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.

3

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.

4

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.

5

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

6

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

7

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.

9

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

10

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

11

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.

12

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:

13

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.

14

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

15

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

17

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.

19

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.

20

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

21

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.

22

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

Brooks, G., Pugh, A.K. and Schagen, I. (1997) Reading Performance at Nine. Slough: NFER.

Brooks, G. and Schagen, I. With Nastat, P., Lilly, J., Papadopoulou, Ch-O. And Othman, Y. (1997). Trends in Reading at Eight. Slough: NFER.

Chevalier, A., Harmon, C., Finn C., and Vijtanen T. (2006). The Economics of Early Childhood Care and Education. National Economic and Social Forum. Coulombe, S., Francois, T. and Marchand, S. (2004). Literacy Scores, Human Capital and Growth Across Fourteen OECD Countries. Ottawa, Statistics Canada. Desforges, C. & Abouchar, A. (2003). The Impact of Parental Involvement, Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievements and Adjustment: a literature review. London: Department for Education and Science. Dorgan, J. (2009). A Cost Benefit Analysis of Adult Literacy. Dublin: NALA. Economic and Social research Institute (2011). Behind the Scenes? A Study of Parental Involvement in Post-Primary Education. ESRI Dublin Educational Research Centre (2000). The 1998 National Assessment of English Reading. ERC Educational Research Centre (2004). Reading Literacy in Disadvantaged Primary Schools. ERC The European Family Learning Network www.efln.eu. Feinstein, L. & Symons, J. (1999). Attainment in Secondary Schools. Oxford Education Papers, 51.2. Oxford. 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. Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Science, (2006) Adult Literacy in Ireland. Dublin: Government publications. KPMG. (2006). The long-term costs of literacy difficulties. KPMG Foundation, London.

26

27

NALA. (2004). Working Together: Approaches to Family Literacy. Dublin: NALA. National Adult Literacy Agency, 2011. Family Literacy in Action: an overview of family learning programmes, Dublin, National Adult Literacy Agency. National Economic and Social Council. (2008). The Irish Economy in the Early 21st Century. National Economic and Social Council. National Economic and Social Forum. (2005). Early Childhood Care and Education. National Economic and Social Forum. National Economic and Social Forum. (2008). Child Literacy and Social Inclusion: Implementation Issues. National Economic and Social Forum. Padak, N., Sapin, C., & Baycich, D. (2002). A Decade of Family Literacy: Programs, Outcomes, and the Future. Information Series No. 389. Ohio: Ohio State University (ERIC). Sticht, T. (2006) Life Cycles and Education Policy National Adult Literacy Data. NALD Sticht, T. (2007) Improving Family Literacy by Increasing Investments in Adult Literacy Education. National Adult Literacy Database.

Schweinhart, L. (2008) Useful Research for Early Childhood Caregivers. Redmond WA. USA.