National Adult Literacy Database

British Columbia may have one of the largest Aboriginal populations in Canada but it isn’t the only province whose first peoples are struggling to reconcile the history of colonialism, forced assimilation and abuse found in the residential school system with the need to educate and prepare their children for life in the 21st century.

Beyond reading, homework, educational games and visiting the library, the poll identified different activities that might be helpful with literacy and numeracy - such as involving kids in chores and cooking. Only 14 per cent said they always use paying their bills as a learning opportunity, with 19 per cent using the sorting and matching potential of laundry.

The new year is here and with it come promises of change – eating healthier foods, going to the gym, getting a new job. But beyond the traditional resolutions, improving your literacy skills can help you make the ultimate change.

The intent of the new law is to deter the most damaging and deceptive forms of spam from occurring in Canada. Spam includes more than unsolicited commercial messages. It has become the vehicle for a wide range of threats to online commerce affecting individuals, businesses and network providers.

A professor at the University of New Brunswick has been named one of the top 10 Canadian news makers in education technology for 2011 by one of the country's leading consulting firms. Steve Pierce, director of the Atlantic Centre for Educational Administration and Leadership with the university's faculty of education, joined the likes of David Suzuki, the British Columbia Premier's Council and digital media company Bitstrips Inc. on Mindshare Learning's second annual list.

A descendant of Irish immigrants, Paul Martin points to himself and other non-aboriginals. "Our ancestors were not treated very well," said Martin, adding that later generations were successful thanks to strong schooling.

Participate in the Family Literacy Day Colouring Contest from now until January 31, 2012, for a chance to win one of 13 Family Literacy Day Raise-a-Reader prize packs! If you haven’t already planned your Family Literacy Day activity for this year, this is a great option for everyone to enjoy on January 27.

Google Canada celebrates its 10th anniversary with a look back on a decade of accomplishments and advances that have changed the way Canadians find, share and organize information, network, and do business. A decade ago, most Canadians didn't Google things. Texting was a new technology, most of us were connecting to the Internet via dial-up, and we couldn't imagine the possibility of taking a virtual drive along our own streets.

Four Canadian book publishers will continue offering a rich selection of Canadian-authored books to readers everywhere, in both digital and print formats, thanks to an investment from the Government of Canada.

While children and parents get a break from school and work during the holiday season, families can still get involved in enjoyable learning activities.

"A lot of people on Twitter are dedicated readers. Twitter is like all of the other short forms that preceded it. It's like the telegram. It's like the smoke signal. It's like writing on the washroom wall. It's like carving your name on a tree," says Canada's literary legend Margaret Atwood.

The Northrup Frye Literary Festival is planning to create a bronze sculpture of the Moncton-born literary giant. Dawn Arnold, chair of the literary festival, said the sculpture will help celebrate the 100th anniversary of Frye’s birth. Heritage Canada has awarded the festival $25,000 to help with the project.

TESL Canada invites you to submit a proposal to present at the TESL Canada 2012 conference October 11-13, 2012.  The conference will be held at Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia. The theme for the conference, TESL Interiors: Landscapes of Literacies and Language, is one reflective of the multiple dimensions of communication and language education.  Presentations can cover any of the diverse areas of inquiry related to TEAL and Teacher Education.

Indigo announces the best books of 2011 with lists of top titles in fiction, non-fiction, teens' and children's books. As selected by Indigo's book buying team who read hundreds of titles every year, this year's compilation of must-read books features award winners, debuts and masterful storytellers from Canada and around the world.

A major new report released by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), indicates that over 90 per cent of Canadian students in Grade 8 are achieving at or above their expected level of performance in mathematics. Almost half are achieving above their expected level.