Literacy Facts

April, 2010
About D.C. LEARNs
Our Mission:
To lead an active
coalition of Washington,
DC literacy programs,
Adult Education in the District
learners and supporters, A Look at Washington, D.C.’s Adult Literacy Programs
and work with them to and the Potential Impact of the Proposed FY 2011 District
strengthen literacy
services and present a Budget
strong unified voice on
the importance of literacy
Adult education programs focus on strengthening adult’s basic
as an investment in the academic skills—literacy skills in particular. The types of programs
community. include: Adult Basic Education (ABE), GED preparation, English as a
Second Language (ESL), computer classes, workplace education,
Our work includes family literacy, learning disabilities training, and services to seniors
helping D.C. residents
and institutionalized individuals.
find appropriate literacy
programs, training
teachers, providing
What is the need for Adult Education services in the District of
additional resources to Columbia?
programs, and helping
policymakers understand Approximately one in five DC adult residents (19% of the population)
the need for literacy lack basic prose literacy skills, or the ability to conduct simple tasks
services. For example: such as filling out a job application or reading a newspaper written at
an eighth-grade level. (National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 2003)
We maintain the city’s
only comprehensive How will the cuts in the proposed budget affect adult
database of local child,
family and adult literacy education students?
programs and manages a
bilingual citywide literacy  The proposed reduction to the Office of the State Superintendent
referral hotline, 1-866- of Education's (OSSE) local budget for Adult and Family Education
732-3688. is about $965,000, which is the maximum amount of money that
Our Adult Education can be cut to receive federal funding for adult education.
Professional
Development Center  The proposed reduction to the Office of Latino Affairs' grant
trains teachers and tutors awards to community-based programs which funds some of the
from literacy programs English as a Second Language programs is $1,368,000. For FY
throughout the city. 2010 (Oct. 1, 2009 – Sept. 30, 2010) OLA awarded $185,000 to
Our AmeriCorps program, ESL programs. This number has gradually dropped since 2007
Literacy*AmeriCorps/Was when the highest amount awarded to ESL programs (since funding
hington D.C., recruits programs in 2005) was $311,000.
AmeriCorps members to
serve for 1-2010
Version one year as
teachers at adult
  DOES One-Stop Centers will be reduced by $1,636,000 from
$9,550,000 approved for FY10 to $7,913,000 proposed for FY11.

 The Transitional Employment Program (TEP), which is designed

specifically for hard-to-serve clients – and in reality serves mostly
returning offenders – will be cut modestly (by $378K, from
$11,799,000 to $11,421,000).

Who provides adult education services in the District of

Columbia?
The District of Columbia is home to over eighty adult literacy program
providers. Most providers are community-based, nonprofit
organizations or religious institutions operating with limited capacity.
Programs are provided either free or at minimal cost to adult
learners.

How many people are being served?

Approximately 7,000 adult learners are served—just 8% of the need.

Why should the district support adult education?

Adult Education Strengthens Workforce and Economic Development

 Learners achieve significant annual wage gains within 18 months

after program exit, ranging from $1817 to $2579, an 18 to 25
percent gain for minimum wage workers. (U.S. Department of
Commerce)

 Literacy has a profound impact on family income. Forty three

percent of adults at the lowest level of literacy proficiency live in
poverty compared with four percent of adults with strong literacy
skills. (The State of Literacy in America, 1998)

 A rise in of 1% in literacy scores leads to a 2.5% rise in labor

productivity and a 1.5% rise in GDP per person. (The Economist,
August 28, 2004)

 American businesses are estimated to lose over $60 billion in

productivity each year due to employees' lack of basic skills. (U.S.
Department of Education, 1998)
Adult Education Greatly Impacts Child Education

 There is a significant impact that a primary caregiver’s literacy

level has on the academic success of his or her children. Only 27%
of parents with children under age eight with below-basic literacy
levels, report reading to their children five or more days a week.
(National Assessment of Adult Literacy)

 As literacy levels of caregivers increase, so does the time they

spend reading to their children. This number nearly doubles to 50
percent for parents who scored at the “proficient” level of literacy.
(National Center for Education Statistics)
2 Adult Education in the District
  A parent's literacy level is one of the most significant predictors of
a child's future literacy ability. Poor school achievement and
dropping out before completing school are commonplace among
children of illiterate parents. (REACH Educational Foundation,
2003)
Adult Education Issues Are Healthcare Issues

 Annual health care costs in the U.S. are four times higher for
individuals with low literacy skills than they are for individuals with
high-level literacy skills. (ProLiteracy)

 The health care industry estimates $73 billion per year of

unnecessary health care expenses attributable to poor literacy.
(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Statistics, 2004)

 In one U.S. study, having a ninth-grade reading level or less

appeared to double the risk of mortality among elderly people
over a five-year period. (National Institute on Aging, 2006)

 When family members or untrained interpreters are used to assist

with communication, an average of 31 translation errors are made
per health care visit. (American Medical Association, 2005)

Adult Education in the District 3