Since Susan Adler, Alberta Dougan, and Jesus Garcia like "big ideas," the author offers one to ponder: young people in this country can not read with comprehension. The saddest thing about this crisis is that it is no secret. The 2001 results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for reading, published in every major…

Maintains that cultural literacy's emphasis on "what" students should know must be shifted to a concern for "how" they come to know. Describes various theories of reading and the role of the teacher and practical illustrations of them. Criticizes notions of core curricula while suggesting reasons for considering them. (HB)

Persistent low levels of school literacy among Canadian Natives is discussed in terms of language, script, culture, and pedagogy. Low literacy level is only a problem when defined by the narrow Western conception of literacy. When writing is taken as a graphic means of preserving and communicating information, then native cultures have always been…

Following a discussion of the basic skills required for an adaptable work force and how employers and workplace literacy providers determine which employees require basic skills training, this paper reviews three literacy instruments that can be used in workplace basic skills programs. A basic skills profile is drawn based on a review of the…