The Implementation of a Literacy Achievement Program: The Carnegie Kids Club

Background

To develop a comprehensive understanding of literacy education, there must be an understanding of the techniques and strategies used for literacy development, programs, instruction, and evaluation. These processes are varied and unique, but they share a common goal: the student emerges as a competent reader, able to process written text to enrich his or her life in various ways, including recreational reading, reading for business and employment, and the demands of being an informed citizen including voting and serving in leadership positions in the community. Level of literacy in a community is often used as a rough indicator of the overall wellbeing of that community, and it’s safe to say that raising the level of literacy is synonymous with raising that group’s future wellbeing.

The goals of literacy programs of various types are largely the same. In general, the overarching goal is to improve reading, writing, and thinking ability across a range of students by application of a set of effective instructional routines that work together to increase interest, improve reading skill and comprehension, and develop creative ability and verbal dexterity. This growth in overall academic ability is expected to have far reaching effects in terms of increased opportunity and wellbeing across individuals and communities.