Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning

Free Things to Send For...

In this issue, we are highlighting some of the many free resources added to our library in the past year, which have not yet been featured in The Quarterly.

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
African American Men, Identity, and Participation in Adult Basic and Literacy Programs. Drayton, Brendaly and Prins, Esther (January 2011). University Park, PA: Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy. Although the national graduation rate for African American males is only 47% (Schott Foundation for Public Education, 2010), few studies have explored their experiences in adult basic and literacy education (ABEL) programs. This study draws on prior research to explore the relationship between literacy and identity and its potential for illuminating African American men's participation in ABEL Programs. The findings indicate that negative early schooling experiences and the social and historical context in which African American men live shape how they perceive and engage with literacy. Non-participation and inconsistent attendance in ABEL programs do not necessarily indicate that these men do not want to learn; rather, they may signify resistance to an alienating environment. In addition, literacy is viewed in light of its benefit to their current circumstances, not as an inherent value. Consequently, understanding African American men's daily lived experiences can challenge negative stereotypes and provide opportunities for learning.

Algebraic Thinking in Adult Education. Manly, Myrna and Ginsburg, Lynda (September 2010). Jessup, MD: National Institute for Literacy. Algebraic Thinking in Adult Education explores the reasons that algebraic thinking is necessary for adults to enable them to meet the demands of the workplace of the future. It also gives the reasons that algebraic reasoning needs to be integrated early into all levels of arithmetic instruction. This resource should help adult education instructors of all math levels understand the importance of thinking of algebra as a content strand integrated into arithmetic instruction and as a means of analyzing real situations.

The Impact of a Reading Intervention for Low-Literate Adult ESL Learners. Condelli, Larry and Cronen, Stephanie and Box, Johannes (December 2010). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance at the Institute of Education Sciences. Adult ESL programs are designed to assist students in their efforts to acquire literacy and language skills by providing instruction through local education agencies, community colleges, and community-based organizations. The content of instruction within ESL classes varies widely, and there is little rigorous research that identifies effective instruction. This report uses data collected from 1,137 adult ESL learners in two cohorts across ten sites in four states. Adult ESL teachers and learners were assigned by lottery to either classrooms using the basal reader Sam and Pat, Volume I, or classrooms using the site's usual curriculum. Because learners often do not consistently attend adult ESL programs over an extended period of time, English language and reading outcomes were assessed at the beginning and end of one semester for both cohorts of students. Classroom instruction was measured via classroom observations conducted one time in each classroom. This report details the differences in the two programs. Online availability: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20114003. FREE copies available to Texas Educators ONLY.

Improving Science and Vocabulary Learning of English Language Learners. August, Diane and Artzi, Lauren and Mazrum, Julie (August 2010). Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. This brief reviews previous research related to the development of science knowledge and academic language in English language learners as well as the role of general English language proficiency, learning in a second language, and first language knowledge in science learning. It also describes two successful CREATE interventions that build general academic and discipline-specific vocabulary and science knowledge in English language learners. Learn more.

Language, Diversity, and Learning: Lessons for Education in the 21st Century. Nieto, Sonia (August 2010). Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. This digest reviews changing demographics in language, ethnicity, culture, and customs in the U.S., offers ways for how we can learn from our nation's history of language diversity, and provides suggestions for moving forward.

Overcoming the Language Barrier: The Literacy of Non-Native-English-Speaking Adults. Jin, Ying and Kling, Joanna (June 2009). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. Over the past few decades, the United States has experienced a substantial influx of foreign immigrants who have accounted for much of the continued population growth in the nation (Surn, Kirsch, and Yamamoto 2004). The majority of the new foreign immigrants do not speak English as their native language. Findings from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) revealed that the average literacy level of U.S. non-native-English speaking adults was considerably below that of their native-Englishspeaking counterparts even when English is learned shortly after starting school. As the non-native-English speaking share of the population rises, knowing their literacy proficiency becomes important for identifying the potential need for public policies to address any English literacy and educational deficits that might impede their ability to be fully productive workers, parents, and citizens.

Promoting Learner Engagement When Working with Adult English Language Learners. Miller, Susan Finn (July 2010). Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. This brief describes specific instructional strategies and program structures to promote the engagement of adults learning English. It provides an overview of theory and research on learner engagement in language-learning settings and makes recommendations for further research.

Teaching ESL to Adults: Classroom Approaches in Action, Volume One. Florez, Mary Ann and Parrish, Betsy (2010). Newtonville, MA: New American Horizons Foundation. Teaching ESL to Adults takes viewers into real classes for immigrants and refugees learning English as a Second Language. There they will see effective teaching practices and learn about the rationales behind them through interview with the teachers. Volume One of the series includes two videos. The first videos, Lesson Planning for Life Skills, guides beginning level learners through highly structured to open-ended activities, showing the progression of a life-skills lesson in talking on the telephone. The second video, Building Literacy with Adult Emergent Readers, works with a Whole-Part-Whole approach to teaching literacy, using a learner-generated story of a shared experience, and demonstrating activities to develop beginning literacy skills.

Using Oral Language Skills to Build on the Emerging Literacy of Adult English Learners. Vinogradov, Patsy and Bigelow, Martha (August 2010). Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. Written by Patsy Vinogradov and Martha Bigelow of the University of Minnesota, this brief reviews the research and describes ways to capitalize on adult learners' oral skills to create successful literacy learning experiences. It also suggests areas for further research to bolster the knowledge base in working with adult second language learners who are in the process of becoming literate.

INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO LITERACY INSTRUCTION
Emerging Technologies in Adult Literacy and Language Education Warschauer, Mark and Liaw, Meei-Ling (June 2010). Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy. Although information and communication technologies have become an integral part of life in the United States, they have not yet been adequately integrated into adult language and literacy programs. This raises concerns because of the potential value of technology for enhancing learning and because of the vital role of technological proficiency as a gatekeeper for occupational success and full civic participation. Research findings on the impact of technology in education are mixed, but a few studies among adult learners suggest benefits worth exploring. This paper describes the potential contribution of emerging technologies to adult literacy and language education and the opportunities and challenges involved in incorporating these technologies into adult education programs. Various emerging technologies (those arising or undergoing fundamental transformation in the last decade) are described, ranging from audio and video production to games, wikis and blogs, to mobile devices, cell phones and open-source software. Relevant research is reviewed, and the costs, difficulties and advantages of deploying various technological approaches in adult education are discussed. Although current research is insufficient to urge wholesale adoption of the technologies described, many—especially low-cost mobile devices—warrant further investigation as potentially valuable tools for adult educators and learners.

Learning to Write in the Laptop Classroom. Warschauer, Mark (2009). Irvine, CA: University of California. According to Learning to Write in the Laptop Classroom, using computers to draft and revise pieces of writing have a positive effect on the quality of that writing. Substantial positive changes were observed in each stage of the writing process, including better access to information sources for planning and pre-writing; easier drafting of papers; more access to feedback; more frequent and extensive revision; and greater opportunities to publish final papers or otherwise disseminate them to real audiences. While this study was of K–12 students, the results would be of interest to adult literacy practitioners.

Online Learning: Does It Help Low-Income and Underprepared Students? Jaggars, Shanna Smith (January 2011). New York, NY: Columbia College Research Center. This brief summarizes findings discussed in CCRC Working Paper No. 26, part of the CCRC Assessment of Evidence Series. The paper explores why students might struggle in these courses, discusses current access barriers to online education, and offers suggestions on how public policy and institutional practice could be changed to allow online learning to better meet its potential in terms of improving both college access and student progression.

PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT & LEADERSHIP
Adult Student Waiting List Survey. McLendon, Lennox (2010). Washington, DC: National Council of State Directors of Adult Education. Every two years the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education conducts a waiting list survey of local programs and produces a brief report. This report is produced in response to a challenge from the House Appropriations Committee to document the assertion that waiting lists are pervasive. In this 2010 report 1) all states but South Dakota have waiting lists in some programs and 2) the number of months adults have to be on waiting lists doubled since the 2008 survey and report. Because the federal funding has generally declined due to across the board cuts over the last decade and because the cost of doing business has increased, there are fewer dollars to provide service. Thus it is not surprising that the number of students served declined. The survey does not designate ABE, ESL or Adult Secondary students; local program were only asked if they had a waiting list in the past year; and if so, how many weeks students had to wait before they could enroll.

Building and Sustaining NRS Data Quality: A Guide to Program Improvement. Condelli, Larry and Shaewitz, Dahlia and Colombi, Greta and Coleman, Steve and Pane, Natalia (June 2008). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. This guide helps meet the need for continuous training by providing a basic summary of the NRS and clarifying NRS requirements. The guide also offers a new look at basic issues for NRS veterans and returns to the fundamental concepts—building quality data and using data for program improvement—that were the subject of previous guides. Clearinghouse Library disseminates free copies in Texas ONLY; resource is also available online: www.nrsweb.org

Certifying Adult Education Staff and Faculty. Smith, Cristine (January 2011). New York, NY: Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy. This 88-page report is a primer on who is doing what in certification and credentialing of instructional personnel in adult education programs across the country. It was prepared as a background information paper for a CAAL Roundtable held in June 2010. It reviews certification activities, and variations among those activities, at the state level and in postsecondary institutions. It considers the pros and cons of developing a comprehensive certification system with comparable elements across the states and offers suggestions for research and action. One of three appendices gives examples of eleven state and national systems/frameworks for setting and tracking teaching standards and competency. Clearinghouse Library disseminates free copies in Texas ONLY; resource is also available online: www.caalusa.org/certteach.pdf

Closing the Gap: The Challenge of Certification & Credentialing in Adult Education. Chisman, Forrest P. (February 2011). New York, NY: Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy. Report summarizes a Roundtable discussion of experts in June 2010 and sets forth findings from that meeting and other CAAL research. There were 11 major findings and recommendations, including the following: The gap between the knowledge and skills adult education teachers have and the knowledge and skills they need limits the ability of the adult education and workforce skills system to offer the kind and quality of service required by lowskilled adults and the nation's economy. To close the gap, clear comprehensive standards need to be established for the knowledge and skills teachers should have to teach adults, and related systems are needed to assess if these standards are met and to help teachers improve their abilities. Clearinghouse Library disseminates free copies in Texas ONLY; resource is also available online: www.caalusa.org/Closing.pdf

Coaching Language Teachers. Sherris, Arieh (July 2010). Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. The purpose of this digest is to introduce the topic of coaching language teachers in a way that is responsive to the complex, varied, and dynamic landscapes of language classrooms as they are characterized by Larsen-Freeman and Cameron (2008). This digest describes three dimensions of coaching discourse that can shape dialogues among coaches and language teachers and presents some general advice for coaches. Language teachers and coaches should tinker in intentional ways with the ideas presented here and adapt them to suit their own circumstances.

Guide to Diving Deep into the NRS Local Pool: Attendance, Educational Gain and Transition Outcomes. Condelli, Larry and Shaewitz, Dahlia and Pane, Natalia and Colombi, Greta and Movit, Marcela (May 2010). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. This guide and its accompanying training materials focus on ways to analyze the core NRS outcome measure of educational gain, the four follow-up transition measures, and student attendance, and suggest areas to examine to plan program improvement efforts. Chapter 4 offers two case studies of local programs that have successfully used data for program improvement. Clearinghouse Library disseminates free copies in Texas ONLY; resource is also available online: www.nrsweb.org/docs/Diving-DeepGuide.pdf

Learning to be an NRS Data Detective: The Five Sides of the NRS Condelli, Larry and Pane, Natalia and Coleman, Steve and Shaewitz, Dahlia and Hollender, David (June 2006). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. This guide focuses on five sides to making NRS work: two foundational elements that must be in place to collect and use data (data collection policies and procedures and a state data system) and policies and procedures in three areas (assessment, goal setting, and follow-up measures) for collecting NRS core outcomes. Clearinghouse Library disseminates free copies in Texas ONLY; resource is also available online: www.nrsweb.org.

The Local Connection: Building a Data Use Learning Community Condelli, Larry, et al (July 2009). Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research. This guide uses a "community of learners" model as an organizing framework to promote data use, foster communication on data, and sustain a culture of data use at the local level. Provided in the guide are specific strategies for increasing motivation among program staff to use data. Clearinghouse Library disseminates free copies in Texas ONLY; resource is also available online: www.nrsweb.org/docs/trainings/summer2009/LocalConnectionGuide7-09.pdf

NRSAbility Card Game. National Reporting System for Adult Education (2010). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Division of Adult Education and Literacy. NRSAbility is a training game requiring at least 2 players and 1 timer/judge. Lasting about 25 minutes, the game tests players' knowledge of terminology related to the National Reporting System for Adult Education. Clearinghouse Library disseminates free copies in Texas ONLY.

TEACHING ADULTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES
Learning to Achieve: A Professional's Guide to Educating Adults with Learning Disabilities. National Institute for Literacy (October 2010). Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy. Learning to Achieve (L2A) is professional development based on the most recent rigorous research on Learning Disabilities (LD) and provides a standard set of modules for face to face and online professional development. It addresses core concepts and special topics, such as English language learners and LD. L2A is designed to help adult education professional developers, teachers, and other human service partners understand learning disabilities in adults, including the neurobiological processes of learning, explicit instruction techniques, and how to actively support adults with LD in educational and workplace settings. This resource is both a companion guide to the L2A training and a stand-alone resource for professionals who work with adults with LD and have not taken the training. Clearinghouse Library disseminates free copies in Texas ONLY; resource is also available online: http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/L2AProfessionalGuide_final.pdf

Learning to Achieve: A Review of the Research Literature on Experiences and Outcomes for Youth and Adults with Learning Disabilities. Tilson, George P. and Hathaway, Saundra (September 2010). Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy. Numerous researchers and practitioners have noted the diverse challenges that children and youth with learning disabilities (LD) face during their school years. These challenges include obstacles to literacy, academic achievement and social relationships. With major federal laws mandating access to education, employment and public accommodations, many of these individuals receive interventions and supports that enable them to either overcome their challenges or be less affected by them. Other children and youth manage to develop their own compensatory strategies; still others struggle without the benefit of such tools. This literature review builds upon the research review and analyses conducted by the previous six authors of Learning to Achieve. While there were some overlaps in this review's search terms, it focused primarily on the term "employment," with "adult education" and "career development" as secondary terms. Where the previous authors devoted substantial attention to K–12 and transition-age youth with LD, this review specifically targeted research on adults.