is a job skills class as a positive, ego-building experience in which literacy skills are emphasized in the context of self-discovery. (SK)

The literacy demands encountered in schools are considerably different from those encountered in the workplace. Existing measures used to analyze literacy demands and abilities in the workplace are not suitable for analyzing the same demands and abilities in schools. Methods that are effective for general job analysis can be specifically applied…

Presents an overview of literacy awareness since the 1985 publication of Jonathan Kozol's "The Illiterate American." The need for a highly technological workforce is explored and suggestions are made for the role of libraries in literacy training. A list of sources for literacy materials is appended. (16 references) (EAM)

Most corporate funds for workplace literacy programs are invested in intermediate literate workers. Questions regarding these learners concern what should be expected of them; what they should expect of workplace literacy programs; who or what should determine these criteria; and ramifications of the answers. Issues that affect the answers are the…

The globalization of business has influenced the development of customized, job-specific workplace literacy programs. Work-centered participatory literacy receives support from both business and labor and additional impetus from the National Literacy Act of 1991. The worker of the future will be a thinking and communicating problem solver. The…

This publication focuses on the stories of learners in workplace literacy programs in New Zealand. Nine adults give their perspectives on the changing nature of work, their attitude toward and experience of formal schooling, and the impetus that led them to participate in literacy learning opportunities established in their workplace. They talk…

Although Michigan has one of the best trained work forces in the nation, the skill gap between what the marketplace needs and what its workers can offer is continuing to widen. Michigan must develop an adult training and education system that is customer driven and customer sensitive, emphasizes shared responsibility of stakeholders, empowers…

Explores definitions of adult literacy. The shift toward a more learner-centered education makes literacy meaningful to teachers and learners mutually and can be achieved through joint planning of instruction so that students share responsibility for determining what is needed. New definitions of literacy bring new insights. (SLD)

A perspective that sees adult literacy only in job-related terms is too limiting for a participatory democracy. In place of the prevailing metaphor "adult literacy as consumerism," a view of adult literacy education as an imaginative, social, and communal process of story telling promotes individual and social development. (SLD)

Literacy for participation in the economy has been promoted through legislation providing for adult education upgrading programs in the United States and Canada. More recently, publications and organizations have expressed concern for lack of participation in the economy by many adults who lack the necessary literacy skills. Although few doubt the…