The purpose of this qualitative, ethnographic case study was to compare the experiences of stakeholders connected to adult high schools and adult literacy programs in Manitoba, Canada. This is an important study, because it gathered information about providing educational services to adults who have dropped out of school. The researcher used stratified random sampling to select 16 adult education programs, and then used open sampling to recruit 86 stakeholders connected to these programs. She conducted face-to-face interviews with 86 volunteer participants: 47 staff members (directors/coordinators, teachers, other staff) and 39 students in 16 adult education programs funded by the Government of Manitoba: 6 Adult Learning Centres (ALCs, i.e., adult high schools), 8 adult literacy programs (LITs), and 2 combination ALC/LIT programs. The interview questions focused on the individual respondents' roles related to teaching and learning within their ALC, LIT, and ALC/LIT program environments. Iterative open, axial, and selective coding converted the interview transcripts into sets of findings that made sense within a theoretical-conceptual framework grounded in Uri Bronfenbrenner's ecological paradigm. The following ecosystem components framed the research report: microsystem program types (ALC, LIT, ALC/LIT), mesosystem design elements (status, finances, hours, courses/subjects, intake), exosystem human elements (staff, instruction, students, student supports, atmosphere), and macrosystem factors beyond each program's control (government funders, community stakeholders, students' personal lives). The microsystem recommendations for practice focused on broadening government support to include additional adult education delivery models. The mesosystem recommendations focused on improving program funding, facilities, hours of operation, and course schedules. The exosystem recommendations focused on staff members' qualifications and salaries, students' academic and personal development, and program supports such as child care, food, and transportation. The macrosystem recommendations focused on accountability reports and connections with students' families and community service agencies. The recommendations for further research responded to the following research design limitations: only two adult education delivery models (and a third "combination" model), only two categories of stakeholders, only one means of data collection, and only one researcher. The report contains 5 figures, 25 tables, and an appendix of the interview questions.