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Success Stories
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Welcome to our Library...
TCALL Student Worker Ashley Matus, Librarian Susan Morris, and Student Worker Jenna Burden (not pictured) are ready to fill your order for Clearinghouse Library resources. Call them at 800-441-READ (7323) or e-mail tcall@tamu.edu to request materials by mail or information on the Library’s services.
ADULT LEARNER TRANSITIONS TO COLLEGE
Adult Learners in Higher Education: Barriers to Success and Strategies to Improve Results.
Bosworth, Brian, et al (March 2007). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
This report synthesizes the research literature on the challenges facing adult learners in higher education today and on emerging strategies for increasing the number of adults over 24 who earn college credentials and degrees. A key finding is that traditional higher education programs and policies - created in an era when the 18- to 22-year-old, dependent, full-time student coming right out of high school was seen as the core market for higher education—are not well-designed for the needs of adult learners, most of whom are “employees who study” rather than “students who work.”
The College Transition Toolkit.
Goodman, Sandy and Rao, Deepa and Spohn, Jessica and Zafft, Cynthia (2008).
Boston, MA: National College Transition Network.
The College Transition Toolkit is a comprehensive guide to program planning and implementation that draws on the expertise of practitioners from the New England ABE-to-College Transition Project and around the country. The College Transition Toolkit CD contains detailed information to help adult educators and administrators plan for the needs of students interested in pursuing postsecondary education and training. The CD contains a flexible, navigable, HTML version of the toolkit that enables you to move between chapter topics, accompanying documents, and online resources of immediate interest to you. The chapter topics include program models, partnerships and collaborations, recruitment, assessment, counseling, curriculum and instruction, planning, and using data for program development. The toolkit also provides templates that you can download and adapt for use in developing your college transition program, links to a variety of online resources, and supplementary printable resources. CD-ROM is available on loan from the Clearinghouse Library to Texas educators ONLY.
First in the Family: Advice About College from First-Generation Students. Cushman, Kathleen (2005). Providence, RI: Next Generation Press.
Written for high school-age students who will be the first in their family to go to college, this book emphasizes the “three Cs” of the college journey: conversation, connections, and confidence. Most of the students who share their stories in this book have completed their second year of college, and are going on for more.
Learning Success: Being Your Best at College and Life, Third Edition. Wahlstrom, Carl and Williams, Brian K. (2002). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.
Book is written for the growing number of part-timers, parents, working students, commuters, and other nontraditional students, as well as for traditional on-campus students. The authors’ goal is to help students be the best in college by showing students how to master the academic and personal skills needed to succeed in higher education -- how to manage their time, improve their reading and note-taking skills, handle finances, work toward their career goals, and so on. It is also shows students that the skills one needs for success in college are the same skills one needs for success in life. This book describes the three keys to success in college and life: staying power, mindfulness, and technology literacy. Third Edition (also known as “Media Edition”) includes an interactive CD-ROM that reinforces and extends the texts content. Set of book plus CD-ROM is available on loan from the Clearinghouse Library to Texas educators ONLY.
Learning to Learn: Thinking Skills for the 21st Century, Tenth Edition. Heiman, Marcia and Slomianko, Joshua (1992, 2004). Somerville, MA: Learning to Learn, Inc.
Learning to Learn (LTL) is a system of learning and reasoning strategies based on research conducted at the University of Michigan on the thinking skills of successful learners. High-achieving students were asked to verbalize their thinking when they did academic work. A pattern of skills common to successful learners was discovered. It was found that successful learners: ask themselves questions about new information; break tasks into small, manageable parts to help get things done; focus on goals to stay on track towards results; and get feedback on learning progress to find out what they know – and what they need to know. Of these skills, the most important one is the process of asking questions. Without it, very little learning occurs. This tenth edition of the LTL textbook (2004) is
used with entering college students, but could be used to prepare adult learners for the demands of postsecondary education. Loan set also includes a two-hour LTL video (1992) that can be used to train faculty new to LTL and as an instructional support in the classroom.
Policies to Promote Adult Education and Postsecondary Alignment. Strawn, Julie (September 28, 2007). Washington, DC: Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy.
In October 2006, Council for the Advancement of Adult Literacy and the Dollar General Corporation jointly announced the launch of the independent blue-ribbon National Commission on Adult Literacy. The Commission will examine all components of the adult literacy enterprise in order to make recommendations on how to effectively chart a productive and comprehensive future course for adult education and literacy service in America. This Policy Brief was written by senior analyst Julie Strawn of the Center for Law and Social Policy for the third meeting of Commission on August 20, 2007. As introduced by its author, the publication focuses on “helping adults with lower skills and/or limited English proficiency earn postsecondary credentials that open doors to family-supporting jobs.” It examines obstacles to moving toward this goal -- with major attention to lack of alignment between federal and state adult education efforts, job training services, and postsecondary education policies. It also draws attention to the financial, personal, and family challenges that prevent adults from seeking and completing programs. Numerous policy and action recommendations are given for Commission consideration.
Reconnecting Disadvantaged Young Men. Edelman, Peter and Holzer, Harry and Offner, Paul (2006). Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press.
The United States is home to 2 to 3 million youth age 16 through 24 who are out of school and out of work. Why are so many young people “disconnected,” and what can public policy do about it? And why has disconnection become more common for young men — particularly African-American men and low-income men — than for young women? Edelman, Holzer, and Offner offer analysis and policy prescriptions to solve this growing crisis. They carefully examine field programs and research studies and recommend specific strategies to enhance education, training, and employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth; to improve the incentives of less-skilled young workers to accept employment; and to address the severe barriers and disincentives faced by some youth, such as ex-offenders and noncustodial fathers.
Together for Success: A Road Map for Post-Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities. Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (1994). Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Learning Disabilities Association of Canada.
This handbook is intended to provide guidance and assistance to students with LD who thought that it would be impossible for them to continue schooling at a postsecondary level; and to help these students gain independence, self-worth and success in their lives. It includes an overview of LD, and sections on: self-advocacy; self-disclosure; support services; focus groups; dealing with stress, anger and frustration; transitional planning for high school students; and students’ rights and responsibilities.
Transitions to Postsecondary Learning: Course Starter Kit. Eaton, Howard and Coull, Leslie (1998, 2000). Vancouver, BC, Canada: Eaton Coull Learning Group, Ltd.
48-minute video features eight real-life secondary students with specific learning disabilities and/or ADHD who have made successful transitions into college, university, or vocational institute. They openly discuss the challenges they have faced and how they have attained success through self-advocacy and positive self-efficacy beliefs. Other instructional materials included in this Course Starter Kit include the Discussion Guide, Student Work Guide (workbook), and a Self-Advocacy Handbook for Students with Learning Disabilities and/or Attention Deficit Disorder. Set of DVD or VHS video plus three books is available on loan from the Clearinghouse Library to Preferred Borrowers ONLY. Ask us how to become a Preferred Borrower.
EMPOWER MATH RESOURCES
FOR GED & COLLEGE SUCCESS
EMPower Math Resources.
EMPower is designed to give adult learners and out-of-school youth mathematics skills for daily life. EMPower combines insights from educational research and classroom practice. This comprehensive curriculum works in adult and workplace education, alternative high schools, correctional settings, and GED/high school equivalency programs. Students who need help transitioning to college also benefit from EMPower’s dynamic approach. Rather than focusing on memorizing formulas, students develop useful mathematics skills through engaging exercises that relate to their lives. They investigate concepts, work collaboratively, share ideas orally and in writing, and discover multiple ways to solve problems. The full curriculum comprises eight non-sequential units emphasizing whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percents, proportions, geometry and measurement, algebra, and data and graphs. The teacher book plus student book sets described below are available on loan from the Clearinghouse Library for Texas educators ONLY.
Everyday Number Sense: Mental Math and Visual Functions. Schmitt, Mary Jane and Steinback, Myriam and Donovan, Tricia and Merson, Martha (2006). Cambridge, MA: Key Curriculum Press.
Students solve problems with whole numbers using mental math strategies with benchmarks of 1, 10, 100, and 1000 to compute. Number lines, arrays, and diagrams support their conceptual understanding of number relationships and the four operations.
Keeping Things in Proportion: Reasoning with Ratios.
Schmitt, Mary Jane and Steinback, Myriam and Donovan, Tricia and Merson, Martha and Curry, Donna (2005). Cambridge, MA: Key Curriculum Press.
Students use various tools—objects, diagrams, tables, graphs, and equations—to understand proportional and non-proportional relationships.
Many Points Make a Point: Data and Graphs. Schmitt, Mary Jane and Steinback, Myriam and Donovan, Tricia and Merson, Martha (2005). Cambridge, MA: Key Curriculum Press.
Students collect, organize, and represent data using frequency, bar, and circle graphs. They use line graphs to describe change over time. They use benchmark fractions and the three measures of central tendency—mode, median, and mean— to describe sets of data.
Operation Sense: Even More Fractions, Decimals, and Percents. Schmitt, Mary Jane and Steinback, Myriam (2007). Cambridge, MA: Key Curriculum Press.
Students extend their understanding of the four operations with whole numbers as they puzzle over such questions as, “How is it possible that two fractions multiplied might yield a smaller amount?” and “What does it mean to divide one-half by six?”
Over, Around, and Within: Geometry and Measurement.
Schmitt, Mary Jane and Steinback, Myriam and Donovan, Tricia and Merson, Martha (2005). Cambridge, MA: Key Curriculum Press.
Students explore the features and measures of basic shapes. Perimeter and area of two-dimensional shapes and volume of rectangular solids provide the focus.
Seeking Patterns, Building Rules: Algebraic Thinking.
Schmitt, Mary Jane and Steinback, Myriam and Donovan, Tricia and Merson, Martha (2005). Cambridge, MA: Key Curriculum Press.
Students use a variety of representational tools— diagrams, words, tables, graphs, and equations— to understand linear patterns and functions. They connect the rate of change with the slope of a line and compare linear with non-linear relationships. They gain facility with and comprehension of basic algebraic notations.
Using Benchmarks: Fractions, Decimals, and Percents.
Schmitt, Mary Jane and Steinback, Myriam and Donovan, Tricia and Merson, Martha and Kliman, Marlene (2006).
Cambridge, MA: Key Curriculum Press.
Students use the fractions 1/10, 1/2, 1/4, and 3/4; the decimals 0.1, 0.5, 0.25, and 0.75; and the percents 50%, 25%, 75%, 100%, and the multiples of 10% as benchmarks with which to describe and compare all part-whole relationships.
Split It Up: More Fractions, Decimals, and Percents.
Schmitt, Mary Jane and Steinback, Myriam and Donovan, Tricia and Merson, Martha and Kliman, Marlene (2005).
Cambridge, MA: Key Curriculum Press.
Building upon their command of common benchmark fractions, students add 1/3’s, 1/8’s, and 1/100’s, and their decimal and percent equivalents, to their repertoire of part-whole relationships.
OTHER RESOURCES ON MATH
FOR GED & COLLEGE SUCCESS
190 Ready-to-Use Activities That Make Math Fun!
Watson, George (2003). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons; Jossey Bass.
Instructional resource provides 190 high-interest, ready-to-use, reproducible activities to help students master basic math skills -- including whole numbers, decimals, fractions, percentages, money concepts, geometry and measurement, charts and graphs, and pre-algebra -- for use with students of varying ability levels. Activities are presented in a variety of formats, such as puzzles, crosswords, matching, word/number searches, number substitutions, and more.
Fear of Math: How to Get Over It and Get On With Your Life. Zaslavsky, Claudia (1994). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
In this book aimed at students suffering from “math phobia,” the author shows how the “school math” that students dread is probably a far cry from the math really needed in life, and that students probably know better than they suspect. A variety of reassuring methods drawn from many cultures are offered for tackling real-world math problems. The author also attacks the myth that women and minorities are less competent at math.
The Glass Wall: Why Mathematics Can Seem Difficult.
Smith, Frank (2002). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Smith analyzes why some people find the world of mathematics compelling while others find it so difficult. He contrasts the “physical world” (our familiar world of objects and events) with the “world of mathematics” (a completely different domain of experience), and the barrier that can exist between those worlds for some learners. Smith argues that, because the language used to talk about these two
worlds is not the same, many people find themselves “behind the glass wall, on the outside looking in”. Chapters discuss: What is Mathematics? Making Sense of Mathematics; The Meaning of Numbers; and Getting Beyond the Glass Wall.
NEFE High School Financial Planning Program. National Endowment for Financial Education (2001). Greenwood Village, CO: NEFE.
This “hands-on” course provides learning materials to teach students to: identify and prioritize their personal money management goals; develop a budget; track their income and spending to stay within their budget; comprehend the impact of time on the value of money -- especially important in achieving savings goals; understand the cost of using credit; and protect their cash assets as they begin to accumulate money. Created with teachers for easy classroom implementation, the six-unit mini-course can be completed in as few as 10 classroom hours. These materials are available at no cost to public and private schools as a public service provided by NEFE, in partnership with the Cooperative Extension Service and America’s Credit Unions. Interactive learning activities are also available online: www.nefe.org/hsfppportal/index.html
Teaching Math to Adolescents and Adults. Leaf, Beth Ann and Thistlethwaite, Linda L. (2000). Macomb, IL: Central Illinois Adult Education Service Center.
This manual was designed for adult educators working with students at all levels of mathematical ability. The strategies and accompanying problems are based on the math standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, with a slight revision of those standards to make them more relevant to adult learners. One chapter focuses on the importance of having adult learners make connections between math literacy and real life. Another chapter focuses on helping adult learners to view math learning more positively. The rest of the book offers eight specific math strategies, with example problems at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of mathematical ability. The strategies in this manual have ties to Howard Gardner’s concept of multiple intelligences.
FAMILY LITERACY
Beyond the Bake Sale: The Essential Guide to Family-School Partnerships. Henderson, Anne T. and Mapp, Karen L. and Johnson, Vivian R. and Davies, Don (2007).
New York, New York: The New Press.
Countless studies demonstrate that students with parents actively involved in their education at home and school are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, enroll in higher-level programs, graduate from high school, and go on to post-secondary education. Beyond the Bake Sale shows how to form these essential partnerships and how to make them work. Packed with tips from principals and teachers, checklists, and an invaluable resource section, Beyond the Bake Sale reveals how to build strong collaborative relationships and offers practical advice for improving interactions between parents and teachers, from insuring that PTA groups are constructive and inclusive to navigating the complex issues surrounding diversity in the classroom.
Enhancing Early Emotional Development: Guiding Parents of Young Children. Wixson Gowen, Jean and Brennan Nebrig, Judith (2002). Baltimore, MD: Paulh Brookes Publishing Company.
During their first two years, children form attachments with caregivers that profoundly affect their emotional lives. This engaging book helps professionals who work with families of young children nurture those crucial bonds, giving parents the support and guidance they need to identify their children’s needs, enhance interactions with their children, and address any factors that may prevent them from building a strong relationship with their infant or toddler. Readers will get an in-depth look at children’s emotional development at five stages from birth to 24 months, examine challenges to effective parenting, and learn from realistic vignettes that demonstrate appropriate interventions.
Families at School: A Guide for Educators. Thomas, Adele and Fazio, Lynn and Stiefelmeyer, Betty L. (1999).
Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
The authors describe an exemplary program in which parents and children use literacy to strengthen their reading and writing abilities while building stronger family relationships. Parents in the Family Learning Program at Niagara Falls Secondary School – many of whom have had negative school experiences – learn about early childhood development, discuss children’s literature and reading strategies, and create literacy activities to try with their children, as well as focusing on parenting and developing their own literacy abilities. This guide offers ideas and activities and can serve as a model for other family literacy initiatives.
Father Need: Why Father Care is as Essential as Mother Care for Your Child. Kyle D. Pruett (2000). New York, NY: Broadway Books.
Drawing on more than two decades of highly acclaimed research at the Yale Child Study Center, and backed up by true stories from actual families, Fatherneed is the essential how-to guide for women and men who wish to promote engaged fathering. This book will help enable fathers to give their children the skills they need to develop into happy and healthy adults. Dr. Pruett specifically addresses what a father can do to prepare his marriage, his house, and his emotions for his child‘s needs, from infancy through the toddler years, childhood, adolescence, and young and mature adulthood. With advice to fathers ranging from how to speak to toddlers so that they listen, to how to avoid the common tendency to reinforce gender stereotypes in young children, to how to maintain a connection with an increasingly autonomous teenager, Fatherneed is a good resource for all dads-including divorced fathers, fathers of adopted children, stepfathers, and fathers of special-needs children-as well as moms who want kids who are meaningfully connected to their fathers.
 
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