Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning

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“I can only say that you are amazing! You have cut our research and work time down by half.”

Alex Baez, Bridges to Practice Training Coordinator
Texas Professional Development Group
Austin, Texas

Adult Student Persistence

Adult Student Persistence: Study Circle Guide
Cristine Smith, et al. Cambridge, MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, May 2006. Guide provides comprehensive instructions for facilitating a study circle, exploring what the research says about adult student persistence and ideas for how to apply what is learned in classrooms and programs. Guide provides all necessary materials and clear instructions to plan and facilitate a three-session study circle with an option for a fourth. Each session lasts three-and-a-half hours. Clearinghouse mails free free copies to Texas educators ONLY. Also available online: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=931

An Evidence-based Adult Education Program Model Appropriate for Research
John P. Comings, Lisa Soricone, and Maricel Santos. Cambridge, MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, March 2006. Document reviews the available empirical evidence and professional wisdom in order to define a program model that meets the requirements for good practice. Model describes what teachers, adult students, counselors, administrators, volunteers, and partners should do to provide both effective instruction and the support services adults need to persist in their learning long enough to be successful. Clearinghouse mails free free copies to Texas educators ONLY. Also available online: http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/op_comings4.pdf

Making Good on a Promise: What Policymakers Can Do to Support the Educational Persistence of Dropouts
Cheryl Almeida, Cassius Johnson, and Adria Steinberg. Boston, MA: Jobs for the Future, April 2006. Report focuses on the question, “Are pathways available to help dropouts pursue an education and move toward an economically productive adulthood?” By analyzing data from the first national study to follow a representative group of young people over time (the National Educational Longitudinal Study), this report assesses how far our society is from “making good” on the promise of a second chance, and offers a starting point for improving the record.

Persistence Among Adult Basic Education Students in Pre-GED Classes
John P. Comings, Andrea Parrella, and Lisa Soricone. Cambridge, MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, December 1999. Paper summarizes previous research on how adult literacy, ESOL, and adult secondary education programs help their students persist in learning until they reach their educational goals. It presents findings from new research exploring the forces that support and inhibit persistence; describes programmatic and instructional attempts to address these forces; and draws conclusions for policy, practice, and further research. “Lessons from Program Practice” include ideas for intake and orientation. Clearinghouse mails free free copies to Texas educators ONLY. Also available online: http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/report12.pdf

Persistence Among Adult Education Students Panel Discussion
National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. Washington, DC: National Institute for Literacy, August 2006. This 30 minute video DVD focuses on persistence in ABE, ESOL, and GED programs, and features a NCSALL study entitled, “Supporting the Persistence of Adult Basic Education Students.” Clearinghouse mails free free copies of the DVD to Texas educators ONLY. Also available online: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/persistence/persistence_cast.html

Transitions

Focus on Basics, February 2004
Cambridge, MA: National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. This issue’s theme is “Transitions”. Some article titles include: “Relationships Count: Transitioning ESOL Students into Community College”; “The Open Door Policy: Hidden Barriers to Postsecondary Education for Nontraditional Adult Learners”; “Why Go Beyond the GED?”; “Building the Desire: Building the Ability”; “Pathways to College for Academically Under-prepared Students”; and “Transitions and Math”. Clearinghouse mails free free copies to Texas educators ONLY. Also available online: http://www.ncsall.net -- See menu link to Focus on Basics.

Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners
National Center for Family Literacy and National Center for ESL Literacy Education. Washington, DC: Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education, 2004. Toolkit was developed as a resource to support adult education and family literacy instructors who are new to serving ELL adults and families. Components include responses to Frequently Asked Questions; a first-day orientation guide; lesson plans; and research-to-practice papers on critical topics. Part IV includes ideas on helping ELL adults transition into other educational programs. Clearinghouse mails free free copies to Texas educators ONLY. Also available online: http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/instructional/prac_toolkit.html

Transitioning Adult ESL Learners to Academic Programs: ERIC Digest
Judith Rance-Roney. Washington, DC: National Center for ESL Literacy Education, July 1995. Digest examines the differences between academic and adult ESL programs, and it suggest curricular and programmatic steps to facilitate transitioning learners from adult ESL to academic English or to GED programs.

Fundraising and Grant Proposal Writing

The Role of Corporate Giving in Adult Literacy
Forrest P. Chisman and Gail Spangenberg. New York, NY: Council for the Advancement of Adult Literacy, March 2006. This paper examines the role and impact of corporate giving in adult literacy at both the national and local levels, and concludes that corporations have good reason to be proud of their role. Paper provides a framework and baseline of information for understanding corporate philanthropy in this field as well as a basis for increased dialogue among corporate donors and literacy leaders. Clearinghouse mails free free copies to Texas educators ONLY. Also available online: http://www.caalusa.org/corporategiving.pdf

GrantSAT: Grant Proposal Self Assessment Tool
Carlsbad Area Office, U.S. Department of Energy. Mount Pleasant, MI: Central Michigan University Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, 1998. Created with assistance from Westinghouse Electric Company to help U.S. educational institutions and non-profit organizations in writing winning grant proposals, this diagnostic tool is used to evaluate grant proposals prior to submission.

Family Literacy

Adult Basic Education: Strategies to Increase Returns on Investment (ROI)
Thomas G. Sticht. Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada: Canada’s National Adult Literacy Database, 1999. The author reviews research and suggests two “investment strategies” for adult education and workforce development. Sticht asserts that “parents’ education levels exert a strong, positive influence on family size, health, and the achievement of children in school.” Even “[m]ore than for boys and men, investments in the literacy education of girls and women bring multiple returns in learning and achievement at home and at school.”

Collaboration in Family Literacy Programming
Rose Gioia-Fine. Lancaster, PA: Pennsylvania ABLE, 2000. This article from the Pennsylvania ABLE Administrator’s Handbook discusses collaboration of Even Start with other agencies and entities. Services provided or improved through collaboration include: shared recruitment efforts, home visiting and case management services, transportation, mental health counseling, employment opportunities for families, parenting groups, shared space, shared technology, adult education and family literacy activities, parent leadership opportunities, and additional staff and volunteers.

Developing Collaborative Partnerships: ERIC Practice Application Brief
Sandra Kerka. Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, 1997. This Brief looks at successful collaborations involving workforce development, family literacy, and welfare reform to identify the elements that make collaborations effective.

Early Childhood Education: A Call to Action from the Business Community
The Business Roundtable and Corporate Voices for Working Families. Washington, DC: Corporate Voices for Working Families, May 2003. Declaring that too many children enter school ill-prepared to succeed, this statement describing “the wide learning gap between lower- and higher-income children before they enter kindergarten” and warning that many poor and middle-class children who start out behind “will fall further and further behind.”