National Coalition for Literacy

Agreed!

We believe every person, regardless of gender, class, religion, or ethnicity, has the right to fully participate in society. Without literacy, that’s impossible. Literacy is a right.

is coming up on September 8! How will you and your adult learners ? Here are some suggestions:

International Literacy Day UNESCO established International Literacy Day in 1967 as a way for communities all around the globe to raise awareness of literacy as the foundation for justice, peace, and sustainability in the wo…

Thanks to A Mighty Girl for sharing this info about the Pine Mountain Settlement School. The was instrumental in providing access to and education for adults and children throughout Appalachia starting in the late 1800s, and several of the schools continue to do so today. Learn more at https://education.ket.org/resources/settlement-schools-appalachia/

As a 16-year-old student at the Pine Mountain Settlement School in the late 1930s, Ruth Shuler worked three days a week as a pack horse librarian delivering books to poor children throughout rural, mountainous Harlan County, Kentucky. She would often spend time with the children after delivering books to help them with their reading. During the Great Depression, the Pack Horse Library Project was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) program in which the librarians, who were often called "book women" or "book ladies," delivered books to remote parts of Appalachia.

To share the inspiring stories of the intrepid 'book women' with kids, we recommend the new picture book "Junia, The Book Mule of Troublesome Creek" (https://amzn.to/3Wr7oZ7) and "The Horseback Librarians" (https://amzn.to/4cLMv01), both for ages 4 to 8, and "Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky" for ages 8 and up (https://amzn.to/3N8WAtf)

For adult readers, there are also several excellent historical fiction novels about these determined librarians: "The Giver of Stars" (https://amzn.to/4a0Ym9A), "The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek" (https://amzn.to/47ZbdHz), and its sequel "The Book Woman's Daughter" (https://amzn.to/3RqH6Cn)

NCL member Literacy Minnesota has articulated a powerful set of core values in its new . Definitely worth reading!

𝙇𝙄𝙁𝙀𝙇𝙊𝙉𝙂 𝙇𝙀𝘼𝙍𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂: We believe the pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong journey and that we all have something to teach each other.

Lifelong learning is one of Literacy Minnesota's essential core values. And we believe that every member of our community is capable of being a lifelong learner.

Read about the other values that we champion in our new strategic plan: bit.ly/4cGvbJu

Recent research by ALL IN: The Adult Literacy and Learning Impact Network shows that of 500 employers surveyed, almost all recognize the effects of low and about one third say their average employee does not have the literacy skills needed to do their job well. Nearly all want to be part of changing that situation, but less than half actually offer .

As a founding member of ALL IN, is committed to increasing access to opportunities for all adults to develop the , , and they need for full participation in the workplace, family life, and the wider community. Read more about the research at https://nationalcoalitionforliteracy.org/2024/07/advancing-adult-literacy-mobilizing-business-and-the-beltway/

Interested in knowing what employers and policy influencers are thinking about ? Read Advancing Adult Literacy: Mobilizing Business and the Beltway, a guest post by Sarah Cacicio of ALL IN, on our blog page. https://nationalcoalitionforliteracy.org/research/ncl-blog/

On December 7, 2022, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the bipartisan Adult Education WORKS Act, S.5202. Read the press release Read the text of the bill The purpose of the bill is to make amendments to the text of the existing WIOA legislation. The introduction of the bill in the 117th (current) Congress gives us a platform for ongoing work on getting WIOA reauthorized in the 118th Congress, which starts in January....

http://nationalcoalitionforliteracy.org/2022/12/adult-education-works-act-introduced-in-the-senate/

National Coalition for Literacy On December 7, 2022, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the bipartisan Adult Education WORKS Act, S.5202. Read the press release Read the text of the bill The purpose of the…

A bases-loaded home run for Adult Education and Family Literacy Week! Houston Astros manager is the new in the City of Houston. https://www.houstontx.gov/adultliteracy/dusty-baker-ambassador.html

Get ready to promote and during Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, Sept 18-24! Visit the NCL website for ways to participate.

What makes an adult education program strong and effective? Check out our list of exemplary programs at https://national-coalition-literacy.org/programs-that-work/exemplary-programs/, and contact us at https://national-coalition-literacy.org/about/contact/ if you'd like to see your program listed!

Exemplary Programs

Help NCL members National Center for Families Learning, World Education, and the Barbara Bush Foundation raise awareness of the importance of family literacy! Vote by August 21.

PanelPicker | SXSW Conference & Festivals PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

Don't miss your chance to register at the early bird rate for the 2022 ProLiteracy Conference in San Antonio!

🚨 LAST DAY! Today is your last chance to get the Early Bird registration discount to attend the ProLiteracy Conference on Adult Education. REGISTER NOW: https://hubs.la/Q01k3N-60

Help raise awareness of the central role that adult literacy and numeracy play in strengthening communities! Vote by Sunday August 21. ⏳

Help us bring attention to the pressing issue of low adult literacy at the SXSW EDU 2023 Conference and Festival! Vote for "Going ALL IN to Solve the Adult Literacy Challenge" at https://t.co/OrXRz5FySM, and for "Boosting Adult Literacy in Your Community" at https://t.co/uTdp14gPEB.