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Universal Design for Learning | [Text version] | |
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Family and Community LiteracyIn the 2lst century, literacy will continue to be a critical issue for disadvantaged families, but it will mean much more than traditional reading and writing skills. In an increasingly technological age, literacy will include an expanded set of skills based on computer technology. Without access to the technologies and literacies that are now essential in our culture, educationally and economically disadvantaged children, especially those with learning disabilities, may find themselves falling further and further behind. In addition, many parents who were not successful with their own educational endeavors are often ill-equipped to encourage and support their children's emerging literacy. Without intervention, parents who have experienced limited educational success, or who struggle with learning disabilities, may lack the skills and knowledge to engage their children in literacy activities at home, or to participate in their children's education. The ProjectTo address these issues, CAST developed the Family and Community Literacy (FCL) Project, a model that used computer technology, universally designed software, and training of both parents and teachers to develop family literacy skills. Beginning in 1996, the project established five demonstration sites, two in the greater Boston area and three in other parts of the country. Each is affiliated with a national organization that is assisting in the dissemination of the project. Through training, the FCL Project enabled parents to:
The FCL Project enabled preschool and elementary
teachers to:
The FCL Project was designed to provide a supportive environment for parents to learn about computers and help them develop the confidence they need to address their own literacy deficiencies. The FCL approach also supports the fundamental belief that parents are the first and best teachers of their children. Thus, the program sought to break the generational cycle of educational failure that prevents families from occupational and economic advancement.
Transcript Impact on Parents' LearningIn order to develop an in-depth understanding of the impact of the FCL instructional model on parents with low literacy skills, CAST conducted a research study on a subset of 82 parents at four of the five demonstration sites during the 1997-98 program year. Three of the sites were in their start-up phase with the FCL program during the time of the study, so findings are based on an average of six months of operation. One site did not participate in the study due to a series of difficulties in implementing the program. The study also examined the unique challenges of implementing the FCL model within a range of agencies (social service, community library and community technology center) and settings (urban, suburban and rural). To assess the model's effectiveness, on-site evaluators under CAST's supervision administered pre- and post-training interviews, standardized affective rating scales which measured participants' anxiety response to computers, and observational scales which measured changes in skill level and affective response to computers during training. The study revealed that:
For parents who have experienced significant educational failure in the past, becoming comfortable with computers was a critical first step in furthering their literacy skills. Access to universally designed software and appropriate training helped ensure that these parents will use computers to support their own learning needs. The most important benefit of parents' increased comfort, self-confidence and fluency in their computer use was a corresponding increase in their ability to teach their children. Furthermore, by training parents and teachers together, the project helped parents get to know teachers as co-learners, thus reducing barriers and forging school-to-home links. Future of the Family and Community Literacy ModelThe results of the research study suggest that the FCL model is adaptable to a variety of agencies and types of communities. In the project's third and final year (1998-99), CAST worked with the demonstration sites and their national partners to disseminate the model nationally. These dissemination efforts included the creation of national training teams, the development of an FCL Program Training Kit, and conference presentations. The four remaining demonstration sites remain committed to the FCL approach, continue to offer FCL training to parents as part of their regular schedule of programs, and are taking active steps to disseminate the FCL model to other agencies within their national organizations. The agencies and their national partners who participated in the Family and Community Literacy Project are:
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