Reports and Articles: Adult Education Policy
Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files. To download a free copy, please visit the Adobe web site. 2005 Skills Gap Report: A Survey of the American Manufacturing Workforce
Deloitte, National Association of Manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute, 2005
An analysis of the results from an annual survey of manufacturers about the skills of their labor force. Concludes that there is a shortage of qualified workers in the United States, identifies promising approaches to addressing this shortage, and offers recommendations for future practice.
Download/view: PDF (1.5MB) A National Plan for Research and Development in Adult Education and Literacy
National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), 2001
Outlines the collaborative effort to develop an agenda for research and development in the field of adult learning and literacy.
Download/view: PDF (488KB) Adult Education Participation in 2004-05
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Summarizes data collected from the Adult Education Survey of the 2005 National Household Education Surveys Program. Includes statistics on adult participation in ABE, ASE, ESL, and work-related classes.
Download/view: PDF (699KB) | HTML Adult Literacy and Education in America
C. Kaestle, A. Campbell, J. Finn, S. Johnson, and L. Mickulecky, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2001
Analyzes the literacy proficiency of the nation's adults and focuses on those who score below average on literacy assessments, did not complete high school, and enrolled in programs to improve their basic literacy. Based on data from the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2001534 Adult Literacy in America: A First Look at the Results of the National Adult Literacy Survey
I. Kirsch, A. Jungeblut, L. Jenkins, and A. Kolstad, Education Testing Service (ETS), 1993
Describes literacy skills of adults in the U.S. and connections between literacy and adults? roles as citizens and workers.
Download/view: PDF (3.3MB) Adult Literacy: The Next Generation
National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL), 1995
Policy paper examines research in the areas of literacy and economic well-being, literacy instruction and measurement, workforce literacy and competitiveness, family literacy, standards for teachers and programs, and technology. Conclusion provides recommendations for practice, policy and research.
Download/view: PDF (269KB) Developing a National Outcome Reporting System for the Adult Education Program
L. Condelli and M. Kutner, American Institutes for Research (AIR) for U.S. Department of Education, 1997
Precursor to the 2000 Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education. Outlines important issues in performance accountability that should be considered when developing a national accountability system for federally funded adult education programs. Looks at the historical definitions of literacy in American adult education programs and the evolution of the defined purpose of adult education. Attempts to set a framework for accountability. Provides field-level insight through interviews with some state directors of adult education.
Download/view: PDF (345KB) | HTML Education Statistics at a Glance
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Offers easy access to adult education data within several compendiums, including the Condition of Education 2000 and 2001, Projections of Education Statistics 2011, and the Digest of Education Statistics 2000.
http://nces.ed.gov/edstats/ Highlights from the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL)
M. Lemke, D. Miller, J. Johnston, L. Alvarez-Rojas, D., Kastberg, and L. Jocelyn, National Center for Education Statistics, 2005
The initial findings from the 2003 ALL. Compares literacy and numeracy proficiencies of Americans ages 16-65 with their peers in five other countries—Bermuda, Canada, Italy, Norway, and Switzerland. Additional reports are forthcoming.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005117 The Infrastructure of Adult Literacy Education: Implications for Policy
H. Beder, National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL), 1996
Describes adult literacy education infrastructure at the national, state, and local levels. The report discusses contextual features that affect the system and the consequences of a weak infrastructure. The report concludes with recommendations for improving the capacity of the system.
Download/view: PDF (771KB) Key Concepts and Features of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy
S. White and S. Dillow, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2005
Describes the purpose, design, and analysis methods of the 2003 assessment of adult literacy in the United States.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2006471 Literacy in the Information Age: Final Report of the International Adult Literacy Survey
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 2000
The final report from the International Adult Literacy Survey is a comparative study of literacy in 20 countries, including the United States. Offers a unique look into factors that influence the development of adult skills at home and at work. Available for purchase from
http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?CID=&LANG=EN&SF1=DI&
ST1=5LMQCR2KBKHF National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Administered in 2003, the NAAL assessed the English literacy skills of a nationally representative sample of adults throughout the U.S. Site presents key findings from the assessment, information on the study's history and framework, and an overview of the assessment's four components—basic reading skills, health literacy, prison literacy, and state literacy. Also links to four webcast presentations on the NAAL.
http://nces.ed.gov/naal/ National Institute for Literacy: National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
Links to a series of archived webcasts on the components, features, findings, and planned reports of the 2003 NAAL.
http://lincs.ed.gov/webcasts/NAAL2003.html Participation Trends and Patterns in Adult Education: 1991 to 1999
S. Creighton and L. Hudson, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2000
Analyzes participation trends of adults in formal adult education programs throughout the 1990s. Participation patterns are reviewed generally and over time for specific types of adult education, including EL, ABE, credential, apprenticeship, work-related, and non-work-related programs.
Download/view: PDF (751KB) The State of Literacy in America: Synthetic Estimates of Adult Literacy Proficiency at the Local, State and National Levels
S. Reder, National Institute for Literacy (NIFL)
Combines data from the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) and 1990 Census to provide an estimate of the number of adults with low literacy skills in every city, county, congressional district and state. Easy-to-use search function.
Download/view: PDF (5.4MB) Supply and Demand for Literacy Instruction in the United States
R. Venezky and D. Wagner, National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL), 1994
Looks at the delivery of literacy instruction in the United States, using recent surveys of service providers, data on the demand for literacy instruction, the National Adult Literacy Survey, and studies of adult literacy participation.
Download/view: PDF (594KB) Tabular Summary of Adult Education for Work-Related Reasons: 2002-03
K. O'Donnell for the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 2005
Report presents survey responses from 12,725 adults regarding their participation in both formal and informal work-related educational activities. Adults were asked about their reasons for participation, the outcomes and perceived usefulness of participation, the types of education providers they used, and their time spent in the classroom and on coursework and training.
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