š° Adult Literacy News Summary
Adult learning dips after post-pandemic boom
03-Nov-2025 - UK
A post-pandemic boom in adults learning appears to have ended with a sharp dip in the last year, according to a think tankās annual survey. The adult participation in learning survey, carried out by Learning and Work Institute (L&W) every year since 1996, found that the number of people ācurrentlyā engaging with learning fell nine percentage points to 21 per cent when responding in June and July 2025.
Read moreTLDR: Literacy in the digital age
02-Nov-2025 - UK
No one reads these days. If itās longer than an Instagram caption, itās not worth my time. I doubt most people will even make it to the end of this article. As more and more studies tracking the decline in literacy pile up, doom-mongering professors self-importantly shake their heads in despair that āpeople donāt read Joyce any moreā.
Read moreEven 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 āMogul diamondsā ā those who not only āprofit by what they readā, but āenable others to profit by it alsoā. If such people were rare in Coleridgeās 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Read moreChildren struggle to read because of outdated teaching, study says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 Outdated teaching methods are restricting children in lower and middle income countries from attaining basic literacy, undermining their opportunities and their nationsā 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 childrenās 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 Councilās 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 shoppingā¦ I helped my husband register at the GP. I can do it myself."
Read moreInside the award-winning magazine that beats screen time ā 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 ā known for decreasing attention spans ā 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 childrenās reading and literacy.
Read moreStudy: Identifying kids who need help learning to read isnāt as easy as A, B, C
29-Oct-2025 - USA
In most states, schools are required to screen students as they enter kindergarten ā 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 researchersā 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 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 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
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