In the light of recent initiatives, new questions have arisen regarding the federal role in literacy. Although federal adult literacy efforts have been ineffective, the link between literacy and the productivity of the work force may justify a stronger national investment in literacy. Among the major federally supported literacy programs are the…

Human survival means more than purely physical survival. Human beings, because of language, also have a cultural nature that must survive. In today's world, all speak, but more than one-fourth of the world's people--and more than half in developing nations--do not have the uniquely human capacity of reading and writing. The diffusion of literacy…

A community assessment for literacy action was conducted in Salinas, California. Service agencies were surveyed to assess literacy programs and materials. The agencies were asked questions regarding awareness of the illiteracy problem, knowledge of existing or retired programs, and agency commitment to support of a community-wide program. Research…

Recently, the definition of functional literacy has been broadened to include the completion of a secondary education or its equivalent. This definition focuses on obtaining the functional competencies required to perform adequately in adult life. Three major sets of functional competencies are represented in models developed by the Adult…

The need for a better educated work force has created a corresponding need for workplace literacy programs. A number of issues have emerged as the focus of literacy education has shifted from improving social mobility to providing employment-related literacy programs. Some of these issues are related to the need for more resources for workplace…

This bibliography is a collection of 51 entries concerning adult basic education for non-English speakers. Each entry contains an abstract describing the contents of the material. Information is also provided regarding availability, as well as indexing terms. (AMH)

Maine's State Division of Adult Education began setting up a regionalized Adult Basic Education (ABE) program in rural Franklin county in 1974 to serve the area's functional illiterates. Located in the building housing the Franklin County Community Action Program (CAP), linkages were developed with a large number of agencies; initially the 10 CAP…

According to this annual report, the New York State Adult Literacy Program was successful in achieving many of its goals during the 1980-81 year. Total enrollment for the year was 965 students higher than the previous year; there was an increase of 15,965 in the number of immigrants served; and the number of unemployed adults served was more than…

Intended as a source of information on matters related to the evaluation of literacy projects, this guide is designed to help evaluators keep a proper perspective on their work by proposing a wide range of options and suggesting directions for evaluations. The first two chapters of the guide deal with the general principles of evaluation and the…

The topic of this review concerning international literacy is the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire and his theories and methods for teaching illiterates to read by teaching them fewer than 20 three syllable words, reflective of their social condition, such as "Shanty-town" and "wages" ("favela" and "salario"…

An alternative to the meager budgets which complicate the correctional educator's task is proposed in this bulletin. A correctional school district organization can be developed to support viable education programs for individuals within the penal system. The six states of Texas, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, Arkansas, and Ohio already have…

This report describes the development of an experimental program of job reading training designed to provide a level of functional literacy appropriate to minimal job task reading requirements in six major career clusters. Program effectiveness for both general and job reading training is described in data based on the reading performance of some…

The guide is primarily intended for adult educators, teachers, personnel in charge of illiterate workers, and personnel responsible for initiating and administering functional literacy programs. The method described in the guide is based upon an operational seminar in which the teaching cadres go into the field to rediscover the functional…

This document focuses on the use of puppets for educating the illiterate populations of the world in food production and family planning. It is presented as one practical and effective tool for the adult educator and literacy worker. When used as part of a total program of functional literacy for family life planning, it can help young adults gain…

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a study about the world's illiteracy. The writer recalls that the gap between underdeveloped and industrial nations is particularly wide in the field of education. About two fifths of the world's adult population, nearly 800 million people are unable to read or write. The…