5.  Conclusion

Forum participants were invited to send any additional comments following the Forum to http://literacy.alberta.ca.

At the Forum there was consensus among the 539 participants on the key components of what should be included in a literacy framework for Alberta and the solutions for improving literacy for all ages. The following key themes were stressed:

• There needs to be actions to increase the awareness of the life long view of literacy that encompassed early learning activities within families beginning with the birth of their children and continuing through to the senior years.
• Policies, programs and services need to be learner-centred, respectful and responsive to cultural differences.
• Resources are needed to expand programs and services, to hire and retain qualified staff and provide professional development to ensure that they remained qualified.
• Partnerships and collaborations are challenging to develop and maintain but are critical to ensuring access and transitions for learners.
• Accountability was stressed with the need for an overall literacy plan with clear roles and responsibilities, common literacy benchmarks and assessment tools, defined targets, measures and timelines with regular reporting on progress.

Many thanks to all the Forum participants for their thoughtful comments and suggestions on how to improve literacy policies, programs and services in Alberta.