More than half of adults in the United States struggle with low literacy. They read and write below a sixth-grade level. Nearly one in five read below a third-grade level.

To address this national challenge, representatives from the corporate, philanthropic, government, and education sectors convened at Sunnylands on November 3-5, 2022, for the Summit on Adult Literacy.

The summit marked the official launch of the Adult Literacy and Learning Impact Network (ALL IN), a new initiative formed to implement the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy’s National Action Plan for Adult Literacy. ALL IN brings together national thought leaders from the adult literacy field and beyond in pursuit of a shared vision: a country where every adult can easily access high-quality, effective support to improve their reading, writing, digital, and numeracy skills.

Summit attendees identified priorities for improving adult literacy rates.

At the Summit on Adult Literacy, attendees identified the following priorities: raising awareness about adult literacy needs, improving technology-enabled research and development, and expanding access to high quality programs and services.

“As Barbara Bush said, ‘Literacy is everyone’s business. Period,’” said British A. Robinson, president and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation. “We’re grateful to the leaders who chose to make literacy their business by sharing their time and insights with us, and to The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands for using their prestigious platform to elevate the cause and to foster unprecedented collaboration that will ultimately lead to meaningful change.”

Organizations represented at the Summit on Adult Literacy included: American Library Association, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, Coalition on Adult Basic Education, Colgate-Palmolive, Comcast, Discovery Education, Dollar General, Houston Mayor’s Office for Adult Literacy, Intel, Jobs for the Future, National Association of State Directors of Adult Education, National Center for Families Learning, National Coalition for Literacy, National Governors Association, ProLiteracy Worldwide, Tyson Foods, U.S. Department of Education Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education, VALUEUSA, Walgreens Boots Alliance and World Education.