đ° Adult Literacy News Summary
Even as literate adults, we need to learn how to read
01-Nov-2025 - Australia
Few readers can claim to be what Samuel Taylor Coleridge called âMogul diamondsâ â those who not only âprofit by what they readâ, but âenable others to profit by it alsoâ. If such people were rare in Coleridgeâs time, then today, when reading is in dramatic decline, they are scarce enough that even the white rhino might feel a little smug. Robert Douglas-Fairhurst's Look Closer, a distillation of more than 20 years of teaching at Oxford University, is not only a generous offering, but a welcome intervention in the alarming decline of literacy.
Read moreChildren struggle to read because of outdated teaching, study says
31-Oct-2025 - UK
Most children in lower and middle income countries fail basic literacy tests, according to World Bank-backed report. Outdated teaching methods are restricting children in lower and middle income countries from attaining basic literacy, undermining their opportunities and their nationsâ economic growth, a new analysis warns. A failure to teach reading with evidence-based approaches is compounded by insufficient books, inadequate teacher training, high absenteeism, limited class time, instruction in an unfamiliar language and teaching that does not match childrenâs learning levels, it says.
Read moreMore than 600 people take Wiltshire adult learning courses
30-Oct-2025 - UK
More than 600 people have taken part in adult learning courses to boost their confidence and skills. Wiltshire Councilâs Family and Community Learning (FACL) team has supported learners through both online and face-to-face programmes, reaching a record number of participants this year. Of the 635 learners who took part, 410 improved their essential skills and 93 per cent achieved their course outcomes. A further 78 per cent moved on to further study, volunteering, employment, or other positive steps.
Read moreLiteracy charity helps woman have independence
30-Oct-2025 - UK
A charity that teaches people how to read has helped a woman to become more independent. English is not Jessica Wang's first language, and she found that she struggled at her job in a takeaway in Telford and needed help from her daughter. For about 18 months she has been attending coaching sessions with Read Easy Telford in Donnington Library in Shropshire. "Before some customer details, some addresses, I didn't know how to read them," she told the BBC. "Now it's easier to do things myself, my shopping⌠I helped my husband register at the GP. I can do it myself."
Read moreInside the award-winning magazine that beats screen time â and helps kids read for pleasure
30-Oct-2025 - UK
Being able to read fluently is also a vital life skill that sets young people on the best possible path for the future. Yet often, when it comes to choosing between reading and a screen, such as a tablet, TV, or mobile phone â known for decreasing attention spans â the screen wins. Research from the Open University has confirmed this, and it has praised What on Earth! Magazine, a monthly factual magazine for children aged seven to 14, as a potential solution to the crisis with childrenâs reading and literacy.
Read moreStudy: Identifying kids who need help learning to read isnât as easy as A, B, C
29-Oct-2025 - USA
In most states, schools are required to screen students as they enter kindergarten â a process that is meant to identify students who may need extra help learning to read. However, a new study by MIT researchers suggests that these screenings may not be working as intended in all schools. The researchersâ survey of about 250 teachers found that many felt they did not receive adequate training to perform the tests, and about half reported that they were not confident that children who need extra instruction in reading end up receiving it.
Read moreShane bags his dream job thanks to Shropshire charity
28-Oct-2025 - UK
Local charity Read Easy Shropshire Hills is using national Trustees' Week 2025 (November 3-7) to encourage adults who struggle to read to come forward and ask for help. They are asking people who know of friends and family members who cannot read, to pass on the Read Easy Shropshire Hills phone number, and encourage them to make a call that could transform their lives, as it has done for Shane
Read moreMP praises first Stevenage graduate from adult reading scheme
28-Oct-2025 - UK
The first Stevenage graduate from an adult reading programme has been called "a shining example of aspiration in action" by the town's MP. Jenny has learnt how to read with volunteer organisation Read Easy Stevenage and North Herts. Twice a week for two-and-a-half years, Jenny has been working with her dedicated reading coach Ali Browne, developing her reading skills to a level where she can confidently navigate tasks many people take for granted.
Read moreWelsh Government reading expert quits, warning new ÂŁ8.2m literacy plan 'not fit for purpose'
27-Oct-2025 - UK
The Welsh Governmentâs plans to raise reading standards have been thrown into doubt after a key member of its expert literacy panel resigned, accusing ministers of embedding âmixed messagesâ into a new ÂŁ8.2 million scheme to improve literacy. Elizabeth Nonweiler, one of only two members of the panel with experience teaching children to read, told ITV News the group has achieved nothing in nearly a year and that its failings are now being built into the governmentâs new national literacy programme.
Read morePenguin 'Little Book Stop' to open in Northfield to celebrate publisher's 90th anniversary
27-Oct-2025 - UK
Northfield has been chosen as one of the 90 locations where Penguin Books will install their Little Book Stops, in celebration of their 90th anniversary. This follows over 2,000 submissions, from Shetland to Cornwall, from members of the public for a community book sharing box in their local area. The 90 Little Book Stops campaign forms part of the brandâs ongoing 90th birthday celebrations, and is run in partnership with Little Free Library, the US-based non-profit that has overseen the installation of more than 200,000 neighbourhood book exchange boxes globally since 2009.
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