This manual, based on two years of research in Great Britain, is intended to assist those who are involved in the education of adults. In particular, it is intended to persuade adult educators to examine the relationships between policies and practice and thereby enhance the effectiveness of educational provision. The first section of the manual provides a framework within which questions concerning principles and policies are posed. This leads to three sections relating to curriculum design, implementation, and evaluation. In each section, three groups of questions are identified: (1) those concerned with policy development in a given geographic area, (2) those concerned with planning within an institution, and (3) those concerned with individual courses. Each section provides a checklist that should bring to light situations in which curriculum decisions have been adequate or inadequate. At various points throughout the guide, explanations are offered, examples given, or specific case studies used to illuminate issues found at area, institution, or course level. A brief concluding section offers a systems model for adult education development from the general text, the checklists, and case-study material. (KC)