Family literacy initiatives are historically rooted in positivism. In relationship to family literacy, the positivist paradigm is dangerous, as it strips the participants of power and removes their opportunities for voice. In response, a socially just approach to family literacy intervention is offered here. This approach embraces the context of…

This report highlights the critical role family literacy and learning play in breaking down barriers between different learning contexts and engaging hard-to-reach adults and children in education. This report was developed as part of a family learning project initiated by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in 2016. Based on the…

Literacy interventions in the family context have great potential to promote reading development in children. However, the results of meta-analyses indicate that family-based approaches tend not to be as effective as expected. Although the effectiveness of family literacy interventions can be assumed to hinge largely on the quality of their…

Evaluators face challenges when programs consistently fail to meet expectations for performance or improvement and consequently, evaluators may recommend that closing a program is the most prudent course of action. However, the evaluation literature provides little guidance regarding when an evaluator might recommend program closure. Given…

This statewide evaluation of Even Start family literacy programs in Maine was conducted from November 1999 through September 2000. Six out of seven Even Start programs funded by the Maine State Department of Education for the 1999-2000 year participated in the study. All Maine Even Start programs offer a combination of home-based and center-based…

A study examined Ohio Even Start programs and their attempts to create integrated curricula within their programs. A survey was sent to all Even Start programs. Results indicated that: (1) most of the programs defined their integrated curricula in terms of the themes they designated as focal points (such as consumer skills, child discipline,…

Noting that family literacy is an intergenerational approach to education that addresses the needs of both the adult and child learner, this booklet presents aspects of family literacy programs and steps to help ensure the program's success. After discussing the need for family literacy, the book discusses the effectiveness of family literacy and…

The implementation of a collaborative approach to evaluating family literacy programs was studied using a conceptual framework and applied to 36 family literacy programs from a midwestern state. Evaluation participants learned how results could be used to develop curriculum in addition to reporting to funding agencies. (SLD)

Capturing what has been learned over the past several years about the characteristics of effective Even Start Family Literacy programs, this book offers a guide for self-review by programs for the purpose of staff development and program improvement. The book also provides a focus for designing local program evaluations, serves as an outline of…

Describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of Project Literacy Education and Families (LEAF), a family literacy program that provides experiences for parents to develop their skills and confidence that will enable them to see possibilities instead of limitations. Details four Program components: adult literacy, early childhood…

Parents make powerful contributions to their children's early literacy learning in school. The purpose of this study was to design, implement, and evaluate the efficacy of the Words-to- Go parent involvement program as part of a larger effort to reach out to parents in early literacy. Quantitative data from surveys and qualitative data from focus…

This report presents the findings of the annual evaluation of the Even Start Family Literacy program conducted during the 1989-1990 program year. Chapter 1 of the report describes the nature and purpose of Even Start, a 4-year national effort intended to improve the educational opportunities of children and adults by integrating early childhood…

This report examines critical issues that rural educators face in establishing preschool programs. Even Start is a federal program designed to meet the educational needs of preschool children who have under-educated parents. In addition to participating in their child's education, the program requires parents to enroll in educational or vocational…

The first-year report of the El Paso (Texas) Family Literacy for Parents of Preschoolers program describes the program and evaluates its progress toward stated objectives. The introductory section addresses the following topics: demographic and literacy characteristics of the community; the needs assessment; project design; and objectives for…

A study examined the broad range of family literacy programs across Michigan to document how goals, instructional practice, assessment methods, staff training, and social support for participants varied. Three established models of family literacy were identified and described: the Kenan Model, Parents as Partners in Reading (PPR), and HIPPY (Home…