Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research

摘要

A high level of literacy in both print and digital media is required for negotiating most aspects of 21st-century life-supporting a family, education, health, civic participation, and competitiveness in the global economy. Yet a recent survey estimates that more than 90 million U.S. adults lack adequate literacy. Furthermore, only 38 percent of U.S. twelfth graders are at or above proficient in reading. Adults who need literacy instruction receive it in two main types of settings: (1) adult education programs, for which the largest source of federal funding is the Workforce Investment Act, Title II, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), and (2) developmental education courses in colleges for academically underprepared students. Adults in adult education programs (an estimated 2.6 million in federally funded programs in 2005) show variable progress in their literacy skills, and for many, their gains are insufficient to achieve functional literacy. This report responds to a request from the U.S. Department of Education to the National Research Council (NRC) to (1) synthesize research on literacy and learning, (2) draw implications for the instructional practices used to teach reading in adult literacy programs, and (3) recommend a more systemic approach to research, practice, and policy.