National Adult Literacy Database

Professor Heather Joshi, from London’s Institute of Education, spoke this week at the launch of a new booklet on longitudinal studies. She said that although a mid-1990s UK study showed a small link between literacy problems (as well as difficulties with math and behaviour) and mothers working, recent data analysis indicates that this no longer exists.

Across Canada and in most of the developed world, studies show boys and young men are increasingly falling behind their female peers in literacy levels and educational attainment rates. Father’s Day gave Essential Skills Ontario time to pause and think about the ramifications of these troubling statistics and to ask: what do they mean for the well-being of our future fathers-to-be and their families?

More than 1,400 children – mostly from low income families – have benefited from the program, which received the 2003 Canada Post Award for Community Leadership.

Every summer when children aren’t in school, they can lose some of the reading progress they made during the school year. This summer reading loss has been documented, and is one of the reasons for differences in reading achievement. Reading during the summer can help prevent this loss. (And, it’s fun, too!)

Now that summer is finally here, parents and children are excited about starting their summer vacation. But just because school’s out doesn’t mean we should take a vacation from learning. Research shows that children who don’t read over the summer lose some of the literacy skills they gained during the year and have a difficult time adjusting to school in the fall.

EF Education First and faculty from the Harvard Graduate School of Education will attempt to answer questions central to English language acquisition through an examination of language learning methodologies. The collaboration will begin by focusing on how students acquire written English proficiency.

While group communication is critical in any organization, unproductive meetings can create a spiral of frustration and inefficiency. In extreme cases, poor meeting management can decrease morale and result in finger pointing, backstabbing and an ocean of excuses for past misses instead of explanations and strategies for the future.

Twenty-three community organizations from across Canada have received funding from the TD Financial Literacy Grant Fund. This round of contributions will support programs focused on financial education and initiatives for seniors, women, newcomers, at-risk youth, women in conflict with the law, persons with disabilities, and Aboriginal people.

The Ontario Library Association is thrilled to announce that Joy Fielding is the winner of the 2013 Forest of Reading® Golden Oak™ Award for her book Home Invasion (Grass Roots Press).

The Plain Language Association InterNational (PLAIN) 2013 Conference will celebrate developments in the field and the organization's 20th anniversary. Set for Vancouver, B.C., Oct 10-13, 2013, the event is attracting a dynamic lineup of global presenters exploring the way forward for plain language. It offers an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about plain language and how its advantages can benefit you, your organization and your clients. Professionals will share knowledge, best practices, research and skills.

While many women lead successful businesses and are active members of corporate boards, they remain under-represented. Canada's Economic Action Plan 2012 announced the creation of an advisory council of leaders from the private and public sectors to promote the participation of women on corporate boards.

Job seekers in Western and Atlantic Canada are likely to benefit from a steady hiring climate from July through September, while they can still expect some opportunities in Ontario and Quebec. Although some regional Outlooks are experiencing slight decreases compared to the previous quarter, job seekers will likely continue to find prospects in the labour market as employers throughout Canada expect the hiring pace will be moderate through the summer.

Attracting and keeping younger workers makes good business sense, especially as the so-called millennials – those born between 1981 and 2000 – move into the workforce. Over the course of the next decade, as the demographics of the workplace continue to shift, Canadian businesses will likely face high turnover rates.

Measures of Success (MoS) was a national research project of The Centre for Literacy that was designed to assess the outcomes of workplace literacy and essential skills initiatives beyond immediate end-of-program results. This is the executive summary of the final report for the project.

Interested in making your workplace more efficient? In this three-part series, workplace literacy and essential skills expert Sandi Howell talks about the benefits of skills training.