What does our community lose when its immigrant workers speak English poorly or not at all? Let’s look at a Brookings Institute study, “Investing in English Skills: The Limited English Proficient Workforce in U.S. Metropolitan Areas” (Jill H. Wilson, 2014): “English proficiency is a strong predictor of economic standing among immigrants regardless of educational attainment....
Last year’s adult learners working with the Literacy Council had a total of 183 children under age 18 living at home. This is really something to think about. Think of the difference it makes to these children when their parents learn to read and write or to speak English. No longer do the adults who...
The Literacy Council is keenly aware that there are not just hundreds but thousands of adults in Frederick County who could use our help with literacy skills or learning English. So we have been working hard to find and train new tutors, and to let potential students know we are here to help them. And...
Many of our tutors say they came to the Literacy Council because they love reading and want to help others learn to read. What a generous gift this is! I remember some years ago when my Korean student began to read, very slowly and with help, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie. She...
The Literacy Council serves American-born adults who need help with literacy skills, as well as people from all over the world who want to learn English. Nearly half of our students are in the part of their lives (ages 25-44) when they are working hard to establish both careers and families. A disproportionate number of...
