Evaluation of the initial effects and implementation of Success For All in England

Success For All is a comprehensive programme for restructuring primary schools where students are ‘at risk’ of not developing functional literacy by the end of Key Stage 1 (age 7 years). The programme was developed at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA, and uses research-based approaches to curriculum, instruction, assessment and classroom management, with one-to-one tutoring being provided for those students falling behind in their reading. This paper reports on the initial implementation (September 1997 – March 1998) of the Success For All (SFA) reading/school improvement programme in a family of inner city primary schools in Nottingham, England. The purpose of the research was to provide empirical evidence on the process of implementation of SFA in England, and to assess how such an innovative programme could contribute to the British government’s National Literacy Strategy (DfEE, 1998). The main findings suggest that as a result of initial involvement in the SFA programme, students appear to have made as much progress in one term in reading as they would normally have been expected to make in one year, their motivation, behaviour, attitude to and skills in learning have also increased. Furthermore, teachers claim to have learned a great deal from SFA, particularly about the effective teaching of reading, co-operative teaching strategies and their own professional development.     

The Dominant Tradition in Adult Literacy – A Comparative Study of National Literacy Programmes in Botswana and Zimbabwe

The article highlights the renewed significance of adult literacy for international and national educational policy as a result of the World Educational Forum in 2000, at which a new vision of literacy was advocated. The difference between the new and old paradigms of adult literacy is considered. The article argues that the traditional approach which has dominated the international discourse on adult literacy has profoundly influenced national decisions. This influence is illustrated through a comparative analysis of national adult literacy programmes in Botswana and Zimbabwe. The programmes exhibit a high degree of similarity despite differences in the national contexts. The analysis shows that the traditional approach has been relatively ineffective in improving adult literacy levels. However, proposals for change influenced by the new paradigm have not been taken into account. Thus the examples of Botswana and Zimbabwe indicate the difficulty in displacing the dominant tradition in adult literacy at the level of national policy-making.     

The Dominant Tradition in Adult Literacy – A Comparative Study of National Literacy Programmes in Botswana and Zimbabwe

The article highlights the renewed significance of adult literacy for international and national educational policy as a result of the World Educational Forum in 2000, at which a new vision of literacy was advocated. The difference between the new and old paradigms of adult literacy is considered. The article argues that the traditional approach which has dominated the international discourse on adult literacy has profoundly influenced national decisions. This influence is illustrated through a comparative analysis of national adult literacy programmes in Botswana and Zimbabwe. The programmes exhibit a high degree of similarity despite differences in the national contexts. The analysis shows that the traditional approach has been relatively ineffective in improving adult literacy levels. However, proposals for change influenced by the new paradigm have not been taken into account. Thus the examples of Botswana and Zimbabwe indicate the difficulty in displacing the dominant tradition in adult literacy at the level of national policy-making.     

A departure from the past? Extension workers and participatory rural development: the case of Botswana

This article addresses the question of whether extension workers can change their attitudes and practices in order to promote participatory rural development by considering the case of Botswana. It discusses the emergent participatory extension paradigm which uses techniques such as participatory rural appraisal (PRA). It describes the new community‐based strategy for rural development in Botswana which includes the expectation that the extension services can be reorientated to facilitate increased community participation. Evidence is presented from research in 1995‐96 which evaluated a pilot project involving PRAs undertaken by extension workers in four districts. The project sought to find out systematically whether PRA could enhance the ability of the extension services to undertake participatory rural development. The findings suggest that extension workers can develop through training the attitudinal predisposition necessary for adopting a more participatory approach to extension practice. However, there are institutional and contextual constraints which present obstacles to implementing participatory rural development. It is therefore not certain that the proposal to expand the use of PRA on a national scale will lead to the anticipated reorientation of the extension services.     

An investigation of the relationship between reported results of educational psychologists’ assessments and levels of special needs provision determined by statutory assessment procedures

ABSTRACT

This study attempts to investigate the relationship between the reported test results within educational psychologists’ (EP) assessments and the actual provision specified on the Statements of Special Educational Needs issued by a local educational authority within the UK under the terms of the 1993 Education Act. Data were drawn from the EPs operating in both rural and urban areas. A discriminant function analysis was applied to the data which indicated cognitive ability and writing speed assessments were correlated with the provision outcomes of the statementing procedures. The relative insignificance of educational attainments, especially reading scores, in affecting these decisions was an unexpected finding of the study. The results raise the significance of the discriminant function analyses’ ability to produce a probability score, given a particular case's test profile, of the most likely provision that will be allocated on the basis of how such profiles have been interpreted in the past. The feedback of such information to the Special Needs Departments would contribute to the quality ‐monitoring process by stimulating consistency in decision‐making as specifically referred to in the recent Code of Practice     

Portuguese preschool teachers' beliefs about early literacy development

This work describes a questionnaire survey conducted in a county in central Portugal. The intention was to ascertain preschool teachers’ opinions about early literacy development and its place in preschool education, and to investigate the skills and knowledge seen by teachers as important for early reading and writing development. The results show that, overall, teachers regard preschool education as important for future literacy acquisition, but the majority do not think that early literacy activities should always be part of the preschool curriculum. Concerning the skills that they perceive as important in terms of literacy development, greater emphasis was attributed to verbal, perceptual (auditory and visual) and fine motor skills. Letter/sound knowledge and phonological awareness were considered the least important. Various inferences are drawn, and recommendations for future policy decisions are offered.