"A must-read for anyone in higher education, human resource development, or adult education. This impeccably researched book reflects an encyclopedic and intimate knowledge of innovative adult higher education programs and provides an impressive historical context for such programs. It will be a classic sourcebook for anyone in the field."

--Howard Y. Williams, professor emeritus, Human Resource Development and Adult Education, University of Minnesota

"A comprehensive, careful, and compelling study of adult learners and learning today. Lifelong Learning at Its Best demonstrates why education--from cradle to grave--is so important to our society in coping with the demands of burgeoning technology, addressing global competition, and recognizing the need for ongoing job retraining. It should be required reading for leaders in education, business and industry, and policymaking."

--C. Wayne Williams, president, Regents College

It is widely accepted that lifelong competency in today's world requires lifelong learning. Schools, colleges, and workplaces have responded to this new reality by implementing educational and training programs. But which programs really work?

Drawing from data gathered by the Commission for a Nation of Lifelong Learners--in a study directed by prestigious educational and business leaders--William Maehl offers strategies that have been most successful with adult learners across the nation. From Georgetown University to Toyota, he describes winning program models and all their components. Organized under such key learning objectives as competence, collaboration, and self-directedness, these success stories reveal the specific instructional, organizational, financial, and other program components that make the greatest difference in learning outcomes. For staff attempting to improve existing programs or for teams building new ones, this resource has all the practical ideas you need to design effective solutions.