Noting that the demands of literacy have increased and that it is in this context that literacy performance must be evaluated, this book summarizes the most important results of the Young Adult Literacy Assessment, and provides thoughtful analysis of their implications from the standpoint of unemployment, economic competitiveness, the problem of…

Surveys the five literacy crises that have occurred since the Civil War. Argues that the widespread perception that a serious literacy problem exists in this country today cannot be supported either by international or historical comparisons of achievement. (SRT)

Argues that while the literacy needs of the adult center primarily on obtaining information from nonfictional texts, literacy instruction in the schools concentrates on fictional texts and literary appreciation. Demonstrates the origins of this chasm in the socialization of schooling over the last 300 years in America. Presents a plan for making…

Traces changes in literacy expectations from the early settlement of Australia through the introduction of compulsory schooling to today, when most segments of Australian society require a high level of literacy. (EL)

In order to give a draft picture of the church- and school-based literacy campaigns in Sweden, some of the historical sources, problems, methods, and preliminary results from a broad research project on the two campaigns are discussed. (IAH)

Issues related to basic skills education are discussed, beginning with a review of recent trends in American education. The 1960's are characterized as a decade of innovation, while the 1970's are described in terms of interest in accountability and cost effectiveness. Several reasons for current concerns about basic skills are suggested: parents'…

Documents produced for three separate conferences that were convened to discuss the aims and methods of English instruction in the past century demonstrate the pedagogical shift from a "formal" concept of literacy to a more functional one. An 1896 conference at Harvard University reviewed secondary school and college English instruction during the…

Argues that national policy has imposed on American public education four different standards of literacy, each one more demanding than the one preceding it--signature, recitation, comprehension, and application. Suggests, also, that each standard, which had its root cause in the nation's economy and social structure, was initially applied only to…

Recent attention to literacy, rather than focusing on literacy for social mobility as in the 1960s, promotes literacy for basic, entry-level employment, a position that supports the existing power structure rather than redistributing power in our society. Therefore true universal literacy--which involves the potential redistribution of power--is…

This publication presents a collection of materials on the German experience with literacy education. A timeline offers a brief account of adult literacy in the Federal Republic of Germany. "Literacy as a Problem in the Federal Republic of Germany" identifies the causes and impacts of "second-order illiteracy" (the loss of…

This book examines literacy for sustainable development in the age of information. It begins by discussing the relationship between literacy and hegemony, social policy, national language policy, colonial relations, and postcolonial realities. Also discussed in the introduction are views and definitions of literacy and considerations in mapping a…

This book, consisting of 17 chapters written by different authors, traces the progress that has been made in developing lifelong learning policies over the past 30 years and examines current challenges to lifelong learning policymakers. Focusing on a global agenda, the book is organized in six parts with thematic chapters following an introductory…