AIMS OF EDUCATION
Literacy
Cartoon
LIBERTY & LITERACY
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Jefferson & other classical liberals saw the skills of
reading and writing as cornerstones of a free society.
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Value & definition of literacy changes with social conditions.
(See editorial on
graduation)
(Exit Exams)
Perspectives of Literacy
Conventional Literacy-Ability to read, write and comprehend
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1980 census found that 99.5% of U.S. adults were literate
by this definition ("a simple message in any language."
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Determined by self report (asking people what grade level
they had completed in school and whether they could read)
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This definition serves some better than others.
1) Those who want to emphasize the literacy growth in American
2) Those who don’t want to fund adult education
Obscures social and educational inequalities that other conceptions of
literacy reveal
Functional Literacy-Using printed and written information
to function in society to achieve one's goals and to develop ones knowledge
and potential
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The Adult Performance Level (APL) project tested how well
adults could function in sixty-five tasks requiring literacy skills in
everyday life.
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From 20-60% of those tested failed to perform successfully
at tasks such as writing a check that a bank could process, addressing
an envelope adequately, figuring the difference in price between a new
and a used appliance etc. (30 million "functionally incompetent," 54m. "just
getting by."
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The study found that 16% of whites, 44% of blacks and 56%
of Latinos were functionally illiterate
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Many objected to the functional literacy perspective because
it has as its goal “the competence to function at the lowest levels of
mechanical performance,” instead of indicating a more ambitious conception
of literacy. (Certainly Jefferson did not have only minimum competence
in mind when he described the connections between literacy and a free society)
(International Comparison)
Cultural Literacy-Not
just to read in the technical sense of the word, but to be culturally literate,
knowing historical names, geographical places, authors; a basic foundation
of knowledge to give meaning to the words (Core Knowledge
Schools)
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E.D. Hirsch introduced the idea of cultural literacy in 1987.
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It has been criticized as the “trivial pursuit” approach
to education.
Critical Literacy: 1) Literacy is associated with
power 2) Those with power are able to define knowledge
3) Goal for literacy should be to empower people to criticize and
change political and economic oppression.
It is the ability to understand and act against the
social relations of oppression
Sometimes known as the emancipatory literacy
Critical Literacy argues:
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Social order benefits some groups more than others.
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Order maintained not through force but through compliance
and ideology
Organization & curriculum of schools responsible
for this compliance. Schools teach compliance in the following ways:
a) Students taught to accept unequal power relations.
b) School rules, teachers have to enforce even if they
don't agree.
c) Work is compulsory something that has to be done.
d) Work is individualistic & competitive
e) Successes & failures are due to individual talents
and achievements.
f) Texts - Support attitudes of patriotism and reverence
for authority. Support the view of progress through consensus rather than
power or conflict.
Contradiction between the non-democratic relations of daily
life (work, school) and the proclamation of democracy. Taught not to expect
participation in fundamental decisions affecting peoples' lives.
Literacy Outcomes
New Hanover County elementary
schools
Comparison by County
scores
NC
Writing Test Results S.E. Counties
2005
Examples of students' 8th
grade writing on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Three
categories are used: "below basic," "basic," and "proficient."
NAEP Writing Results
2002 NAEP Writing
Rubric
Reform: Results that Matter
21st Century Skills and High School Reform, 2006:
Report
Summary