Literacy: Return on Investment

Investing in Literacy Pays Off
St Joe News: November 13, 2009

For more than 20 years, Pass the Power Adult Literacy has filled a vital need. For various reasons — unstable home life, undiagnosed learning disabilities, frequent moving — people reach adulthood and cannot read.

Pass the Power is a unique outreach program of the Western Institute at Missouri Western State University. The program is funded entirely through local donations and grants. All students receive free one-on-one or small group instruction for reading, math skills and English for speakers of other languages.

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One dollar invested in literacy returns $33 to the overall economy by boosting productivity for workers and businesses. An even greater return can be seen in the lives of people who for the first time can open a checking account, read the instructions on a bottle of medicine or fill out a job application. READ MORE !