Component 1

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Before you get down to work, put on those old jeans and t-shirt, or your most comfortable clothes (if you are at home), pour yourself a cup of coffee and relax - this is going to be a very different way to participate in staff development!

Hot tip! Once you click on blue underlined text, the color of the text changes (i.e., underlined text) to remind you of all the places you have already been. (The color of the text may vary depending on what preferences your computer has set).

Dr. Dorothy Bouie
Region III Director

An Inservice Project

Component 1: Getting Started

Review the Research, Find the Common Threads

Think of your problems as potential teachers…
Richard Carlson, Ph.D.

Many of our adult students have the same problems we do. They have the best of intentions, but somehow they just don’t manage to follow through on their plans. If we as professional educators have difficulty, imagine the obstacles facing adults with limited:

literacy skills
coping skills
English ability
personal and financial resources

The Problem

Why some adult education students achieve their goals and others do not has plagued teachers for years. In fact, more students drop out than complete. Research has shown that 50-70% of adults entering literacy programs drop out before they reach their goals.

There are many common threads running through the research on adult retention. You will review some of the research available to you on the Internet. We have established links to web sites where you will review the research on retention of adult students.

The links selected will focus on:

Culture and its role in retaining students
Learning styles and addressing the need of adults
Warning signs that students may identify the Reluctant Learner
Methods for setting up an effective learning environment

Points to Ponder:

How many times have you joined an exercise class and then within a few weeks dropped out?

How many times have you thought about taking that computer course, but never got around to registering for it?

Before reviewing the research,
please take a moment and check your knowledge.

To complete your assignments in this InterActive training session, read the following articles. Hyperlinks have been provided to make it easier for you. Just click on the blue underlined text and away you go!

Increasing Retention Through Student Success
http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Pubs/0200-11.htm

Improving Retention in Adult Basic Education and Recommended Strategies for Effective Instructional and Counseling Interventions
http://literacy.kent.edu/Oasis/Pubs/0600-3.htm

Ohio Department of Education, Adult Basic and Literacy Manual, Program Administrator’s Manual Training Component #8 Retention
http://literacy.kent.edu/adminmanual/145-154.html

Power, Literacy and Motivation - "Focus on Basics, National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy"
http://http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~ncsall/hart.htm

Before you can increase retention rates, you must first know your current retention rate. Component 2 helps us determine just that!

This program was developed for the Florida Department of Education, Division of Workforce Development by Brevard County Public Schools, Department of Adult and Community Education through an Adult Education 322 Grant.