Table of Contents

Introduction:
Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Chapter I:
An Overview of the State of Literacy Work

What can the statistics tell us about restricted literacy?

Creating literacy statistics
Levels of literacy
Who is affected and how?
What the statistics leave out
"Illiterate" is only a label

Literacy work and the literacy issue — historical sketches

Literacy work 1960-85
Putting literacy on the agenda — the late 1980s
International Literacy Year — awareness and resources
Devolution and partnership
Literacy for competitiveness, literacy as a right
Recent literacy programming development

Government activities in literacy

National Literacy Secretariat
Employment and Immigration Canada
Correctional Services Canada
Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Newfoundland
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Québec
Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British Columbia
Yukon
Northwest Territories

Chapter II:
Issues in Literacy Practice and Policy

Is it government policy to create a literate society?

A range of learner-centred literacy programming

From packaged to learner-centred teaching practice
One-to-one volunteer tutoring, groups and paid workers
Learner-centredness, program staffing and training
Community and "standards"

Student and program evaluation
Curricula
Teacher qualifications

A range of programming

The community in literacy
Educational institutions
Workplace literacy

The anchors of illiteracy

School and society
Literate jobs and access to communication

From practice to policy

Bibliography