We document and disseminate various results, trainings, and resources from our research, programs, and projects.
Between 1979 and 1996 the median earnings of 25-34 year-old males who left school before obtaining a high school diploma fell by 30 percent; the corresponding figure for female dropouts is a 21 percent decline. Over this same period the earnings premium four-year college graduates received over the earnings of male school dropouts increased from…
The Learner Identified Outcomes study brings learners’ perspectives to the ongoing research conversation on outcomes of participation in adult literacy education. The study used a life history methodology to build an understanding of these outcomes on the lives of adult learners. The ten participants were selected from participants of the earlier Tennessee Longitudinal Study of…
A key difference between adult and child learners is that adults choose to participate in educational programs while children participate because of legal mandates and strong social and cultural forces that identify schooling as the proper “work” of childhood. Adults must make active decisions to participate in each class session and often must overcome significant…
What changes occur in the lives of adult learners when they participate in literacy programs? The outcomes of participation in adult literacy programs have typically been measured in terms of gains on standardized tests and/or passing the General Educational Development (GED) exam. The other positive changes occurring in students’ lives, especially those outside the classroom,…
On June 19 and 20, 1998, a NCSALL-sponsored conference entitled “The Impact of Welfare Reform on Adult Literacy Education” was held at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. The program for June 19 featured three commissioned papers followed by small group discussion sessions. The papers were authored and presented by Deborah D’Amico, Alec Levenson et…
A national survey of adult basic educators was designed to explore practitioners’ perceptions about and experiences with health issues and topics in adult basic education classes. Between March and April 1998 a total of 1,621 surveys were mailed to directors of adult education programs in 25 states, distributed among the four regions of the United…
This study investigated the outcomes and impacts of adult literacy education through a qualitative assessment of the outcomes and impacts research conducted since the late 1960s. Outcomes are the changes in learners that occur as a result of their participation in adult literacy education. Impacts are the changes that occur in the family, community, and…
The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) is committed to conducting and disseminating research that is used to improve the practice of adult basic literacy education. As part of this effort, NCSALL has developed the Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network (PDRN). This network of practitioner leaders builds research connections between…
This study created a typology of adult literacy programs across the United States that describes the distribution of programs along two dimensions: relevance of materials, referred to as life-contextualized/decontextualized; and control of decisions, referred to as dialogic/monologic. This information provides a data-based description of an array of adult literacy program models currently operating. Of the…
Adult basic education (ABE) has long been viewed by many educators and policymakers as a tool for addressing social and economic problems. Now, in a context of global economic restructuring, changes in work and employment, and the largest immigration to the USA since the early 1900s, ABE must demonstrate its success in terms of student…
World Education strives to build lasting relationships with partners across diverse geographic regions and technical sectors to produce better education outcomes for all.
