While the economy continues to struggle to rebound from the recession, the forecast is dismal for those without college degrees, and even worse for those without high school diplomas or equivalency certificates. 

Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE) programs are the gateway for adults attempting to re-enter the educational pipeline and Ohio’s ABLE Network reports serving 46,042 learners in Fiscal Year 2010.  Based on national data on GED persistence rates however, only about 50% of those served will persist beyond 35 hours of instruction and only about 10% will attend continuously for up to a year.  Among the few who earn the GED certificate, even fewer prove to have acquired the academic and social skills to enroll and/or succeed in post secondary education. To effectively equip GED candidates with the skills for postsecondary success, the challenges associated with life as an adult learner and the quality of programming and instruction has to be overcome. 

Volumes of research papers documenting research and evidence based practices that improve student outcomes are available on the World Wide Web yet they remain somewhat inaccessible and so scarcely used by administrators and practitioners – with little paid time for classroom preparation, the likelihood of instructors sieving through volumes of research is highly unlikely.  The Literacy Cooperative’s recently published Quality Framework for Adult Literacy (The Framework) makes it easier than ever to access best practice information and evaluate and align instructional practices against available research.   

The Framework is a three piece tool-set that includes: a summary of key research-based practices in the field of adult literacy; a summary of factors that impact learning outcomes and an online Program Self-Assessment tool still in development.

Ensuring adult learners get good returns for their commitment of time and effort begins with programs ensuring instructors have subject area expertise.  The Framework offers the important layer of information, strategies and resources to facilitate student learning.  Most of the highlighted practices are low-cost or no-cost budget items so the burden for program modification, where necessary, is with the program. 

The adult education workforce is largely part-time or volunteer with little formal training in reading and math instruction and/or adult learning theories. In addition, unlike other areas of education or social service, adult literacy has no commonly recognized credentials or other mechanisms to assure quality of practice.  The Framework offers practitioners and administrators readily accessible information on research-based practices in the field.  It can help shape program structure and instruction, and inform professional training for practitioners.   The Framework can also serve as an important resource for literacy grant makers seeking to identify quality programs or support grantee program improvements.

The Framework is available online at www.literacycooperative.org. Organizations or practitioners can request published copies by contacting Elaine Yeip at eyeip@literacycooperative.org. Questions, comments or feedback on The Framework can be directed to Omobola Lana at olana@literacycooperative.org.

Listen to Phyllis East, an adult education instructor with East Cleveland Schools, talk about The Quality Framework after a training session in November 2011.

Click on the links below to read individual articles or visit our main e-newsletter page:

In this issue...

• A Message from Bob Paponetti
• Literacy Spotlight: Dr. Joff Jones, Superintendent of Euclid City Schools
• Powerful Nonprofit Leadership: The d Factor
• A STEP Tutor Shares about her Experience