Getting Started: (Advice for New Adult and Family Literacy Programs)

Family Literacy: A Strategy for Educational Improvement. NGA Center for Best Practices (November 2002). Washington, DC: National Governor's Association. Incorporating family literacy into educational programs for children and adults results in a flexible and comprehensive strategy that can improve educational outcomes. This Issue Brief describes the benefits of and innovative state approaches to family literacy. Those strategies include: encouraging state agencies to collaborate as they plan family literacy services; making family literacy an allowable use of existing education funds; and authorizing specific funds for family literacy.

Family Literacy Forum, Volume 2, Number 1. Ullman, Claudia, Editor (Spring 2003). San Diego, CA: National Even Start Association. This is the second issue of NESA's national, peer- reviewed journal, providing a forum for scholarship regarding the literacy development of families in home, community, and school-based settings. This issue's articles include: "Parents and Children Working Together: A Paradigm for Inclusive Reading Assistance" by Maria A. Ceprano; "Adult Education Theory and Family Literacy Practice" by Arthur M. Langer; "More than a Mention: Cultural Responsiveness in Family Literacy" by Ralf St. Clair and Cheryl Heitzman; "Using Evaluation Data to Document the Value of Even Start Family Literacy Programs" by Chia-Yin Chen, Don F. Seaman, and Yvette D. Perry; and "Go Gently on Family Literacy" by Ray McDermott. FREE sample issues available from TCALL in TEXAS ONLY. For subscription information, visit the journal's website: http://www.evenstart.org/fam_lit_forum.htm.

The Change Agent Issue 9: Looking In, Looking Out: Reflections on Adult Basic Education. Horchler, Marie, Editor (1999). Boston, MA: New England Literacy Resource Center. The mission of The Change Agent is to provide, in the form of a low cost newspaper, news, issues, ideas and other teaching resources that inspire and enable adult educators and learners to make civic participation and social justice related concerns part of their teaching and learning". This sample issue includes articles such as: Bringing Community Into the Curriculum; Community Building: One Tutor at a Time; and Is Education a Right? as well as poetry and many student exercises. Other issues and subscription information are available online at: http://www.nelrc.org/changeagent/. For example, the March 2003 issue theme is "Language and Power."

People and Politics: A Civic Literacy Curriculum. Hager, Ashley (no date). Boston, MA: New England Literacy Resource Center. Students learn how to identify the issues most important to them, ask the right questions, select a candidate whose platform reflects their own concerns, and write to decision makers. Printed Materials (11 pages): FREE copies available (323 Hag).

Pick Your Candidate. Tasker, Debbie (1995). Concord, NH: New Hampshire Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Education. 25-page manual is intended to help adult students sort through issues in preparation for deciding which candidates they will support in an upcoming election. Topics include: registering to vote; campaign news coverage and advertising; campaign speeches; campaign promises; negative campaigning; use of "buzzwords"; opinion polls; meeting a candidate; considering issues; choosing your favorite candidate; and helping your candidate. Discussion questions encourage critical thinking. Students can do the reading and writing activities independently or in groups. Materials may be duplicated for classroom use.

Employability Skills: An Update. Overtoom, Christine (2000). Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education. What skills do employers want? How do these skills match those that youth and adults are developing through their school and work experiences? How can education and training programs prepare individuals to enter a rapidly changing workplace? These and other questions are examined in this ERIC Digest that explores skills currently needed for employment.

An Introduction to ESL in the Workplace. Crocker, Judith, Sherman, Renee, Dlott, Michael and Tibbetts, John (June 2002). Washington, DC: Pelavin Research Center, American Institutes for Research. This two-session train-the-trainer workshop module uses a series of activities, handouts, and transparencies to identify the unique characteristics of workplace ESL and examine the various stages of planning, implementing, and evaluating workplace ESL programs. The module also includes a readiness guide for programs to complete before starting a Workplace ESL program. FREE copies available IN TEXAS ONLY. Also available online in pdf format at http://www.pro-net2000.org/CM/showtraining.asp - scroll down page to find title.

Preparing Limited English Proficient Persons for the Workplace. Wonacott, Michael E. (2000). Columbus, OH: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education. Limited English proficient (LEP) individuals come from a variety of social, economic, and educational backgrounds; and the literacy levels of LEP persons are equally diverse. Likewise, an LEP person's oral proficiency in English should not be confused with English- or native- language literacy - that is, the ability to read and write. This ERIC Digest describes cultural considerations and effective approaches for LEP individuals' work force development, including the impact of recent training legislation.

Learning In and For Participation in Work and Society: How Adults Learn Conference Proceedings. Greeno, James G. et al (September 1999). Washington, DC: US DOE Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. This paper resulted from a conference held in April 1998 to identify barriers preventing certain groups of adults from participating in lifelong learning opportunities and to explore policies and practices that better enable such adults to learn. The authors of this paper focused on learning in the workplace: how it happens; ramifications for policy, practice, and further research; and implications for understanding learning in all settings. FREE copies available IN TEXAS ONLY. Conference proceedings are also available online at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/HowAdultsLearn/ - scroll down page to find title.

Workplace Literacy Programs for Nonnative English Speakers. Isserlis, Janet (October 1991). Washington, DC: National Center for ESL Literacy Education. Workplace-based educational programs are not new. Recent perceptions of a national literacy crisis and the need for a competitive workforce, however, have resulted in the development of new programs across the country, many of which provide literacy and language training for nonnative English speakers. This ERIC Digest discusses reasons for initiating workplace programs and types/essential features of these programs.

Welfare Reform: Assessing the Effectiveness of Various Welfare-to-Work Approaches. United States General Accounting Office (1999). Washington, DC: United States General Accounting Office. Research report on effectiveness of different welfare-to-work approaches, comparing rapid-employment approach with education-based W-T-W approach, and their relative cost. Also reports on relationship of mother's educational attainment with children's development & educational attainment. This was a GAO Report to Congressional Committees published in September, 1999.

Welfare to Work: Considerations for Adult and Vocational Education Programs. Imel, Susan (2000). Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education. In 1996, federal legislation ushered in a new era of welfare reform that emphasizes economic self-sufficiency through a "work-first" approach designed to move welfare recipients into the workforce as quickly as possible. Education and training for welfare recipients now consists primarily of short-term training programs, with limited further training available once someone has found a job. The work-first philosophy has created chal-lenges for adult and vocational educators. This ERIC Digest presents some considerations for developing welfare-to-work programs and characteristics of successful programs. Recommendations for program development based on the literature conclude the Digest.

Windows of Opportunity: Strategies to Support Families Receiving Welfare and Other Low-Income Families in the Next Stage of Welfare Reform. Sweeney, Eileen, et al (January 2000). Washington, DC: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. "In every state, the delivery of welfare services has been altered under TANF to emphasize work, primarily through a 'work first' approach that seeks to move parents as quickly as possible into the labor force. ... [Yet] Recent research shows most parents leaving welfare for work earn too little to support their families." This report addresses TANF rules that have given states more flexibility since the initial welfare reform legislation. The authors give several examples of changes is state policies that "make it more feasible for single parents who are caring for children to participate in [education or training] activities by reducing or eliminating additional work requirements." FREE copies available IN TEXAS ONLY. Also available online at http://www.cbpp.org/1-12-00wel.htm — scroll down page to find title.

Adult English Language Instruction in the 21st Century. National Center for ESL Literacy Education (2002). Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. English language learners make up a significant segment of the adult education population in the U.S. In program year 2001-02, 42% of the participants in state administered adult education programs were enrolled in English as a second language (ESL) classes. This percentage does not include adult English learners who are being served in other segments of the system. To meet the large demand for English language instruction, existing adult education programs are expanding, and new ones are being established. Who are these English learners? Where do they come from? What kind of instruction is being/should be provided to them? This document provides an overview of the field of adult ESL instruction in the U.S. today. First, it places adult ESL in the broader context of the U.S. education system, and then it describes trends and issues in the areas of program design and instructional practice, assessment, teacher training and professional development, integration of research and practice, and technology. Also available online in pdf format at: http://www.cal.org/ncle/languageinstruction.htm. Spanish language version (La enseñanza del idioma inglés para los adultos en el siglo XXI) is a separate title also available online. Both are available in hard copy from the Clearinghouse IN TEXAS ONLY.

Bringing Family Literacy to Incarcerrated Settings: A Instructional Guide. Hudson River Center for Program Development, Inc. (2001). Glenmont, NY: New York State Education Department Office of Workforce Preparedness and Continuing Education. Created to assist anyone interested in implementing a family literacy project within an incarcerated setting, this guide includes a description of various program designs, assessment strategies, comments from parents who have benefited, and a blueprint for implementation. Resources and sample forms are provided. FREE copies available IN TEXAS ONLY. Also available online at http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/hudson/bringing/cover.htm.