National Adult Literacy Database

In an effort to better serve its clients and stakeholders across the broad spectrum of literacy and essential skills, the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) is pleased to inform you about several enhancements.

The National Strategy on Inuit Education, developed in association with the NWT’s Department of Education, Culture and Employment, includes a series of bold new recommendations to empower parents, expand early childhood programs and gather detailed research data.

Can workforce essential skills programming work in your community? PTP Adult Learning and Employment Programs says yes and has the national research project to prove it.

Frontier College is getting ready for a busy summer of helping children in Aboriginal communities across Canada improve their reading skills. Staff in over 60 camps will work to keep youngsters motivated and improve their literacy skills by preventing reading loss that often occurs over the summer months.

The Assembly of First Nations has released a one-year status report on the national Call to Action on First Nation education, showcasing progress and partnerships in working toward fairness in education for First Nations and encouraging others to join the effort.

Summer slide, the brain-drain that occurs during the holiday months when young people are out of class, can be a problem, especially for those who struggle in school.

Windsor’s job-shadowing program for people with disabilities began 20 years ago, although it was on sabbatical for the past four years, until being revived in 2011.

As summer vacation approaches for school-age children, thoughts for some people veer toward year-round schooling. This educational notion is slowly gaining traction all over North America. In Canada, about 100 schools have modified calendars, shrinking the summer holiday to five weeks.

This is an important resource for a key demographic since more and more baby boomers are deciding to stay in the workforce for longer than they had initially planned, and many over the age of 55, particularly women, are returning to work in greater numbers.

A new report from AlphaPlus suggests that with the help of cloud computing, the future of cyberspace for adult literacy will see a proliferation of new and easily accessible literacy tools such as smartphone applications to help read signs and turn text into voice.

Immigrants landing in Calgary are confused by the dominance of English in that city, and express puzzlement that they don't hear much French spoken on the street or in buses. They wonder, under those circumstances, why Canada calls itself bilingual.

New research shows that bilingualism assists the brain in its ability to focus and can stave off the negative effects of Alzheimer's disease in old age.

Decoda will be involved in the full literacy continuum – from early childhood to family, adult, workplace and emerging literacy. It will use literacy as a key strategy to help solve fundamental societal issues, as well as business and industry challenges. Decoda brings together the work, experience and expertise of two previous literacy organizations: Literacy BC and 2010 Legacies Now.

Adults going back to school to upgrade their skills or obtain their high school diploma may find it difficult to take the first step. Unable to find the right resources and guidance can leave many frustrated with nowhere to turn. There are, however, programs geared specifically for adult learners who want to complete their education.

Many youth in Canada have noticed that high debt levels and heedless spending – the very issues that have led to our having a financial literacy issue in the first place – are problems created by their parents.