The purpose of this descriptive case study was to identify teacher strengths and needs to create a site-specific professional development program for literacy. I was interested in studying how to identify teacher needs and strengths and explore the compatibility between teacher beliefs, current practice, and best practices in literacy. This study…

Background: For a majority of the world's children, despite substantial increases in primary school enrollment, academic learning is neither occurring at expected rates nor supplying the basic foundational skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century. The significant lag in academic achievement tells us that simply making formal education…

Delaying girls' early marriage is a critical public health and education goal in developing countries, in which their own or their mothers' education may play an important role. This paper reviews the existing evidence of any relationship between girls' schooling or women's literacy education and delayed marriage for themselves or their daughters.…

Describes activities of the Advancement of Librarianship Program (ALP) sponsored by IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions). Topics discussed include study grants awarded to librarians from the third world to study in Europe; model training programs; promotion of library services to rural areas; and literacy…

Intended especially for literacy workers, this monograph discusses the planning and organization of all the various approaches to the delivery of literacy work. It is divided into two main sections. The first part discusses the general principles of planning and organizing; it may be considered theoretical in nature. Its three chapters cover the…

The National Literacy Campaign of Zimbabwe was launched in July, 1983. The objectives of the campaign were to enable adults (1) to understand information about themselves, their localities, and their country; and (2) to become effective leaders and productive members of their cooperatives, village committees, management committees, and other…

Past "elitist" development efforts modeled on Western academic education have failed to meet manpower needs but resist change due to popular preference for "modern" occupations. A new development strategy providing universal basic education and improved general living standards is needed. (Part of a theme issue on Third World educational…

The author defines the tenets of "Zemecha," Ethiopia's radical education model, adopted in 1974. He asserts that the philosophy, the general mobilization, and the successful campaign of the "Zemecha" constitute a revolution in microcosm which sets a good example for the further advancement of the developing world. (Author/SJL)

After an analysis of eight mass literacy campaigns (USSR 1919-39; Vietnam, 1945-77; China, 1950-58; Cuba, 1961; Burma, 1960-1981; Brazil, 1967-80; Tanzania, 1971-81; and Somalia, 1973-75), a campaign strategy for a mass literacy campaign is proposed. A potentially successful mass literacy campaign has to be both an educational and a political…

The Strong Beginnings program, initiated by the Save the Children Fund in 1991, supports community-based activities in 20 countries aimed at reconstructing educational systems in developing countries. This report presents the vision of the Strong Beginnings program, describes its components, and describes the continuing challenge to improve access…

In the Philippines, introduction of a formal education system, new written language, and the knowledge encoded in it have been part of a colonization process and not the result of direct evolution from informal education. The discontinuities between formal and informal education--abstraction, systematization, and specialization--are greater and…

Recent studies conducted in developing nations throughout the world have made it possible to formulate a political theory of literacy for development that clarifies relationships between development ideologies and literacy policies and thus provides a greater understanding of the choices and decisions made by policymakers and planners. Depending…

The marked decline in international interest in promoting adult literacy that has occurred over the last decade has had serious consequences for literacy education in third world countries. In general, planning and implementation of literacy instruction in these areas has neither improved nor adapted itself to changing circumstances. While the…

The goal of building bridges between the Pacific Basin and the United States can be accomplished by focusing on economic considerations. Trade agreements, business and university collaborations, and the mobility of populations between the Pacific Basin and the United States serve as examples of common experiences and cooperation. As education in…

This collection of 20 papers addresses child development and early intervention issues related to literacy acquisition from a cross-cultural perspective. Titles of the papers are: (1) "Preparing Young Children for Literacy: Issues in Theory and Practice" (Lotty Eldering and Paul Leseman); (2) "Jomtien Revisited: A Plea for a…