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This article details the implementation of a preschool family literacy program in Liberia, West Africa, which includes adult literacy classes for parents and other caregivers. It discusses how an international partnership was formed and implemented in a way that places a Liberian nongovernment organization specializing in education work (WE-CARE) at the helm, while allowing other partners to support the organization in running the program. The article discusses how the program was adapted for the Liberian context based on learners’ needs, and the benefits it yielded. It also presents elementary school outcomes for 38 Cohort 3 children who graduated from the preschool program. The data show promising student outcomes, with the majority of children performing at or above average when entering the school year and demonstrating continued improvements at the end of the school year. The article also discusses specifically how the children’s parents or other caregivers have benefited from the program.
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Ongoing, customized professional development (PD) is critical to developing high-quality family literacy programs, meeting enrolled families’ needs, and promoting learning among staff and participating families. However, few program evaluations on family literacy have examined the role of PD. This article discusses the regular, intensive PD that the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy team provided to five family literacy programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania over 5 years. The PD changed as program staff learned about and gained experience with the four-component family literacy model. PD began with understanding how to best serve families (e.g., culturally relevant lessons), continued with supporting parent education and interactive literacy activity (ILA) programming, and culminated with learning how to sustain programming. Findings from a multiyear, mixed- methods evaluation demonstrated statistically significant results from a self-reported pre/ post caregiver survey about daily literacy activities and engagement in various parent-child activities. These findings, along with prior research, support the possibility that ongoing, intentional, and customized PD helped improve program quality, which in turn created the conditions for enhanced parent-child language, literacy, and learning interactions. This study suggests that well-planned PD and regular, supportive interactions with program staff are crucial for developing and improving successful, high-quality family literacy programs.
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In today’s world, being literate is critical for daily functions and general survival, particularly with advancements and acceptance of digital technologies. Family literacy programs offer great benefits for adults and children to encourage intergenerational literacy development through individualized and collaborative activities and grow community partnerships that support the whole family. Ultimately, family literacy programs benefit individuals, households, and communities.
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Adult education paves the way for the participants to achieve the diverse goals that they set for themselves. Most adult learners choose to attend adult education programs because they want support in reaching their specific goals and dreams. This compels stakeholders to view adult education not as the end but as the means to different ends. Using an empowerment framework, the authors document some outcomes that can be achieved with adult education. Distilling the findings from adult education and especially women’s empowerment programs across the years, and presenting women’s own voices, we show that adult education is effective in the development of cognitive/educational skills (e.g., literacy, numeracy, basic knowledge). However, just as important are the social and emotional changes, such as increased self-confidence, communication skills, and awareness of societal constraints and resources. This foundation and a developing sense of agency facilitate adults to begin making changes in their lives, as aligned with their own goals and values. By systematically highlighting these outcomes, the authors demonstrate how adult education makes a difference in people’s lives and encourage policymakers to better support adult education programs in the U.S. and across the globe.
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This article presents three examples of efforts to help states to build more effective adult foundational education (AFE) systems: (1) state planning, coordination, and funding for adult literacy services; (2) state workplace education initiatives; and (3) state roles in Equipped for the Future. These occurred from the mid-1980s to early 2000s, a period of significant growth in interest and investment in AFE. The examples describe who was involved, what they did, resources they used, what they produced, and factors that supported or blocked their success. This article is based on a review of literature from this era, especially reports from national organizations covering those state initiatives. (A key source was the Business Council for Effective Literacy’s A Newsletter for the Business Community which from 1984 to 1993 reported on developments in the U.S. adult literacy field. This newsletter and many of the other sources cited in this article will be included in a new Archive of Special Collections on the COABE website.) The author concludes with actions that states might now take to build more relevant, effective, multipurpose AFE systems. This is particularly relevant now, when federal support is uncertain.
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New Mexico currently ranks 50th in the nation for adults with low literacy skills. Against a backdrop of inequity and need, the adult education system in the state has nonetheless experienced notably improved outcomes, greatly increased funding, and legislative successes over the past 3 years, paving the way to a brighter future for adult learners in the state. In this article, two state leaders identify four main drivers of positive change in the New Mexico adult education system that have complemented the educational emphases of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration. The authors identify strong partnerships, high levels of transparency and field participation, a strategy of legislative advocacy, and data-driven decision-making as contributors to recent success. They also reflect on lessons learned that may be useful for other states and on concerns and considerations for the future.
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This resource can be used for teaching English letter-sound patterns or phonics.Resource URL
Publication Year
2015
This resource is designed to equip ABE/ESL reading teachers with (1) an explanation of why anaology phonics instruction is recommended and (2) a "toolkit" that includes lesson plans, instructions, models, a variety of engaging student handouts for use in the classroom, and lists of word family relatives for ready access in designing analogy instruction.
There are three evidence-based or proven approaches for teaching English letter-sound patterns or phonics to children and adults: synthetic (combining different patterns), analytic (separating into patterns), and analogy (comparing similar patterns). Synthetic is most common and used in many published instructional materials. Analytic is less common but can be a valuable practice activity. Analogy dates back to colonial times and teaches reliable and decodable “chunks,” which can be generalized to many other words.
This alphabetics resource provides reading teachers and tutors with convincing background information and testimonials, a lesson plan model and template, other reinforcement ideas, and many (over 100!) common or sequential phonogram and word family lists for immediate analogy phonics instruction. It has great potential for ABE and ESL readers - if basic oral language and Roman alphabet skills are present.
What the experts say
This is an easy-to-follow lesson plan guide for teaching analogy phonics. The resource provides a brief rationale for using analogy phonics followed by short, explicit lesson plans and word lists. This can be a valuable instructional guide for ABE and ELL teachers and tutors.
This a very simple instructional resource, with a basic description of how Analogy Phonics works, followed by very easy to replicate lesson plans, which are supported by student and teacher handouts designed for immendiate application.
Resource Notice
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Abstract:
Many immigrants, including those with emerging literacy skills, have real-world economic needs. This spotlight provides resources and considerations for how adult education programming can support immigrants’ broader economic integration.
This spotlight explores instructional approaches and resources to support the economic integration of learners with emerging literacy. Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE) activities can prepare learners for Integrated Education and Training (IET) and other economic integration experiences by building learners’ skills and understanding of how to navigate community and economic systems. For example, IELCE activities can help increase learners’ understanding and use of economic systems and services by helping them gain the numeracy and financial literacy skills needed to navigate online banking, bill paying, and tax filing. Examples of instructional activities and potential resources for designing contextualized lessons on each of these topics include math and numeracy skills, preparing for and obtaining a job, financial literacy, digital literacy, and community services navigation. By incorporating economic integration activities or content into the curriculum, programs can also help learners with emergent literacy skills navigate economic systems and participate in the workforce.
Benefits and Uses
This spotlight will help educators who are working with adult English learners with emerging literacy. While many of these learners have not had the opportunity to participate in formal workforce training programs, this spotlight highlights ways in which instructors can support their learners progress towards economic integration.
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
2023