ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an account of developments in family literacy in England since the mid1990s, following brief notes on relevant historical background. It concentrates on family literacy programs defi ned here as programs to teach literacy that acknowledge and make use of learners’ family relationships and engagement in family literacy practices. Family literacy programs in England developed from the linking of two strands of work: one in early childhood education and the other in adult literacy education. We describe a number of programs, in particular the model that predominated in England in the late 1990s, then discuss the increasingly diverse pattern of provision in the next decade and the prospects for the fi eld in the age of austerity. We conclude with a review of the research base for programs, particularly evaluations of eff ectiveness.
