NCL Talking Points
From LiteracyTentWiki
National Coalition for Literacy Message Statement December 14, 2005
As America speeds head long into the 21st Century, more and more American adults are being left behind because of limited literacy skills.
The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a stark snapshot of America’s ability to prosper in the 21st Century. If we are to tackle the serious literacy issues underscored by the NAAL study we must forge bipartisan solutions on the federal and local level.
Our nation is growing and changing at a rapid pace. Tens of millions of adults in this country lack the literacy skills to complete a job application, use the Internet, or read a bedtime story to a child. To compete in the global marketplace Americans must be literate, educated, and prepared to succeed in the workplace.
The National Coalition for Literacy believes that functional literacy is important for very fundamental reasons:
· ECONOMY—A more literate America will be more competitive and more prosperous. Improved literacy skills will create a stronger economy that helps all Americans.
· FAMILY—A more literate America will mean stronger families. Parents with strong literacy skills help their children succeed in school.
· CITIZENSHIP— A more literate America will mean a stronger Democracy. All adults will have an equal opportunity to contribute to their neighborhood, their community, and their country.
The NAAL study makes one thing very clear. Adults with limited literacy skills are being left behind. This jeopardizes the productivity and well being of all Americans.
How can America address the growing number of adults left behind because of limited literacy skills? What works best as we try to address these challenges?
1. We need more professionally-trained instructors. The same approach taken for K-12 education with meaningful standards and best practices must be applied to adult literacy education.
2. We support a research agenda for adult literacy comparable to the K-12 agenda. We must know more about best practices in order to deliver quality services.
3. We must draw on the best resources in the public and private sectors to meet the challenges. We must forge alliances on the federal, state and locals levels.
4. We must meet the demand. In every program in every state, there are long waiting lists for enrollment in adult literacy programs. They aren’t looking for a hand out; they’re looking for a hand up.
The National Coalition for Literacy is committed to engaging in solution-based dialogues working across party lines at every level of government. America needs to invest in adults who are sacrificing, studying and working to achieve a better life for themselves and their families. When America makes this investment our country will be stronger, more prosperous, and globally competitive.
National Coalition for Literacy ▫ P.O. Box 11592 ▫ Washington, D.C. 20008 ▫ 202.244.0732 ▫ ncl@ncldc.net www.national-coalition-literacy.org
FACT SHEET
Adult literacy is necessary to ensure a prosperous economy, a stable and productive family, and a strong democracy.
• ECONOMY—A more literate America will be more competitive and more prosperous. Improved literacy skills will create a stronger economy that helps all Americans.
• 70 percent of U.S. adults who are poor, unemployed or welfare recipients have limited literacy skills • Those with only a high school education or below now qualify for fewer than 20% of all new jobs in the U.S. In short, high unemployment is closely correlated with the lack of basic skills. • Recent high school dropouts are more than three times likely to receive public assistance.
• FAMILY—A more literate America will mean stronger families. Parents with strong literacy skills help their children succeed in school.
• As the education level of the mother increases so does the literacy level of the child. • Families who participate in family literacy programs show a dramatic increase in the children’s school attendance during and after the program. • Oral communication prepares the way for kids in learning to read. When adults use a larger vocabulary it affects their children and their ability to learn.
• CITZENSHIP— A more literate America will mean a stronger Democracy. All adults will have an equal opportunity to contribute to their neighborhood, their community, and their country.
• Forty-four percent of Hispanic students born outside of the U.S. drop out of high school. These students rely primarily on adult education programs for ESL or GED completion. • In 2003, almost 1.2 million people were enrolled in ESL programs. The number served would be even larger except that many states and local programs have waiting lists. • Immigrants who are literate in their native language, but not in English, are more likely to have noncontinuous employment and to earn less.
Message Statement/Talking Points (formatted Version) 
FACT Sheet (formatted Version) 
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