Research Works! for child literacy
The Community-University
Research Alliance Program of the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada has announced the award of $958,000
to Research Works! for child literacy. The University of Waterloo
will contribute an additional $75,000.
Literacy skills are
the foundation for academic, occupational, economic, and social
success. The goal of Research Works! is to lay the foundation
for literacy, from birth to school entry and beyond, by bringing
research to bear on the development, implementation, evaluation
and improvement of child literacy programs.
Research Works! is
a unique collaboration dedicated to closing the gap between high
quality research in child literacy and application in Canadian
communities. The community co-investigators represent three different
“hands-on” models of literacy development. Jan Lubell,
Investing in Children, London, represents a community development-collaboration
model and has significant involvement in Early Years initiatives
in Ontario; Carol McDougall, Read to Me! Nova Scotia Family Literacy
Program, represents innovations in hospital-based early literacy
programming; and Ellen Richardson, Frontier College, represents
national non-formal literacy initiatives with volunteer tutors.
“We will create
research tools that can both meet the standards of good science
and be used in community settings,” said Kathleen Bloom,
Research Works! Director, and faculty member at the University
of Waterloo. “We will use communication technology to mobilise
child literacy knowledge along the routes of private and public
sectors - families, communities, governments, universities, and
research resources. Student training through Research Works! will
increase our nation’s future research capital.” Dr.
Mark Zanna of the Psychology Department, and Dr. Tom Carey, Associate
Vice President, Learning Resources and Innovations, are collaborators
in the project. Dr. Bloom is a member of the Canadian Language
and Literacy Research Network, a federally-funded Network of Centres
of Excellence.
The four partners have
joined forces to create, not simply a research project alone,
but a research enterprise that can help shape child literacy across
Canada.
For more information
contact:
Dr. Kathleen Bloom
kbloom@research-works.ca
www.research-works.ca
