Section 3: Family Literacy Practives
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Section 5: Program Development, Assessment, and Evaluation Procedures
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. (1989). First teachers. Washington, DC: Author.
This book contains a brief introduction which discusses the problem of illiteracy in the United States, the intergenerational transmission of literacy, the beliefs underlying family literacy programs, and how family literacy programs address illiteracy. The book consists of "snapshots" of the following 10 family literacy programs: (1) Parent and Child Education (PACE) Program; (2) The Kenan Trust Family Literacy Project; (3) SER Family Learning Centers (FLCs); (4) Parent Readers Program; (5) MOTHERREAD; (6) Mother's Reading Program; (7) Arkansas Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY); (8) Parents as Partners in Reading; (9) Parent Leadership Training Project; and (10) Avance Family Support and Education Program. For each program, information is provided regarding how and why the program was developed, the setting, funding, and components of the program, evidence for the success of the program, and advice for policymakers and practitioners. A summary chart which details the goals, population, outreach efforts, funding, support services, materials, special features, and outcomes is also presented. A list of program contacts and other sources for information on literacy conclude the book. This book is helpful to individuals interested in learning about the different types of family literacy programs and efforts, as well as how to contact programs or centers for more information.
Crowther, J., & Tett, L. (1997). Literacies not literacy. Adults Learning, 8(8), 207?209.
Advocating a sociocontextual approach (see Auerbach, 1989), this article features a family literacy program entitled "Connect." The Connect program has an emphasis on individuals and their unique literacies. Curriculum is included into the everyday lives of students. Staff is committed to a particular vision that integrates work purpose and understanding with practice. A feature of this program is a pedagogical approach to knowledge. Knowledge in classrooms is constructed along the premises of we know/they know, we don't know/they know, we know/they don't know, and we don't know/they don't know. Connect works to start with the premise of we know/they know whereas other programs that take a more school-model approach implement a curriculum from a we know/they don't know approach. The authors suggest that this model provides an open-ended and creative environment sensitive to the context and the culture that families bring with them to the program.
Daisey, P. (1991). Intergenerational literacy programs: Rationale, description, and effectiveness. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 20, 11?17.
Educators have acknowledged that a continuing focus on the mechanics of reading will not alleviate the literacy problem. As a result, the focus of attention has shifted to the family and the critical role it plays in the acquisition of reading skills. This article discusses the rationale behind the growing number of intergenerational literacy programs and how they target adult strengths to facilitate the literacy of an entire family. The three intergenerational projects evaluated were the Family Literacy Center at Boston University, the Parent Readers Program at the City University of New York, and the Kenan Trust Family Literacy Project. In addition, Daisey describes the Even Start legislation that provides funding for the continuing evaluation of family literacy programs.
Darling, S. (1992). Family literacy: Parents and children learning together. Principal, 72, 10?12.
Darling states that a mother's literacy is the best predictor of a child's academic success. In addition, parents who are undereducated or intimidated by schools often do not become involved in their child's learning. Darling states that the most effective literacy programs are intensive and include the whole family. The author discusses the Kenan Family Literacy Model and how its goal of breaking the intergenerational cycle of illiteracy is addressed by the program's components. The literacy programs based on the Kenan Model include the following four components: adult basic skills instruction; early childhood education; parent time; and PACT (parent and child together). Preliminary results indicate that this model is effective for both the children and the adults. Darling reports that parents are more likely to continue with family literacy programs than with other adult education programs.
McIvor, M. C. (Ed.). (1990). Family literacy in action: A survey of successful programs. Syracuse, NY: New Readers Press.
This book intends to cover a variety of family literacy programs that value the adult role in shaping a child's literacy development. The author highlights eight innovative intergenerational and/or family literacy programs: Marion County Library Family Literacy Program; Beginning with Books; Parent Readers Program; Motheread; Project WILL; The Kenan Family Literacy Project; Mothers' Reading Program; and Take Up Reading Now. Included is a list of the funding sources, participants, and outcomes for each program.
Monsour, M., & Talan, C. (1993). Library-based family literacy projects. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
The connection between the public library and family literacy programs is becoming increasingly stronger as a result of the Bell Atlantic/ALA Family Literacy Project and the Families for Literacy program initiatives. This publication serves as a directory of library-based family literacy programs, and reports on their development as a legitimate approach to the problem of low literacy. It describes twelve outstanding library-based family literacy programs and identifies certain program components that can be replicated in libraries everywhere to facilitate program expansion.
Morrow, L. M., Tracey, D. H., & Maxwell, C. M. (Eds.). (1995). A survey of family literacy in the United States. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
This book, intended for use by teachers, parents, and policymakers, describes the historical development of the field of family literacy, as well as a current picture of family literacy in the United States. It offers detailed information about specific programs in the field in its more than 100 sources concerning family literacy. In addition to an Overview section, there are several other sections providing informative entries: Parent Involvement Programs; Intergenerational Programs; Research on Naturally Occurring Literacy in Families; Agencies and Associations Dealing with Family Literacy; and Further References About Family Literacy.
Nickse, R., Speicher, A. M., & Buchek, P. C. (1988). An intergenerational adult literacy project: A family intervention/prevention model. Journal of Reading, 31, 634?642.
This article discusses the effectiveness of the Collaborations for Literacy program, an intergenerational adult basic education and literacy program at Boston University. Two important research questions are examined: (1) Does the intergenerational approach have a positive impact on beginning adult readers; and (2) What are the benefits to the children of parents enrolled in an intergenerational program? In addition to its basic teaching curriculum, various other intervention techniques were used in the study, including weekly consultation for tutors and learners, literacy "socials" for parents and their children, and inservice training for tutors on literacy-related topics and techniques. Preliminary data on adult participants suggest that vocabulary and comprehension reading gains were made as a function of the number of hours spent in tutoring. No results were available yet for children. Based on the preliminary analyses, the authors report ten important suggestions to keep in mind in the development of a successful intergenerational literacy program.
Nuckolls, M. (1991). Expanding students' potential through family literacy. Educational Leadership, 49, 45?46.
This article describes Parents and Literacy (PAL) family literacy program in Tucson, Arizona. PAL began with parent classes and has evolved into a home visitation model. The author discusses three findings from this project that have implications for those who are interested in implementing a family literacy program within a conventional educational system: all staff members must feel ownership over the program; recruitment and retention of parents must be central; and evaluation of the program cannot be measured merely quantitatively.
Quintero, E., & Huerta-Macias, A. (1990). All in the family: Bilingualism and biliteracy. The Reading Teacher, 44, 306?312.
This article discusses several aspects of the Family Initiative for English Literacy (FIEL) project employed by the El Paso Community College Literacy Center. It includes the rationale for the model on which the project is based, a description and assessment of the project's goals, the content of the curriculum, and implications for classrooms with language minority students. A detailed account of one family's progress within the program is also provided.
Quintero, E., & Velarde, M. C. (1990). Intergenerational literacy: A developmental, bilingual approach. Young Children, 45, 10?15.
Quintero and Velarde describe the development and implementation of El Paso Community College's model Intergenerational Literacy Project. The project uses a developmental approach to teach Spanish-speaking parents and their children together to improve their literacy skills in both Spanish and English. In addition to a general overall description of the project, the article discusses important assumptions regarding literacy development upon which the program is based as well as key curriculum components. A brief explanation of the program's effect on parents and children concludes the article.
Richards, R. T. (1998). When family literacy begins on the job. Educational Leadership, 55(8), 78?80.
This article offers a description of a family literacy program at Winthrop University in South Carolina. This program intends to help employees improve their on-the-job literacy skills through activities involving their families and homes. Three approaches characterize this program: using children's literature, work-related literature, and personal literature. Participants receive job training activities at work and then as part of the instruction, relate these activities to their homes and their families. For example, by learning and responding to literacy strategies used when reading children's literature, the program intends for the participants to use these strategies when reading for personal pleasure or work.
Segel, E., & Friedberg, J. B. (1991). "Is today liberry day?": Community support for family literacy. Language Arts, 68, 654?657.
This article discusses Beginning with Books, a literacy agency affiliated with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. The authors describe three family literacy programs implemented by Beginning with Books to promote children's and adults' literacy: (1) the Gift Book Program, which draws on existing community services to help distribute picturebook gift packets to families with young children; (2) READ TOGETHER, a program that provides child care and one-on-one storybook reading sessions for children while their parents partake in literacy tutoring; and (3) Read-Aloud Parent Clubs for Head Start parents in which parent-child storybook reading is discussed and modeled and books are given out at each meeting for parents to read to their children at home. The authors believe that all three program can easily be replicated and provide sources to obtain additional information on Beginning with Books.
Weinstein-Shr, G., & Quintero, E. (Eds.). (1995). Immigrant learners and their families: Literacy to connect the generations. Language in Education: Theory and Practice, 84. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 379 964).
This document is a collection of essays intended for the reader who wishes to learn about programs and curricula for adult immigrants and their children. The first section's theme is collaboration. An overview of projects implemented in California for language minority families is presented. Two chapters focus on the collaborative process experienced during the implementation of two literacy programs. The second section, Curriculum: Drawing on Learner Strengths, is comprised of four chapters that each discuss the ways in which specific programs develop curricula to build on participants strengths. Projects discussed in this section include one based on research and participants' needs, one which promoted writing and reading as a form of "social action," one which linked the curriculum to the participants' outside world, and one which had success in using story-telling with a reading program for mothers. In the last section, the following issues are identified: (1) the need to learn more about the participants and their existing literacy practices; (2) the need to develop innovative ways to measure and evaluate change and success within literacy programs; and (3) the need to generalize to the other contexts in which immigrant families learn.
Winter, M., & Rouse, J. (1990). Fostering intergenerational literacy: The Missouri Parents as Teachers Program. The Reading Teacher, 43(6), 382?386.
There is growing agreement among educators that interventions targeting child literacy must more broadly recognize the entire family as the client, and must respect the culture and value system of that family. The Missouri Parents as Teachers program (PAT) employs this family-centered approach and has become the model for early childhood family education in Missouri. This paper describes the services the program offers, their curriculum, how PAT promotes literacy, and the variety of parent-child activities. Implications for local school districts are discussed. A general evaluation of the project is also included.
| Section 3: Family Literacy Practives |
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Section 5: Program Development, Assessment, and Evaluation Procedures |