WAMU 88.5 : Metro Connection

Filed Under:

'I Couldn't Read the Words': Boosting Adult Literacy in D.C.

By: Emily Friedman // March 18, 2011
  
Play associated audio
comments
Two adult-literacy students sort through syllable flashcards at the Washington Literacy Council.
Emily Friedman
Two adult-literacy students sort through syllable flashcards at the Washington Literacy Council.

Washington, D.C., attracts some of the most educated, literate individuals in the country. But for every Ph.D., there are many more District residents who just struggle to read. In fact, more than one-third of D.C. residents lack basic literacy skills -- 20 percent higher than the national average. Emily Friedman finds out what's being done to help clean up the record.

[Music: "Reading Rainbow" by 8bit bEtty from Too Bleep to Blog]

Related Links

Arts & Culture

NPR

Dan Brown: 'Inferno' Is 'The Book That I Would Want To Read'

Dan Brown, author of the blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, is back with his first novel in four years. Inferno follows academic hero Robert Langdon on a chase through Italy as he attempts to avert a biological catastrophe.

Food

NPR

'Picture Cook': Drawings Are The Key Ingredients In These Recipes

Designer Katie Shelly's upcoming cookbook offers 50 illustrated recipe "blueprints" for basic meals — from simple snacks to more hefty dishes like eggplant Parmesan. She hopes they'll inspire any level of cook to improvise in the kitchen.

Politics

WAMU 88.5

Ken Cuccinelli Wins GOP Nomination For Virginia Governor

Virginia's attorney general Ken Cuccinelli will face former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe in November to become Virginia's 72nd governor.

Technology

NPR

Book News: Amazon May Be Called Before Parliament Over Taxes

Also: AARP and The Nation join a growing list of ebook publishers; Hilary Mantel on Jane Austen; Anne Applebaum on Sheryl Sandberg.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.