The following article was published in the Métier, a newsletter researched, written and edited by the Program Development Staff of the Office of Family Independence, Columbia, South Carolina.

Phillip Roy, Inc.'s Curriculum for the Millennium

     Phillip Roy, Inc., is a privately owned company that is large enough to serve you, but small enough to know you. Our materials are used with students in various educational settings including many non-traditional and alternative settings. We specialize in providing educational materials to adult students with different learning abilities, and who come from a wide range of backgrounds. We do not just lower the reading level of "adult materials" by changing a few words and cutting long sentences into a few short sentences. Nor do we just give you "children's books" and say they are for adults. What we provide for you, are materials to meet the unique needs of your students. Some of the features of our materials are: 

· Different reading and complexity levels, so that the beginning student is presented with a just few major ideas and facts to learn.
· We then repeat the concepts, increase the complexity of the concepts and reading level, so that, as the student progresses, concepts are reinforced, and more in-depth learning can take place. 
· The easy-to-read print size and the format of the pages is done to motivate the student without being patronizing.
· We provide pre/post measures so the student and the teacher have a measure of success and accountability.
· Topics are relevant to the adult students' needs with lessons written in management time units.

     We also know that many of the students have gaps, or holes in what they know. Many times the students do not know what they do not know or will not admit to what they do not know. We have materials that cover all of the areas that students need to know to insure that the gaps are closed. Our materials are developed so you can use them to:

· Teach new concepts
· Reinforce previously learned concepts
· Re-teach concepts that may have been "misunderstood"
· Build new skills onto previously learned concepts
· Fill in gaps and holes in previously learned concepts

     We also know that in many adult education programs, there are limited resources with respect to time and money. We also know that teachers may be assigned to classes with little notice and similarly, students may come and go from classes without notice. Therefore we provide the teachers with support material such as: lesson plans, pre/post tests, curriculum frameworks, certificates of achievement, record keeping books, and suggested teaching strategies. This allows you as an educator to spend as much time, as possible, teaching and meeting the students' needs.

     We also make all of our materials duplicatable so that you only have to purchase one set of the materials. This also allows you to use the materials in a number of different settings throughout your program, all for the same price. Our materials can be:

· Integrated or infused into an existing curriculum
· Used as a curriculum
· Used as a resource center
· Used as a spiral curriculum with concepts repeated in increasing complexity
· Used as an independent study center

     Since you can make copies of the materials, this allows you to decrease or increase the amount of work you present to the students. You can also provide students with their own copies of the books, so they can write in the books, and keep them for reference. They can build their own libraries with these books by bringing them home to share with their families.

     We also know that you need to find a way to keep motivating your students. They are coming to your class with unique backgrounds and life experiences. Many of your students may have failed, or have had unsuccessful experiences in education and/or training programs. Some of the students may never truly have had an opportunity to learn before. For many of your students, this is their last chance to attend classes, because if they do not succeed in your class, they are not coming back. 

     They have come to you, and they want and need the tools to learn how to function in today's world. They may be in your class for 1 hour, 1 week, or longer, but you need to provide them with something they can use when they leave the class. They need to leave your class saying "Today I learned…", followed by "and tomorrow I am going to learn…."

     We provide you with the tools to reach these students. Our curriculum, like your students' needs, is different. Our materials are not thick books with little print, nor are they books with glossy pictures of ducks and flying geese. All of our materials are developed to be short lessons that are relevant to the needs of the students on topics that they need and want to know about. The materials come in a wide-range of reading and complexity levels. We have built into our materials, features from educators and teachers throughout the country, which help adult students learn. 

     We provide you with a variety of materials that help you, as the teacher, to be available and supportive to the student in the learning process. Our materials enable you to provide the students with successful experiences and motivate them to continue learning. Our curriculum materials teach:

· Traditional Academic Skills 
· Life Skills that help in the social, consumer, and employability areas
· Works Related Skills that help students get and keep a job
· Vocational-Academic subjects and information that teach academic skills through the use of vocational material
· Vocational Entry Words so students learn the vocabulary needed for different trades
· Vocational Skills that are related to specific vocational trades.
· Parenting materials to help your students become better parents to their children.

     Our programs equip students with the knowledge and skills to set goals for themselves and make better life choices.