When literacy is promoted as the solution to all economic, social, and educational ills, illiteracy becomes the "disease" causing these problems. Literacy cannot guarantee employment or personal success, but is powerful enough to transform the world. Children need to see powerful uses of literacy in the school environment. Includes 18 references.…

Struggling students are often victimized by time constraints--arbitrarily imposed timetables for mastering material and meeting standards. People learn best from experience, not by information acquisition, skill development, rote memorization, or assessment. Reading, writing, arithmetic, scientific understanding, and civics require student…