How the National Literacy Act Still Helps Adults Today
One this day, July 25th, 1991, Barbara Bush earned the title “First Lady of Literacy” when she and her husband, President George HW Bush signed to order the National Literacy Act. Still influential today, the bipartisan-supported National Literacy Act aims “to enhance the literacy and basic skills of adults, to ensure that all adults in the United States acquire the basic skills necessary to function effectively and achieve the greatest possible opportunity in their work and in their lives, and to strengthen and coordinate adult literacy programs.”
“The National Literacy Act put into policy my belief that education is a civil right, no matter one’s age.” - Barbara Bush
One in three Harris County adults is functionally illiterate, lacking the knowledge and skills to adequately perform on the job and fully participate in society. Literacy levels are linked to nearly every community metric including income, crime, health, economic vitality, civic engagement, and generational poverty.
The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation is proud to advance Barbara Bush’s legacy of leading literacy by partnering with the Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy. Both co-sponsors working together in executing the Houston’s Adult Literacy Blueprint, a strategic and comprehensive plan to increase literacy rates in Houston, the city in which President and Mrs. Bush called ‘home’ for more than a half century.
The Blueprint was made possible by the engagement and insights of more than 100 civic-minded cross-sector leaders, the expertise of Deloitte Consulting, financial investments of EOG Resources, Phillips 66, Adult Education Center, The Alliance, Neuhaus Education Center, Tejano Center, West Houston Assistance Ministries, the Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy, and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, as well as in-kind contributions from the Greater Houston Community Foundation.
Please take time to visit a special website at www.HoustonAdultLiteracy.org to learn more about Houston’s adult literacy challenge and our plan for changing lives and ensuring Houston thrives.