This volume brings together a number of people professionally engaged in the study of literacy, either because they are teachers or teacher educators of language and literacy, or because they are involved as social and/or educational workers researching or providing programs to address the needs of people at risk because of inadequate literacy skills. It thus sets up a dialogue between these two communities of writers, all bringing different perspectives to the issues, some from the context of Literacy Education, others from the context of Social Work. All are committed to the view that provision of effective literacy programs is a matter of equity and social justice, though the ways in which they address such a view can differ. Issues addressed include: the changing nature of literacy in the modern world; the impact of the multimodal environment in which literacy now functions; the implications of this environment for pedagogical practices in the teaching of literacy; the causes and consequences of social disadvantage in learning literacy among various groups; and means to address such disadvantage.

Chapter 1. Frances Christie and Alyson Simpson: Literacy and Social Responsibility Chapter 2. Frances Christie: Literacy as a Theme in Educational Theory and in Policy Chapter 3. Alyson Simpson and Maureen Walsh (Australian Catholic University): Multiple Literacies: Implications for Changed Pedagogy Chapter 4. Peter Freebody (University of Sydney): Socially Responsible Literacy Education: Towards an 'Organic Relation' to our Place and Time Chapter 5. Robyn Ewing (University of Sydney): Literacy and the Arts Chapter 6. Tony Vinson (University of Sydney): The Social Context of Literacy Acquisition: Achieving Good Beginnings Chapter 7. Father Chris Riley (CEO, Youth Off the Streets Program) and Karelynne Randall (Youth Off the Streets Program): The Experience of Youth Off the Streets Chapter 8. David Rose (University of Sydney): Beating Educational Inequality with an Integrated Reading Pedagogy Chapter 9. Denise Lynch (University of Sydney): Enhancing Literacy Education for Refugee Children Chapter 10. Frances Christie and Alyson Simpson: Envoi