This document highlights some of the success stories resulting from the activities of the Houston READ Commission (HRC), a nonprofit urban literacy coalition created by the Mayor and City Council of the Greater Houston area. It relates the stories of "those who are the future," lists gifts which support HRC programs, and donors and…

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognizes that to participate more actively in society, indigenous communities in the Asia-Pacific region must make the transition from oral literacy traditions to those that combine oral and written literacy. This manual is a practical guide for training future…

Trained volunteers tutored youth and adults who were reading below fifth grade level. Pre- and posttest measures of reading, verbal language, listening comprehension, and locus of control were taken. Experimental subjects, but not controls, made significant gains in general reading and discrete reading subskills. Trained volunteers can ameliorate…

Identifies the immensity of the illiteracy problem, enumerates who are the functional illiterates, and explains what is being done by voluntary organizations such as Literacy Volunteers of America to eradicate it. Literacy Volunteers of New York City, the problem of financial support, and national awareness and progress are highlighted. (EJS)

Discussion of program established in 1977 by the Queens Borough Public Library and Literacy Volunteers of New York to combat the problem of adult illiteracy notes recruitment, training and retention of tutors, student intake procedure, cooperation with community organizations, special programs (math, writing, adult basic education), and program…

The widespread problem of functional illiteracy within Canadian labor has been addressed recently by a number of agencies and the press. In times of economic difficulty the outlook is bleak but not hopeless, and the issue must now be kept before the public to encourage effective action. (MSE)

Researchers reanalyzed the original Adult Performance Level Test survey data for the test's validity and reliability, and they concluded that (1) the test is not content valid because it assumes that functional competence can be logically defined and adult success accurately measured; and (2) the test is a valid measure of verbal, writing, and…

A letter from Thomas Sticht, written while conducting research for the United States Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences, compares the learning situations of classrooms in schools and in battalions. (MKM)

Describes some of the confusion in defining literacy and recommends beginning functional literacy courses in elementary school and continuing them through high school. (TJ)

Considers the problems associated with selective admissions into transfer curriculums and the development of broad-scale remedial programs. Urges the teaching of functional literacy in transfer programs, and examines areas where research is needed in order to achieve this goal. (AYC)

Offers three keys to becoming sensitive family literacy advocates in early childhood programs. Notes that strengths and abilities of children and their families should be emphasized, regardless of the family's current literacy levels or educational priorities. (ET)

Universities can play a role in resolving the problems of functionally illiterate adults, which have reduced human capital and economic production. One university's adult competency initiative provided classes and tutoring for its employees and community members, supporting its mission to apply knowledge in the real world. (SK)

This case study of an adult with developmental disabilities and no educational history reports on the successful literacy tutoring method used, which entails echo reading of brief passages and moving from holistic recognition of print to analysis of decoding and spelling. This approach contrasts with methods that first use small units of…