Literacy Facts & Statistics
Percentage by County of Illiterate Adult Texans - Texas map and list of counties with illiteracy rate percentage in each county
Statewide Data Tables - data on adult learners in Texas
Links Beyond TCALL
2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy -
The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a nationally representative
assessment of literacy among adults (age 16 and older) residing in households
and prisons in the United States. Data collection was completed in 2004, and
the process of releasing data was begun in December 2005. For reports and updates
on plans to release more data, see the NAAL website.
2003 International
Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey - ALL
reports on the literacy and numeracy skills of adults ages 16-65 in
six countries. ALL is designed to answer questions about the extent
to which adults can use information from written materials to understand
text and tables and apply mathematics to solving problems likely encountered
in real life.
Adult Learning in Focus: National and State-by-State Data - Report contains national and state-by-state data on adult learning, including data and comparative charts on adult educational attainment, adult learning participation, affordability, accessibility and aspiration. Council for Adult & Experiential Learning (CAEL) has teamed with the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) to provide states with this information needed to assess state performance on adult learning and identify where to direct future strategies.
Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki – Learn about adult literacy education or add knowledge from your experience teaching adult learners, from research or professional wisdom, or from your experience as an adult learner. This community of practice has links to research for practitioners, researchers, learners and other adult literacy educators, including English language learning, numeracy, and adult basic and secondary education.
A First Look at the Literacy
of America’s Adults in the 21st Century This report presents long-awaited key results of the 2003 National Assessment
of Adult Literacy (NAAL).
American Community Survey - America is changing, and so is the United States Census. The new American Community Survey (ACS) provides data every year -- giving communities the current information they need to manage change. Questions on topics that include education, transportation, housing and ancestry generate data that help determine how more than $300 billion in federal and state funds are distributed each year. The ACS also streamlines the decennial census, eliminating the need for a separate long form in 2010.
August
2006 NAAL Webcast Archived Online - The National Institute for Literacy has made available an archived version of its August 15, 2006
webcast, "Adults with Basic and Below Basic Literacy Levels: Findings from NAAL and Implications for Practice". Transcript and slides are also available for download.
Literacy
in Everyday Life: Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy - This April 2007 NCES report provides extensive information on the literacy of American adults age 16 and older and changes in their performance since 1992. Furthermore, it examines the relationship between literacy and several demographic variables including education, occupation, and income.
Immigration Data Hub - The Migration Policy Institute's Data Hub gives instant access to the latest immigration statistics, maps, and numbers for the United States and other countries, showcasing the most current national and state-level demographic, language, education, social, and economic facts about immigrants to the US.
Language Use and English Speaking Ability: 2000 - Part of a series that presents
population and housing data collected by the Census Bureau in 2000, this
October 2003 report presents data on language spoken at home and the ability
to speak English of people age five and over. It describes population
distributions and characteristics for the United States, regions, states,
counties, and selected metropolitan areas, including the following Texas
cities: Brownsville, El Paso, Laredo, and McAllen. PDF - 
National Assessment of Adult Literacy: Indirect County and State Estimates of the Percentage of Adults at the Lowest Literacy Level for 1992 and 2003 - This January 2009 report from National Center for Education Statistics uses data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL - see below) along with data from the 2000 Census to synthesize estimates of percent of adults lacking Basic Prose Literacy Skills for all states and counties. In addition to allowing users to view adult literacy percentages for any given state, an Interactive Web Tool also allows for comparisons to be made between two states, two counties in the same state, two counties in different states, and between the years 1992 and 2003 for a state or a county.
Rural America at a Glance (2003). Six-page brochure highlights the most
recent indicators of social and economic conditions in rural areas for
use in developing policies and programs to assist rural areas. Download
the brochure from website of the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department
of Agriculture by clicking the link above.
SchoolMatters.
Web-based national education data service provides in-depth information
and analysis about public schools, districts
and state education systems. This data service could provide useful information
for grant proposal writers. Once you follow the links to the Texas page, particularly
note the Advanced Search under Search & Comparison Tools, which allows you
to find data by county or city.
State Policy Assessment Reports of the Working Poor Families Project (WPFP) - Site provides data on education and skills training available to working adults; employment opportunities for entry-level and low-wage workers; conditions of low-income working families; and conditions and employee benefits at existing jobs, compiled from the federal government's American Community Survey, Current Population Survey, and Occupational Employment Survey. WPFP is funded by the Annie E. Casey, Ford, Joyce, and Mott foundations.
Texas State Data Center and Office of the State Demographer – functions as a focal point for distribution of Census information for Texas, disseminates population estimates and projections for Texas, as well as other information from the federal government, state government, and other sources.
The
Modern Language Association Language Map - This interactive map of languages
in the United States uses data from the 2000 United States census to
display the locations and numbers of speakers of thirty languages and
three groups of less commonly spoken languages in the United States.
The Language Map illustrates the concentration of language speakers in
zip codes and counties.
The New Neighbors: A User's Guide to Data on Immigrants in U.S. Communities by Randolph Capps, Jeffrey Passel, Dan Perez-Lopez, and Michael Fix.
This resource from the Urban Institute can help local policymakers, program
administrators, and advocates use U.S. Census and other data to identify
the characteristics, contributions, and needs of immigrants in their communities.
USA CountiesTM - features more than 5,900 data items for the United States, the 50 states (plus the District of Columbia), and all of the nation's 3,141 counties or county equivalents. Data are available on county residents' ages, ancestries, education, employment, and income, as well as poverty, the labor force, available social programs, and more. The Census Bureau manages this source for data on U.S. counties.
U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts Page - You can access data from the 2000
Census on educational attainment (which is not the same as literacy
level) by Texas county on the U.S. Census website's Quick Facts Page.
Still have questions? Email tcall@tamu.edu or call 1-800-441-READ (7323 toll-free).
