In this paper, the author reflects on some of the complexities involved in theorizing change and the policy process, stimulated by the framing offered by the Learning and Skills Sector (LSS) project and the detailed case studies it presents. Focusing on a period in the development of the LSS that has been characterized by a determined policy…

This article elaborates the concept of educational projects, a term that signifies consistent constellations of institutions, financial resources, social actors, ideologies, theories of knowledge and attendant pedagogies that shape local cultural practices of schooling. The article demonstrates the utility of the concept of educational projects…

The equality framework developed in the Equality Studies Centre, University College Dublin (UCD), provides a useful base for thinking about literacy from an equality perspective. Neo-liberal, critical and situated approaches to literacy have made minimal impact in the Irish context where only 6 per cent of those with unmet literacy needs…

The Quicken Trust has been working in Kabubbu since 2000. In that time it has created a primary school, a health centre and laboratory, teachers' and nurses' housing, community housing, clean water supplies, farming and work initiatives, an adult literacy centre and library, and a secondary school. Over 400 orphaned children are being educated and…

Universities across the nation are expected to contribute to their neighboring communities. Responses to this charge come in many forms: college students volunteering in neighborhood schools, faculty conducting research activities to support local evaluation efforts, and university centers and civic leaders launching major community-development…

The note discusses some key issues pertaining to gender, literacy and women's empowerment in India. It uses disaggregated data to illustrate the persisting gender disparities with regard to literacy and points out that despite this there is a lack of real political will to address issues of adult literacy. It further draws on data from the…

In 2002-03, a qualitative case study explored the experiences of stakeholders connected to two adult literacy programs in Manitoba, Canada. Data were collected through official documents, personal documents, and interviews. Influences by family members contributed significantly to the theme of human relations that arose from these data. The…

Being literate empowers individuals to be effective consumers, to be informed about lifestyle options, to read aesthetically for relaxation and enjoyment and to further their knowledge of people and places that can enable them to participate more fully in communities. However, there are limited literacy opportunities and programs specifically…

If the State of Ohio is to grow and prosper, it must raise the education level of its population. The goal of this 10-year strategic plan is to raise the educational attainment of the state each year, and to close the gap between Ohio and competitor states and nations. To accomplish this goal, stakeholders must do three things: (1) Graduate more…

If the State of Ohio is to grow and prosper, it must raise the education level of its population. The goal of this 10-year strategic plan is to raise the educational attainment of the state each year, and to close the gap between Ohio and competitor states and nations. To accomplish this goal stakeholders must do three things: (1) Graduate more…

Coalitions have key roles in helping their communities accomplish the following: (1) Track the level of literacy in the community; (2) Use that information to help identify what, and how much, literacy assistance is needed; (3) Assess the extent to which community literacy programs are meeting the need, including how well existing literacy…

The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL): Performance of African Americans in a National Context Sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) the 2003 NAAL was America's most comprehensive assessment of adult literacy since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). NAAL was a nationally representative…

Family literacy is a form of intergenerational learning that is based on the fundamental connection and interaction between the education of children, young people and adults. The family--in its broader sense--builds the foundation for lifelong learning. This book was published to help promote literacy by raising the understanding and awareness of…

This article is part of a project that involves case studies of four adults who attend an informal literacy center. I examine people's motivations to write when their main purpose is not to gain a degree or other credentials. Here I focus on one study member and how she uses writing to gain textual agency. By composing narratives that investigate…

Previous research on China's labor market gender gaps has emphasized the human and political capital disadvantages of women and new discrimination in the reform era. Analyzing the China Urban Labor Survey/China Adult Literacy Survey, this paper shows that while women are significantly disadvantaged by various measures of human and political…