Surveys the five literacy crises that have occurred since the Civil War. Argues that the widespread perception that a serious literacy problem exists in this country today cannot be supported either by international or historical comparisons of achievement. (SRT)

A functional reading program, as distinct from the standard middle school reading program, specifically ensures that all students will acquire the reading skills necessary for survival in our society. Survival reading behaviors to be achieved include the ability to read labels on packages, to locate references in a newspaper, or to translate…

This paper reviews research which indicates that (1) more adults spend more time at job related reading than at any other type of reading; (2) materials written for functional purposes (job manuals, newspapers) are often too difficult for the people who are supposed to read them; (3) secondary English courses focus more on teaching reading and…

Argues that national policy has imposed on American public education four different standards of literacy, each one more demanding than the one preceding it--signature, recitation, comprehension, and application. Suggests, also, that each standard, which had its root cause in the nation's economy and social structure, was initially applied only to…

This handbook was written by college students at Boston University (Massachusetts) about their experiences as adult literacy tutors in a program called "Collaborations for Literacy." The project teaches adults to improve their reading skills through reading to and with a child, using the "Reading Rainbow" television series and…