Intended for numeracy tutors, teachers, and trainees, this handbook provides guidance about teaching numeracy. Chapter 1 examines the extent of the numeracy problem in Great Britain, the kind of experiences that students may encounter in grappling with numerical concepts, and the range of ways in which numeracy is taught. Chapter 2 includes four…

This guidebook is based on telephone interviews, conducted in April and May 1989, with the staff of 19 homeless shelters in California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and Tennessee, site visits at eight New York State shelter programs, and a review of the research on literacy training for…

This bibliography focuses on research in adult literacy and basic education. The general categories, which were determined on the basis of the agenda of the conference for which it was prepared, include bibliographies; history of literacy/illiteracy; theory of literacy; literacy provision (examples from local to international); literacy and…

This document sets the current literacy education movement in historical context, criticizes the actions of unprepared newcomers to field, and praises the efforts of reading professionals who use a language experience approach to teaching reading. In an overview, the faddishness of some current literacy education activity is deplored. Section 1…

A 6-month study examined the attitudes of older, low-literate adults toward using computers to learn to read and tried to determine the effectiveness of Penn State Adult Literacy Courseware for beginning readers with older, low-literate adults at a community-based senior center. The students were 10 black adults, aged 66 to 86 and educated at the…

Community-based, or inmate-run, literacy programs are a significant alternative to literacy programs run by those outside the correctional institution. Such programs provide meaningful self-involvement and opportunity for the development of problem-solving skills for the inmates. Beginning in the spring of 1984, the Institute for the Study of…

This document explains the Pittsburgh Literacy Initiative (PLI), what role it plays in workplace literacy, what mechanisms it has used, and what has been learned. Section 1 lists the five aspects of the initiative's mission: clearinghouse, screening center, program development, data collection, and literacy promotion. Section 2 describes the…

The basis for all computer-assisted instruction at the Continuing Education Learning Center at Jackson State University is the instructional techniques necessary for the success of at-risk adult learners who find traditional methods inadequate. Each learner is pretested for reading level for placement, and skill assessments are made to diagnose…

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…

Adult literacy programs in New York City serve persons with a wide range of employment needs and expectations. Information from the Literacy Assistance Center provides the following impressions about the adult learner population: (1) approximately one-half of the students attending programs are working, but lengthy periods of unemployment among…

The Technology for Literacy Project was a three-year experimental project to explore the use of computers and other forms of technology with adults lacking basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. The project, which concentrated on St. Paul, Minnesota, and its surrounding counties, had four components: direct service, incentive grants,…

A project was conducted to develop two evaluation designs for computer-assisted instructional (CAI) packages used in the remediation of basic skills in Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) programs. Information was gathered from a literature review identifying principal factors and issues germane to the evaluation design; site visits, interviews,…

Two significant reports that were published recently have important implications for policymakers, employers, and literacy workers. "Workforce 2000," commissioned by the U.S. Department of Labor, is intended to help shape federal workplace policies and programs as the nation moves toward the next century. The report documents labor patterns and…

Writing is an important tool in teaching skills to adult basic education (ABE) students. To be a successful teacher of writing, teachers must be successful writers. They must be aware of the writing process and willing to use it daily in their own lives in order to convey its importance and its usefulness to their students. One method of teaching…

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…