Describes the BEGIN Education literacy programs in adult education. Policy issues in the federal funding of BEGIN are outlined. The challenge is to structure BEGIN so that it defines and addresses a solid and clearly articulated philosophy of adult education as it meets regulatory demands and expectations. (SLD)

A review was conducted of two issues related to the participation rate requirements of the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) component of the Family Support Act of 1988: (1) the extent to which states have served those most at risk of long-term welfare dependency--the least job-ready--relative to other Aid for Families with Dependent…

Project READ (Reading Education for Adults in Dayton) sought to enhance the literacy of Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA)-eligible adults in the Miami Valley through improved coordination efforts. The major task of the activity to coordinate promotion of literacy resources was to create new awareness and linkages between the Human Services…

The Richland County (Ohio) Welfare Coordination Project had three main goals: (1) to examine the roles, functions, and allowable service activities of each of four agencies involved in adult education, training, and job placement efforts; (2) to develop a systematic approach to the selection of service providers for clients; and (3) to develop…

A study examined major performance standards issues in the context of employment and training programs targeted toward the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) population. Telephone interviews were conducted with representatives from Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs and departments of public welfare in nine states. A…

The State University of New York (SUNY) Bridge Program is a federally funded work force preparation program that was initiated in October 1992 to help mothers receiving welfare achieve self-sufficiency by helping them acquire job skills. The program is housed at the Urban League of Northeastern New York and SUNY's 10 educational opportunity…

Available research and program studies were reviewed to determine the following: the current state of adult literacy programs serving welfare recipients, educational strategies that have proved successful in training and placing welfare recipients and moving them into the job market, and ways of restructuring education programs to improve the…

Basic skills education has become a pressing need in the construction industry as jobs become more complex and fewer workers have needed skills. However, the construction industry lags in spending on training for entry-level workers. The Home Builders Institute (HBI) is testing a pilot basic skills program that it hopes will prove useful to the…

Summarizes the legislation upon which the current welfare-to-work transition is based and describes characteristics of the former welfare population. Discusses current program emphases and presents directions for future program development including academic programs, situated cognition programs, integrated literacy/occupational skills programs,…

A project operated a model, adaptable family literacy program in a housing authority that served 35 residents. Its objectives were to improve parents' basic skills and help them improve their ability to assist their children, to assist parents in learning appropriate expectations for their children and understanding individual differences, and to…

A research project investigated long-term literacy development and its economic impact among clients of a welfare-to-work program. A follow-up study was conducted with a sample of 920 former clients of Steps to Success's educational track, which consisted of a career and life planning course followed by adult literacy education. From the sample,…

California's Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) program requires that large numbers of welfare recipients receive job training and preparation for employment. A survey of the program analyzed early operations in 8 of the first 10 counties to implement it; data were gathered from program staff, case records, and field research of the first…

This report examines the effect that welfare reform in a strongly "work first" setting has had on community college programs for welfare recipients. The report looks at two community colleges in New York: Hostos Community College in the South Bronx and La Guardia Community College in Queens. Research data is drawn from interviews with 27…

This annotated bibliography lists and describes resources that provide examples of effective programs, strategies, and other information about welfare to help adult basic literacy education practitioners cope with the requirements of new federal welfare reform and welfare-to-work legislation. The publication lists 11 sources of research findings;…

A study of a program requiring participation in basic education by adult recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) finds only small education effects. Positive results from some sites suggest that a focused program effort may result in increased numbers of equivalency certificates and improved achievement test scores. (SLD)