This issue of "literacy.ca EXPRESS" focuses on poverty. The articles included in this issue are: (1) Poverty Overview; (2) Tony's Story; (3) LAN (Learner Advisory Network) Member's Story (Dianne Smith); (4) Linking Adult Literacy to Poverty Reduction; (5) MCL (Movement for Canadian Literacy) Update; (6) Highlights from the LAN; (7) Good…

For the first time, federal funding for literacy services will focus new attention on the plight of the homeless. Under the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, each state will receive funds for literacy for the homeless. Although there are no firm estimates on how many persons are homeless, a number of indicators point to a problem of major and…

Summarizes the findings of a recent study, "Adult Illiteracy in the United States: A Report to the Ford Foundation." Incidence of reading difficulties, effectiveness of literacy programs, and the relationship of reading ability to poverty are some of the topics discussed. New community-based literacy initiatives are recommended. (SJL)

Examines the growth of recognition of adult illiteracy in Western Europe and North America since the early 1970s. Discusses the invisibility of the problem, types of illiteracy identified in schools, importance of literacy across the curriculum, links between illiteracy and poverty, and involvement of international organizations. Contains 36…

The article examines the role of literacy training and adult basic education in alleviating the socio-economic problems of the disadvantaged adult. (MW)

This document describes the 10 winners of the 1990 ABLE Award, which recognizes outstanding adult students in Pennsylvania adult basic and literacy education programs. The award, given for achievement based on learning excellence (ABLE), is presented by the Pennsylvania Division of Adult Basic and Literacy Education Programs. The winners are…

This document is a transcript of a tape of a conference on homelessness and mental illness conducted by adult literacy educators in Florida. Persons whose remarks are transcribed include Blanca Polo, Director of the Southeast Florida Training Center for Adult Literacy Educators; David K. Fike, author of a study on homelessness in southern Florida;…

This report presents the early findings from the analysis of a family literacy demonstration project under the direction of the National Center for Family Literacy. The data in this report are based upon the experiences of over 300 families who participated in the Toyota Families for Learning Program during the 1992-1993 school year. The first…

A research study examined the relationship between illiteracy and health. The study used the following methods for gathering information: review of health status data from major Canadian health status surveys; multidisciplinary literature review across areas including medicine, health education, development, literacy, education, poverty, and…

A seminar was held at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in August 1987 on the subject, "Illiteracy and the Underclass: Are They Permanent?" The contributions of Chall, Comer, Epstein, Dash, and Rivera identified where illiteracy problems begin--in families with intergenerational patterns of illiteracy. Problems in estimating the numbers of…

The result of a study on adult literacy undertaken by World Education, this book places the educational problem of adult literacy into the larger context of a changing society and offers a fresh perspective and a new way of thinking about the phenomenon. After defining functional literacy as the possession of skills perceived by particular persons…

This book is intended to assist literacy program administrators, coordinators, instructors, and volunteers in the design and implementation of literacy programs for homeless adults. Chapter 1 discusses barriers to instruction when serving homeless adults, including shelter environment, impermanence of location and opportunity, and the effects of…

Americans aged 60 years and older now represent the largest age cohort of functional illiterates. Educational systems have not adequately addressed the needs of this group. Many older Americans, for whom English is a second language, need instruction in both English and basic literacy skills. Many older adults living at or near poverty levels have…

In the prevailing and traditional definition, literacy is regarded as central to helping people obtain and retain employment, which is the key to moving them from dependency toward greater self-sufficiency. Another, more valid perspective is the view that literacy is not just the acquisition of reading and writing skills but is also a social…

This book is the outcome of a regional study on using literacy as a tool for empowering the poor, carried out by the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Programme of Education for All (APPEAL) with collaborative support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The book sketches a program for empowerment of the poor through basic education on the…