There are almost 90 million people in the United States with limited literacy skills. Many have difficulty earning a living or achieving the quality of life and opportunities they want. Worldwide, there are more than 770 million illiterate men and women living in destitute circumstances, unable to change their lives because they cannot read, write or do basic math.
Here are some of the specific challenges that people who lack literacy skills confront every day:
- Making decisions on the job
- Difficulty budgeting family finances, paying bills and avoiding out-of-control credit card debt
- Being unable to successfully complete a job application or get a better job
- Not being able to communicate in English during an emergency phone call to 911
- The inability to write a memo to a child’s teacher communicating thoughts and feelings
- Not being able to help a child with homework assignments
- Having limited ability to share thoughts or suggestions in English with a work team
- The inability to read and understand the editorial page of the newspaper
- Not understanding political candidates or being able to make informed choices in order to vote
- Having trouble understanding pricing when grocery shopping
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Literacy Across the Lifespan
Research has shown that in the 21st Century, Americans need to be better educated to fill new jobs and more flexible to respond to the changing knowledge and skills requirements of existing jobs. Lifelong skills development must become one of the pillars of the new economy.
Literacy is a lifelong pursuit and there are two strategies to help people improve their literacy skills – Adult Literacy and Family Literacy.
Adult Literacy
Many adults are unable to read newspapers, books or even important legal documents. Some are learning English for the first time while others lack problem-solving skills. According to the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 21 percent of the individuals between 16 and 65 in this country – some 30 million people – can barely perform tasks involving brief, uncomplicated text.
Adult literacy focuses on teaching literacy skills to adults; for example, teaching the skills of reading, writing, listening, speaking, and doing math. These skills may be targeted at an adult’s involvement in the workforce, the community or the family and can be taught in classrooms, small groups or during one-to-one tutoring sessions.
Family Literacy
Through intensive education of more than one generation, family literacy programs build on families' strengths and provide the tools and support they need to become stronger and more self-sufficient.
In family literacy programs, families come to school together. While their children learn in nearby classrooms, parents pursue their own educational goals. During the day, parents and children work and play together, giving parents the chance to increase their skills as their children's first teachers, and their most important teachers. Coming together as a group, parents provide support to each other during their development as learners, workers and parents. Parents pass their increased value for education to their children, who will keep it throughout their lives.
Find the latest publications that will help you contribute to the literacy challenge at the following online literacy bookstores:
New Readers Press
http://www.newreaderspress.com
National Center for Family Literacy Publications
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