FOCUS ON/Feb. 7: Adult LiteracyStar Telegram-Editorials & Opinions: Feb 7, 2009On Feb. 12, more than 400 adult learners, teachers and program administrators are expected to gather on the south steps of the Texas Capitol to draw attention to adult literacy issues.
Currently, one in five adults lacks a high school diploma. Millions have difficulty speaking English well enough to advance in the workforce.
Jon Engel of Community Action in San Marcos and president of the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas put it this way: "There is no hope for a strong economy without our lawmakers putting the mechanisms in place to create future sources of skilled and educated workers. As baby boomers leave the workforce, Texas will face a critical shortage of skilled workers."
What makes this literacy focus different from similar past events is the request from the Texas Education Agency to more than triple funding for adult education: from $7 million to $25 million per year. Texas ranks near last in the United States in adult literacy and in per capita spending for adult education.
It’s time to do more, Texas.
Adult learners in Tarrant County and across our state need more access to education — for the workforce, yes, and also to more effectively help their school-age children with homework.
Better-educated adults also make wiser decisions regarding medication management.
In other words, everyone benefits from increased literacy.
— Lester Meriwether, Literacy Texas president, Fort Worth
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