The Barbara Bush Foundation: Family Literacy Can Solve Many Problems

Since it was established in 1989, The Barbara Bush Foundation has been a powerful advocate for family literacy, making sure that both parents and children of all backgrounds have the tools they need to succeed. But this year, there will be a notable void at its events, such as the National Celebration of Reading in Washington, D.C. on May 9.

"Some of the amazing families that went through our programs would share their stories on stage and Mrs. Bush would always encourage them and be so supportive," says Chris Frangione, the foundation’s interim CEO, who spoke to Giving Compass a few days after the passing of the former First Lady at the age of 92. "She was a wonderful woman."

While Mrs. Bush may be gone, her legacy lives on through the foundation’s 160 programs across the nation aimed at helping the estimated 36 million U.S. adults who lack basic literacy skills.

She was also the driving force behind the Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE Presented by Dollar General Literacy Foundation, a competition launched in 2015 that challenges innovators all over the world to come up with smart phone solutions that will improve people’s reading skills.

"We recognized three years ago that we were moving the needle incrementally, and we wanted to go for a moon shot," says Frangione, who adds that the XPRIZE is in its pilot testing stage in three cities — Dallas, Philadelphia and Los Angeles — with the goal to get 500,000 people downloading the free apps eventually (the three initial cities were chosen for reasons that included the ability to access both native and non-native English speakers, geographic diversity, and the number of potential collaborators).

Technology helps us reach adult learners where they are, either on a bus, or before the kids get up in the morning, or on a break at work.

Why Adult Literacy Matters

To read a driver's license manual, you need to have a sixth-grade reading level. To hold a job as a cook: seventh-grade level. Directions on an aspirin bottle: eighth-grade level. Understanding frozen TV dinner instructions or to get a job as a mechanic or supply clerk: ninth-grade level. Newspapers: high school level. Apartment lease: college.

In other words, literacy is key to every aspect of adult life, but more than that, it touches upon many other issues in our society, whether it’s unemployment, drug addiction, or incarceration (3 out of 5 people in U.S. prisons can’t read).

And adult literacy also has an impact on child literacy. Consider that the kids of parents with low literacy skills are 72 percent greater risk of being low literate themselves and are exposed to 30 million fewer words than their peers by kindergarten. Addressing reading skills in early childhood is important, but sustainable solutions assure that learning is cultivated at home as well. Says Frangione, “We see adult literacy as an anti-poverty tool and ensuring children's success.”

A look at this interactive "gap map" of the U.S. shows some of the correlations between low literacy in adults and children. The five states listed below have the highest percentage of children under age 6 whose parents have less than a high school diploma and are economically poor.

How You Can Make an Impact

Give money. With so much emphasis on early childhood education, adult literacy often gets the short end of the stick in state and municipal budgets (a proposed $12 million cut to adult literacy programs in New York was recently met with protests). That’s why private funders need the support to carry on their work.

Give time. Local libraries are great places to connect with adult tutoring programs, some of which you can find on VolunteerMatch.

Give ideas. Innovation is perhaps the strongest currency when it comes to adult literacy. “Many philanthropists who made their money in AI or are successful in the technology field, I'd like them to say, ‘Let me focus my brain power on solving this problem,’” says Frangione. “We need more things like the XPRIZE — times ten.”