Legislation over the past two decades has shaped the dominant view of adult literacy as addressing gaps in well-defined, measurable skills. As rural communities face unprecedented challenges, this one-size-fits-all view of adult literacy does not consider the unique local context of rural communities or involve those communities in defining their…

According to U.S. Census data, in rural Pennsylvania, 37% of adults did not complete higher school, and 21% did not go beyond 8th grade. As a consequence of present demographic and literacy trends, the proportion of the workforce with low levels of basic skills is growing. At the same time, a changing labor market is creating new jobs that demand…

The Library Rural Literacy Outreach Program targeted to ten rural communities in the Fresno County, California, Free Library district is reported. The sites were chosen based on inquiries from volunteers in those communities and support for the program by the branch library staff. Goals of the program were to provide literacy services to adult…

This publication provides the final report of a planning meeting to discuss literacy programs of the Asia/Pacific Cultural Center for UNESCO (ACCU) to be carried out under regional cooperation and other materials from the meeting. The final report describes the purpose of the meeting and summarizes these presentations: opening addresses, reports,…

This final report contains the proceedings and other materials from a workshop to provide training experience in literacy follow-up materials development to participants from UNESCO member states in the Asia and Pacific region. Focus is on practical agricultural training for adults. The proceedings discuss the objectives of the workshop and…

The rural work force has lower basic skills to supply labor for new jobs with higher literacy demands. At all levels of education the rural population is at a disadvantage compared with the urban population. One out of five rural adults in Pennsylvania has not continued education past the eighth grade. Among the costs to businesses from employee…

In April 1991, Enterprise State Junior College and MacArthur State Technical College established a rural workplace literacy demonstration project in partnership with adult basic education, seven employers, and a labor organization. The project served 615 persons in classes offered at the 2 colleges, 4 partner locations, and 3 additional worksites.…

This curriculum guide contains workplace-specific instructional materials developed for use in a rural workplace literacy demonstration project. Contents include instructional objectives, pre- and posttests, learning activities (some locally developed and some selected from commercially prepared materials), and job simulations. Learning activities…

This resource is designed to assist rural adult literacy students. It deals with chemicals on the farm and aims to help students understand the technical language, concepts, and operations associated with spraying safely and effectively. The kit proceeds step-by-step from purchase to disposal. Material is divided into two sections. Section 1…

This curriculum guide contains workplace-specific instructional materials developed for use in a rural workplace literacy demonstration project, specifically with welders. Contents include a student assessment form, instructional objectives, pre- and posttests, learning activities (some locally developed and some selected from commercially…

This book contains the personal narratives of six Canadian workplace education instructors. The opening article (Mary Ellen Belfiore) discusses the remaining narratives within the context of the theme that the essence of workplace education is teaching and learning in distinct cultures. "Math Works!" (Brian Nicholson) relates how…

Four issues of a newsletter form this document. The first issue, Winter 1991, includes the following articles: "Ensuring Quality"; "Wordpower--Actions and Reactions"; "Corporate Links with the Community"; "The Road to Progress in Siberia"; and "Teaching Visually Handicapped Students." In the Spring…

In 1996, individuals associated with the Lifelong Learning Center in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, proposed the formation of a three-district literacy consortium in a tricounty rural area that would cooperatively offer adults residing in the districts the option of earning a standard high school diploma in lieu of a General Educational…

Thirteen marginal Philippine communities were examined in an ethnographic study of the meaning of functional literacy and whether literacy invariably promotes development. The 13 sites were purposely selected to provide a broad sampling from three standpoints: (1) major livelihood and form of economic activity (farming, fishing, urban poor,…

This document contains seven papers from a study of the role of distance learning approaches in enhancing the contribution of nonformal education to socioeconomic development in Africa. "Introduction" (Richard Siaciwena) presents an overview of the research project and defines key terms related to nonformal education. "Ghana: The…