Houston's Literacy Crisis:

A Blueprint for Community Action

In 2013, the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation convened more than 100 cross-sector leaders across our city over a 7-month period to understand the extent of our literacy problems and unite around a unified plan for helping more children and adults acquire the literacy skills necessary for success in school, work and life, and to make Houston a stronger, more vibrant city. The culmination of this effort was "Houston's Literacy Crisis: A Blueprint for Community Action." The Blueprint was our city's first-ever strategic plan on literacy and has become a foundational resource for schools, libraries, nonprofits, governmental agencies, and others to build a common language, have consistent research and data, and strategies and tactics to drive outcomes.

Houston’s Literacy Crisis: A Blueprint for Community Action Community Impact

100+

Stakeholders Engaged

2,500+

Hours Invested

99

Research Reports Used

“What a helpful tool the Blueprint has been to me as a leader and to my team as we work in the early childhood literacy space! We quote the great research in grant applications and used it to guide program development shortly after its release.” - Jacque Daughtry, Literacy Now Executive Director

What people are saying…

“The collaborative development of the community literacy Blueprint presents a compelling rationale, a profound sense of urgency, and a strategic approach for breaking the cycle of generational illiteracy and poverty for families in our wonderfully diverse and dynamic city. In a knowledge economy and an information age, literacy must lead the way as a human right for every American.”

—Tracy White Weeden, Ed.D., Neuhaus Education Center President & CEO

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