Featured Resources

An article by Carly Carte, CILIA-T Instructor which looks at how learner expertise can be leveraged as a resource in building community in online adult classes.

A new blog article (What the Manufacturing Industry Has to Teach Us in the Age of AI) by Amanda Bergon-Shilcock has been published by The National Skills Coalition .

The PDF file below contains all of the posters for the CREATE Research Teams presenting sessions at the COABE 2026 National Conference.

This is a list of presentations by CREATE Research Teams at COABE 2026. Please check final schedules for actual days and times of the presentations as they may change.

This brief discusses strategies for Adult Foundational Education (AFE) researchers to use in collaboration with state and program staff in designing, implementing, and evaluating AFE interventions.

The CREATE Network has released a new article “Supporting Effective Research in Adult Foundational Education”. This resource is based on inputs gathered through a survey and interviews with CREATE research teams regarding their approaches to research, as well as structured stakeholder reflection sessions that surfaced practitioner and learner perspectives on research in adult foundational education.

Interested in learning more about the CREATE Research Teams? This document compiles one-page flyers about each team. Read more about what their project is and questions they have for the field among other ideas.

Tyson Foods, in collaboration with World Education and local adult education leaders, launched the Digital Advancement and Resiliency at Tyson (DART) program. Designed to enhance English language and digital skills, DART supports Tyson's workforce who are often navigating language barriers and limited tech experience. The program’s cornerstone, the A-OK To Access curriculum, addresses gaps in digital literacy, enabling team members to navigate HR systems, access online resources, and engage more fully in their communities. By combining language learning and digital resilience, DART is helping employees unlock new opportunities both inside and outside the workplace.

Writing is embedded in every aspect of adult learners' daily lives—from job applications to family communication. It is a crucial skill for adults pursuing high school equivalency, post-secondary education, career growth, and community engagement.Yet, learners in Adult Secondary Education (ASE) programs often face barriers to becoming confident, effective writers. ASE educators have limited research, tools, and preparation to guide learners. This gap leaves many adult learners without the writing support they need to achieve their goals. The W-ASE team is prioritizing writing instruction and providing more resources and research for ASE programs to empower adult learners to develop strong, adaptable writing skills—helping them build brighter futures and thrive in both work and life.

Motivational research identifies utility value, or the importance of a learning task to future goals, as central to motivation to learn. This study analyzed survey data (N = 86) collected from adult literacy learners to examine their utility value of writing improvement in grammar and spelling skills, word processing skills, and planning, drafting, and revising skills. Findings revealed that participants had a high utility value of improving writing in all three skill areas and possessed a variety of underlying motivations, including obtaining further education, seeking future employment, and personal reasons. Participants' age, educational attainment, and reading levels showed relationships with utility value of improving grammar and spelling skills, and age showed an additional relationship to utility value of improving word processing skills. This work extends research on motivation in this population and supports the application of expectancy-value theory to both adult motivation and writing motivation. A free video is available on the utility value of improving writing skills for adult basic education students on this page. A subscription or one-time payment is required access this full publication from the Writing in Adult Secondary Education Classes team.