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Due to family literacy’s focus on local decision making,
the above checklist is purposely general. However, the universal applicability
and importance of some items — namely, raising education standards for all
students (children and adults), funding, marketing, and staff development
— is of such a nature as to warrant further description.
Raising Standards
The
bottom line of family literacy, whether offered in a correctional facility or
elsewhere, is furthering learners’ language development. New York State
defines the parameters of “language development” in its English
Language Arts (ELA) learning standard. ELA is one of seven learning standards
established by the New York State Education Department in its statewide effort
to raise standards for all students, including adult learners. This
effort focuses on setting high standards, building capacity, and accounting for
results. (All seven of the learning standards are presented in Appendix E.)
THE NEED FOR HIGHER STANDARDS
The effort to raise learning standards is inextricably
embedded in the foundations of family literacy. The need for higher standards
for parents and children is evident:
- Research by the Rand Corporation (1996) indicates that one
of the most important influences on student test scores is the level of
parental education
- Statistical profiles of schools with low or declining
performance show that these schools serve comparatively high percentages of
students whose parents have limited or no English language proficiency, have
not completed high school, read at less than an eighth grade level, and
currently receive public assistance.
- Children’s literacy levels and readiness for school
are directly linked to their parent’s literacy level.
With approximately 70 percent of incarcerated individuals as
parents and reports of over 33 percent of women in custody having three or more
children,(9) the need for family literacy
in an incarcerated setting is no less compelling. Family literacy can help
foster a powerful interdependence within the family and give hope for the next
generation.
9 Statistic from Project
Greenhope: Services for Women, Inc. (New York, NY) |
| Learning standards have two
primary dimensions. Content standards describe what students should
know, understand, and be able to do. Performance standards define levels
of student achievement pertaining to content. The teaching and learning taking
place between these two dimen-sions is perhaps the most crucial element of the
entire process. |
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