Data from four parent-teacher dyads highlighted the nature of discourse during parent-teacher conferences focused around family literacy portfolios. Participating Latino parents attended an intergenerational literacy program. Results show how parents and teachers share the floor during conferences and highlight the influence of portfolios on topic…

This paper reports on a study that examined both the concurrent and longitudinal connections between multiple components of the home environment and indicators of preschool-aged children's literacy and language development. Data were collected from 85 parents and their children at two different times. Results of structural path models indicated…

This paper examines a discussion among a teacher and four Latin-American women in a family literacy class who engage for the first time in the practice of peer-editing a learner's text. In the analysis, it becomes evident that they have different ideas of and responses to the text. Whereas the teacher's focus is on revising the textual elements,…

This issue of "Focus On" provides an overview of several key early literacy components: phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge, concepts of print, oral language development, writing, family literacy, and reading aloud. Suggestions for assessing early literacy development are provided, and examples of implementation of effective early literacy…

The purpose of this publication is to present Iowa's adult literacy program approved projected benchmark percentage levels for Program Year 2006 (July 1, 2005-June 30, 2006). The passage of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) [Public Law 105-220] by the 105th Congress has ushered in a new era of collaboration, coordinator, cooperation and…

There is a growing ideological divide in the field of family literacy between programs that are striving to colonize families with middle-class European-American literacy practices, and those based on Freire's philosophy which works toward affirming diverse family literacy practices. The Freirean alternative includes "culture circles" for the…

The Even Start Family Literacy Program was established in 1989 to help break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy for low-income families, by improving the literacy skills of parents and their young children. Even Start projects offer family literacy services, defined as four integrated instructional components: (1) Childhood Education (ECE); (2)…

In this article, the author examines her racial identity and its impact on her interpretation of the schooling experiences of a 10th grade Latina in an ethnographic case study. Prior to this study, the author had been working in a university-based family literacy program where she met Zulmy's mother, Manuela. Due to her experience as a middle…

The prevailing issues in the development of family literacy were reviewed, and assumptions about families, family support, and learning upon which the concept is being developed were examined. A total of 173 studies on the following topics were reviewed: parent-child relationships and reading, parent-child early reading, parent/family beliefs and…

The family's influence on children's learning accounts for 80 percent of variance in students' academic performance. The present study, framed by the concept of human development within ecological contexts as elaborated by Bronfenbrenner (1979), investigated literacy practices and views of parents with limited literacy skills who participated in a…

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…

A study focused on types of talk between parents and children as predictors of development of skills such as narrating, explaining, and describing. The study investigated some measures of home language environment and their relationships with literacy outcomes. Eighty-four 3-year-old children from low income families in the Boston (Massachusetts)…

This manual is designed to help volunteer teachers in family literacy programs introduce a writing project that provides parents and children with a worthwhile learning experience to take home and share. The guide suggests ways to prepare parents and children for a collaborative story-writing experience and offers ideas on how to structure the…

This learning package on parents and children using the library is designed for implementation either in a workshop atmosphere or through individual study. The package includes an overview of the topic; a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a lecture giving an overview on the topic; copies of articles and existing ERIC/Reading, English and…

Based on the idea that parents are the first and most important teachers of their children's literacy, this bilingual (Spanish/English) booklet offers 101 practical and fun-to-do activities that children and parents can do together. The activities in the booklet are organized to fit the way parents tend to think about their time with their…