Iowa Adult Literacy Program Annual Benchmark Report, 2005

The purpose of this publication is to present the Program Year 2005 report on Iowa’s adult literacy program benchmarks. The passage of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 [Public Law 105-220] by the 105th Congress ushered in a new era of collaboration, coordination, cooperation and accountability. The overall goal of the Act is “to increase the employment, retention, and earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by participants, and, as a result improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation.”

Iowa Adult Literacy Program Benchmark Presentation, 2005

The purpose of this publication is to present the Executive Summary Program Year 2005 report on Iowa’s adult literacy program benchmarks.1 The passage of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 [Public Law 105-220] by the 105th Congress ushered in a new era of collaboration, coordination, cooperation and accountability. The overall goal of the Act is “to increase the employment, retention, and earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by participants, and, as a result improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation.”

Iowa Adult Literacy Program Annual Benchmark Report, 2006

The purpose of this publication is to present the Program Year 2005 report on Iowa’s adult literacy program benchmarks. The passage of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 [Public Law 105-220] by the 105th Congress ushered in a new era of collaboration, coordination, cooperation and accountability. The overall goal of the Act is “to increase the employment, retention, and earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by participants, and, as a result improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation.”

Iowa Adult Literacy Local Program Monitoring Guidelines Revised, July 2007

The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for the annual monitoring and evaluation of Iowa’s adult literacy funded local programs. Section 224(b)(3) of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) states that the State Education Agency (SEA) will provide “a description of how the eligible agency [Iowa Department of Education] will evaluate annually the effectiveness of the adult education and literacy activities based on the performance measures described in section 212.” In compliance with that mandate, the following describes the Iowa Department of Education’s procedures for local adult literacy program evaluation strategies.

Mindmapping as an adult learning notetaking strategy to increase the encoding of information in a corporate training course

A study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness, as measured by performance on course posttests, of mindmapping versus traditional notetaking in a corporate training class. The purpose of this study was to increase knowledge concerning the effectiveness of mindmapping as an information encoding tool to enhance the effectiveness of learning. Corporations invest billions of dollars, annually, in training programs. Given this increased demand for effective and efficient workplace learning, continual reliance on traditional notetaking is questionable for the high-speed and continual learning required on workers.^ An experimental, posttest-only control group design was used to test the following hypotheses: (1) there is no significant difference in posttest scores on an achievement test, administered immediately after the course, between adult learners using mindmapping versus traditional notetaking methods in a training lecture, and (2) there is no significant difference in posttest scores on an achievement test, administered 30 days after the course, between adult learners using mindmapping versus traditional notetaking methods in a training lecture. After a 1.5 hour instruction on mindmapping, the treatment group used mindmapping throughout the course. The control group used traditional notetaking. T-tests were used to determine if there were significant differences between mean posttest scores between the two groups. In addition, an attitudinal survey, brain hemisphere dominance survey, course dynamics observations, and course evaluations were used to investigate preference for mindmapping, its perceived effect on test performance, and the effectiveness of mindmapping instruction.^ This study's principal finding was that although the mindmapping group did not perform significantly higher on posttests administered immediately and 30 days after the course, than the traditional notetaking group, the mindmapping group did score higher on both posttests and reported higher ratings of the course on every evaluation criteria. Lower educated, right brain dominant learners reported a significantly positive learning experience. These results suggest that mindmapping enhances and reinforces the preconditions of learning. Recommendations for future study are provided. ^

Working adult students' perspectives on persisting in college

The purpose of this study was to describe and explain working adult undergraduate students' perspectives on persistence in college in order to address the applicability of retention theory to a specific group of college students. Retention of college students is a major concern in higher education where persistence rates have continued to decline for the last 16 years and changing student demographics have influenced enrollment patterns. ^ A qualitative research design was used. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine working adult undergraduate students. The participants were selected to include diversity in age, race/ethnicity, family roles, career/work levels, college majors, and educational histories. ^ Triangulation was performed on data from the interviews, participant data forms, and a research journal. Open and axial coding were used to generate emerging themes. Member checking was used to verify the interpretation of the participants' perspectives. A peer reviewer corroborated the data analysis. Three major themes emerged from the data which explained how the students stayed motivated, engaged in learning, and managed the institutional aspects of college. ^ Five conclusions were drawn from the findings of this study. First, working adult students described their core experience of college as both positive and negative, creating tensions and often conflicts that influenced their persistence. Second, persistence factors associated with working adult students included personal aspects, such as having clear career/life goals, self management skills, and supportive relationships; learning aspects, such as interactive teaching methods, connections to prior learning, and relevance to career/life goals; and institutional aspects, such as customer service orientation of staff, flexibility of policies and procedures, and convenient access to information. Third, current retention theory was applicable to working adult students. However, working adult students described their experience of academic and social integration differently from that of traditional college students found in the literature. Fourth, findings from this study supported the developmental components of the Adult Persistence in Learning model (MacKinnon-Slaney, 1994). Finally, the study findings indicated a clearly active role required of the institution in the persistence of working adult students by providing flexibility and accessibility in procedures and services. ^

Examining a proposed job retention model for adult workers with mental retardation in supported employment

This quantitative study investigated the predictive relationships and interaction between factors such as work-related social behaviors (WRSB), self-determination (SD), person-job congruency (PJC), job performance (JP), job satisfaction (JS), and job retention (JR). A convenience sample of 100 working adults with MR were selected from supported employment agencies. Data were collected using a survey test battery of standardized instruments. The hypotheses were analyzed using three multiple regression analyses to identify significant relationships. Beta weights and hierarchical regression analysis determined the percentage of the predictor variables contribution to the total variance of the criterion variables, JR, JP, and JS. ^ The findings highlight the importance of self-determination skills in predicting job retention, satisfaction, and performance for employees with MR. Consistent with the literature and hypothesized model, there was a predictive relationship between SD, JS and JR. Furthermore, SD and PJC were predictors of JP. SD and JR were predictors of JS. Interestingly, the results indicated no significant relationship between JR and JP, or between JP and JS, or between PJC and JS. This suggests that there is a limited fit between the hypothesized model and the study's findings. However, the theoretical contribution made by this study is that self-determination is a particularly relevant predictor of important work outcomes including JR, JP, and JS. This finding is consistent with Deci's (1992) Self-Determination Theory and Wehmeyer's (1996) argument that SD skills in individuals with disabilities have important consequences for the success in transitioning from school to adult and work life. This study provides job retention strategies that offer rehabilitation and HR professionals a useful structure for understanding and implementing job retention interventions for people with MR. ^ The study concluded that workers with mental retardation who had more self-determination skills were employed longer, more satisfied, and better performers on the job. Also, individuals whose jobs were matched to their interests and abilities (person-job congruency) were better at self-determination skills. ^

An investigation of the effects of mothers' participation in adult literacy classes on interactive literacy activities (ILAs) at home

The National Center for Family Literacy (2003a) and the National Even Start Association (2005) have stated that the single most effective and influential factor in increasing student academic achievement is parental involvement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine how participation in adult literacy courses influences parent-child interaction in various educationally related activities known as Interactive Literacy Activities (ILAs). This study investigated ILAs from the mothers? perspective, and examines the changes that occur in parental involvement or ILAs when immigrant parents of a limited educational background participate in an adult education program. The principal method of data collection was key informant interviews (Gall, Borg, & Gall, 1996). Other methods of data collection included observations of parent-child interactions and field observations. Data analysis methods included Memo-ing (Miles & Huberman, 1994), within case analysis and cross-case analysis. ^ Findings demonstrate that changes occurred in the parent-child relationship when mothers of a limited educational background participated in an adult literacy course. When participating in ILAs or English literacy activities related to second language acquisition (including reading and speaking for comprehension and pronunciation), the children of these mothers took on the role of the adult. Participation in literacy activities was often initiated by the child and the children were frequently concerned with their mother's literacy acquisition. Mothers reported that their children were more confident, worked harder on school related activities and were more open to communication. ^ It can be concluded from this study that, in the case of these immigrant families, a mother's participation in adult literacy classes is influential in the relationship between mother and child. These children participated in ILAs for the benefit of their mothers and initiated literacy activities more frequently. The children responded better to their parents during literacy activities because there was a positive change in the relationship between mother and child. The relationship between mother and child appeared to be strengthened by greater trust, a sense of pride and more communication. ^

Formação, educação física e inclusão : compreendendo os processos inclusivos

No intuito de contribuir para a problematização da Educação, numa perspectiva inclusiva, esta dissertação procura conhecer e analisar a prática pedagógica inclusiva experimentada pelos professores de Educação Física na escola, por meio de suas narrativas, em uma ação de formação continuada. O projeto de extensão intitulado Formação Continuada de Professores de Educação Física para a Educação Inclusiva foi a estratégia utilizada para a criação de um grupo de estudos, denominado Grupo Operativo de Formação (GOF). A ação de formação continuada foi realizada durante o período de julho a dezembro de 2011, em um encontro presencial semanal, totalizando dezesseis encontros, com uma carga horária final de 90h. Participaram da ação de formação quatro professores da Secretaria Municipal de Educação de Vitória-ES. A pesquisa baseia-se em elementos da pesquisa-ação, utilizando como instrumentos e procedimentos para a produção dos dados a narrativa, o diário de campo, o memorial e a entrevista. Da análise dos dados produzidos identifica três categorias norteadoras das discussões: a) o trabalho coletivo como possibilidade para inclusão; b) trilhando caminhos para o desenvolvimento de práticas inclusivas: o autismo como foco do percurso; c) o olhar dos professores sobre a ação de formação experimentada no GOF. As análises realizadas revelam que essa ação de formação traz resultados que sinalizam positivamente para sua efetivação como instrumento ativo no processo de formação de professores para a educação básica, na perspectiva da inclusão. Portanto, essa é uma interessante ferramenta a ser utilizada pelas redes de ensino como alternativa metodológica em programas de formação continuada. Além disso, a proposta promove momentos para a prática reflexiva dos professores, representando uma rica oportunidade, capaz de fazer com que eles se apropriem de teorias educacionais que poderão contribuir na elaboração de suas aulas.

Directory of Iowa Community Colleges, 2003

Iowa has a statewide system of 15 community colleges. These public, postsecondary, two-year institutions are organized as comprehensive community colleges. Each college serves a multi-county merged area which may vary in size from four to twelve counties; all of Iowa's 99 counties are included in one of these merged areas.

School Leader Update, September 2004

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

School Leader Update, January 1, 2005

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

School Leader Update, December 2004

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

School Leader Update, November 2004

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education

School Leader Update, October 2004

Monthly newsletter produced by Iowa Department of Education