National Adult Literacy Agency
Submission on
Better Literacy and Numeracy for Children and Young People: A draft plan to improve literacy and numeracy in schools (November 2010).
Family literacy has the potential to provide an important intervention into the cycle of educational disadvantage. Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Science. Fourth Report Adult Literacy in Ireland May 2006
The National Adult Literacy Agency
The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) is an independent organisation that:
is the voice of adults wishing to improve their literacy skills, and
is committed to raising adult literacy levels.
Our mission
Our mission is to be the voice of adult literacy in Ireland and, with our partners,
influence policy and practice to support people in developing their literacy.
NALA’s vision
We want Ireland to be a place where adult literacy is a valued right and where
everyone can both develop their literacy and take part more fully in society.
How NALA define literacy
Literacy involves listening and speaking, reading, writing, numeracy and using
everyday technology to communicate and handle information. But it includes more
than the technical skills of communications: it also has personal, social and
economic dimensions. Literacy increases the opportunity for individuals and
communities to reflect on their situation, explore new possibilities and initiate
change.
2
NALA contribution to “Better Literacy and Numeracy for Children and
Young People: A draft plan to improve literacy and numeracy in schools”
(November 2010).
NALA is delighted to contribute to improving the literacy and numeracy of children
and young people by providing an input on the draft plan entitled “Better Literacy
and Numeracy for Children and Young People: A draft plan to improve literacy and
numeracy in schools” (November 2010).
NALA welcomes this plan as appropriate and timely. We support its strategic intent
which recognises the key role of literacy and numeracy in a person’s life and the
enormous impact that literacy difficulties have on a person’s life chances. This
report acknowledges that literacy standards in primary schools have not changed in
30 years and outlines a number of targets and actions to impact on this.
NALA supports the draft plan and endorses the key elements of the plan, in
particular:
the need for a whole-school commitment to redress gaps and issues;
the integration of literacy and numeracy across the curricula, involving all
teachers;
the need for development of curricula and assessment processes and
strategies;
the laying out of targets and actions;
the importance of supporting transitions from ECCE to primary school and
from primary to secondary school;
the focus on initial and continuous education and training for teachers and
practitioners;
the focus on the role parents and communities can play in contributing to
higher literacy and numeracy standards for children and young people; and
the identification of mechanisms to carry out the plan.
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NALA would like to make recommendations on nine areas which we believe should
be considered and included in the final plan. These recommendations primarily
relate to chapters 7 Enabling parents and communities to support children’s
literacy and numeracy development and chapter 5 Targeting available
additional resources on learners at risk of failure to achieve adequate
levels of literacy and numeracy. They are drawn from recent research with
parents in Ireland and supported by further national and international research
which follows after this section.1
1) Launch a national information campaign on the importance of literacy
and numeracy throughout life
Findings show
A national media campaign should raise awareness of the importance of
family literacy work. A series of TV programmes could model good family
literacy practice, encourage participation in community-based programmes
and disseminate useful support materials in an accessible format for those
with unmet literacy needs.
A menu of (accredited) family literacy modules should be available to
parents that recognises the needs of different parents and children. These
modules would include: understanding how learning happens; early years
language development; reading with children; fun and creativity in
language, literacy and numeracy; computer skills as a basis for a digital
approach to family literacy; communicating successfully with schools;
dealing with bullying (and its negative impact on learning); strategies for 1 Hegarty, A., and Feeley, M., 2010. Taking Care of Family Literacy Work: an enquiry with parents about their experience of nurturing language and literacy in the home, Dublin, National Adult Literacy Agency.
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family literacy with children who have specific learning
difficulties/disabilities.
The DES should support the inclusion of family literacy in the interactive
digital learning facility – www.writeon.ie
Recommendations
There should be a national promotion of the importance of strong literacy
and numeracy skills and the need to constantly improve them throughout
life and not just during formal schooling. The draft reports state that ‘there
may be a mistaken sense that literacy and numeracy should be finished by
the end of primary school’ (p42). It is our contention that it is an equally
mistaken sense that literacy and numeracy should ever be considered
finished. It is understood that ICT skills cannot be learnt only during school
as ICT is constantly evolving. Similarly literacy and numeracy demands are
also evolving and need to be developed in the context of school, the
community and the workplace. Any efforts in this regard need to draw on
the work of the National Reading Initiative and its evaluation, as well as
existing campaigns aimed at adults coordinated by NALA.
There is an increasing interest in digital literacies and this offers new
opportunities for online family literacy work as part of NALA’s interactive
website www.writeon.ie.
NALA’s TV campaign approach might usefully be used to increase awareness
of family literacy issues, model good practice and encourage participation in
local adult and family literacy learning opportunities.
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2) Provide direct supports to parents to encourage them to support
children’s language literacy and numeracy development
Findings show
Parents use all the skills they can muster to do family literacy work and this
is particularly challenging for parents who themselves have unmet literacy
issues. These parents suggest an intensive adult literacy programme as an
initial step in dealing with their needs as key players in family literacy.
Parents felt fairly confident with the family literacy work that happens prior
to formal schooling. They recognised that better information, knowledge and
skills would allow them to be more strategic and effective in terms of
encouraging language development.
Parents want to be consulted about the content of family literacy
programmes as their needs are complex and change according to the age
and number of children. Children with specific learning difficulties/disabilities
require specialised support and parents need ongoing guidance with this
demanding work.
All family literacy training needs to be supported and enabled with quality
childcare provision.
Recommendations
National literacy policy should include an increased commitment to family
literacy as a basis for improving chances of educational equality for both
children and adults. Such policy should always be grounded in an analysis of
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the systemic roots of literacy disadvantage as this would give added
credibility, motivation and optimism to participants and practitioners.
The plan should be enhanced to build more strategic and effective linkages
between schools, families and communities. There should be increased
resources targeted into this area which would move the DEIS family literacy
programme from pilot level funding of €200,000 to the mainstream,
covering all DEIS schools and VEC areas.
Parents’ willingness and motivation to do robust family literacy work should
be recognised and adequately resourced, through appropriate family literacy
training options, to meet the complex situations of disadvantaged families.
Parents with literacy needs should be offered access to a family literacy
programme as a first stepping-stone back into learning. Where necessary,
access to advice, guidance and counselling should be made available.
3) Ensure that parental engagement in children’s learning is integrated
into each schools teaching and learning strategy and development plan
Findings show
When children began school, parents felt more distanced from their learning.
Parents’ level of involvement and inclusion was determined by the school
ethos and this in turn depended on the leadership provided by the school
principal. We gathered evidence that the degree of home-school
collaboration impacts on the quality of family literacy. Where schools work
closely with parents there is greater clarity about how best to support
children. In the best cases, schools provide family literacy materials for
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parents and run family literacy and numeracy sessions that help inform and
guide parents.
Recommendations
Whilst meeting the needs of adult literacy learners, family literacy
programmes and resources should reflect the content and processes
recommended by Aistear and the Primary School Curriculum. In the light of
proposals in the Draft National Plan for Literacy and Numeracy (DES, 2010)
parents need to be informed about the process of literacy assessment in
primary schools. At the same time the distinction between pedagogy and
learning care work in the home should not be blurred.
A NALA, DES, IVEA partnership should work with DEIS schools in
disadvantaged communities to access parents with unmet literacy needs and
make a systematic community development model of family literacy training
available to them in their locality. Fathers and mothers may initially want to
learn in separate groups.
4) Support existing initiatives to link home, school and community
literacy and numeracy initiatives
Findings show
Parents want opportunities for peer support and one group had access to
this in the family room provided in their local DEIS school. The Home School
Community Liaison coordinator in this school facilitated activities for parents
that contributed to language, literacy and numeracy development. Family
literacy training would be an important extension of this existing work.
8
Recommendation
Best home-school collaborative practice in DEIS schools should be recorded,
analysed and disseminated in areas where parents are not included
meaningfully in their children’s learning. The role of the successful HSCL
coordinator in including adults with literacy needs should be explored. This
suggests that all HSCL personnel have relevant adult literacy awareness
training. Best practice DEIS primary schools should be investigated as a
base for family literacy programmes with educationally disadvantaged
parents.
5) Initial and continuous professional development for teachers
Findings show
Some teachers do not know how to engage or support parents to support
their children’s school performance. Teachers and school leaders need to
raise their capacity to progress family literacy programmes to better respond
to literacy needs of school children.
Recommendation
This means enhancing initial and continuous training for teachers to cover
family learning and family literacy development in order to improve literacy
and numeracy outcomes for children. Included in this should be awareness
of adult literacy problems, its causes and the consequences for individuals
and their families. These suggestions relate specifically to actions arising
from sections 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, and 3.
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6) Enhancing partnership between families, communities and schools
Findings show
While literacy and numeracy difficulties are evident across society, the issue
is particularly prevalent among disadvantaged communities. Children from
disadvantaged communities are more likely to have literacy difficulties, and
the literacy gap widens as children progress through school. The plan must
respond to this reality and include a more robust and specific element
focusing on how schools, particularly those serving disadvantaged
communities, can cooperate with children, parents and communities to
redress this imbalance. This is absent in the proposals in section 5.
Recommendation
Develop in consultation guidelines on structured partnership between key
stakeholders.
7) Integration of literacy and numeracy development across the
curriculum
Findings show
The integration of literacy and numeracy across the curricula involving all
teachers is a very effective whole-school/centre approach to literacy and
numeracy. NALA work in relation to integrating literacy in further education
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and training includes research, guidelines and training. A large body of work
has been completed with Community Training Centres.
Recommendation
The work and experience on integrating literacy in the further education and
training sector should be examined with a view to sharing the existing
resources for supporting approaches and actions in this area and should be
considered for inclusion in the final version of the plan.
8) Sharing existing resources and expertise
Findings show
A literature review carried out this year by the UK National Research and
Development Centre found very little evidence of effective partnership and
coordination of public services in adult literacy, stating “Regarding coherent,
cross-field policy action, observers in many countries will note a great deal of
rhetoric around "joined-up" policy, but relatively limited cross-silo working,
particularly at national level”.2
Recommendations
The sections on young people, Youthreach and EAL students could raise
awareness about relevant adult literacy resources and approaches, for
example www.writeon.ie. There is very little knowledge sharing between
literacy experts working in the different sectors of education and training,
2 A literature review of international adult literacy policy, NALA 2011 Forthcoming
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both a national and local level. A recommendation to facilitate sharing
between the relevant parties would be useful.
Building on the recommendation of the NESF (2008) report on child literacy,
there is a need for a lifelong policy framework approach to literacy
development and not just a consideration of children and young people. Many
of the recommendations in the draft plan are equally relevant and necessary
within the further education and training sector. There are missed
opportunities in the draft plan to highlight the complementarity and overlap
of resources between school based practitioners and those working on
literacy development within the further education and training sector.
There should be greater emphasis on the role of libraries in the community to
support parents and children develop a culture of reading. Libraries should be
an integral part of each school’s education plan and strong partnerships
should exist between every school and their local library.
The full range of family and community stakeholders should be supported to
be aware of and involved in initiatives to raise literacy levels.
9) Overseeing the plan
Recommendation
The National Literacy and Numeracy Implementation Group and the National
Literacy and Numeracy Forum should include representation and expertise
from educationally disadvantaged families and/or the adult literacy sector.
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Background information on family literacy
Children’s literacy development remains a pressing and critical issue. Over 30% of
primary school children in disadvantaged areas suffer from severe literacy
problems (ERC 2004), while 1 in 10 children leave primary school with a
significant literacy difficulty (National Assessment of English Reading 2000).
Standards of reading in Irish schools have not changed in 30 years, and
educational disadvantage is being compounded. Two-thirds of pupils in the most
disadvantaged schools achieved at or below the 20th percentile on standardised
tests (compared to 20% nationally), and performance declined as pupils
progressed through the school (NESF 2008).
25 years of various school-based programmes designed to tackle educational
disadvantage and children’s performance have been described as having
disappointing results (Irish Times, 20 June 2009). If standards of performance at
school have not changed significantly in decades, more of the same will not
change this, and there is a need for a more holistic approach to support learning in
schools (Sticht 2008). Improving standards may be found in addressing other
factors that impact on learning and school performance such as support for
education from parents and carers, family members and communities.
Family literacy provides a win-win scenario to policy makers. Family literacy
programmes improve the literacy practices of parents and other family members. This
has a very significant knock on effect on school performance of children. This offers
potential opportunities to break inter-generational cycles of under-achievement by
working with those families who do not, or may not know how, to best support their
child’s learning.
What is Family Literacy?
The term family literacy describes:
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The uses of literacy and numeracy within families and communities,
especially activities which involve two or more generations;
Education programmes that help to develop literacy and numeracy learning
in a family context.
The word family describes a relationship of care and support between different
generations, usually over a long period. Families include children, teenagers and
the people who look after them:
parents, foster-parents, step-parents or guardians;
grandparents; aunts and uncles;
brothers, sisters and cousins.
Family networks may be large or small and may include wider communities.
Sometimes child-minders and residential care-workers fulfill similar roles to those
of parents or guardians in relation to family learning. NALA defines ‘parents’ as
adults who are in a long-term caring relationship with children and responsible for
their well-being and development.
How can Family Literacy programmes help?
In order to further support effective literacy learning for adults and children, family
literacy development work needs to be a key feature of both adult literacy
provision and school outreach work. Family literacy programmes may be organised
in conjunction with schools or in partnership with groups such as community
development or training organisations, family resource centres, childcare or
support for refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers. There is a need for
schools to engage with family literacy and support family learning and adult
learning initiatives led by other stakeholders.
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Recognising the key role of learning at home and parental support for children’s
learning, the Department of Education and Skills has taken a lead in promoting a
strategy for the development of family literacy work as part of the DEIS initiative
(2006 – 2010). Family literacy work helps to overcome the barriers to learning
felt by some adults and children. This approach can recognise and build on the
strengths of families and communities who feel marginalised or excluded from the
expectations of school. Family literacy programmes bring new learners into adult
literacy and community education and provide a key element in developing lifelong
learning opportunities for all (NALA 2004; Brooks et al 1997).
As well as impacting on school performance and standards, family literacy
programmes support the meeting of adult literacy targets, and can contribute to
human capital development at multiple levels.
Key policy points for family literacy programmes:
flexibility in order to respond most effectively to particular families and
communities;
programmes are most effective when they are able to respond to local
strengths and needs;
programmes must build on respect for the views and strengths of parents
and carers;
programmes and approaches build the concept of partnership between
families and schools; School led initiatives should be augmented by family
and community led initiatives. And
an emphasis on learning for adults as part of family learning programmes,
as well as children’s learning (NALA, 2004).
Evidence that standards of performance at school have not changed significantly in
decades points to the need for a more holistic approach to support learning in
schools. It is possible that schools are performing at or near the optimum level in
what they are doing already. Improving standards may be found in addressing
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other factors that impact on learning and school performance such as support for
education for parents and carers, family members and communities.
In the context of the current economic downturn, consideration of how best to
align existing structures and maximise public resources available is at the heart of
policy responses to social and economic issues. Family literacy provides a policy
option that delivers value on several socio-economic priorities:
It contributes to raising adult literacy levels.
It enhances children’s performance in schools and child literacy
development.
It has a multiplier effect as it works across the four components of human
capital development.
Family Literacy Research
The vital role played by parents in children’s education at all stages is gaining
recognition. As a result, there is a growing understanding of the need to support
adults who wish to improve their own literacy skills and confidence, as well as
those of their children. By encouraging both informal and formal learning and by
giving support to learning at home, family literacy approaches help literacy and
numeracy learning for all age groups.
The European Family Learning Network www.efln.eu highlight a large body of evidence
that demonstrates parental engagement has a positive affect on a child’s academic
performance (Fan, X. and Chen, M., 2001) at both primary and secondary levels
(Feinstein, L. and Symons, J., 1999). This results in improved school achievement,
greater cognitive ability, greater problem-solving skills, increased school enjoyment
16
and attendance, and fewer behavioural issues (Melhuish, E., Sylva, K., Sammons, P.,
Siraj-Blatchford, I. & Taggart, B., 2001).
Research also suggests that parental involvement in a child’s learning has more of an
impact on a child’s educational outcomes than any other demographic measure,
including social class, level of parental education or income (Feinstein and Symons,
1999). So whilst parental background may explain parental interest, it is not the
most defining factor. This offers potential opportunities to break inter-generational
cycles of under-achievement by working with those families who do not, or may not
know how to, best support their child’s learning.
Research in Ireland and at international level reveals similar issues in relation to
literacy, schools, children’s learning and the key role of parents and carers
(Desforges, 2003; Feinstein et al, 2004; EFLN 2008).
The NESC points out that “community initiatives that improve adult literacy or
adult migrants' command of English may, indirectly but significantly, lead to
improved school performances by children from the same households” (The Irish
Economy in the Early 21st Century, page 237).
The June 2009 conference of the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) on
child literacy concluded that the statistics on children’s literacy reveal significant
social and economic cost for the individual and the State. Young people who do
not learn effective literacy and numeracy at primary school are more likely to
leave school early. Research studies have shown that early school-leavers are far
more likely to be jobless than those who complete their education. Their
difficulties with education may then affect their own children’s learning. After 25
years of various school-based programmes designed to tackle these problems, the
results have been disappointing and the conference advised that a medium to long
term approach is required. The NESF favours a cross departmental “national
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literacy policy framework” under the control of the Department of Education and
Science to ensure greater policy coherence in this area (NESF, June 2009).
A KPMG (2006) report in the UK shows that children’s performance in reading
tests are affected by their parents’ literacy (Vorhaus, 2006). This conclusion is
backed up in the UK by the findings of a recent study by De Coulon et al (2008)
published by the National Research and Development Centre. This was based on a
longitudinal database and found that parents’ literacy and numeracy had a strong
effect on children’s learning. The authors concluded that ‘results suggest that
policy aimed at increasing parents’ basic skills may have large effects on children’s
learning. There is particular scope for policies targeted at lowly-qualified adults
and young parents, from whom these effects are especially strong.’
As parents’ skills improve, so do children’s educational achievements (Sticht and
McDonald; in Schweinhart, 2008). ‘The longest long-term programme for the child
is the development of the parent. I have referred to this as getting “double duty
dollars” when investing in adult education. We pay for the adults’ education, and
we get improved education for both the adults and their children’ (Sticht, 2008).
Family literacy support programmes also help parents and carers to relate more
effectively with their children’s teachers and to express their views and
experience. In particular, such programmes can help to build bridges with families
who find schools difficult and alien places, feelings that can cause problems for
children and their teachers. Research has also identified that successful
programmes are based on a response to the needs and concerns of the learners,
have adequate long-term funding and a commitment to strong partnership (Padak
et al, 2002).
The link between enhanced literacy levels, basic skills and wider social and economic
development is well accepted both in Ireland and internationally (Coulombe, S., J.F.
18
Tremblay and S. Marchand, 2004). There is also a significant body of evidence that
investment in raising literacy levels of adults has the added impact of raising school
performance and literacy levels of children. “Children whose parents have very low
literacy levels tend to have exceptionally low child test scores in reading” (Vorhaus,
2006). This link was found to be progressively weaker as literacy levels improved, and
the fact that the result was evident “even when parents’ qualifications are taken into
account is particularly important”.
The intergenerational impact of literacy levels has been studied internationally and
its effects were found to lead to higher costs of schooling and to missed economic
opportunities in later life (KPMG 2006, Dugdale and Clark, 2008). Although there
are no studies of aspirations and intergenerational effects in Ireland, there is an
estimate of the costs and benefits of early childhood education (Chevalier et al
2006). This shows that early childhood education yields a benefit to cost ratio of
between 4.6 to 1 and 7 to 1. The relevance of the study is that it highlights the
value of offsetting the effects on children of low parental aspirations, and
educational attainment by early (i.e. pre-school) educational intervention. The
focus of the study was education rather than literacy per se but as Dorgan points
out, “interventions aimed at literacy could generate a proportion of these
estimated benefits” (NALA, 2009).
“Human capital is not only a function of the initial stock the individual is born with
(genetic luck) but is produced over the life cycle by families, schools, and firms”
(Harmon in Chevalier et al 2006). The added value that raising adult literacy
levels has to human capital development by improving children’s school
performance is widely recognised, but remains an under researched area. While
policy debates focus on schools as the main provider of skills, the crucial role of
the parent is under resourced in the education spend.
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Advancing standards in schools, given the stagnation witnessed over the last three
decades, may now be found in supporting family literacy programmes.
Drawing from Family Literacy in Action: an overview of family learning
programmes, NALA 2011
Family learning programmes can help to overcome the barriers to learning felt by
families who find it difficult to relate to school learning. It is an important way of
recognising and building on the strengths of families who hitherto fore have felt
excluded or marginalised from the expectations of school and society. This
research provides an overview of family learning as it takes place in local
communities and details the benefits of participation to the families involved. A
case study design was used with the purpose of interviewing parents attending the
family literacy programme, adult literacy organisers (ALO’s) course tutors and
school staff who support the programmes.
Findings
Our findings show that families benefit from participation in family learning. Such
benefits show that engagement in family learning programmes:
Has provided parents with an opportunity to socialise with other parents;
Has provided parents with support, information and help needed to develop
their learning skills;
Has been of benefit to families regarding helping with their children’s
homework and other related school work;
Has helped to alleviate some of the pressure experienced by parents with
literacy difficulties; and
Has provided all round family support that extends beyond the requirements
of school work.
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Impact on the home school relationship
Participation in family learning programmes can also help to break down barriers
between the home and school and facilitate a better relationship between parents
and school staff. Our data shows that participation in family literacy programmes:
Has provided parents with a better understanding of the requirements of
their children’s school work;
Has helped to equip parents with the coping skills needed to interact more
effectively with schools and school staff;
Has raised a recognition among school staff of the important role family
learning performs in enhancing the relationship between the home and the
school
Has had positive academic outcomes for the children involved; and
Has helped facilitate better communication between the home and the
school.
Finally, our findings show that the key factors that contribute to the success of the
family learning programmes included in the research are that:
All of the services have made concerted efforts to build good networking
relationships with local schools and community services. The services
emphasise the importance of this networking as fundamental to having a
successful family learning service. To this end it might be valuable to look at
ways to disseminate information on successful methods of networking to all
family learning services;
All participants; parents, staff and school staff agree that participation in
family learning programmes is having a positive impact between the home
and school environments. With this in mind family learning programmes
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might explore ways of developing structures that facilitate and promote
communication and collaboration between themselves and school staff, in
particular the HSCL; and
All three family learning programmes provide a very specific service that is
tailored to local need. Therefore, it would be undesirable to try to adopt a
‘one fit all’ policy in relation to the design and content of family learning
programmes. Each service has designed innovative and creative
programmes that exemplify models of good practice in family learning. No
doubt this work is repeated in other family learning programmes around the
country. Given the value of this work the IVEA with the support of NALA
might examine ways to effectively share this information among all family
learning practitioners.
Integrating Literacy
NALA welcomes the draft strategy’s emphasis on integrating literacy and
numeracy across the curriculum at all levels of the education system. This will
involve supporting schools and centres to plan and apply a whole-centre approach
to literacy and numeracy; and to extending increased literacy-related supports –
such as the JCSP service - to Youthreach and Community Training Centres (CTCs).
NALA has over recent years worked to develop resources and supports for further
education and training providers in integrating literacy across the curriculum.
Supports developed include:
Professional Development programme for subject teachers and vocational
trainers in integrating literacy across the curriculum, accredited by National
University of Ireland Maynooth.
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Professional Development programme for teachers of English, literacy, Maths
and numeracy, in how to facilitate the integration of literacy across the
curriculum and a whole centre approach to literacy – accredited by the
Literacy Development Centre in Waterford Institute of Technology.
Research reports on integrating literacy in a range of settings, including
youth education settings (with FAS Community Training Centres) and further
education colleges.
a) a whole-organisation approach to integrating literacy in a youth
development and training setting (McSkeane 2009); and
b) integrating literacy in formal further education and training programmes
at Level 5 (Hegarty & Feeley 2009)
Teaching and learning resources and materials for integrating literacy and
numeracy with the teaching and learning of other subjects.
With partners such as FAS CTCs, Youthreach Centres, Traveller Education
Centres, Teagasc colleges and VEC Further Education colleges, NALA has helped
to research and develop models of integrating literacy and of whole-centre
approaches to literacy development. This experience, and other research and
practice in Ireland and internationally, indicates that integrating literacy into
the teaching and learning of other subjects is effective in developing students’
literacy and numeracy and in making the teaching of all other subjects more
inclusive and effective for all students. It also indicates that integrating literacy
is most effective when it takes account of literacy as a social practice, not just
as an individual skill. Professional development should include training in a
strengths-based approach: how to draw on each student’s uses of varied
literacies in their everyday lives as the most effective basis for developing skills
and confidence in standard or academic literacy.
23
In addition to the draft plan’s welcome proposals on initial and continuing
professional development, and on the provision of a team of advisers to DEIS
schools, there is a need to support schools and centres in developing sustainable
strategies and routines for ongoing professional development - for example,
mentoring and peer support. Those teachers who have completed professional
development in integrating literacy / numeracy, and who have been continuing to
try to apply that approach in their work, are a valuable potential resource for other
practitioners/teachers and for a mentoring approach to CPD. In this regard the
DES should consider forming a team of facilitators / peer trainers / mentors, in
order to sustain an in-house peer training programme in literacy integration.
There is no one-size-fits-all model of integrating literacy. When teachers are
resourced through initial and CPD with the basic concepts and skills for integrating
literacy, and when schools are supported to develop whole centre systems that
support teachers in this work, they can make it their own and develop locally-
specific ways of integrating literacy effectively with other learning. The strategy
needs to be centrally resourced but locally designed and learner-centred.
The Guidelines to Enhance Cooperation between Back to Education Initiative and
Adult Literacy Programmes (DES 2009) map the basic features of an integrated
approach to literacy that will inevitably be adapted to the local, specific context:
Teachers of the core subjects know and use inclusive, literacy-aware methods
and materials.
Students have access to a dedicated course-related literacy support
service…at all levels.
There is effective and systematic communication between subject staff and
literacy support staff to jointly plan how to support students with their
24
specific needs.
Management has systems in place to facilitate that communication and
teamwork (DES, 2009: 6).
As NALA is currently working in this area, in particular with CTCs, it would seem
beneficial to include the Agency and its partners in discussions and developments
going forward, as appropriate.
Further information is available from Inez Bailey, Director, NALA.
25
References
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