Prince George's County Adult Illiteracy Rates Soar

Hyattsville – The below basic literacy rate in Prince George’s County adults jumped from 12 percent to 22 percent between 1992 and 2003, according to a new report by the National Center for Education Statistics -- making Prince George's County home to the largest number of adults in the state and the metropolitan area who are unable to perform simple and everyday literacy activities.

The January 2009 report puts the below basic literacy rates for Washington, D.C, Arlington County, Baltimore City and Montgomery County at 19, 17, 16, and 11 percent respectively. The report provides the only available snapshot of adult literacy rates for all individual states and counties.

A combination of a rapidly growing foreign-born population in Prince George’s County, decreasing graduation rates for African American and Latino students in county schools, and insufficient adult basic education resources likely contributed to the rising rates, according to Tony Johnson, Executive Director of the Literacy Council of Prince George’s County.

“The new data on illiteracy rates is a cry out for help to our school systems, policymakers, funders, and community members. Nothing short of a very strong investment in adult literacy through funding, diverse community partnerships, grassroots efforts, additional recruitment of qualified faculty, volunteerism, and allocation of other resources will help turn these numbers around in Prince George’s County,” said Johnson.

The numerous adult education programs in the county – including institutions like Prince George’s Community College and community-based organizations like Solid Rock Missionary Baptist Church of Suitland, United Communities Against Poverty of Capitol Heights, and Glenarden Apartments – only scratch the surface of the problem, continued Johnson.

With more than 45 years of experience, the Literacy Council is the primary non-profit organization for the implementation of and advocacy for adult basic education programs. This year, the Literacy Council will help 1,400 adult learners through individualized assessments, one-to-one tutoring, high school diploma programs, and small-group classes in basic skills instruction, English for speakers of other languages, and family literacy.

Said Johnson, “There is a lot of really good work in adult education being conducted in the county by a healthy number of groups and organizations – but the need for adult basic education services in the county far outweighs even our collective capacity to meet it.”

The Literacy Council of Prince George's County is a nonprofit education community devoted to adult literacy and lifelong learning. Its programs strengthen the literacy skills necessary for personal, parental, and economic empowerment; civic responsibility; and technological proficiency. The Literacy Council is supported in part by grant funding from Maryland Literacy Works and the U.S. Department of Education.

To learn how to support the Literacy Council, visit www.literacycouncil.org.

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