Web Sites: Organization Sites

Commission on Adult Basic Education (COABE)
Aims to unify and professionalize the field of adult education by providing leadership, advocacy, professional development and networking opportunities.

Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS)
Nonprofit organization creates and distributes assessment, evaluation, and instructional materials for adult education programs. Validated by the U.S. Department of Education, learner-centered assessments appropriate for a variety of settings, including ABE, EL, workforce development, and corrections education programs. Assigns learners skill level descriptors. More than 160 standardized assessment tools available.

Eureka! Agora
Assemblage of Great Online Resources for Adults AGORA - Assemblage of Great Online Resources for Adults- offers many user-friendly online resources designed for adult education instructors. Includes a lesson plan guide and links to many other lesson planning resources, software, teaching strategies, trade books and websites. The "trade books" section contains an extensive annotated bibliography of "authentic" literature suitable for adult learners that are available in any typical library. These books were selected by a group of adult literacy professionals.

The Learning Edge
Wellington County Learning Centre, Arthur, Ontario, Canada, in partnership with AlphaPlus/AlphaRoute
An online interactive literacy newspaper for adult learners. Users can read articles along with a voice recording. Each article also includes a learner activity.

Literacy Assistance Center
Founded in 1983, the Literacy Assistance Center (LAC) provides referral, training, information and technical assistance to literacy programs in New York. Offers professional development, lesson plans, and curricula designed for youth and adult literacy instructors. One example is Surfing for Substance, a professional development guide to integrating the Internet into adult literacy instruction (with several web-based lesson plans). Resources are designed for use in youth and adult literacy, English Literacy, family literacy, and workforce development programs.

National Center for Adult Literacy (NCAL)
NCAL conducts research on a variety of aspects of adult education, including the use of technology in adult education, English literacy instruction, family literacy, and international comparative studies. Reports, publications, and training materials are available.

National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL)
NCSALL is a joint project of Harvard Graduate School of Education and World Education that aims to connect researchers and practitioners and aid the development of a research agenda for the field. Research reports, issue briefs, and teaching and training materials are available at the site.

Voice for Adult Literacy United for Education (VALUE)
The only national adult literacy organization formed and managed by former and current adult learners, VALUE has been working since its formation in 1998 to give the field of adult education the benefit of insight from its customers. The group provides leadership training for adults, draws attention to the unique needs of adults, and provides a forum for networking, through conferences and a listserv.