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Community Colleges; Enrollment; Enrollment Trends; College Credits; Student Characteristics; Two Year College Students; Online Courses; Dual Enrollment; High School Students; Academic Degrees; College Programs; Adult Literacy; Labor Force Development; Apprenticeships; Graduation Rate; Transfer Rates (College); Education Work Relationship; Outcomes of Education; Income; Adult Basic Education; Tuition; Fees; Student Financial Aid; Educational Finance; Expenditure per Student; Human Resources; School Personnel; College Faculty; College Administration; Salaries; Part Time Students; Full Time Students

Abstract:
Each fall, the Iowa Department of Education collects enrollment data from Iowa's community colleges on the tenth business day of the semester. The fall data pertain to the 2012-13 academic year (fiscal year 2013). This report is the only report on fiscal year 2013 until next year's "Annual Condition of Iowa's Community Colleges." Fall enrollment for 2012 was 100,519 students, a 5.2 percent decline from fall 2011. Since 2008, community college enrollment has grown rapidly, likely a result of the recession of 2008 and 2009. Table 2-1 displays enrollment figures for the latest five years. Enrollment fell at 12 of the 15 community colleges. More students were enrolled part-time (less than 12 semester credit hours) than were enrolled full-time. Students enrolled part-time accounted for 53.9 percent of total fall enrollment, compared to 51.8 percent last fall. The fall enrollment of full-time students fell from 51,107 (48.2 percent of total enrollment) to 46,354 (46.1 percent of total enrollment), a 9.3 percent decline, while the fall enrollment of part-time students dropped slightly (-1.3 percent) from 54,868 students in 2011 to 54,165 students in 2012. Although overall fall enrollment has increased more than tenfold since 1965, the number of full-time students as a percentage of total fall enrollment has steadily declined from 90.8 percent in 1965 to 46.1 percent in 2012. (Contains 272 tables and 105 figures.) [This data for this paper was compiled with the assistance of Geoffrey Jones.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Public Libraries; Library Role; Human Capital; Quality of Life; Cultural Centers; Internet; Access to Computers; Immigrants; Urban Areas; Career Readiness; Older Adults; Library Services; Electronic Publishing; Adult Literacy; Games; Library Administration; Technological Advancement; English Language Learners

Abstract:
As more and more New Yorkers turn to digital books, Wikipedia and other online tools for information and entertainment, there is a growing sense that the age of the public library is over. But, in reality, New York City's public libraries are more essential than ever. Far from becoming obsolete, the city's three public library systems--Brooklyn, Queens and New York, which encompasses the branches in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island--have experienced a 40 percent spike in the number of people attending programs and a 59 percent increase in circulation over the past decade. Although they are often thought of as cultural institutions, the reality is that the public libraries are a key component of the city's human capital system. With roots in nearly every community across the five boroughs, New York's public libraries play a critical role in helping adults upgrade their skills and find jobs, assisting immigrants assimilate, fostering reading skills in young people and providing technology access for those who don't have a computer or an Internet connection at home. The libraries also are uniquely positioned to help the city address several economic, demographic and social challenges that will impact New York in the decades ahead. Despite all of this, New York policymakers, social service leaders and economic officials have largely failed to see the public libraries as the critical 21st century resource that they are, and the libraries themselves have only begun to make the investments that will keep them relevant in today's digital age. One way or another, New York needs to better leverage its libraries if it is to be economically competitive and remain a city of opportunity. This report takes an in-depth look at the role that New York's public libraries play in the city's economy and quality of life and examines opportunities for libraries to make even greater contributions in the years ahead. (Contains 38 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Foreign Countries; Educational Policy; Policy Analysis; Policy Formation; Educational Change; International Education; Politics of Education; Comparative Education; International Relations; Gender Issues; Public Sector; Private Sector; Partnerships in Education; Private Schools; Higher Education; Foreign Culture; Foreign Policy; Adult Basic Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Adult Literacy; Educational Experiments; Medical Schools

Abstract:
This book brings together academics and postgraduate students, practitioners and Ministry officials all of whom are wedded to developing an understanding of what is happening to education in the broader Middle East. They cover many countries whilst recognising that many more could have been included. In drawing attention to education in Pakistan, Palestine, Oman, Turkey and Qatar they indicate the wide range of education "policy borrowing" and, most importantly, the effects of this exchange. The contributors know that the countries of the broader Middle East are not alone in having purchased glitzy, glossy and tantalisingly wonderful educational reforms, only to find how quickly they became outdated. In other words, they became a "baroque arsenal" of educational goods, services and models of practice which, having been discussed, designed and generated many years before in countries elsewhere, have then been sold and delivered to the unsuspecting countries of the broader Middle East. It is argued that many of the countries of the region did not suspect that their purchases were, more frequently than not, the "off-loading" of failed educational experiments in countries of "the centre." This book discusses what this means not only for educational reform projects but also for the impact upon regional political stability. The two final chapters discuss the underlying key concerns of gender and of cross-border education. This book contains the following: (1) Education Policy Transfers--Borrowing and Lending Education Policy: A conceptual expedition into baroque arsenals (Gari Donn & Yahya Al Manthri); (2) Education Policy Borrowing in Pakistan: public-private partnerships (Sajid Ali); (3) The Politics of Foreign Aid and Policy Borrowing in Palestine (Mohammed Alrozzi); (4) Qatar's Independent Schools: education for a new (or bygone?) era (Brooke Barnowe-Meyer); (5) Higher Education in Qatar: does a US medical school break the baroque arsenal? (Tanya Kane); (6) The School Education System in the Sultanate of Oman (Sana Al Balushi & David Griffiths); (7) International Influences on Adult Literacy and Basic Education in Turkey (Ozlem Yazlik); (8) Gender and Education in the Arabian Gulf States (Salha Abdullah Issan); and (9) Crossborder Education in the Gulf Countries: changes and challenges (Jane Knight). Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Computer Literacy; Influence of Technology; Partnerships in Education; Adult Literacy; Instructional Design; Employment Opportunities; Educational Needs; Volunteers; Organizations (Groups); Job Training; School Community Relationship; Literacy Education; Job Skills; Educational Cooperation; Program Descriptions; Program Development

Abstract:
With an eye toward contemporary skill building to meet community centered economic needs, organizations such as Literacy Volunteers of America are increasingly pressured to examine new avenues in promoting employment readiness skills for the newly literate. These organizations and countless others have come to the realization that being prepared for the current workforce demands a skill set that surpasses traditional literacy skills in realizing job opportunity. The newly literate must now achieve a level of "digital literacy" to accompany "traditional literacy" efforts. The demand for such contemporary literacy skills to parallel traditional literacy presents an opportunity for university based instructional designers to share expertise and to collaborate with their local communities to this end. This paper focuses on the process of the formation of a university-community partnership in digital literacy designed for participants to collaboratively address such technology focused educational needs. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Childrens Writing; Writing (Composition); Writing Processes; Family Literacy; Community Cooperation; Community Involvement; After School Programs; Emergent Literacy; Adult Literacy; School Community Programs; School Community Relationship; Writing Workshops; Meetings; Outreach Programs; Improvement Programs

Abstract:
What can family members learn about each other from writing together? What sense of community can develop between family members and across families as they write together? What areas of culture and community can be realized as families write together? These are the questions that fostered this current inquiry into a family writing project. Four families, connected through an urban community school, met together to write and share with one another. Excerpts of adult and children's writing is included and discussed along with the structure of developing a family writing project. Implications for classroom practices for teaching writing with children are discussed. (Contains 8 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Tutoring; Adult Literacy; Adult Learning; Adult Students; Reading Instruction; Reading Programs; Phonological Awareness; Scores; Pretests Posttests; Adults; Literacy; Reading; Intervention; Decoding (Reading); Reading Skills; Reading Fluency

Abstract:
To obtain a fuller picture of the efficacy of reading instruction programs for adult literacy learners, gains by individual students were examined in a sample (n = 148) in which weak to moderate gains at the group level had been obtained in response to tutoring interventions that focused on strengthening basic decoding and fluency skills of low literate adults (Sabatini, Shore, Holtzman, & Scarborough, 2011). Learners were randomly assigned to receive one of three tutoring programs for an average of 44 h of instruction. We used within-individual gains replicated over tests (WIGROT) as the method for identifying gainers, who were defined as students whose reading levels increased from pretest to posttest by a half year or more on at least two of four measured aspects of reading proficiency. The 46 % of the sample who met the criterion had higher pretest scores than non-gainers on measures of reading (d = 0.42, p less than 0.01) and phonological awareness (d = 0.47, p less than 0.01), and included fewer adults with a history of special education (43 vs. 61 %, phi = 0.19, p less than 0.05), regardless of which instructional condition had been received. The findings suggest that basic skills instruction can lead to a meaningful degree of benefit for many adult learners who persist in reading programs for several months. Supplementing group level results with analyses of individual growth, such as WIGROT, appears to be useful in evaluating the efficacy of literacy interventions. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Persistence; Adult Literacy; Student Attrition; Academic Persistence; Adults; Reading; Reading Instruction; Comparative Analysis; Predictor Variables

Abstract:
Adult literacy programs are characterized by high attrition rates. Rigorous exploration of student persistence in adult reading classes is lacking. This study was an attempt to understand the profiles of adults who completed reading classes compared to a group of adults who made it to the midpoint and a group of adults who did not make it to the midpoint. Students were offered 100 h of instruction. Of the 395 students who attended the first day of class, only 198 completed the program. Results indicated that English language status, age, some reading related skills, class assignment, avoidance of reading, previous adult education experience, and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefit receipt variables significantly predicted persistence. The significance of some of these predictors varied based on analyzing midpoint completion or full completion. To further explore the characteristics of the sample, the most representative participants were selected from the group that did not make it to midpoint and from the group that completed the program. Results indicated that the most representative members of these two groups differed in English language status, gender, age, some reading related skills, and information access. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Suprasegmentals; Adults; Oral Reading; Reading Comprehension; Decoding (Reading); Word Recognition; Adult Literacy; Comparative Analysis

Abstract:
The purpose of the current study was to explore the relationship between prosody, which is the expressive quality of reading out loud, and reading comprehension in adults with low literacy skills compared to skilled readers. All participants read a passage orally, and we extracted prosodic measures from the recordings. We examined pitch changes and how long readers paused at various points while reading. Finally, for the adults with low literacy skills, we collected information on decoding, word recognition, and reading comprehension. We found several interesting results. First, adults with low literacy skills paused longer than skilled readers and paused at a substantially greater number of punctuation marks. Second, while adults with low literacy skills do mark the end of declarative sentences with a pitch declination similar to skilled readers, their readings of questions lack a change in pitch. Third, decoding and word recognition skills were related to pauses while reading; readers with lower skills made longer and more frequent and inappropriate pauses. Finally, pausing measures explained a significant amount of variance in reading comprehension among the adults with low literacy skills. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Functional Literacy; Adult Learning; Adult Students; Statistical Analysis; Nonformal Education; Literacy Education; Adult Literacy; Urban Areas; Females; Surveys; Individual Characteristics; Cultural Influences; Sociocultural Patterns; Participation; Program Design; Church Programs

Abstract:
The promotion of adult functional literacy programs per se, neither creates the necessary motivation for learning, nor enhances the participation of adult learners in work-oriented or socio-cultural functional literacy programs. The task in learning-teaching transaction is to create the enabling environment for harnessing and enhancing learner-related factors that influence the learners' successful and significant participation. The research sets out to investigate, analyze, and establish the factors, which influences urbanite woman learners-participation in adult functional literacy programs of selected churches in Accra. Study used survey method to collect data from study area in Nima and Maamobi, East Ayawaso sub-district of Accra, and chi-square test for statistical analysis. Three classes of factors were identified: (1) Internal factor (or the bio-psychosocial characteristics of learner, such as adult's experience and perception) which most influenced the urbanite learner-participation; (2) External factor related to the cultural setting and organization; and (3) Integrated factor which constitutes the interplay of both internal and external factors. Integrated factor contributed the least level of influence. Findings established a crucial foundation that adult functional literacy programs designed, deployed, and developed with learner-friendly models utilizing internal factors, will most enhance learner-participation in both work-oriented and socio-cultural functional literacy programs in continuing education. (Contains 1 figure and 7 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Health Care Costs; Well Being; Adult Literacy; Literacy; Health Promotion; Literacy Education; Health Education; Health Services; Health; Public Health; Adults; Libraries

Abstract:
The health literacy movement has been socially constructed over time. Unlike the consumer health information movement, which developed with broad public support, the health literacy movement has been fashioned primarily from the top down, initiated by policy makers and imposed on targeted populations. Interest in the health literacy movement has waxed and waned, often dependent on political agendas. In an era of increasing health care costs, it is not surprising that health literacy is once again at the forefront, given that economists and policy makers currently estimate the cost of limited health literacy in the United States to be between $1.6 to $3.6 trillion annually. Health literacy has been recognized as an issue key to the success of health care reform and to the continued advancement of the nation's status as an international leader where health and well-being are concerned. Yet, the health literacy movement has met with limited success. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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