Georgia State Researchers Receive $3.5 Million Grant To Design Writing Curriculum, Resources for Adult Secondary Education Learners, Practitioners

ATLANTA—Georgia State University Professor Cynthia Puranik and Distinguished University Professor Daphne Greenberg have received a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences to support teachers and students in adult secondary education (ASE).

ASE classes help adults earn their high school diploma and gain fundamental knowledge and skills needed to be successful in the workforce and postsecondary education.

In their project, entitled, “Writing in Adult Secondary Education,” Puranik and Greenberg will develop professional development resources for teachers and a writing curriculum that can be used in ASE classes, which will include online resources for students.

“Learners in ASE programs have various goals, including passing high school equivalency tests, gaining skills necessary for success in postsecondary settings and increasing their job, community, civic and family-related literacy and numeracy skills. Writing is an important skill for achieving these goals,” Puranik and Greenberg wrote. “This project addresses two areas of needed research: Improving outcomes in writing for adults with significant skill barriers and supporting adult education teaching staff to use evidence-based instructional practices.”

This project is part of the Building Adult Skills and Attainment Through Technology Research Network, which conducts research and dissemination to support millions of U.S. adults who have low basic skills or academic attainment gaps.

For more information about their grant, visit https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=4697.