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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner knows the key to unlocking success for many residents of his city: literacy.
That’s why he created The Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy (MOAL). It is designed to help Houstonians obtain the skills necessary to prosper and reach their full potential.
In addition to advising adults on public policies that steer them toward learning and improving themselves and their earnings, MOAL develops partnerships to leverage resources benefiting adult literacy, and makes sure to position adult literacy providers for success in supporting adults and families.
Mayor Sylvester Turner
| City of Houston
It’s a major issue in Houston, with a 2014 study showing one out of five adults in the city were functionally illiterate, and 24% lack a high school diploma or equivalent. That often creates a roadblock to career aspirations, making life far more challenging.
Federico Salas-Isnardi, the director of the Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy, said functional literacy is more important now than ever.
“As the economy shifts in an age of information technology, Houston’s vision to be a hub for innovation in digital skills, health care, and petrochemical and renewable energy, among other growth industries, will be challenged by an under-skilled workforce,” Salas-Isnardi told Houston Daily.
“If the new economy demands middle- and high-skill workers and our adults cannot read, write, compute, and solve problems at the levels of complexity needed, then we have a literacy problem,” he said. “The city’s competitiveness and overall economic vibrancy is directly linked to literacy levels.”
Salas-Isnardi said the office generates broad-based support and high visibility on issues surrounding adult literacy to influence public policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, social systems and institutions as a means of equitable access to resources necessary for all Houstonians to prosper and reach full potential.
People lacking proper communication skills impact Houston’s economy, since literacy levels are directly related to unemployment or underemployment. Black and Hispanic adults are three times more likely to struggle with low literacy skills than white adults. In Houston, one in six households do not have access to a computer and one in three do not have broadband internet access.
“Statistics show that black and Hispanic adults are three times more likely to have low literacy skills than whites,” Salas-Isnardi said. “This also impacts numeracy (the ability to perform basic numerical operations) as blacks and Hispanics are twice as likely to have low skills than whites. Many systemic problems contribute to inter-generational low literacy such as poverty, unemployment, underemployment, and lack of career opportunities.
“Neighborhoods that are underserved or lack access to good education, access to libraries, technology,” he said. “In addition, lack of access to digital devices and internet/broadband, limits the ability of many adults to improve their skills to qualify for jobs in the sectors that are in demand and growing.”
This year, MOAL teamed with the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, founded by the late first lady, author and staunch advocate for literacy.
They created the Adult Literacy Blueprint, featuring more than 100 pages of strategic planning to ensure more Houston-area adults may learn the literacy skills needed at work and in their overall lives. The Blueprint includes a list of 150 references, such as studies, research and reports that helped build the case, Salas-Isnardi said.
“With one in three Houstonians functionally illiterate, the combined efforts of the Mayor's Office for Adult Literacy and the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation are essential to achieve transformational change in the lives of adults who cannot read,” Turner said when the program launched in January. “This public-private partnership will strengthen the capacity of our adult literacy provider network and our engagement with our city's functionally illiterate, empowering these citizens to contribute to their community, their families, and their livelihoods.”
Neil Bush, founder and co-chair of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, said it was an issue near and dear to his mother, and her family has remained involved with it.
“More than 30 years ago my late mother, Barbara Bush, began championing adult literacy across our nation, because she firmly believed that every illiterate adult deserves and second chance to live the American Dream and reach their fullest potential in life,” Bush said. “Maria and I, along with the rest of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, are pleased make this important investment and work alongside Mayor Turner, the staff of the Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy, the Houston Public Library, and the multitude of community-based literacy organizations in our city to forever change the lives of so many adults who are currently living in the shadows and unable to fully participate in our society and global economy.”
The Blueprint was created thanks to the involvement of 100 people through a series of interviews and focus groups, a community survey and a strategy lab conducted over a five-month period. Participants included local employees from the city of Houston, the business sector, nonprofit organizations, adult learners and many other groups.
Evelyn Meza, the human resource manager for PJS — Professional Janitorial Service — of Houston, said helping workers master English benefits them and the company. It’s an issue the firm has long sought to address.
“Unfortunately, this is something that happens more often than we would want to,” Meza told Houston Daily. “The majority of our employees are immigrants and although most of our positions do not require English skills, some of the better-paying positions do require at least some level of proficiency. The lack of fluency keeps us from being able to promote very hard-working and otherwise qualified people into some of these better-paying positions.”
The innovative cleaning provider began offering MOAL's English@Work program to employees five years ago. It has provided free English as a second language classes to employees for more than 10 years.
“We have had a number of programs, but English@Work has been the most successful,” Meza said. “I started working with PJS 12 years ago and at that time three of our key managers conducted the classes (the vice president of operations, the quality control manager and Meza).
“We are not trained teachers but had the best intention at heart. At some point we hired a high school ESL teacher and that definitely proved to be an improvement. We feel very lucky to have learned about the English@Work and how passionate they are about adult learning,” she said. “Through the program we have met a group of wonderful people who not only have a passion for adult learning but are also high-skilled instructors. It is through them that I have learned about the needs of adult literacy in our city and the importance of having the right skills for adult teaching.”
English@Work instructors have clear “expertise in teaching and engaging an adult group with diverse backgrounds, learning abilities and knowledge,” Meza said.
PJS pays employees $250 for completing the course. Key managers also visit the company to monitor employee progress, Meza said.
“English@Work has given our employees the confidence to practice what they learn in the classroom,” she said. “I have personally seen many people who understand English more than they give themselves credit for and when they gain the confidence to practice their speaking/writing/reading skills, they flourish. The convenience of the location/schedules also makes it easier for our team members to commit to the program.
“Many of them have multiple jobs and families to care for, so the convenience is a big plus for them,” Meza said. “The biggest benefit for us at PJS is getting to know the team members who are willing to invest in themselves and their growth. We have built a closer rapport with these team members and on many occasions, we have been able to promote them into better positions because of the improvement in their communication skills.”
Several employees started as janitors and have risen to leadership roles as they gain experience and skills, including a command of English. She has witnessed the impact of this program on people’s lives.
“I think of that very hard worker who everyone loved but she could not speak English,” Meza said. “We asked our customer to give her a chance for a position that usually requires a lot of verbal communication with the condition that she would attend the ESL classes. They gave her a chance; she attended the classes and now she has been in that full-time position for over two years.”
PJS has joined the effort to help more people learn English through Houston's Adult Literacy Blueprint.
“We were asked to participate in a focus group to discuss how business (ourselves in particular) have benefited from partnering with the English@Work program,” she said. “We met Jackie Aguilera, project manager for Houston’s Adult Literacy Blueprint through another organization (Houston Center for Literacy) so she knows our company and our efforts to promote English@Work.”
Jacqueline “Jackie” Aguilera believes in “whole life literacy,” according to her biography on the city website.
Aguilera has devoted more than 20 years to tutoring, teaching, training and consulting. She has worked in student support services for “at risk” college students, and nonprofit leadership for community-based adult literacy organizations.
Among the literacy initiatives and projects she has worked in during her career are the McGraw Hill-sponsored Financial Literacy Carnival, Houston Money Week, English@Work program, the Houston Area Adult Literacy Collective and the 2019 Xprize Tier 3 winning team, the Adult Literacy Partners of Houston.
She now works closely with MOAL as they focus on expanding literacy innovation while developing support for providers in the US.
“I am the project manager for MOAL and have served in this office for a year,” Aguilera told Houston Daily. “Together, our director and I have over 60 years of experience in adult education and literacy.”
Salas-Isnardi is a linguist, educator, diversity trainer and writer who has worked in adult education in Houston for more than 30 years, according to his city bio.
He has organized or been involved with hundreds of professional development workshops and seminars and often speaks at professional conferences on topics ranging from second language acquisition to anti-bullying education, and from literacy and employability skills in the 21st century to identity and privilege in a culture of respect.
“As the Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy, we do not conduct programs ourselves,” Salas-Isnardi said. “Instead, we help support and foster collaboration, coordination, communication, and strategic planning among the city’s adult literacy providers across the Greater Houston Area. The programs and agencies provide literacy skills and workforce preparation training that includes high school equivalency preparation, English as a second language, industry certifications, digital, financial, and health literacy classes and workshops.”
MOAL’s short-term goals include developing the next phase of action steps in response to the seven goals reflected in the blueprint, Salas-Isnardi said.
They are: Awareness and Action, Comprehensive System, Multi-generational Learning, Workforce Skills and Opportunities, Digital Resources and Skills, Common Data System and Practices and Sustainable Resources for Progress.
“Our long-term goal is reflected in the Blueprint Vision: All adults will have ready, equitable access to high-quality education to gain the literacy skills and knowledge they need for their roles in work, life, and the community by 2036,” he said.
The Houston community can help by engaging with the office to learn about adult literacy and its impact on every person in the city, and by amplifying the message and sharing that information, he said.
"They can become involved in creating awareness campaigns for their local adult literacy organizations and agencies and helping to advocate on behalf of those upon whom our children depend for their support and guidance. Volunteering time and talent helps programming and service impact,” Salas-Isnardi said. “Referring people in need to the Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy as a starting point towards finding resources or to invest in adult literacy efforts can have profound positive impact on the lives of those we serve. Inviting representatives from MOAL to community or business meetings and events will help build bridges and link many stakeholders in a focused effort to meet the 100% literate Houston goal.”