The task of providing the tools of basic literacy for all citizens is still unfinished in the United States, as well as on an international scale. No longer can the developed and underdeveloped worlds relate as mentor and learner; the United States has much to learn from the great work in literacy and basic education performed in lesser developed areas. Mass literacy is necessary for modern technology and modern nations; the quest for universal literacy is inextricably linked to such values as equality of social and economic opportunity, self-determination in the political sphere, and the development of a critical intellectual spirit. In addition to functional or basic literacy, there exists the concept of "social literacy," which recognizes that certain skills and capacities are necessary for one to become a part of society and to transcend one's own heritage and gain some sense of oneself as a citizen of the world. Beyond the transmission of technical information and insight, literacy has a purpose in expressing the interpretations of human experience. (DF)