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Abstract:
This meeting focused on sharing best practices and challenges in adult education, particularly around ESL programs and workforce development. Participants discussed various initiatives including college and career readiness labs, apprenticeship programs, digital literacy efforts, and strategies for supporting ESL students during challenging times. Key topics included the implementation of Career Gateway classes that simulate workplace experiences, partnerships with employers for workplace learning, and the challenges of providing services to ESL students in correctional settings. Several participants shared resources including AI literacy lesson plans, digital literacy frameworks, and community partnerships, while others discussed the importance of trauma-informed instruction and multi-generational impact of adult education programs. The meeting highlighted successful collaborations between state directors, local programs, and employers, with participants emphasizing the value of working together to create pathways for adult learners.Summary
College Career Readiness Program Development
ESL Workforce Preparation Programs Update
Education Collaboration and Workforce Challenges
AI in Education and Literacy
IET Programs in Correctional Settings
Adult Education Best Practices Sharing
Adult Education Best Practices Sharing
Meeting date: March 10, 2026 Meeting recording link: https://youtu.be/qoX5PbooNSw
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Abstract:
As correctional and reentry education continues to evolve, the field stands at a pivotal moment shaped by technological innovation, policy reform, and a growing recognition of the power of education to transform lives. In this webinar, Jeffrey Abramowitz, returning citizen, educator, administrator, and subject matter expert—will explore emerging trends and challenges in correctional and reentry education. Drawing from lived experience, participants will examine new approaches to technology integration, workforce development, digital literacy, and postrelease support. Original webinar date: March 12, 2026 Webinar recording link: https://youtu.be/U5XHmrkX2oU
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Abstract:
This meeting focused on sharing best practices and challenges in adult education, particularly around ESL programs and workforce development. Participants discussed various initiatives including college and career readiness labs, apprenticeship programs, digital literacy efforts, and strategies for supporting ESL students during challenging times. Key topics included the implementation of Career Gateway classes that simulate workplace experiences, partnerships with employers for workplace learning, and the challenges of providing services to ESL students in correctional settings. Several participants shared resources including AI literacy lesson plans, digital literacy frameworks, and community partnerships, while others discussed the importance of trauma-informed instruction and multi-generational impact of adult education programs. The meeting highlighted successful collaborations between state directors, local programs, and employers, with participants emphasizing the value of working together to create pathways for adult learners.Summary
College Career Readiness Program Development
ESL Workforce Preparation Programs Update
Education Collaboration and Workforce Challenges
AI in Education and Literacy
IET Programs in Correctional Settings
Adult Education Best Practices Sharing
Adult Education Best Practices Sharing
Meeting date: March 10, 2026 Meeting recording link: https://youtu.be/qoX5PbooNSw
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Abstract:
Correctional educators often work in isolation, navigating complex security protocols, restricted technology, and high student turnover with limited resources and financial support. This webinar introduces COABEs new Transforming Correctional Education Community of Practice (CoP), and information about the inaugural cohort, which will support the Community of Practice. We invite on-the-ground correctional educators to join the Community of Practice, which is designed to reduce professional isolation, strengthen instructional quality, and foster shared expertise across states. Grounded in three core pillars—cultivating excellence, fostering a trusted community, and developing shared practice—this session highlights how COABE is helping to build a collaborative network that can transform both educator experience and student outcomes in correctional settings. Participants will explore how a strategic partnership with COABE can serve as a force multiplier through national advocacy, professional development, and resource sharing. The session outlines an actionable implementation roadmap for the new cohort, along with measurable success indicators, and opportunities for leadership engagement. Attendees will leave with an understanding of how the new Correctional Education Community of Practice and Cohort will be launched and the next steps for those interested in joining the inaugural 1-year cohort. Webinar date: March 9, 2026 Webinar recording link: https://youtu.be/9NceYKlzvjc
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Abstract:
Adult English learners (ELs) may need numeracy instruction to navigate daily life or understand health information, so this paper examines numeracy skill levels and home skill use of adult ELs in Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2012/2014 data and recommends implications for EL numeracy instruction.
Research on adult English learners (ELs) typically (and appropriately) focuses on language-related skills. However, adult ELs may need numeracy instruction to navigate daily life or understand health information. Little is known about how ELs use numeracy skills at home and connections of skill use with related electronic numeracy skills. The purpose of this paper is to examine numeracy skill levels and home skill use of adult ELs. Employing Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2012/2014 data, the paper begins with identifying adult ELs’ numeracy skill levels. The relationship of skill level with skill use is then analyzed to determine how six discrete groups of ELs at various skill levels employ numeracy skills, and to describe characteristics and backgrounds of each group for adult education instructors and interested stakeholders. The paper concludes with recommended implications for instruction from Curry’s (2017) instructional guide based on the PIAAC Numeracy Framework.
Benefits and Uses
This research expands on earlier 2012 and 2014 findings reported by the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). It addresses further useful variables related to the needs of ELs to acquire numeracy and math skills.
Adult educators may find this report useful in different ways, depending on the role they play in the field and on the needs of the population they serve. All readers working in adult education, whether they serve ELs or native speakers of English, will benefit from the Abstract and initial remarks, which offer a useful summary of the purpose of the study in meeting the researched numeracy skills required by adult English learners (ELs) in the United States. Readers who do not serve ELs will also recognize the benefit to native English speakers in addressing the needs described in this study.
The Abstract and the introductory remarks that follow, define the difference between numeracy and math skills and provide a review of the related at-home needs faced by most lower-level Els and even native English speakers in programs. Those needs better define curriculum topics that should be addressed more in teaching ELs. Administrators can draw from this analysis to design programming to address the numeracy skill needs of English learners. Curriculum developers will find specific details to integrate into curriculum segments.
The article abstract describes the organization of this report. The report initially defines the term EL as “immigrant adults with low English language skills in speaking, listening, reading, and/or writing, [who] may seek to learn English to enhance their ability to communicate with, among others, neighbors, coworkers, child caretakers, and doctors in English.” That definition is not always clearly defined as such in later references to ELs, but generally, the research addresses the numeracy needs of selected adults, ages 25 to 74 years, first-generation immigrants, who experience challenges with English proficiency. Although that definition is limited, adult educators will find that the lessons learned and the recommendations made as a result of this study will provide implications for additional adult learners, including native English speakers in some cases.
The details relating to each aspect of the research are addressed in response to three questions:
1. What are average numeracy skill levels and numeracy at-home use rates of adult English learners (ELs) in the aggregate?
2. Controlling for education attainment, family background, and health, how does numeracy at-home use of adult ELs predict numeracy skill levels?
3. How does numeracy at-home use of adult ELs differ among discrete groups based on covariates (from Research Question [RQ] 2) and numeracy skill levels? What are descriptive characteristics of each group?
This report includes tables and charts showing the types of numeracy skills surveyed, the characteristics of six groups in relation to several issues (education, health, income, and more), and the results found in each listed aspect. The details presented in these tables and charts may serve adult educators in the US with (1) data to support proposal requests for budget items relating to those findings and (2) useful lists of skills that programs may want to address in integrating numeracy and health topics in language instruction, both for EL’s and native English-speaking students lacking literacy skills. Proposal writers will find the data reported useful in supporting proposals to fund related instruction. Future researchers will find helpful guidance in developing further data to pursue studies to deepen and expand the field's knowledge of adult English learners' numeracy skill needs.
The actual description of the study, conducted to expand on data already provided by PIAAC on the topic, will be useful to other researchers who wish to also use the final section, Conclusions and Recommendations for Future Research, as a guide to provide further data to programs in integrating numeracy and math into instruction. The Reference List will also provide future researchers and other authors with resources to develop further instructional tools to promote numeracy and math instruction in adult education programs.
The Implications for Practice Engagement and Health and the Implications for Instruction sections will be more significant and useful to instructors and curriculum developers who wish to integrate English language instruction with numeracy and health topics leading to improving the lives and educational opportunities of Els in the United States. Since numeracy skills are not often addressed in English classes, one hopes that instructors will be motivated to integrate these essential skills into instruction, and they will find helpful ideas in this resource on how to do that.
Most findings in this research are not likely to add a great deal of actual knowledge about ELs the field, since practitioners tend to be very familiar with the fact that ELs face numeracy and math challenges in their lives although they don’t often have students practice those skills in instruction. However, Table 1 provides helpful reminders of items that ELs face in their daily lives, some of which may be new to practitioners. Perhaps not so widely recognized among practitioners is the relationship of numeracy needs to health needs, expressed in Table 2. As a result, practitioners might consider integrating functional health-related computations (reading prescriptions, interpreting dosages, and more) into their language instruction. In addition, since this research found that learners with low numeracy skills also often face health-related issues, instruction might also include helpful strategies for maintaining good health in stressful environments.
What the experts say
This resource makes a useful distinction between numeracy skills and mathematics with numeracy being the skills employed in one's daily life such as budgeting or measuring medicine correctly compared to abstract mathematics concepts.
It also addresses a very big gap in adult education: numeracy and math instruction among English Language Learners. Experienced adult-education practitioners have long recognized the lack of numeracy and math skills among low-level learners. However, there has not been a strong movement to date to encourage the acquisition of numeracy and math skills in instruction among ELs. Practitioners recognize that the many English learners seeking to earn a high school equivalency diploma do receive math instruction once their English skills are at an adequate level; however, numeracy is not always a routine focus in English language classes. In fact, the need for numeracy skills has often been overlooked. Instruction often limits practice to the language needs of ELs without much attention to helping them integrate numeracy and math into practice, including math terminology, which can vary considerably among different countries.
This study expands on very useful findings from the 2012 and 2014 report published by the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The analysis of PIAAC data focused on English learners suggests there is a need to offer programming related to numeracy skills to a subset of adults who seek English language instruction. The recommendation made here is to integrate numeracy skills drawn from PIAAC's Numeracy framework into instruction for English learners. The resource provides a helpful list of numeracy and lower-level math skills, especially related to financial literacy, that students regularly use at home and that instructors should integrate into practice. English instruction typically focuses on learners' needs, so incorporating aspects of numeracy makes sense. In that regard, more than teaching ELs to make doctor appointments for themselves or their children, for example, instructors might do well to teach them how to measure doses and physical data using the U.S. mathematical system and terminology. This resource includes a Table 1 list of Items for At-Home Use of Numeracy Skills, which might come in handy in developing curricula. As noted, English teachers would benefit from training on ways to effectively address the numeracy needs of adult English learners while math instructors would benefit from how to adapt instruction to make it accessible to English learners.
One newer concept exposed in this research is the well-connected data showing the relationship between low literacy and numeracy skills to the health needs of ELs. In addition to adding financial numeracy and/or basic math into plans, instructors might also integrate health topics into instruction, including related computations that might be helpful to students. Under the section “Implications for Instruction,” several ideas on actual practice are shared.
Readers playing different roles in adult-education programs will find different aspects of this resource helpful, from using the very detailed research information in proposals, to making curriculum changes to include numeracy/math/health skills, to integrating segments in instruction that encourage learners to not only speak the language of math but apply numeracy/math skills in solving problems that will help them improve the quality of their lives as immigrants or as other adult learners in the United States.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Publication Year
2020
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Abstract:
This brief explains what workforce preparation skills are and why they are important.
This brief explains what workforce preparation skills are and why they are important. It describes what skills students need to be prepared for the workforce and provides tips for teaching workforce preparation in the adult education classroom.
Benefits and Uses
This brief explains what is meant by "workforce preparation skills" and the importance of these skills in adult learners' lives. It provides clear examples of instructional tasks that can foster students development of the necessary skills as well as tips for teaching the skills in the classroom.
Required Training
No prior training required.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Publication Year
2020
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Abstract:
This Open Educational Resource Book it covers whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percentages in trade professions.
The Math for Trades: Volume 1 textbook is an open source textbook, freely available online. Math for Trades: Volume 1 introduces the building blocks for math which will ready students for more advanced math needed to continue their trades education. The book includes whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents, all contextualized to different trades, thereby also introducing relevant vocabulary and scenarios. The material is presented from a trades perspective with easy-to-understand examples and video explanations accompanying questions. Each lesson includes practice questions and quizzes to reinforce learning. There are additional Practice Tests included in the last section of the book. Lastly, practice questions answers are provided so that students can check and revisit material, as needed.
The access page includes instructions for students on how to access and use this text book. Users can read the book online or download it in PDF, eReader and Kindle versions.
What the experts say
This Open Educational Resource Book it covers whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percentages in a very procedural method. Many of the problem sets are given in a context that most adults will understand. A book that can be used in Adult Education Mathematics Classes for additional practice has three strengths. First, the approach into each topic is written with friendly language, putting students at ease. For math phobic individuals, this approach might be preferable. Second, many topics were first presented visually to begin to develop some conceptual understanding of topics. Third, the assessment questions were, for the most part, very trade related and required some higher order thinking skills.
In introducing a concept, the text provided visual models in an attempt to address conceptual understanding. It would be helpful to follow-up that up with questions where students could show a representation of what was happening in a problem. There is also little effort to show visually fraction or percent operations. No number lines, no estimating, no thinking about what the processes meant and when to use them. Rather the text is heavy into procedures with no underlying connection to why these procedures work. Procedural skill and fluency are more than just memorizing steps. They are understanding deeply what it means, for instance, when you divide by a fraction. Instead the student is presented with more procedures and little or no connection to models or why the procedure worked.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Publication Year
2020
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Abstract:
This brief explains what health literacy skills are and why they are important.
This brief explains what health literacy skills are and why they are important. It describes what skills students need for health literacy and provides tips for integrating health literacy in the adult education classroom.
Benefits and Uses
This brief explains what is meant by "health literacy skills" and the importance of these skills in adult learners' lives. It provides clear examples of instructional tasks that can foster students development of the necessary skills as well as tips for teaching the skills in the classroom.
Resource Notice
This site includes links to information created by other public and private organizations. These links are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ED information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on these non-ED sites.
Please note that privacy policies on non-ED sites may differ from ED’s privacy policy. When you visit lincs.ed.gov, no personal information is collected unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not give, share, sell, or transfer any personal information to a third party. We recommend that you read the privacy policy of non-ED websites that you visit. We invite you to read our privacy policy.
Publication Year
2020