This unit is designed as a planning guide for a literature-based approach to teaching reading, writing, vocabulary, and reasoning. It serves as a model to reinforce the important aspects of literacy through a literature-based approach in which children read authentic literature and engage in authentic tasks relative to that literature. The unit…

This paper discusses the rationale for designing better literacy assessment for elementary school children. The "Literacy Profile" is a literacy assessment procedure designed to collect data about groups of elementary students and track literacy development more effectively than current standardized tests. It assumes that literacy…

This publication documents a participatory assessment project conducted from 1993 to 1995 with four afterschool programs in New York City. Key questions were whether the assessment project would develop the capacity of program staff to assess their own projects and whether the programs were successful in supporting the literacy development of the…

Chapters in this book address the problems faced in today's diverse neighborhoods, schools, and classrooms, as well as the opportunities diversity provides. The schools, teachers, administrators, families, and communities drawn on in these selections provide examples of the effective integration of what is known about achieving success for all…

A research-based model of adult literacy categorizes adult reading habits into four categories: (1) illiteracy, the inability to read; (2) aliteracy, the absence of reading by those who are able to read; (3) selective literacy, reading only one type of material for a single purpose; and (4) active literacy, fully embracing literacy in all aspects…

Part of the discussion of the "information rich but knowledge poor" concerns physical access to information, but another aspect relates to whether people can effectively use the information they have accessed. In education, this relates to teachers as well as pupils. If teachers fail to understand the value and relevance of information…

Since 1990, education in New Zealand has undergone dramatic changes. A new K-12 framework has been put in place with the curriculum divided into Essential Learning Areas and Essential Skills Areas. For the first time, all students are required to develop information skills. However, New Zealand has never had a tradition of full-time…

The language of a literate classroom is profoundly impacted by that which is included, excluded, ignorantly condoned, and perpetually presented with distortions. The article analyzes seven comprehensive frameworks: (1) diverse voices; (2) identities of the language users; (3) present and absent curriculum; (4) cognitive structures influencing…

Recognizing that adjunct faculty in a distance education program may not have convenient access to campus-based training activities, a self-paced 12-week training program was developed by Nova Southeastern University (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). According to staffing by headcount, 63% of all faculty during Winter Term 1997 were part-time employees…

Noting that the achievements of boys have been the subject of growing concern in England for a number of years, this booklet indicates some ways to improve the achievement of boys in literacy. The booklet focuses on work in secondary schools and is based on visits to 14 mixed secondary schools in urban, suburban, and rural areas. It begins with a…

This book is a guide to teaching English vocabulary to second-language learners. The book is divided into 30 chapters that teach 240 critical words. This vocabulary includes what English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL), adult literacy, and pre-general equivalency diploma students need to get ahead in today's competitive world. The guide's distinctive…

This activity book is part of a series designed to take a concept or idea from the existing school curriculum and develop it in the context of the Great Lakes using teaching approaches and materials appropriate for students in middle and high school. The theme of this book is Great Lakes shipping. Students learn about the connections between the…

This summary explaining the results of evaluations of programs to prevent youth violence is an attempt to fill the gap in information about what works and what does not. An effort is made to place the problem of youth violence in perspective, using information largely taken from Bureau of Justice statistics. The existing programs are divided into…

Arizona funding for adult education is authorized by Arizona Revised Statutes; federal funding is received under provisions of the Adult Education Act. The mission of Arizona adult education programs is to ensure adults' access to high quality educational opportunities to support them in their employment, job training, and higher educational…

Melding what has been learned from research, theory, and experience, this book presents a comprehensive plan for assisting students in becoming lifelong readers and attaining the level of critical literacy crucial for success in the 21st century. Chapters begin with a brief personal statement or scenario to spark interest in the topic and to…