School literacy

This literature review was developed as part of a larger project that will result in the creation of a provincial framework for family literacy in New Brunswick. The intended purpose of this document was to provide an overview of current literature and key issues related to family literacy and to inform discussions at the New Brunswick Forum on Family Literacy 2008 that took place in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in June 2008.

"The Boys' and Girls' Literacy: Closing the Gap" project is unique in that it aims to develop strategies that would particularly have a positive impact on boys' literacy. This holds substantial merit in that the strategies and methodologies selected to address the literacy performance of boys would not disadvantage girls. These strategies included literature circles, male mentors, and providing boy-friendly reading materials.

The project sought to demonstrate the value of informed parental assistance in improving the reading skills and the attitude towards school of primary school children and as an avenue to discover illiterate adults and a means of drawing them into an educational process.

The Parents-as-Partners-as-Learners project is designed to encourage a love of reading in children and to increase communication between the home and school.