Education is a complex issue and no sweeping generalizations about it can be made. It follows, therefore, that there can be no simple answer to the student test score decline question. (Editor) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Results (Utilization).

The adult basic education program has had little impact on reducing illiteracy among adults in the United States. Reasons include a bad funding formula, lack of measurable objectives, and curtailed federal project activity. (JDS)

Advocating the literacy campaign as the most appropriate and adequate means for dealing with large-scale illiteracy, this book presents eight case studies of national campaigns as examples and illustrations of this approach. The book notes that mass literacy campaigns are not the exclusive province of any particular ideology, but are possible…

The records of the 28th UNESCO general conference are divided into three parts. The first part contains the resolutions adopted by the UNESCO General Conference and the list of officers of the General Conference and of the Commissions and Committees. The second part contains the reports of the five UNESCO Program Commissions, the Administrative…

Describes the first Unesco Experimental Literacy Program. (SP)

A radical re-structuring of traditional schooling requires research into effective means of offering the whole population of developing nations access to the educational system: the role of mass media, means and limits of functional education, institutionalization of lifelong education. (JB)

A functional literacy program is not only an instructional problem but it must involve a social change strategy as well. The methodological problem lies in the integration of literacy with vocational knowledge, of the verbal with the teaching of manual skills, and of the core content with supporting program content. (EB)

Educational institutions at all levels must respect the dialects of Negro students and initiate programs of instruction in these dialects. Only in this way can discrimination in fact against this minority group in our culture be stopped. (CK)

Development of the mathematics functional literacy test (MFLT) is described, issues of predictive and content validity are discussed, and implications for educational policy are presented. Ten basic skill areas identified by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics were used as the basis for the development of the MFLT. (RL)

Indicates that national statistics show declining numbers of unskilled jobs and large numbers of semiliterate and illiterate high school graduates; argues that minimum competency requirements can benefit both individuals and society. Observes that recent judicial decisions have usurped the right to set educational policy, which constitutionally…

Reports on the extent of illiteracy in the United States and explores various definitions of literacy. (GT)

Argues that the sociological frameworks developed by Pierre Bourdieu provide a model for understanding the functions and consequences of literacies in the students' life paths. The article identifies implications for educators, administrators, curriculum developers, and teacher-educators, i.e., the need for broader public discussions and classroom…

Describes the lack of education of Black prison inmates. Discusses relative benefits and costs of educational programs to inmates and citizens. Provides seven examples of successful state-run programs and comments on the future possibilities for laws requiring educational programs for all inmates. (JS)

Some of the broad issues of literacy and national economy are addressed in this article, which provides a historical context for the claims frequently made by policymakers and employer organizations about the economic benefits of increased language skills. Contains 42 references. (LB)

Compares and comments on two recent national surveys of adult literacy standards in the United States and Canada, which move away from reporting the number of literates/illiterates and use levels of literacy proficiency. Notes that different concepts for literacy levels, different types of sampling, and different ways of measuring literacy and…