Examines library-based literacy programs. Topics discussed include changes over the past eight years; current statistics; the relationship between libraries and literacy; advantages of using libraries for literacy programs, including social neutrality; immigrant populations and English as a Second Language; intergenerational family programs; and…

A discussion of literacy in bilingual and multilingual communities, particularly those with heavy concentrations of limited-English-proficient individuals, focuses on the role of the family in literacy education efforts. First, the diversity of such communities is examined, noting that linguistic/cultural, educational, rural/urban, and religious…

This report discusses an intergenerational project instituted in 1989 at the Jewish Community Center--JCCS David G. Neurman Senior Center in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). The project is based on the idea that children and older adult immigrants could share a learning environment in order to meet specific language objectives. Project objectives and…

Teachers' and developers' descriptions of intergenerational literacy programs for immigrants are collected here. Topics addressed include appropriate program design, the quality of intergenerational collaboration, student journals, learner-centered curriculum design, traditional and personal storytelling as a literacy approach, education and…

The first phase of Book Bridges, an English-as-a-Second Language literacy project for immigrant women and their children, was evaluated. Fifteen clients completed the first 10-week, 60-hour program designed to increase English vocabularies, give clients opportunities to express ideas in English, and provide a framework for facilitating…

Project LEIF (Learning English through Intergenerational Friendship) is a program begun in 1985 in which an intergenerational core of tutors was trained to teach English to refugees in the Philadelphia area. The program has since expanded and been replicated in four other cities. This manual is intended to help those individuals or groups…

Five questions and answers are presented in this document. They are as follows: (1) Are family literacy and intergenerational literacy the same? The first term, it is explained, focuses on the parent and child, while the second term, used in the broader sense, involves other adults such as grandparents and neighbors, etc. (2) What are the goals of…

This special issue of the newsletter "BEOutreach" focuses on the theme of family literacy program design and implementation. Articles address these topics: the influence of language and literacy on relationships within families and between families and schools; innovative approaches to family literacy that emphasize excellence; examples of…

The first meeting of the National Literacy Summit 2000 convened 150 leaders from adult education and literacy and other related fields for a 2-day intensive working meeting to begin building a national consensus on how to move adult and family literacy forward in the 21st century. Comments and suggestions offered by summit participants were…