How Literacy Research Can Help Correctional Educators

• NCJ Number: 189042
• Journal: Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 52 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2001 Pages: 53-56
• Author(s): John Comings
• Date Published: June 2001
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

After explaining how research can help solve the immediate and long-term problems faced by correctional education policymakers, administrators, and practitioners, this article describes sources that provide access to research and suggests an approach to learning from research that is inexpensive and simple.

Abstract

The goal of research is the building and testing of theory. Research can provide help for correctional education programs by determining through accepted research standards the empirical impact of a particular educational strategy and content. Research can help program designers and practitioners avoid some, but not all, of the trial and error of program development. Research evidence of a program's impact can support requests for funding and offer advice on which areas of instruction are most likely to have a positive impact on students. Additionally, research can help in the choice of instructional practices that are most likely to be effective with a particular group of students. Specific examples of how research can help correctional educators are included in this article. Regarding where educational research findings are most accessible, the U.S. Department of Education supports four excellent sources of research information relevant to literacy and correctional education: the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy; the National Institute for Literacy; the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Vocational, and Career Education; and the National Center on Adult ESL. The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy has been experimenting with "study circles" as a way to help people use the products that emerge from its research. Study circles are democratic, peer-led discussions that can provide a way for several people to learn from a research report and develop ways to apply what they learn to their own work. 6 references