Adult Basic Education- ABE

The most recent figures for Houston from the National Institute for Literacy reveal that over 31% of adult Houstonians are functionally illiterate.

43% of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty and 70% are either unemployed or working only part-time.

70% of prison inmates are either functionally illiterate or read below the eighth grade level. This means illiteracy is correlated with criminal activity (Literacy Behind Prison Walls, 2004).

Despite the significant challenges to learning that our population generally faces (poverty, unemployment, family challenges, etc.) half of our Adult Basic Education students demonstrate gains of an entire level in reading and nearly half demonstrate gains in math and language.