An overview is provided of the issues related to the increase of adult illiteracy in the U.S. and the research, programs, and resources that have sought to move toward a solution of this problem. First, the magnitude of the adult illiteracy issue is addressed, with focus on the small proportion of people being served by literacy programs and the costs to illiterate adults, to private and public employers, and to the nation. The section also examines the role of the community college as a major provider of literacy education, and the issues of public funding and public support for such programs. Next, the paper offers a working definition of literacy and traces the events which have marked the course of adult literacy education. Next, literature is reviewed in three areas: (1) research on the effects of literacy programs, the variance in literacy demands of differing social contexts, social structures created by illiterate adults, and systematic assessments of educational needs; (2) program materials, and teaching and learning methodologies pertaining to using mobile units for learning, performance testing, appropriate faculty skills, computer-assisted instruction, competency-based education, special services, needs of non-English speakers, and employee tutorial services; and (3) recommendations for the total reorganization of the educational system, including materials on cooperative agreements, outreach programs, brokering systems, and citizen involvement in literacy education. An extensive bibliography is included. (EJV)