Posted on behalf of Tom Sticht
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Collegues: I have been asked to prepare a chapter for a Handbook on Literacy
that will be published by Cambridge University Press. Following is a brief
title and outline that I am currently using to think about the work. Some
questions I have for you follow below after the outline of topics:

"Adult Literacy Education in Industrialized Nations
Thomas Sticht

In several industrialized nations activities are underway to extend the
right to basic literacy education to adults. Having for many decades
provided a variety of programs, many arising from charitable work by
religious groups and others, activities are today underway to transform
these many local, independently acting programs into systems of
state-supported, free education for adults across the life span. This paper
discusses activities in three industrialized nations under five categories:

1. Scale of Need: determining how many adults are in need of adult literacy
education.

2. Access to Provision: determining how many adults are aware of, have
access to and enroll in adult literacy education provision.

3. Nature of Provision: determining the nature of the delivery system for
meeting the needs of adult literacy provision, including the use of
information and communication technology (ICT).

4. Quality of Provision: determining the nature of and need for improved
instructional quality, including teacher qualifications and establishing
content and outcome standards for programs.

5. Accountability of Provision: improving methods for determining
achievements of programs in terms of student learning outcomes and broader
impacts for the adult, family, workplace and community.

The paper will acquaint readers with issues, challenges, and
accomplishments arising from this movement to transform local adult
literacy education programs into national systems of adult education in
industrialized nations."

Questions: I want to review the best work I can to flesh out the chapter so
I am asking for any references you think I should read in pursuit of this
work.

What are two or three of the most important books, papers, research studies,
policy papers, etc. that you think have contributed to your thinking and/or
practice in adult literacy education in your nation?

What are the two or three most important trends to have emerged in adult
literacy education in your nation in the last quarter century?

What direction do you see adult literacy education taking in your nation in
the next ten years or so?

What is the most important research in adult literacy education that you
have come across that has influenced educational practice in your nation?

Thanks for any responses you may have to these questions or any other
directions that you think I should consider going in the development of
this chapter. You can respond on the list or directly to me at
tsticht at aznet.net.

Thanks,
Tom Sticht


Aaron Kohring
Coordinator, LINCS Literacy & Learning Disabilities Special Collection 
(http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/)
Moderator, National Institute for Literacy's Content Standards Discussion 
List (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Contentstandards)
Coordinator, Equipped for the Future Websites (http://eff.cls.utk.edu/)

Center for Literacy Studies, University of Tennessee
EFF Center for Training and Technical Assistance
Phone:(865) 974-4109 main
           (865) 974-4258 direct
Fax:   (865) 974-3857
e-mail: akohring at utk.edu