Participants include people involved in literacy and health projects from across Canada, the US and abroad. If you are planning to attend, send your form and payment before May 15 to qualify for the early registration fee.


Pilot project on plain communication
The Centre is working on a pilot project on plain communication with Elizabeth House, a Montreal agency that provides residential support for single mothers with limited resources and education. It includes parenting instruction and a schooling component to give the women a foundation for further learning or work. Through this project, The Centre will help the agency conduct a literacy audit, do staff training on plain communication, and consult on revisions to their documents following the audit and training workshops. We will collaborate with Elizabeth House staff in developing an evaluation process to measure impact on organizational function, including client satisfaction. Our intention is that this project can offer a model for other small social service or health agencies.


What counts as evidence in research in adult literacy, ABE,and ESL?

A conference focusing on this question was hosted by the recently-formed UK National Research and Development Centre on adult literacy and numeracy (NRDC). With the growing demand internationally for accountability, and the recognition that adult literacy has a small body of recognized research, there is new investment in research in many countries. Questions range from understanding the nature of adult learning to effective ways of teaching; from ways of measuring levels of need to measuring levels of progress; from analyzing social context to measuring economic consequences; to name only a few of the areas of current inquiry. The NRDC invited researchers from several countries to discuss the different sorts of questions being asked, the methods being used and the evidence being produced. A key issue was whether a hierarchy of research methods that favours scientific empirical measures is necessarily the one best suited to the issues raised in adult literacy and numeracy. This meeting was the beginning of what has to be a continuing debate in the field because when funders decide what counts as evidence, our research and ultimately our program dollars will flow from there.

Watch for the next issue (17.1) of Literacy Across the CurriculuMedia Focus for a detailed report on presentations from the NRDC conference.

Anti-bullying: best practices and test sites
A request for submissions

CPHA logoThe Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) is undertaking a project with Justice Canada to identify criteria and evaluation tools for best practices in anti-bullying programs. Beginning September 2003, CPHA will be testing a standardized evaluation tool developed and based on the research of best practices. If you are interested in participating in developing national standards for anti-bullying programs, submitting a program description, being interviewed and/or testing an evaluation tool contact Project Coordinator, Perpetua Quigley (See coordinates below).

What is requested?

  • Program descriptions that include an evaluation component and demonstrate effectiveness in reducing bullying behaviours and responding to the needs of victims.

OR

  • Telephone interviews with administrators of anti-bullying programs that include an evaluation component and demonstrate the program's effectiveness in reducing behaviours and responding to the needs of victims.

OR

  • Sites for testing an anti-bullying evaluation tool

Submissions are requested by May 23, 2003.
Sites chosen for testing in September will be announced by June 2003.

Information: Perpetua Quigley, Project Coordinator, 613-725-3769 or e-mail:pquigley@cpha.ca


The Centre For Literacy
3040 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec H3Z 1A4
Tel: (514) 931-8731
ext. 1415
Fax: (514) 931-5181
www.centreforliteracy.qc.ca
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