| An additional 29 percent of American adults can read | | | | - 43 percent of the adult population aged 16 and |
| at only the most basic level. They function in society | | | | older could read at basic to below basic levels. |
| and the workplace, but not without difficulty. When | | | | - 44 percent of the adult population can read at the |
| added together, these two groups account for a | | | | intermediate level, enough to handle day-to-day |
| staggering 43 percent of American adults who have | | | | reading. |
| basic to almost no reading skills. | | | | - Only 13 percent of adults in the population |
| Adult literacy is an urgent topic of research at the | | | | possessed "proficient" reading skills. This means that |
| national level. The national focus on literacy resulted in | | | | only 13 percent of adults can do research and |
| the passage of the National Literacy Act (NLA) in | | | | understand complex documents. |
| 1991. The U.S. Congress then established the National | | | | Achieving greater adult literacy is a national challenge, |
| Institute for Literacy. The NLA and the Institute have | | | | and you can help. If you are interested in teaching |
| become champions of literacy. The Institute's staff | | | | someone to read, there are several reading programs |
| works with the U.S. Department of Education, and | | | | and literacy centers across the country in need of |
| conducts research and analysis of literacy issues. The | | | | volunteers. |
| Institute's publications serve as a resource for reading | | | | America's Literacy Directory provides a |
| programs throughout the country. | | | | comprehensive database of reading programs that |
| In 2003, the U.S. Department of Education's National | | | | need qualified instructors. Most literacy centers and |
| Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) sponsored | | | | programs provide instructor training designed for |
| the National Assessment of Adult Literacy survey. | | | | teaching the adult learner. You can access this |
| The NCES designed and conducted a national reading | | | | database by entering your location information for |
| assessment, and reported some sobering facts about | | | | the reading programs and literacy centers near you. |
| illiteracy in the United States. The key findings are: | | | | |