The numbers of disconnected youths (adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 21 who have dropped out of school and who don't have jobs) in adult education programs continue to grow at the Turning Point Educational Center in Brooklyn, New York. These youths can be particularly challenging to teach. They often have negative attitudes toward what they…

There is a growing emphasis in adult basic education on research-based reading instruction. Using Kruidenier's (2002) framework of principles and trends, we describe research-based techniques found during a visit to an adult basic education program. We also describe how the program moved to research-based instruction, and the factors that seem…

This article analyzes a subset of data gathered during a survey of 155 school systems and communities across the nation. The data were obtained from a capability survey as part of the application for a Toyota Family Literacy Program (TFLP) grant. Educators and civic leaders in 38 states responded to questions about their five greatest challenges…

This quasi-experimental study was conducted to assess and address the instructional needs of students who use a nonstandard English dialect for subject-verb agreement in their writing. Fifty-four students of diverse ethnicities in remedial English courses were divided into control and experimental groups. The researchers used four different…

The Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (GPLC) has made a strong commitment to professional development for its paid staff and ongoing training for its volunteers. During its 25-year history, GPLC has faced three challenges as it implemented its current staff development system. In this article, the author discusses these three challenges: (1)…

In this article, the author shares her journey with evidence-based reading instruction. Her experience with evidence-based reading instruction (as the adult basic education coordinator at Windham Adult Education in Windham, Maine) has been a journey of change both professionally and programmatically, and the students at Windham Adult Education are…

Effective advocacy can help raise awareness about the issues of literacy and adult basic education, and can also have very tangible benefits. Over the past eight years, Dorcas Place Adult and Family Literacy Center (Providence, RI) has increased the number of students served from 100 to 1,100, increased the budget from $1.1 million to almost $3…

This handbook is designed to help community-based organizations that provide adult education improve their program quality in order to better achieve results that matter. The target audience for this handbook includes administrators and other members of program improvement teams in community-based organizations that want to use Equipped for the…

In January 2000, the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) published "Equipped for the Future Content Standards: What Adults Need to Know and be Able to Do in the 21st Century." Since then, people in states and adult education programs across the country who are using the 16 Equipped for the Future (EFF) Standards have been looking forward to the…

In 2003, the National Literacy Trust commissioned Dr. Robin Close to conduct a literature review of published research in order to understand more fully the relationship between television viewing in the early years and language and literacy development. A priority of the National Literacy Trust is to understand the relationship between language…

According to Statistics Canada, as many as 8 million Canadians do not have the literacy skills necessary to prosper in a knowledge-based society and economy. For most of these Canadians, the challenge is not simply in "decoding" text, but in "understanding and working with" it. The demands of the knowledge-based society are escalating faster than…

This April 2004 issue of "Federal Literacy Facts" contains the following sections: (1) Federal Budget a Big Disappointment for the Literacy Community; (2) Some Budget Highlights; (3) Should We Expect a Spring Election; (4) Council of the Federation Targets Literacy as a Priority; and (5) Canadian Council on Learning: What's Happening?

This August 2004 issue of "Federal Literacy Facts" contains the following sections: (1) "Influencing Change: The Impact of a Minority Government on Literacy"; (2) "Fall Action Campaign 2004: Renewing Momentum on Literacy"; (3) "Policy Update: News from Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD)"; (4) "Promising Signs from the Provinces and…

This January 2004 issue of "Federal Literacy Facts" contains the following sections: (1) "HRDC splits into two"; (2) "Paul Martin's Promise: Is it good news for literacy?"; (3) Busy months ahead: expect a Throne speech, a federal budget and an election this spring!"; (4) "Finance Minister Ralph Goodale: coming to a town near YOU?"; and (5) "New…

In this May 2004 issue of "Federal Literacy Facts", the following sections are included: (1) "Election offers opportunities to advance literacy agenda"; (2) "MCL launches on-line resources for Election 2004"; and (3) "Federal Quick Facts".