The Primary Education Project which resulted and which started operation in mid-1980 has as its basic objective the improvement of the learning environment for primary pupils aged 7-11+ years, a related purpose being to strengthen UWI assistance to territories in their efforts to improve educational programmes.

This paper highlights works published in the Caribbean Journal of Education (CJE) from literacy and language arts scholars on that special  group  of  islands in the Western  Hemisphere  called the Caribbean. It is a territory that received the first documented European visit in 1492 when Columbus landed in what he named “San Salvador”.

In this article curriculum provisions made for the treatment of Jamaican Creole (Mother Tongue) throughout the education system in Jamaica and the views and practices of teachers involved in the delivery of Language Arts throughout that system are investigated.

Based on the Language Experience and Awareness approach, the Literacy 1–2–3 (L1–2–3) was designed for use in the Language Arts Window in a constructivist teaching/learning environment in Jamaican primary schools. Based on a review of studies on L1–2–3, this paper examined the extent to which characteristics of the innovation, local characteristics, and external factors impacted the effectiveness of its implementation.

In Trinidad and Tobago, exposure to the structure of English through written materials has been of special significance, for this has been the chief means by which the language has been learnt. Opportunities for speaking Internationally Acceptable English (I.A.E.) have always been few, and the barriers to successful English language learning have been formidable. In fact, one must accept as true the statement that a high percentage of our language learners hear and attempt to speak I.A.E. in the classroom only, and even then, not during every class.

The aim of this study was to establish how well students' GSAT language arts scores predicted their future performance on CSEC English A and to determine the impact of students' level of literacy, based on their GSAT language arts score, on their performance on CSEC English A. Using a longitudinal methodology, the performance of four cohorts of students was traced from primary through secondary schools. The results revealed a strong correlation between performance on the GSAT language arts and CSEC English A.

Based on the Language Experience and Awareness approach, the Literacy 1–2–3 (L1–2–3) was designed for use in the Language Arts Window in a constructivist teaching/learning environment in Jamaican primary schools. Based on a review of studies on L1–2–3, this paper examined the extent to which characteristics of the innovation, local characteristics, and external factors impacted the effectiveness of its implementation.