Reading standards are regarded by many as the true yardstick by which to measure school effectiveness, and the relative standards achieved by different generations are often debated by adults. Some young people do not perceive reading to be of anything like such importance, however, using digital communication habitually and easily. Each year a…

The issues and problems faced today in regard to reading instruction were reviewed, and suggestions for meeting Commissioner Allen's challenge of the "Right to Read" were made. Three realities in United States education today include (1) the generally higher quality of the products of our schools than in the past, (2) startling statistical…

This book contains 29 essays which grew out of presentations delivered at a conference on the right to literacy whose participants were invited to consider differing definitions and historical understandings of literacy and the political, pedagogical, and theoretical implications of the many approaches to literacy education that have been taken…

ADULT ILLITERATES OF WESTERN NEW YORK WERE STUDIED TO DETERMINE THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARD READING MATERIALS AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. THE EXPERIENCE INVENTORY WAS USED TO INVESTIGATE EACH SUBJECT'S IDENTIFICATION AND BACKGROUND, THE EXTENT OF HIS FUNCTIONAL AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE, AND HIS READING-ASSOCIATED INTERESTS. EIGHTEEN HIGH ACHIEVERS AND 22…

Noting that illiteracy in the workplace is currently a major problem for American businesses and corporations, this booklet, developed by the National Commission for Employment Policy and Project Literacy U.S., suggests ways in which companies can help their workers become literate. The booklet first outlines the extent of the problem of…

Societal trends and related pressures on children have generated a greater need for school support of independent reading, which can help students develop lifetime literacy and prevent school failure and dropping out. Providing opportunities for free reading during the school day is a qualitative way of filling a literacy gap for children.…

Created by the Project Literacy U.S. (PLUS) organization to combat adult illiteracy, this guide offers suggestions for enhancing local adult literacy programs or establishing new ones. Following an introduction to the problem of illiteracy and a call for a national effort to alleviate it, the guide focuses on how to begin a literacy program,…