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The tension between learning and earning

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"In a nation whose education system is among the most unequal in the industrialized world, where race and geography play an outsize role in determining one’s path to success, many Americans are being failed twice: first, by public schools that lack qualified teachers, resources for students with disabilities and adequate reading instruction; and next, by the backup system intended to catch those failed by the first."
ProPublica

In December 2022, ProPublica published an article about the ongoing literacy crisis in the United States. This blog post is one of a series of reflections on that article.

Folks with low literacy usually don’t need someone to point that out to them. They’re usually crucially aware of their lack of skills – and what that lack is stopping them from achieving.

But the devil’s always in the details. Someone might know they need to take a class – but how much will that class cost? How far away is it, and how much will they pay in gas or bus fares to get to and from the class?

Most crucially of all – how does a low-income person fit classes into their week?

ProPublica reporters heard time and again that in communities stricken with low literacy, programs had to close sites because not enough students had enrolled. Meanwhile, more than two dozen adults in these hot spots told us that a lack of transportation or child care or busy work schedules prohibited them from attending classes.
ProPublica

How would you manage that Catch-22? You can’t afford not to work – but all you can get is a minimum-wage position with an inflexible schedule. Maybe you need a second job in order to make rent. Maybe it’s an exhausting job where you’re on your feet all day. And family and home responsibilities like making sure kids do homework, caring for babies or elderly relatives, cooking, cleaning, and laundry don’t take a break.

How do we solve the tension between learning, and earning?

The article highlighted Skills for Life, a Detroit program that provides paid time to learn alongside a city job. It was the turning point for Steve Binion, whose story is outlined in the article. And once someone’s broken the dead-end link of low literacy and low pay, their prospects improve dramatically – along with those of their family and the community.

What can we learn – and emulate – from these programs that work?

This blog post is a reflection on the ProPublica article, “A Fifth of American Adults Struggle to Read. Why Are We Failing to Teach Them?” Find the previous installment here.

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When $9 is far from enough

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"In a nation whose education system is among the most unequal in the industrialized world, where race and geography play an outsize role in determining one’s path to success, many Americans are being failed twice: first, by public schools that lack qualified teachers, resources for students with disabilities and adequate reading instruction; and next, by the backup system intended to catch those failed by the first."
ProPublica

In December 2022, ProPublica published an article about the ongoing literacy crisis in the United States. This blog post is the first in a series of reflections on that article.

$9. That’s how much the state of Texas currently allocates for adult education, per eligible student.

What can you buy with $9 these days? That won’t even get you two dozen eggs in most grocery stores. What do we think it can realistically do for the almost 5 million Texas adults in need of literacy help?

Across the United States, only around 3% of the adults who need literacy help are getting it – a figure that holds true for Texas as well. And despite our best efforts across the literacy field – and the valiant intervention of nonprofits, libraries, and other programs to help fill the gap – that number hasn’t changed in any meaningful way in decades.

While we try to figure out what’s to be done, people, families, communities, counties, states, and the entire nation are all suffering. 

"In other wealthy countries, adults with limited education who were born into families with little history of schooling are twice as likely to surpass their parents’ literacy skills. Here, one’s destiny is uniquely entrenched... If there were local programs that could teach adults the reading skills they never got, those parents could help educate their kids and get better jobs... The entire county would benefit."
ProPublica

It’s a sobering picture.

Shouldn’t every person in America have the opportunity to learn to read?

This blog post is a reflection on the ProPublica article, “A Fifth of American Adults Struggle to Read. Why Are We Failing to Teach Them?” Look for more blog posts on this topic in coming weeks.

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Literacy TRANSFORMS

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So often – including right here on this website – we talk about adult and family literacy in terms of deficit.

“Adults without a high school diploma struggle to find employment.”

“The 43% of Americans who read at or below basic level are more likely to live in poverty.”

“Families where the caregivers are at or below the basic level of literacy are less likely to be able to help children with homework, and perpetuate the cycle of low literacy.”

Literacy Transforms Texas white text on yellow

“Low-literate adults are more likely to have health issues, less likely to eat nutritious food, and more likely to be incarcerated.”

All of the above are true, but none of this focuses on the possibilities. Just think of Texas – of America – of the world – if everyone was fully literate.

More people in high-paying jobs, with more money both for necessities and as disposable wealth to spend in their local communities.

Kids lifted out of poverty and families on their way to creating generational wealth and ongoing prosperity.

Higher self-esteem for millions of people, and shame around learning left behind.

Improved critical thinking and analytical skills, applied from everything to workplace problem-solving to science literacy to mortgage choices.

Expanded vocabulary and conversational skills.

Imagine living in a society where ALL your neighbors could flourish. It would be a society with less crime, greater health, more life satisfaction, more volunteerism. ALL of these things are linked to literacy and all of them are achievable.

Throughout September, we’re focusing on what’s possible when we prioritize literacy. Please join us! You can:

Further reading on this topic, and the sources of some of the info above:

Why We Should Invest in Getting More Kids to Read – And How to Do It

5 Reasons Reading is So Important for Student Success

The Importance of Adult Literacy

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“Transforming literacy learning spaces”

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Get ready to celebrate all things LITERACY throughout September!

International Literacy Day is celebrated every year on September 8.
Adult Education and Family Literacy Week is September 18 – 24.
And in the US, we just go ahead and celebrate the whole month as National Literacy Month.

In 2022, the theme of International Literacy Day is “Transforming literacy learning spaces.”

This year’s choice of theme is an invitation to rethink the fundamental importance of literacy learning spaces to build resilience, and to ensure quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all.

What are your learning spaces?

You might think first of traditional locations – schools, colleges, classrooms. But look again. You might also see – 

Your living room at home, where you read aloud to your children. Your grandma’s kitchen, where she shows you how to follow a recipe. Your father’s garden, checking seed packets to see how much sun and water each one needs. On the city bus, playing “I Spy” with signs and advertisements.

Almost anywhere can be a literacy learning space. When we see them that way, almost anything is possible.

international literacy day poster 2022
Click on the image above to download your own International Literacy Day poster from the UNESCO website.

Resources for Literacy Month

However you want to get involved this month, there are resources to support you.

Literacy means -

For something quick and easy, print off our “Literacy means – ” graphics (below, or in our July blog post) and use them on your social media or website. If you were at the recent conference, we printed one inside the cover of your program, so you can go find that one and save yourself the printing!

Maybe you can laminate the page, or put it inside a wipe-off pouch – and then you can write in the space using a whiteboard marker, and use the image over and over for different people.

Resources & Toolkits

And there are toolkits and other resources all over the place! Use the buttons below to see what literacy partners and advocates across the country have prepared for you.

2022 aefl week toolkit from proliteracy
2022 aefl week events & resources from coabe
general advocacy toolkit from proliteracy
advocacy resources from the american library association

Use these hashtags when you post on social media this month:

#Literacy22
#AEFLWeek
#AdultEd
#AdultLiteracy
#FamLit
#FamilyLiteracy
#LiteracyTransformsTX

Have a great September!

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Literacy means –

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It’s still July, but we’re looking ahead to September.

Why?

September has multiple opportunities to celebrate all things literacy. It’s National Literacy Month, just for starters, and on September 8 we celebrate International Literacy Day.

And then there’s AEFL Week! Adult Education and Family Literacy Week raises public awareness about both the need for, and value of, adult education and family literacy. Its goal is to increase support for basic education programs for US adults with low literacy, numeracy, and digital skills.

Advocates across the country (that’s all of us!) can use this opportunity to shine a bright, bold spotlight on the benefits of adult education and family literacy, the obstacles to access, and the great work your local programs are doing with adults and families.

And in some great news, a lot of the preparation work has already been done for you:

Find details about actions, events, messaging, and more, on this dedicated AEFL Week page from COABE (the Coalition on Adult Basic Education).

Use this toolkit from ProLiteracy to get prepared with what you want to say and do for literacy in your local community this September.

And keep it local, too! Refresh your mind on Texas literacy facts and stats, download any of the graphics below to use on your social media, and stay tuned for more ideas and suggestions for messaging about literacy in Texas.

5 Things You Might Be Missing About Awards

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Let’s face it, there are a lot of awards out there. From Student of the Year to Volunteer of the Month to Community Rockstar to who knows what else, we get offered a lot of places to nominate the folks in our programs (including the Literacy Texas Annual Awards, which open every spring and are presented every year at the annual conference in the summer). It can be… a lot.

And it’s just possible that you see these awards go by, and you think something like, “One day we should nominate someone for that… but who has the time?” You wouldn’t be alone.

But it’s also possible that you’re missing some of the reasons you really should be nominating volunteers and students for awards – and not just the Literacy Texas ones! I’m here to make the case for nominating everyone you can for every award possible. Here’s why:

trophies

5. They might win

OK, this one you’re probably not missing. In fact, it’s likely the first thing most people think of when it comes to awards: What’s the prize? Is it “worth it”? Could the agency win money?

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of that. Some awards DO come with money, or books, or another prize, and others come with recognition for your agency.

And winning is nice. Letting someone know they’ve won can be even nicer. And there are people who have lived their whole life and, in their own words, “never won anything”. YOUR nomination could be the first time they get publicly recognized. YOU could make that happen. Just imagine.

All of that is pretty compelling, but there are four more reasons, and I’d argue they just get more important from here.

4. You get to celebrate people you think are amazing

Hopefully you’re doing this sometimes anyway, awards or not. But there’s a saying about “not saving things to say over a coffin lid” and it’s good advice.

We sometimes think people know how we feel about them, and MAYBE they do, but pulling together an award nomination for a volunteer or student at your agency can uncover stories and sayings and other facts about them that you never knew before – and is always an excuse for a celebration (maybe even cupcakes!). Because despite everything going on right now – there is always something to celebrate. 

3. You get to TELL people that you think they're amazing

One of the things I genuinely liked the most, when I was working as a program director at a volunteer-based adult literacy organization, was telling volunteers and students that we wanted to nominate them for an award. See point #5 above – many said that was the first time that had ever happened. And that was always touching. 

But it just got better from there. Because as part of the nomination process, we would spend 10 minutes at the end of a staff meeting, just brainstorming as a team about what we all knew about these wonderful people. We’d gather the best of what we came up with together, complete the nomination, and submit it.

And then we’d go one step further – we’d take a few more minutes and put the nomination content together in a simple document, add our logo and any photos we had of that person in action at our agency, print it off, and give it to the nominee.

Y’all. That was ALWAYS moving. Sometimes there were tears. And usually, the person would say something like, “I never knew y’all thought all of this about me!” They had something to take home and read over again (and again!), words of praise and joy. They KNEW, without a shadow of a doubt, how much we appreciated and admired them. Volunteers knew we saw everything they did for the students, and how priceless that was to us. Students knew that we witnessed their efforts and were there alongside them cheering them on as they took steps toward the next success.

That felt like winning every time, regardless of whether our nominee actually got chosen for that award or not.

2. You model appreciation to others on your team

Remember how I said we used to brainstorm our nomination content at staff meetings, as a group? That wasn’t by accident. Of course it was a practical way to gather a lot of information in a short amount of time, so I recommend it for that reason alone. But it makes celebration, and articulating positive thoughts and compliments, a natural and accepted part of work.

The more we did it, the easier it became. Staff started to keep an eye out for fun stories that could be included in some nomination some day. One even kept a list. And it became more natural for all of us to voice that appreciation to volunteers and students throughout the week, and make positivity a daily element of our working lives.

1. You stop and feel appreciation yourself

Don’t underestimate the power of this. I don’t know you, but you’re reading this, so you probably work in adult literacy in Texas. So I know you’re tired; in fact, you were probably exhausted BEFORE the pandemic, and now – well, there probably aren’t words to describe how overworked and stressed you’ve been. And when you’re constantly exhausted and anxious, it’s very easy to fall into the habit of seeing everything with a deficit mindset – how are we going to pay for – to manage – to do – to finish – ? That’s very normal.

Being conscious of stopping, thinking, gathering positive thoughts and stories from others, writing them into a short but coherent whole, and then handing the whole beautiful account to the person you appreciate so much is all good for your body, mind, and spirit.

So – start a list of awards you can nominate folks for. You’ll have local opportunities, as well as statewide and even national awards. Take that little extra time to sit with the team and talk about what makes people wonderful. Write it up into a simple nomination. Give it to the person with a smile. So many people will be glad you did.

Nominations for the Literacy Texas Annual Awards are open now, and winners will be recognized in August. You can find out more, and submit your nominations, here.

Literacy for Joy

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This coming Saturday (February 26, 2022), close to 100 authors, educators, volunteers, and others dedicated to literacy and learning will gather for the first regional symposium of the year – the South Texas Literacy Symposium. 

South Texas usually kicks off our calendar of symposiums, and this year there’s extra delight and anticipation, since the event is back to being in person, and literacy folks from Edinburg, the RGV, and nearby will see each other – some for the first time in a while.

There’s always some added zing to the South Texas symposium, too, because it’s part of FESTIBA – the UTRGV Festival of International Books and Arts. The theme of Festiba in 2022? Inspiring Creativity & Innovation Through Arts and Literacy.

Stop for a moment there. Look at those words in italics. Read them over again. 

Inspiring Creativity & Innovation Through Arts and Literacy.

Literacy is many things. It’s the passport to a better life, through further education and a good job. It’s a way to traverse life with confidence and understanding. For some, it’s a pathway to a brighter future beyond incarceration.

But let’s never forget that literacy is also for joy. It’s for inspiration. It’s for creativity. It’s for innovation. It’s for art.

When we sit alongside adult students and their families as they learn, we’re helping bring joy into their lives. Because whatever else it’s for, literacy makes possible a richness in life that can’t be replaced. And not only is that important – it might actually be one of the most important things.

Interested in joining us at the South Texas Literacy Symposium? Registration closes at the end of the day on February 23. Reading this later and missed out? See our full calendar of 2022 symposiums here and maybe catch another later in the year!

Don’t forget the families!

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Every year, a week is set aside for special focus on adult education. We celebrate the excellent work that continues around the nation – even in the second year of a global pandemic – and the successes that are possible due to all that work. And those successes are many! 

In many states, including Texas, adult education is linked firmly to employment: The Texas Workforce Commission funds Adult Education & Literacy programs across the state, with the goal of helping adults get the skills they need to be successful in the workplace, earn a high school equivalency, or enter college or career training.

Because of that link between education and the workforce, many of the success we’ll be celebrating during this week focus on the workplace. And why not? After all, adults who increase their literacy earn higher pay, get promoted more often, and have better job security. Furthermore, they report raised confidence and self-esteem, and are more likely to develop leadership skills. All of this results in more teamwork, quicker adoption of new technologies, and an overall higher degree of productivity.

All these things are excellent. They’re worth celebrating, right? Yes, absolutely.

But there’s another half to this week we’re celebrating. It’s not just Adult Education Week, it’s also Family Literacy Week. And in our eagerness to celebrate education success, sometimes families can be overlooked. Let’s not forget the families!

All the education and workplace success in the world loses momentum quickly if the next generation is lagging in school or not developing a love of reading and of learning. Teachers do an amazing job, but they can only do so much – the single biggest indicator of a child’s literacy level is the literacy level of their primary caregiver, usually their mom, sometimes dad, and sometimes a grandparent or other adult carer. 

For those caregivers to invest quality time in their kids and their families, they need not only skills, they also need resources; they need books; they need ideas – and they need time (time when they’re not exhausted). Time to be creative, to be curious, and to simply have fun with reading and with learning.

So this Adult Education and Family Literacy Week (September 19 – September 25, 2021), let’s make sure not to forget the families. And in our advocacy and messaging this week, let’s highlight the value to our society in helping caregivers prioritize reading and learning with their kids.

Happy AEFL Week!

father and son reading

Can we stay in touch? There’s so much to do. And our efforts will be richer and more effective if you’re part of them.

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Sources for information in blog post:

Literacy, Employment and Youth with Learning Disabilities: Aligning Workforce Development Policies and Programs, National Institute for Literacy, 2010

Adult Literacy Facts, ProLiteracy

National Literacy Month 2021

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Literacy Month 2021

Literacy transforms Texas.

How often have you seen “the literacy problem” framed in terms of doom and gloom? Lost wages, lost opportunities, lost tax dollars, lost hope. It’s true that low literacy damages lives and potential in countless ways. But why not look at it through a different lens?

Helping an adult increase their literacy, even modestly, can have a positive ripple effect through their life, the lives of their children and family members, and on out into society. An adult who can read fluently and well is more confident. They’re more likely to understand forms, paperwork, and medication labels. They’re able to get a job more easily, move up in that job, and need less financial aid. 

An adult in a parenting role – whether a parent, a grandparent, or another adult important in a child’s life – who can speak English fluently and read well is more likely to be involved in that child’s education. They can read the notes sent home from school and participate confidently at parent-teacher nights. They make reading aloud a regular practice and children grow up with a love for books, curious minds, and valuing education.

And raising literacy scores is a dynamic cash injection for the economy. By some counts, the impact could be as much as $2 trillion every single year.

So, during September – National Literacy Month – let’s celebrate the power of literacy. It can transform lives, whole communities, and this nation. And then let’s continue our work.

Opportunities for you to make a difference this month:

And of course literacy work never stops – even after September ends, there are ways to stay involved:

Literacy transforms Texas. And you’re part of that transformation. Thank you for your efforts!

Can we stay in touch? There’s so much to do. And our efforts will be richer and more effective if you’re part of them.

Sign up for our newsletter here.

Add your voice to our socials on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Sources for information in blog post:

Low Literacy Levels Among U.S. Adults Could Be Costing The Economy $2.2 Trillion A Year, Forbes, September 9, 2020

Fast Facts on Adult Literacy, National Center for Education Statistics

Student Goals

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4 Things You Must Consider When Developing Adult Literacy Curriculum

No matter what age we’re working with, our students learn best when motivated. Whether internal or external, practical or aspirational, the stronger the “why”, the better they perform. As educators, we must never lose sight of this, even as we coordinate our students’ educational goals with various state and federal standards. 

As we set our instructional intentions, we need to keep (among many other things!) these four things in mind:

1) Blended Learning: Don’t just wheel in a television.

Of course, nowadays it’s more likely to be a projector or a Youtube link, but multimedia should no longer be thought of as a supplement. The pandemic provided an opportunity to explore technology as the foundation, as a flexible way to cater a lesson to each student’s needs, learning style, and living situation. The Online Learning Consortium defines blended/hybrid learning as “integrating online with traditional face-to-face class activities in a planned, pedagogically valuable manner.” 

Technology isn’t a novelty anymore. Inside the classroom and out, it’s essential to understand and use it skillfully. 

2) Upskilling: Preparing for the test that matters. 

“Upskilling is the process of acquiring new and relevant competencies needed today and in the near future.” (Digitalhrtech.com) It’s an understatement to say that the world is evolving. People hoping to find meaningful employment need an increasingly diverse set of skills and experience to keep up with this change. Dallas is #3 in the nation for job creation in the tech industry. We need to be aware of these broader changes happening around us and consider how they will affect our student’s goals. That means not only knowing but keeping tabs on our student’s goals, and supporting their needs through how we curate our instruction.

Upskilling can include digital skills (social media, UX/UI), analytics skills (critical thinking, research), soft skills (creativity, persuasion, communication), and many other skills that we’d do well to integrate into our classrooms.

3) Family Literacy: Who’s teaching who?

Teaching an adult means teaching the citizen, the parent, the employee, the friend, and all the other roles that person has taken on in their life. Family literacy means recognizing and fostering the parent’s role as a primary teacher in their children’s lives. Read talk more about the ties of family to literacy in this article. 

4) Health Literacy: The gap between the textbook and real life. 

Specialized language can be difficult even in our mother tongue. One particular area where this is true is with medical jargon, pharmaceuticals, and simply navigating our health system. Simply being able to read complicated instructions doesn’t equal meaningful comprehension. Is there a way to meet your student’s goals, comply with state and federal standards, and address challenges like health literacy that students might not even be aware they must face? 

But how?

You see the importance of these considerations, but creating an effective instructional strategy can be daunting. Thankfully, the 2021 Literacy Texas Annual Conference offers solutions to this challenge. Join us August 2-4 as speaker Ann Beeson presents “Student Goals & Instructional Standards: Coordinating your Curriculum and Instruction for Success”. She offers the resources and strategies you’ll need to keep your student’s goals front and center while also staying on target to achieve external standards.
Visit https://www.literacytexas.org/calendar/2021-literacy-texas-annual-conference/ to register and learn about the other speakers and sessions offered at this extraordinary event.

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