A study of six women in an Australia literacy program at the Springvale Community Health Centre suggests that there are dangers in defining literacy needs in terms of economic productivity. Issues of self-worth and social support are also addressed. (Contains 19 references.) (LB)

Substantial numbers of Hispanic Americans cannot complete school or compete effectively for jobs because of less than adequate literacy in English. Before anything can be done about this, our definitions of literacy and illiteracy need to be reworked. The conventional definition of literacy as the completion of fifth grade ignores the changing…

The Learn to Read project was designed to provide a supportive setting in which functionally illiterate adult students from suburban Cook County, Illinois, and surrounding areas could develop reading and writing skills. The target population included English-dominant adults with basic oral competency but no literacy skills, as well as…

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…

This module, which may be used as the basis for a workshop or as a special topic unit in an adult basic education or English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) course, focuses on the Unemployment Insurance (UI) system. The following items are included: module overview; list of basic, thinking, interpersonal, information utilization, and other skills…

The Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit (ALBSU) analyzed draft plans, required by the Education Reform Act 1988, from about 40 percent of the local education authorities (LEAs) in England and Wales to identify basic skills and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provisions for adults. Topics of concern were the maintenance of programs…

Any discussion of English as a Second Language (ESL) literacy should address three critical areas: who the learners are, what is to be taught, and how the literacy skills are to be taught. Three distinct groups of students can be classified as "non-literate" in their own language: pre-literates, illiterates, and semi-literates. Two approaches are…

The Literacy Learning Center Project, a project of the Meriden Public Library (Connecticut), targeted the educationally underserved and functionally illiterate, and involved recruitment, retention, space renovation, coalition building, public awareness, training, basic literacy, collection development, tutoring, computer assisted services, and…

The Literacy Volunteers of America-Danbury, Connecticut, is a nonprofit community organization that provides free instruction in English for those to whom English is still largely a foreign language. For 10 years it has also provided free instruction in reading and writing for English-speaking persons whose education has not provided these skills.…

Argues for new opportunities for persons previously excluded from rewarding employment experiences, through partnerships between business and adult literacy programs. Joint ventures to benefit viable, functionally literate workers must create a new market through such initiatives as national, state, and business cooperation, language minority…

An evaluation was undertaken of the second year's work of a pilot adult literacy program called Project REACH (Reading, Education, Achievement), which was begun in 1987 in New York by the Governor's Office for Employee Relations (GOER) and the Civil Service Employees' Association (CSEA). The following findings were reported, among others: (1)…

This document describes a pilot adult literacy program called Project REACH (Reading, Education, Achievement), which was begun in 1987 in New York by the Governor's Office for Employee Relations (GOER) and the Civil Service Employees' Association (CSEA). Following an executive summary, an introduction sets the stage by explaining the need for the…

Americans aged 60 years and older now represent the largest age cohort of functional illiterates. Educational systems have not adequately addressed the needs of this group. Many older Americans, for whom English is a second language, need instruction in both English and basic literacy skills. Many older adults living at or near poverty levels have…

Project ALMS (Adult Literacy Mission Support) was designed to improve the communication skills of semi-literate or illiterate adults, help participants become more self-sufficient, provide an ongoing program for other such individuals, and provide a manual of guidelines and suggestions for other programs. Three groups were established to make a…

This annotated bibliography consists of materials in the ERIC system that deal with teaching English as a second language to persons who are illiterate, or functionally illiterate, in their native language. The items in the bibliography were obtained by means of a computer search of "Currnt Index to Journals in Education" and "Resources in…