- Myth: Canada does not have a literacy problem.
- Fact: Almost half of all Canadian adults (48%) have low literacy skills.
- Myth: Adult literacy in Canada will improve over time as more people acquire higher education.
- Fact: The proportion of Canadian adults with low literacy skills will remain virtually unchanged through 2031.
These two commonly held beliefs can create challenges for organizations and individuals working to improve adult literacy. Why? Because securing financial support often depends upon assumptions of the size of the problem.
What is PALMM?
PALMM assists literacy policy-makers, planners and adult educators by:
- providing a statistical “snapshot” of Canada’s adult literacy future through 2031;
- calculating future adult literacy rates according to province/territory and specific population groups; and
- generating graphs for incorporating into planning for literacy policy and program interventions.
PALMM is a complementary tool to be used in concert with CCL’s June 2008 report, Reading the Future: Planning to meet Canada’s future literacy needs. Begin