Intended for educators and program planners, this guide provides program information and planning ideas for maximizing opportunities to increase the basic skills of undereducated children, youth, and adults. It is suitable for use by those with or without expertise in the basic skills areas of reading, math, writing, and oral communication. Organized around issues, concerns, and questions raised by those working with educationally disadvantaged persons, the handbook contains selected articles, newsletters, papers, and other writings. The handbook focuses on basic skills improvement: a statement of the problem, defining basic skills and standards for basic skills programs, program planning, characteristics of improvement programs that work, coordinating basic skills improvement efforts, program evaluation, improving basic skills in the classroom, microcomputers and basic skills instruction, and basic skills improvement. A final section on selected basic skills improvement programs contains references representing two categories: those that describe selected basic skills improvement programs and those for use in planning and operating basic skills improvement programs. (YLB)