Since the "Kangan Report" (1974), literacy and numeracy (L&N) issues have become an integral component of policy development in Australia's vocational education and training (VET) sector. Debate in the literature is based on competing discourses: functional-economic and social practice. These discourses and globalization of the…

The Equipped for the Future (EFF) initiative asked adult learners to describe the knowledge and skills needed to fulfill their roles as parents, citizens, and workers and identified these four purposes: to provide access to information; to give voice to their ideas and opinions, to take action to solve problems, and to provide a bridge to the…

Reducing the number of undernourished people in all countries to half its present level no later than 2015 is the commitment undertaken by the international community during the World Food Summit of 1996. In order to accomplish this goal, a common vision to work for sustainable growth that favors the poor and provides more resources for health,…

This document is an annotated bibliography of print and World Wide Web-based health materials available in North America for use with adults whose literacy skills are limited. The section on materials presents entries describing the following materials: 17 publications providing background information about the links between health status and…

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 gives states the opportunity to devise unique welfare programs that include client participation in educational activities. States receive block grants rather than funds earmarked for certain kinds of programs. Pennsylvania's welfare reform plan permits welfare clients to…

The Orange Public Library (California) conducted a project that involved recruitment, retention, coalition building, public awareness, training, basic literacy, collection development, tutoring, intergenerational/family, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. The project served a community of 100,000-200,000 and targeted…

This final performance report provides project outcome information and data to the U.S. Department of Education for the federally-funded Library Literacy Program. The Bayard Taylor Memorial Library (Kennett Square, Pennsylvania) conducted the Outreach Project, a project that involved public awareness, training, rural oriented programs, basic…

This book contains 13 papers examining innovations in measuring adults' basic skills and analyzing adult literacy policy. The following papers are included: "Series Preface" (Daniel A. Wagner); "Foreword" (Torsten Husen); "Introduction" (Albert Tuijnman); "Adult Basic Skills: Policy Issues and a Research…

The West Marin Literacy Project, a project of the Marin County Free Library (San Rafael, California), involved recruitment, retention, coalition building, public awareness, training, rural oriented, tutoring, computer- assisted, intergenerational/family, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. The project served a community of under…

In the United States and Canada alike, expressions of concern over the fact that the demand for skilled workers far exceeds the current supply have been heard repeatedly. However, several studies would seem to indicate that, as familiar as these claims about the supply and demand for skilled workers may be, they are very contentious. If a Hudson…

This series of five short papers describes an interdisciplinary, community action research project in Newfoundland that sought to enhance and extend the traditional and technological literacy of adults. The papers were part of an action research project conducted by the directors and tutors which made computers available in community resource…

The quarterly theme-based publication "Focus on Basics" was launched in January 1997 as part of a multipronged effort by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy to connect research and practice in the field of adult basic education (ABE). The effectiveness of "Focus on Basics" as a means of professional…

"Adventures in Assessment" is an annual journal of the system for Adult Basic Education Support (SABES), a comprehensive training and technical assistance initiative for adult literacy educators and programs. SABES accomplishes this goal through staff and program development workshops, consultation, mini-courses, mentoring, peer…

The purpose the Native Language Literacy Screening Device (NLLSD) is to give English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) practitioners a sense of the native language literacy levels of learners coming into their programs. This is worth knowing because when learners have had limited schooling in their first language instructional strategies used…

The question of whether unemployed youths would benefit from different pedagogical techniques when learning numeracy skills was examined in a multifaceted qualitative study. Data were collected from the following activities: case studies in which a kit of everyday materials was used to stimulate discussion about numeracy practices with 30 selected…