Title Page
Table of Contents and Acknowledgments
Introduction
Frequently Asked Questions

Part I Background Information

Adult Non-Native English Speakers in the United States
Program Types and Challenges

Part II Activity Packets

This section of the Toolkit provides activities that teachers can use in their classes with learners from beginning to advanced levels of English language and literacy. Forms, surveys, and questionnaires that teachers can copy and use often accompany the activity descriptions. Activities are outlined in the following areas:

Part III Parent Education in Family Literacy Programs

Part III presents information about parent education as one of the four components of family literacy. Parent education is designed to help parents improve their skills at being the primary teacher for their children and become full partners in the education of their children.

This section begins with a brief description of family literacy, explains the goals and structure of parent education, offers strategies for implementing parent education, and provides activities that parents can engage in with their children at home and in their communities.

Parent Education Overview
Parent Education Instructional Strategies
Parent Education Activities
Sample Parent Education Lessons
Literacy Activities in the Home

Part IV Topics in Adult ESL Education and Family Literacy

Part IV provides discussion papers for educators who want more in-depth information pertaining to adult ESL education and family literacy. The following topics are addressed:

English Language and Literacy Learning: Research to Practice
Assessing Adult English Language Learners
English Language Assessment Instruments for Adults Learning English
Spanish Language Assessment Instruments for Adult Spanish Speakers Learning English
Adult English Language Learners and Learning Disabilities
Addressing the Needs of Specific Groups of Learners
Helping Adult English Language Learners Transition into Other Educational Programs
Preparing for Permanent Residency and Citizenship

Part V Resources

Part V provides information for practitioners working in adult ESL and family literacy programs on where to find additional resources.

Parent Education Resources
Adult ESL Resources

Acknowledgments

This Toolkit was developed by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) in Louisville, KY in collaboration with the National Center for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE) at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, DC. Under the direction and guidance of Ursula Lord, Contracting Officer Representative (COR), Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), U.S. Department of Education.

Writers on this project include Sylvia Cobos Lieshoff, Noemi Aguilar, and Susan McShane, NCFL, and Miriam Burt, Joy Kreeft Peyton, Lynda Terrill, and Carol Van Duzer, NCLE.Content development, editorial services, and support were provided by Lynn Spencer and Diane DeMaio of OVAE Akeel Zaheer, Brenda Logan, Gail Price, Jennifer McMaster, and Justin Keibler of NCFL.

We are grateful to the hundreds of respondents to NCFL’s surveys and to the following focus group participants. Their input on the strengths and challenges of adult English language learners in their programs provided valuable insight that helped focus the content of this Toolkit.

This document was designed and written by
The National Center for Family Literacy
and
The National Center for ESL Literacy Education at the
Center for Applied Linguistics

December 10, 2004

The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, and no official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education should be inferred.

This project was funded through a contract from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education to DTI Associates of Arlington, Virginia.

Updated with PDF files used for print publication: July 21, 2008