National Adult Literacy Database

"It's the most important development in my 30-year career," speech-language pathologist Sandy Collins told me last week when I visited White Rock elementary to watch as two young girls - Kaitlyn Peterson and Sarah Cairns, pictured above with Collins - showed me how they use the Fast ForWord software.

The Department of Labour and Workforce Development is seeking input from interested groups and Nova Scotians to develop an Adult Learning Act.

ABC Life Literacy Canada is pleased to proclaim September 23 as the inaugural Essential Skills Day.

These awards recognize the outstanding contributions in the advancement of literacy. The awards will be presented at the Literacy & Learning Symposium Banquet on Friday, October 29th, 2010 in Edmonton.

Many school libraries are underutilised resources that do not fulfil their potential to improve literacy levels and support pupil learning and attainment.

Influential rankings put nine schools in top 200, with University of Toronto edging out McGill for the top spot in Canada.

As recently as 2008, one in five Canadian teens were not pursuing a formal education — a figure that falls below the average of other developed countries, a new Statistics Canada report suggests.

Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration Minister Rob Norris announced yesterday that Dr. Michael Atkinson, Executive Director and Professor of the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, will lead the 2010 review of the regional college system.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says the United States could learn a lot from Ontario's education system. After touring a Toronto high school, Mr. Duncan says he was impressed by the creativity used by teachers and principals to keep kids in the classroom.

Two New Brunswickers have been recognized for their commitment to literacy. Canada Post's Community Literacy Awards pay tribute to individuals who have overcome obstacles and significant personal challenges to demonstrate a strong desire to improve their literacy skills.

In conversation this week, Linda Shohet, executive director of the Centre for literacy, explained the various measurable degrees to which people are literate or – in too many cases – not literate enough to handle the complexities of modern life.

In 2006, the majority of women with a university education were married to men who also had a university education. However, this tendency has decreased slightly over the last quarter-century. The pattern is similar for women in common-law unions.

(Toronto, ON – September 8, 2010) – In honour of the 20th anniversary being celebrated today, ABC Life Literacy Canada is pleased to offer 20 literacy tips that anyone can use in various aspects of their life.

FREDERICTON, NB – September 8, 2010 – The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) has chosen International Literacy Day to launch its newly designed website. In addition to a new, bold layout and a 30 per cent wider page, NALD has changed its interface to reflect a state-of-the-art content management system that will allow NALD to better meet the needs of the literacy and essential skills community across Canada.

In 2008, 20% of Canadian teenagers aged 15 to 19 were no longer pursuing a formal education. This was higher than the average of 15% across the 31 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). While this OECD proportion was down from 20% in 1998, in Canada, it remained stable at 20%.