An International Perspective on Literacy Policy Issues
Journal: Literacy Across the Curriculumedia Focus, Vol. 18, no. 1, 2005
The recent issue of the Centre for Literacy journal, Literacy Across the Curriculumedia Focus contains a number of short articles on literacy policy issues from authors reporting on Australia, UK, US and New Zealand, as well as Canada. One article from this issue is freely available on the website: Processes of policy making and theories of public policy: relating power, policy and professional knowledge in literacy agendas, by Joseph Lo Bianco. Also in this issue, University of Saskatchewan authors Veeman, Walker and Ward present findings from a qualitative applied policy study in Canada and Sweden. Their goal was to account for reported literacy differences between the two countries. These same authors have also published a book, Valuing Literacy: Rhetoric or Reality, scheduled for release in September 2006. For more information about their book and to pre-order a copy, visit http://www.nald.ca/WHATNEW/hnews/2006/valuing.htm

Workplace Challenges to Learning and Training in the Columbia Basin
New resource: Skills for Life: Essential Skills and Workplace Literacy: Final Report. Funded by the Government of Canada in partnership with College of the Rockies and Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy. 2006
The Skills for Life team traveled throughout the East Kootenay region asking businesses about the challenges they faced in regards to workplace literacy, essential skills and training in the workplace. The results from the 77 businesses interviewed were used in the Skills for Life conference. This report has information from the conference as well as the results of the survey.

Lifelong Learning in Canada – Does Everyone Have the Right to Learn?
Too Many Left Behind: Canada’s Adult Education and Training System. Karen Myers and Patrice de Broucker. CPRN Research Report W|34, June 2006, 109 pages
This new report from the Canadian Policy & Research Network documents the availability of formal learning opportunities for adults. It identifies gaps in adult learning systems and recommends measures to fill the gaps. Based on an examination of five provinces, Alberta, B.C., Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec, Too Many Left Behind: Canada’s Adult Education and Training System describes impacts on the labour market of the gaps in adult education, and puts forward a vision for an adult learning system where everyone has the “right to learn.”

Boys and Literacy Skills
Article: Boys Exhibit High Literacy Skills with Video Games, Vancouver Sun, May 31, 2006
According to this article in the Vancouver Sun, designing video games – and even playing them – helps develop sophisticated operational, cultural and critical literacy skills. Researchers from the University of Victoria followed a group of boys aged 11 to 16 for 19 weeks at a video design camp. They found that the boys had high level literacy skills while engaged in games. Much of video game operational literacy is taken for granted by the players because of the large amount of time they have devoted to learning the symbol/language system.

Interested in reading more about video games and literacy? Check out Video Games and Young People, 2004