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The Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network (PDRN), a multi-year research and development effort, tested an innovative method of connecting research and practice. Included in the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy 1995 proposal, it began with an advisory group meeting in 1996. In 1997, South- and Northeast regions met. PDRN's first activity (state focus groups on priorities and adult literacy research) was implemented; and recruitment began for the Mid-Atlantic region. Other regions met to assess strengths and weaknesses in 1998. In 1999, Practitioner Leaders (PLs) worked on developing research projects. Regions met to assess progress in 2000. In 2001, PDRN ended. Evaluation findings indicated that supporting factors were face-to-face meetings; Regional Coordinators; PL dedication, enthusiasm, and collaboration; training in practitioner research; internal listserv; state support and funding; and teachers' hunger for information and interaction. Hindering factors were lack of clarity; lack of PDRN staff and PL time; PL and state staff turnover; lack of access to updated information about research projects; and limited support for professional development in some states. Impact was strongest on those most closely involved in its work. Lessons learned were that connecting practitioners and researchers has a positive impact on practitioners and practice and on researchers and research and that effectively connecting researchers and practitioners requires specific strategies and specific supports for PLs, local practitioners, program directors, and state staff. (YLB)

NCSALL's (National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy's) Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network (PDRN) set out to create and support systematic partnerships between practitioners and university researchers to better connect research and practice, with the ultimate outcome of improved practice, policy, and services for adult learners. Perhaps the most important lesson learned through the PDRN is that practitioners are interested in research. The PDRN's lessons should inform a larger effort in the field to help teachers and policymakers learn how to integrate information about "what works" according to research with "what works" according to colleagues and their own experience. This paper presents the following lessons from the PDRN: (1) Connecting practitioners and researchers has a positive impact on practitioners and practice; (2) Connecting practitioners and researchers has a positive impact on researchers and research; (3) Effectively connecting researchers and practitioners requires specific strategies; and (4) Effectively connecting researchers and practitioners requires specific supports for Practitioner Leaders, local practitioners, program directors, and state staff. [For the full report, see ED469857. For the research brief, see ED471987.]

Action research focused on developing approaches local programs can use to document outcomes of student participation in adult basic education (ABE) programs. Teams of teachers and administrators from three ABE programs examined current documentation practices, were introduced to approaches to documentaion, and developed documentation processes using a cycle of planning, implementation, and evaluation. Documentation efforts focused on aspects of students' lives which the program or students identified as areas that they hoped to change. The Virginia team established a process to help students identify changes they hoped to make and document goal and outcome achievement. The Tennessee team documented outputs and outcomes as part of their focus on the Equipped for the Future framework standard called Take Responsibility for Learning. In the Kentucky program, students used calendars to document activities that supported their children's education. Teams, programs, and students found these documentation efforts useful tools for instructional planning and for learner and project assessment. Researchers reported the following: (1) that local ABE programs can develop documentation processes useful for planning and assessing their work; such factors as limited paid time for teachers typical of adult education make participation in action research difficult; and action research is effective for professional and program development in ABE. (Appendixes include 30 references; participant list and sample documents.) (YLB)

The effectiveness of the National Center for Study Adult Learning Literacy's (NCSALL's) Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network was examined by reviewing how, from 1997 to 2001, adult basic education teachers from 14 states served as liaisons between practitioners in their states and the NCSALL by engaging in the following activities: sharing information about NCSALL studies; identifying programs to serve as research sites; conducting their own research; and organizing research-based professional development activities. Key findings were as follows: (1) connecting practitioners and researchers has a positive impact on practitioners, practice, researchers, and research; (2) effectively connecting researchers and practitioners requires specific strategies, including practitioner involvement in research and dissemination, a commitment to collaboration, the right practitioner leaders, and face-to-face meetings; and (3) effectively connecting researchers and practitioners requires specific supports for practitioner leaders, local practitioners, program directors, and state staff. The following were among the study recommendations: (1) provide funding for professional development activities that help practitioners understand and use research; (2) assist states new to research-based professional development; (3) develop activities that help policymakers understand and use research; (4) involve practitioners as both participants and researchers; and (5) provide funding, technical assistance, and coordination to help states integrate research, practice, and policy activities into current systems. (MN)

Three teams of teachers and administrators from three adult basic education programs in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia participated in a 2-year action research project that focused on developing approaches that local programs can use to document the outcomes of student participation in adult education programs. Facilitators helped the teams build on a series of research activities through a cycle of planning, implementation, and evaluation. Key findings were as follows: (1) local programs can develop documentation processes useful for planning and assessing their work; (2) action research is effective for professional and program development in adult education; (3) action research is a tool to help students set and monitor goals; (4) outcomes-focused action research can enhance processes for improving program quality; and (5) action research can support and enhance performance accountability, but more work is needed at the state, local, and national levels. The following were among the study's implications: (1) teachers should be paid for involvement in action research; (2) states should use participatory processes to build consensus on performance accountability goals; (3) state and federal resources are needed to design flexible yet rigorous outcomes measurement and reporting systems; and (4) action research should be evaluated as a tool to further learning persistence. (MN)

A study explored how 10 Tennessee adult literacy students define the meaning and outcomes of their participation in adult education programs in the context of their lives. The primary source of data was the extended recorded conversations about participants' lives before and after enrollment in adult literacy programs. Interviews, usually conducted in participants' homes, covered their adult education experiences, family and work lives, childhoods and earlier schooling, and the changes in their lives that they attributed to adult education participation. Findings indicated all participants had been employed; only one was currently dependent on public assistance; and all nine who had children reported being involved in their children's education. Nine participants reported acquiring new literacy skills; for eight, these new skills in reading, writing, and computation led to changes in the ways they use literacy in their lives. Changes were in the practical everyday activities; increased access to and understanding of expository text; and more extensive reading. Participants described positive changes in their sense of self, a strong sense of accomplishment, and a new and stronger voice or new opportunities to express themselves. (Appendixes include interview protocols, and participant profiles.) (Contains 68 references.) (YLB)

This paper addresses how to measure the performance of programs by measuring the outcomes of program participation for learners. Based on studies conducted in Tennessee in which adult learners reported a broader and more complex set of outcomes than the three "core indicators" mandated by Title II of the 1998 Workforce Investment Act (WIA), the paper suggests that learners have a different perspective on performance than the authors of WIA and their perspectives should be considered at the policy level and by local programs. Section 1 examines performance accountability in adult basic education and how it is being applied in the WIA, the National Reporting System, and 17 state plans. Section 2 reports on findings of the Tennessee Longitudinal Study of Adult Literacy and a subsequent qualitative study. The following findings of the Tennessee study of adult literacy learners are reported: (1) there is an increase in rate of employment; (2) increase in overall satisfaction with their financial situation; (3) overall increase in self esteem; (4) increase in involvement in community organizations; (5) positive change in three of eight literacy practices; and (6) increase in the number of people who thought a book was a good gift for a child. Findings from the Learner Identified Outcomes Study show that participants identified changes in their lives that can be grouped as literacy uses and changes in sense of self. Section 3 discusses implications of findings and alternative ways to assess the performance of adult basic education. (Contains 17 references.) (YLB)

Appalachia has a history of isolation, poverty, substandard education and services, and economic exploitation by outside forces, but also has a long history of resistance and community organizing. This paper describes three rural Appalachian community organizations whose mission is the strengthening and empowering of communities as well as improving individual literacy skills. McClure River Valley Community Development Center (southwest Virginia), the Ivanhoe (Virginia) Civic League, and Appalachian Communities for Children (Jackson County, Kentucky) host a variety of community activities and programs, such as those concerned with food distribution, housing rehabilitation, preschool education and child care, adult basic education and GED classes, community college classes, tutoring, counseling, and coordination of student volunteers providing community service. All three organizations have also provided many informal opportunities for learning and literacy use, and staff and board members have learned job skills and the knowledge and skills needed to run an organization. However, although these organizations are committed to empowering community members and bringing about change, their educational programs tend to be highly structured around traditional curriculum. The groups themselves recognize the contradictions and are working to change and democratize their classes, but the work is hard. Difficulties include powerful cultural images and attitudes concerning what school is "supposed" to be, and lack of experience with alternative approaches. (SV)

In spring 1990, the Center for Literacy Studies convened two 1-day workshops on group literacy instruction, bringing together some 41 literacy coordinators, teachers, volunteers, and students from the eastern part of Tennessee. The workshops were designed to share experiences on the introduction of group methods, to exchange ideas on "what works," to identify continuing needs and problems, and to give new insights. Literacy practitioners enjoyed working in groups. Workers and students alike valued the interaction made possible by group instruction. Adult learners talked about the support and challenges that group members give each other. They identified as problems the effects of people with different educational levels and learning styles working together. Participants also shared specific information on making group literacy programs work: organizing groups, recruiting and retaining students, choosing content and materials, working with students who learn differently, defining and assessing success, and training volunteers and teachers. (YLB)

The Community in the Classroom project in rural Virginia attempts to develop communities of teachers and learners in the classroom, build curriculum around external community issues, and involve learners in community work. Staff development for adult educators helps them deal with giving up power in the classroom and playing appropriate roles in the community. (SK)