Expanding Emergent Literacy Practices: Busy Intersections of Context and Practice

Abstract

This paper examines how adult education classrooms serving LESLLA students engage learners in literacy practices, support the growth of their reading proficiency, and prepare them to utilize and continue developing their emerging literacy practices outside of program contexts. In addition to a review of previous research, two new studies are presented that inform these issues. One study looks critically at LESLLA student data from standardized reading tests used for evaluating and improving programs. The second study examines the long-term growth of literacy proficiency and literacy practices and elaborates a model of how the two interact and support each other across the life span. Taken together, these findings suggest a new paradigm for evaluating program impact and designing continuous program improvement processes. Implications for program design and policy to better meet the needs of LESLLA learners are discussed.