NLA Discussion: 21st Century Act

[Janet Isserlis]

David,

I'm glad that you called attention to this:

>  2.  I wonder if the definition of "family literacy services" is too
> narrow.  It appears to focus only on parents and their children,
> and perhaps only their youngest children.  Could this be
> broadened to include other adults in the family, at least other
> adult care givers, and could it explicitly include children
> through adolescence?

There was some work done in Canada (and no doubt elsewhere, as well) around
this narrow definition of family literacy.  Lee Weinstein and others have
worked with the idea of community literacy (working to make ties between
literacy and community development more explicit).  Others talk about
intergenerational literacy in hopes that at the least, adults and children,
younger and older people who share homes/communities/ neighborhoods be
acknowledged as people who use literacy and may need assistance with
developing literacy abilities.

I hope that the definition can be expanded greatly.  Otherwise, we risk the
potential tyranny of somewhat constrained and narrowly conceived notions of
what a 'family literacy' program should or shouldn't do.  (I'm also hearing
about 'family' programs with work-related outcomes.  Am I the only one who
finds this frightening?)

Janet Isserlis
Literacy Resources/RI