The Robert Bowne Foundation (RBF), which published "Afterschool Matters" from 2003 to 2008 and continues to fund the journal and related projects, is closing in December. "Afterschool Matters" sat down with Lena Townsend, executive director, to talk about RBF's legacy and continuing influence on literacy work in afterschool…

This paper applies the lens of recent literature on neoinstitutionalism and institutional entrepreneurship to understand the stages of growth in a new community Literacy Coalition. It explores the interactional, technical and cultural phases of institution building identified in other case studies as they emerge in this community study. Finally,…

Elementary charter schools increasingly serve students who are at-risk for reading challenges, giving them a critical role in establishing literacy for young children. This article examines the complexities of starting early childhood literacy programs in charter schools. Specifically, the first year of K-3 literacy programs in a new and a…

This article describes a nearly decade-long partnership between three institutions representing school, public, and academic settings in Westchester County, New York. The program, designed to improve the academic performance of local high school students, is unique due to the extensive contact students have with academic librarians during the…

The Global Writes (GW) model is a well-designed performing arts integrated literacy program that builds local and global support among students, teachers, and arts partners through the use of innovative technologies. Through local partnerships between schools and arts organizations forged by GW, classroom teachers and local teaching artists build…

This issue contains five articles about assessment in adult literacy programs. The first article, "Living Literacy: Rethinking Adult Learner Assessment" (Susan L. Lytle), focuses on developing alternative forms of assessment such as literacy portfolios to identify changes in four dimensions of adult literacy over the course of literacy…

This document consists of materials developed and used by a project to research and design a prototype plan using the television program "Reading Rainbow" and the resources of the Western New York Public Broadcasting Association to cultivate family literacy. An executive summary presents findings from the six focus group discussions of…

In this report, the author shares her perspective on ten years of science-rich programming for high school youth at the American Museum of Natural History. This report includes: (1) A discussion of the theory of action and the rationale that underlies the AMNH youth programs; (2) A description of three of the programs that have been offered and…

New York--You Can Read, the state's adult literacy project, was developed to accomplish the following: (1) produce a focused adult literacy public awareness campaign in coordination with national and statewide literacy efforts; (2) increase the public's knowledge of adult illiteracy; (3) improve the promotion and marketing capabilities of local…

Varied views are presented in this report which addresses five primary issues: (1) What is computer literacy? (2) What does it cover? (3) Who is it for? (4) How should it be presented? and (5) Where can one get help in organizing a computer literacy program? The first section summarizes results of a survey of 14 educators who were asked their…

Literacy coaching is a very hot topic (Cassidy & Cassidy, 2007) that has been spurred on by two opposite belief systems. On one hand, the Reading First schools can receive federal funding to hire coaches to raise test scores. This has led some teachers to characterize coaches as "test-prep enforcers." On the other hand, Bean, Swan…

A project provided three types of supportive services to adult education programming in the State of New York. The first component of the project was the development of a literacy information and referral system to link potential students and volunteers with program providers. The second phase of the project involved the development and…

The State University of New York (SUNY) Bridge Program is a federally funded work force preparation program that was initiated in October 1992 to help mothers receiving welfare achieve self-sufficiency by helping them acquire job skills. The program is housed at the Urban League of Northeastern New York and SUNY's 10 educational opportunity…

The first ten New York City Beacons began operation in 1991 as a result of the recommendation of a commission appointed by then-mayor David N. Dinkins. Richard Murphy, commissioner of youth services, led the development and implementation. Michele Cahill served as a consultant in the design and created the Youth Development Institute (YDI) as part…

The decision by New York State educators to create a new area of study and to require it of all students grew out of the realization that technology pervades almost every aspect of life. Technology education prepares students to use technology and offers the means to assess and influence the impact of technology on society and the environment. It…