Adult Learners in Philadelphia Need Your Help!

A 2020 National Center for Education Statistic (NCES) study shows over 50% of adults in Philadelphia read and comprehend at a 5th grade level or below and require further education and training in order to enter the workforce.

The Need

Adult education programs, like BeLit, are a second chance at a first-rate education.

Here are the facts:

• 29% of Pennsylvania’s working-age adults lack basic literacy and/or numeracy skills needed for work, family, and community life.
• Nearly 650,00 PA adults between ages 18-64 do not have a high school credential.
• Nearly 400,00 PA adults between ages 18-64 have only an 8th grade education or less.
• Nearly 390,000 PA adults between ages 18-64 speak very limited or no English.
• In the last 5 years, more than 68K students dropped out of high school. We expect COVID-19 has exacerbated this “Academic Pandemic” stop-out rate; these students require functional literacy upskilling to gain and sustain living-wage employment.

Learn more by downloading the 2023 PA Literacy Brief located on the right.