State of American Literacy
BY LINDA K. JOHNSON, Ph.D. - JUNE 13, 2022
Before diving into this insightful report, I’d like to acknowledge the tremendous support the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and its Executive Director, Denine Torr, provide for adult literacy education programs annually. It also funded the Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE, won in 2019 by the People ForWords team led by Southern Methodist University’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development, in collaboration with SMU’s Guildhall and Aspire (formerly Literacy Instruction for Texas). For more information: https://www.xprize.org/prizes/adult-literacy/articles/two-teams-tie-for-grand-prize
More than 40 million adults in the U.S. score at or below the lowest levels of literacy.
The report notes that adult literacy rates have stagnated over the past few years. The study revealed that many are surprised by the magnitude of the adult literacy issue, as well as the need to address adult literacy to break the cycle of generational low-literacy.
The COVID-19 pandemic created new virtual learning opportunities for adults and their families which increased digital literacy skills for many (yet not all). The chart below identifies the barriers to improving adult literacy skills.
The report’s recommendations to improve adult literacy levels include steps Aspire has incorporated into its strategic plans. These include:
Meet adult learners where they are by providing flexible programs that offer a variety of instructional delivery models.
Leverage advancements in remote learning from the pandemic to super-charge investment in technology solutions and training that help adult teachers and learners.
Engage volunteers as teachers at nonprofits to help drive change.
Access to the complete report: https://dgcdn.bohanwork.com/dg/dglf/uploads/2022/03/State-of-American-Literacy-Report.pdf