National Adult Literacy Database

Programs are expected to begin this year at Aurora College, Yukon College and Nunavut Arctic College. The money will be used to deliver courses online, increase the use of aboriginal language in courses, and roll out a high school diploma that would be recognized by universities and colleges across the country.

The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) has launched a Call for Concepts 2012 with a goal of addressing critical research gaps in adult literacy and essential skills. The closing date is April 5, 2012.

Pairing students with senior citizens to teach them how to use the Internet, Cyber-Seniors was the brainchild of sisters Kascha and Macaulee Cassaday. The teens created the program as a school project. They were inspired after witnessing their own grandparents' lives transformed by cyber-communication.

The Active Reader series from Grass Roots Press is a comprehensive reading program that provides balanced, integrated instruction for adults, from emergent to pre-GED readers. The series is based on the premise that fluent readers actively engage with the text, using a variety of strategies.

Communities in Canada’s North often lag behind the South in terms of educational outcomes, but they are leaders in developing innovative ways to improve educational programming and delivery, according to a new report from The Conference Board of Canada’s Centre for the North.

While Canadian educators believe that digital technologies can enrich students' learning, there are still significant challenges to overcome in making this happen - with one of the main barriers being students' lack of digital literacy skills.

There are valid concerns about whether enough English teachers are available, and whether they will be properly prepared in time for the program’s launch. But it is to be phased in, reaching all Grade 6 classes by the 2015-16 school year, which should allow time for the message to sink in that English teachers are in demand.

Fair-dealing allows for individuals in certain circumstances to use copyrighted materials. Traditionally, this has been limited to research and private study, but C-11 specifically includes educational uses within the fair-dealing framework. Importantly, these uses must not bring undue commercial harm to the copyright holder.

Poor neighbourhoods in England are still beset by Victorian-era levels of illiteracy, the schools minister has claimed. In a speech on reading, Nick Gibb said that despite two centuries of technological and social revolution, there are "still shadows of Charles Dickens's world in our own."

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is offering Canadian students the chance to win one of three laptop computers while they learn about budgeting, savings, credit, debt and financial planning.

“Reading opens the door to lifelong learning,” said Nancy Allan, Manitoba's education minister. “Once a child becomes a reader, his or her life is vastly enriched. I Love to Read Month is the perfect time to develop the reading skills necessary for rewarding school and life experiences.”

A group dedicated to promoting literacy in Newfoundland and Labrador is asking the provincial government why it has not released its plan for advancing adult literacy.

Financial help for Aboriginal students and extra assistance for those taking teacher training are key elements of a wide-ranging provincial plan to encourage more First Nations students to enrol in colleges and universities.

Not all francophone minority communities carry the same weight or have the same institutional support. “On the Acadian peninsula of New Brunswick and in certain regions of Ontario, people can easily obtain services in French. They have institutional support whereas in British Columbia it takes people a long time to obtain services in French. It is important to make that distinction,” says Yvon Laberge, a member of the NALD Board of Directors.

According to a recent national survey reporting on nearly 10,000 Canadian classes, one in every six students has an identified learning exceptionality. In addition, more than one in 10 students in these classes have challenges understanding the school's language of instruction. The survey, conducted by the Canadian Teachers' Federation drew responses from nearly 3,800 teachers, the largest number obtained in a CTF online survey to date.