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First Nations, Inuit and Metis have long advocated learning that affirms their own ways of knowing, cultural traditions and values. However, they also desire Western education that can equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to participate in Canadian society. First Nations, Inuit and Metis recognize that 'two ways of knowing' will foster the necessary conditions for nurturing healthy, sustainable communities. Over the last four decades, the importance of Aboriginal learning to community well-being has become a critical issue as First Nations, Inuit and Metis people continue to experience poorer health and higher rates of unemployment, incarceration, and youth suicide than non-Aboriginal people. 'Redefining How Success is Measured in First Nations, Inuit and Metis Learning': (1) outlines the key characteristics of holistic lifelong learning for First Nations, Inuit and Metis; (2) identifies data gaps and challenges that limit non-Aboriginal understanding of Aboriginal learning; (3) presents three Holistic Lifelong Learning Models for First Nations, Inuit and Metis; and (4) proposes how each model can be used to develop a national, holistic framework for measuring lifelong learning.

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Whilst Canada has no coherent national approach to lifelong learning, international competitors do, or are working seriously to create one. The concern is that Canada is losing ground and ignoring the consequences of failing to act. In order to present parliamentarians with the facts they need to develop effective approaches to the state of lifelong learning in Canada, the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) invited every member of both houses of Parliament to a presentation. This report contains the information presented.

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The Survey of Canadian Attitudes toward Learning (SCAL) is an annual survey of Canadians’ attitudes, opinions, beliefs and experiences with learning across the lifespan. The 2008 edition represents the third iteration of the survey and covers the following four learning domains: (1) early childhood learning; (2) structured learning at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels; (3) work-related adult learning; and (4) health-related learning.

The survey was designed by the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) in consultation with Statistics Canada, which administered the survey on behalf of CCL. SCAL data were collected between April 1 and May 16, 2008. A total of 5,488 Canadians aged 18 to 74 were surveyed by Statistics Canada. All respondents had previously participated in Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. Canadians living in institutions, on reserves, or in the northern territories were not included in the sample.

Key findings of SCAL 2008 include: Canadians are strongly in favour of high-school programs that include a component of work experience, such as co-op programs, apprenticeships, work placements, or trade/vocational programs; Canadians generally indicate that post-secondary institutions are doing a good job, except with respect to providing access to all qualified students; Canadians are particularly concerned about post-secondary access for low-income students; Canadians believe student loans and financial aid are generally available, but over 80% feel that students have to borrow too much money to pay for their postsecondary educations; about 40% of Canadian post-secondary students take courses at more than one institution over the course of their studies; 51% of non-retired Canadians report engaging in formal work-related training within the last year; 88% of non-retired Canadians report engaging in non-formal work-related learning within the last month; older workers and those with less education are less likely to receive formal work-related training, but are almost as likely to participate in non-formal work-related learning; and among Canadians who do not participate in formal work-related training, financial considerations are an important factor relevant to fostering higher levels of participation.

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Strong literacy skills are critical to the economic success of Canada and of individual Canadians, and the need for these skills is growing. Further economic growth relies on the availability of those skills. By various measures, Canada maintains a successful literacy record, but despite these successes there are notable gaps in Canada's literacy achievements. There are age gaps, education gaps and regional gaps. This report focuses on a specific regionally based gap: the literacy gap between rural Canadians and their urban counterparts. The available evidence uncovered in this report indicates that there is a significant literacy gap between rural and urban Canadians. Evidence from adult literacy assessments suggests that these rural/urban differences persist into adulthood. Inspections of the data point to two conclusions regarding this rural/urban literacy gap: (1) Among adults, the gap is entirely mediated by educational attainment; educational attainment and literacy skill are tightly linked. When the effect of education attainment is controlled, the rural/urban literacy gap among adults disappears. This finding highlights the importance of attending to educational attainment in addressing the rural/urban literacy gap. (2) Among young Canadians, the gap shows substantial regional variation. Closer inspection of the data indicates that the rural/urban literacy gap is not the same across Canada. For example, there are particularly large rural/urban literacy gaps among adults in Atlantic Canada, a much smaller gap in Ontario, and a small rural advantage in Western Canada. These gaps between regions highlight an important point: the rural/urban gap is not universal. Rurality itself does not necessarily put students at risk for lower literacy achievement, rather rurality is associated and interacts with other literacy risk factors.

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In 2007, the Canadian Council on Learning's State of Learning in Canada report (indexed at TD/TNC 89.202) highlighted the current state of adult literacy and recommended a deeper understanding of the key characteristics of different groups of adults with low literacy skills in order to improve the future of adult literacy. This report is the first of its kind in Canada, synthesising and analysing the research on literacy projections and the characteristics and needs of adults with low literacy skills. It provides: Canada's first projections of adult literacy levels, through to 2031; a detailed examination of the 'face' of low literacy; and effective approaches to improve literacy among six identified groups based on mother tongue, literacy level, immigrant status and other key characteristics including age, gender, education and employment status. The report projects that there will be little to no progress in the population's level of literacy. In fact, by 2031, 47% of adults aged 16 and over, that is more than 15 million, will continue to have low literacy skills below the internationally-accepted level of literacy required to cope in a modern society. The individual needs of the six identified groups are addressed by literacy experts from across Canada, who cooperatively developed customised and effective program recommendations. These practices acknowledge and respond to the potential learning barriers facing each group. The goal of these recommendations is to raise the level of these adults' literacy skills from International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS) Levels 1 and 2 to Level 3. Show less

Canada, like many developed countries faced with shrinking birth rates, has come to rely on immigration as a way of building and maintaining a skilled workforce. For a majority of today's immigrants, English or French is a second language and, when their children start school, their education proceeds in one of these second languages. While many immigrant students thrive in Canada's schools and go on to post-secondary education and successful careers, others struggle with their second-language skills and falter in school as a result. Effective English as a Second Language (ESL) and French as a Second Language (FSL) literacy instruction can help to ensure that immigrant children succeed in school and are well-positioned to join a skilled workforce when they complete their educations. The Canadian Council on Learning has recently reviewed the literature devoted to instructional strategies designed to teach literacy skills to immigrant ESL/FSL students. This review highlighted three important lessons for teaching English literacy skills ESL/FSL students.

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The purpose of this review is to systematically and transparently gather, analyze and synthesize both empirical research and peer-reviewed analytical articles devoted to discussing and determining whether it is possible to accurately predict labour market needs. A variety of academic databases, websites and key research journals were searched, resulting in an initial capture of 3,413 articles. The application of specific inclusion and quality assessment criteria reduced this number to 36. Eight of these articles are peer-reviewed analyses of labour market forecasting, while the remaining 28 are econometric investigations that aim to improve the accuracy of labour market forecasting. Both sets of articles have been analyzed to produce a comprehensive synthesis of information on how to maximize the accuracy and utility of labour market forecasts.

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The main purpose of this report is to systematically review the research evidence devoted to measuring quality in post-secondary education. Of the 1,859 studies initially collected, 39 studies eventually met the criteria for inclusion and analysis. A coding matrix was developed based on Finnie and Usher (2005) to categorize the results of the included studies and to allow cross-study comparisons. This matrix enabled the organisation of indicators used to capture the post-secondary education experience as a process of inputs and outputs.

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This report focuses on barriers to participation in adult learning activities. The concept of 'barriers' has been an important concept addressed in the adult education literature over the past 50 years. Barriers and access to participation in adult learning activities are most often classified using concepts developed by Patricia Cross and reported in her book, 'Adults as learners: increasing participation and facilitating learning' (1981). But prior to that date, such authors as Cy Houle (1961), Malcolm Knowles (1970) and Roby Kidd (1960, 1973), wrote about the problems encountered by adults in attempting to access appropriate leaning opportunities. In addition to the literature on barriers, the research team looked at two related types of reports and studies that examined: (1) the elements of a responsive educational system to support and encourage participation in lifelong learning, and (2) best practices in teaching. These two types of reports were included based on the assumption that both contributed to reducing barriers and increasing participation - one through good institutional policies and practices and the other through good pedagogical practices.

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A related 'State of the field' report is indexed at TD/TNC 87.206. Show less

This report, the first of its kind by the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) provides a comprehensive analysis of research on key aspects of learning in Canada. It examines many of the factors that contribute towards successful lifelong learning, from early childhood and the formal school years, to workplace and community-based learning. A close look is also taken at the link between health and learning, and at learning challenges faced by Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples. An in-depth examination of literacy in Canada and its role in the well-being of Canadians, the health of the economy and a democratic society is highlighted throughout the document. Specific chapters are headed: Early childhood learning; Learning in school; Adult learning; Aboriginal learning; Learning and literacy: Canada’s challenges; and Summary and future directions. Each chapter introduces and defines its learning area, presenting indicators relevant to the topic. These indicators are explored in terms of their importance and applied as measures of the evolving state of learning in Canada and where possible Canadian indicators are compared over time, and to relevant data from other countries. The research has identified some positive outcomes and some key areas requiring attention. Positive outcomes include: the vast majority of children born in Canada are healthy and receive a solid education, with a growing number going to college or university resulting in Canada’s workforce having the world’s third-highest proportion of workers with post-secondary education; once in the workforce many pursue formal or informal learning to upgrade their skills and knowledge and those not in the workforce take interest courses, undertake volunteer work or find other ways to expand their personal horizons. Key areas requiring attention include: one in four children enter Grade 1 with some sort of learning or behavioural problem; in school, a growing number of children and teenagers are developing health problems; high-school dropout rates have fallen however they are still double those in other countries; there is no system in place to measure the quality of the education young adults receive even though attendance is going up nor is it known whether their studies are a good match to labour market needs; employer sponsored training is relatively low even though employees are keen to have additional training, to boost their skills or wages, or to improve performance in their current jobs; Aboriginal Peoples in Canada face particular challenges as Aboriginal youth are more than two-and-a-half times as likely to drop out of high school as other students; four in ten Canadian adults fall short of the required level of reading and writing skills for a modern economy, half have inadequate numeracy skills with figures for certain groups, including Aboriginal people, immigrants, people on social assistance and seniors being substantially higher. The chapters conclude with a summary of where Canada currently stands, and what further information is required to gauge success in each learning area. Show less