The Irish and American governments are joining together in the fight against illiteracy. They plan to tackle poor literacy levels, improve classroom teaching, and encourage student exchanges between the two countries. The U.S. Secretary of Education, Richard Riley, and the Irish Minister of Education, Dr. Michael Woods, are implementing the proposal.
Part of the plan entails the use of television for “literacy tuition” in Ireland based on the U.S. strategy of using popular media to improve literacy.
A program called the Young Leaders will be promoted by both administrations. This will involve Irish students going to the U.S. for internships in public and non-governmental organizations. There is also a hope of an exchange program of secondary school principals to run between 2000 and 2002.
Both governments plan on sharing information about special needs such as dyslexia and autism. They also plan on researching new technologies to help students make the transition from school to work.
Riley asked Woods to nominate representatives from higher education and the technology sector to attend a conference in Washington in September. ♦
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