Update - November 2006

Resources from NCSALL

Transitioning Adults to College: Adult Basic Education Program Models by Cynthia Zafft, Silja Kallenbach, and Jessica Spohn
- This NCSALL Occasional Paper describes five models that the staff at the New England Literacy Resource Center at World Education, Inc., categorized through a survey of adult education centers with transition components from around the United States.
- www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/
  op_collegetransitions.pdf
Beyond the GED: Making Conscious Choices about the GED and Your Future
- Newly revised to include new data and information on the Internet, this guide for GED instructors offers lesson plans and helps teachers develop as professionals. It also gives adult learners an opportunity to practice writing, use graphs, read charts, and analyze research findings on the economic impact of the GED.
- www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/teach/beyond_ged_revised.pdf

Research on the Economic Impact of the GED Diploma Panel Discussion Webcast is available from the National Institute for Literacy.
This panel discussion focused on the economic benefits that accrue to holders of the General Educational Development (GED) credential. It was based on a review by John Tyler of eight recent (published and working) research papers on the GED. Several of these papers were authored by John Tyler, Richard Murnane, and John Willett, researchers with the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) whose work has influenced what we know about the economic benefits of the GED.

The webcast featured:
- Dr. John Tyler: Associate Professor of Education, Economics, and Public Policy, Education Department Chair, Brown University, Providence, RI
- Sara Fass: Teacher, Boston Day and Evening Academy, Boston, MA
- Sue Snider: Professional Development Coordinator, Southwest Professional Development Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- Moderated by Dr. David J. Rosen: Senior Associate, Newsome Associates, Boston, MA
www.nifl.gov/nifl/webcasts/ged/webcast_ged.html

The National Center for Educational Statistics has released Economic Outcomes of High School Completers and Noncompleters 8 Years Later
This Issue Brief uses data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) to compare the economic outcomes of high school completers at three different points in time with the outcomes of individuals who did not complete high school. Differences by sex and the type of credential earned are also examined. The findings suggest that individuals who completed high school within 6 years generally had more favorable economic outcomes than their counterparts who completed high school later or not at all. However, differences in economic outcomes were most prominent between males and females even after controlling for the timing and type of high school credential earned. To view the study, go to: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007019.

AwesomeStories has new resources!
Here are some of the most recent stories that may interest you and your students. There are many, many more included on the site. To sign up for a free academic account, go to: www.awesomestories.com/.

"Scenes from American-Indian Territories "
- During America's westward expansion, the United States government hired artists to document the unspoiled western wilderness. Native Americans lived in many of these beautiful places.
"Sacajawea"
- The teenaged Shoshone served as an interpreter for Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery.
"Cherokee Trail of Tears "
- Between 1838 and 1839, the federal government forced the relocation of the Cherokee people from their homelands to the Oklahoma Territory.
"The Pilgrim Landing "
- In November, 1620, a group of people known as the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts on the Mayflower. Before they left the ship, forty-one men agreed to the Mayflower Compact, an early document of American democracy. Does the original still exist? Who were these people? Where had they lived before sailing to the new world?

"Westward Expansion"
- On November 7, 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed at Craigellachie, British Columbia. America had completed its transcontinental railroad in 1869.

Thirteen.org's Adult Education website
Find links to lessons plans designed specifically for adult literacy students and other adult education resources at: www.thirteen.org/edonline/adulted/index.html.

The Building Essential Skills Project
This project out of the United Kingdom promotes the improvement of numeracy, literacy and language skills by supporting the delivery of typical construction training workshops. To view the curriculum and related materials, go to: www.buildingessentialskills.co.uk/index.asp.

Workplace Health and Safety ESOL Curriculum
This curriculum is designed to help ESOL learners learn about and exercise their workplace health and safety rights and was developed in conjunction with unions. Tutors can use this curriculum with learners to analyze issues that they have identified and develop strategies to address them. To download the curriculum, go to: www.umass.edu/roundtable/projects/Health-Safety-ESOL.pdf.

Workforce³ One
Workforce³ One is a new collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (ETA); the Center for Employment Security Education and Research (CESER), which is the 501c3 affiliate of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA); and the National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB). This collaboration represents the merging of national, state, and local leadership into one system that is committed to embracing and installing a demand-driven culture in the publicly funded workforce system. Workforce³ One seeks to demonstrate how to achieve a focus on high-growth/high-demand industries and employer partnerships, respond to the demands of employers, and meet the needs of job seekers. Workforce³ One offers performance support tools, products, and resources that help to:

Build awareness of the "demand-driven workforce system" philosophy;
Share valuable information about emerging high growth/high-demand and economically vital industries; and
Build the capacity of a demand-driven workforce system.

To explore the website, go to: www.workforce3one.org/home.cfm.

Approaches to Parental Involvement for Improving the Academic Performance of Elementary School Children in Grades K-6
A new research digest available from the FINE Network at Harvard, it is a summarization of a report on the most dependable evidence on the effect of parental involvement intervention programs on improving the academic performance of elementary school age children. The digest shows that parent involvement has a positive and significant effect on children's overall academic performance. To read the digest, go to: www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/fine/resources/digest/approaches.html or to read the full report on which the digest was based, go to: http://campbellcollaboration.org/doc-pdf/Nye_PI_Review.pdf.

ToolKit for Hispanic Families
The Department of Education recently released a ToolKit for Hispanic families that includes a variety of resources to help students succeed in school. The ToolKit was developed with guidance from over 1,800 Hispanic parents at Parent Information and Resource Centers across the country and is available in both English and Spanish. To get the ToolKit, go to: www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/2006toolkit/.

Basic Intergenerational Financial Literacy Resources
The Verizon Literacy Campus provides free downloadable activities that can be used to teach financial literacy to the entire family. To find the activities, go to: www.literacycampus.org/download/bifl.htm and www.literacycampus.org/
download/Family%20Money%20Matters/family_money_matters.htm.

Read to Learn Skillpacks
Skillpacks are mini lesson plans for adult literacy students. They are meant to be used by a tutor working with his/her student(s). They can also be used by the students alone. These lessons are taken from everyday living situations. Some of the categories available are Americana (interesting American cultural topics), Education & Learning, Health, the House, Important People, and U.S. Civics. To see all topics available, go to: www.readtolearn.org/skillpacks/.

The Center for English Language Acquisition's Annotated Bibliography on Working with Beginning and Literacy Level ESOL Learners
The resources in this collection were selected because they are evidence-based and provide suggestions and materials for practitioners working with adult English language learners. The voices of researchers, teachers, program managers, curriculum writers, trainers, and students are included in this bibliography. To read more, go to: www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/bibliographies/literacy.html.

The Meskhetian Turks: An Introduction to their History, Culture, and Resettlement Experiences
This profile provides general information about Meskhetian Turks and their history. Topics covered include Meskhetian Turk communities around the world, culture, language and education, and resettlement in the United States, as well as recommended reading. To learn more, go to: www.cal.org/co/publications/cultures/MTurks.html.

Computer Basics 2000 offers ready-to-use lessons.
This Canadian website contains a comprehensive list of basic computer lesson plans for literacy learners. Some of the lessons on the site are dragging and dropping, email, the mouse, and many more. To learn more, go to: www.nald.ca/CLR/basics00/contents.htm.

TrackStar is your starting point for online lessons and activities.
This website allows you to customize web-based lessons for your students all from one location. Simply collect websites, enter them into TrackStar, and add annotations for your students, now you have an interactive, online lesson called a Track. Create your own Track or use one of the hundreds of thousands already made by other educators. Search the database by subject, grade, or theme and standard for a quick and easy activity. To get started, go to: http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/.

Online Word Processors

Writely by Google is simply an online word processor. Once you sign up for this free service, you use it like your own word processing program. You can even upload word processing documents from your computer into Writely. You can also share documents with others by publishing to everyone or a select group. You can even collaborate in real time on a document with another Writely user. To learn more about Writely, go to: www.writely.com.
Writeboards are shareable, web-based text documents that let you save every edit, roll back to any version, and easily compare changes. Use Writeboard to write solo or collaborate with others. To learn more about Writeboards, go to: www.writeboard.com/.

Navigating Health: The Role of Health Literacy
This document from the United Kingdom outlines the concepts and role of health literacy and how improving health literacy can lead to better health outcomes. Read more at: www.ilcuk.org.uk/downloads/NavigatingHealth%20FINAL.pdf.

Medicines in My Home
Medicines in My Home is an interactive and educational program about the safe and effective use of over-the-counter medicines. This program was developed by the Food and Drug Administration with Maryland's Montgomery County Public School system and in cooperation with the National Council On Patient Information and Education. A section specifically for the adult learner is in development. Learn more at: www.fda.gov/medsinmyhome/.

Learning About Diabetes
Learning About Diabetes, Inc., is a non-profit organization offering diabetes educators and consumers online access to free, easy-to-understand diabetes self-care information. Materials include picture stories, Spanish language booklets, and customized programs. Discover more at: www.learningaboutdiabetes.org/.