COVER TO COVER

Spotlight On Innovation Explores Reimagining Adult Learning and Showcases Promising Ideas Transforming Adult Basic Education

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2025-2026 Grant Presenters and keynote speaker. From left to right: Riva Pearson, Marjorie Bond, and Dave Bufano (JVS), Ellen Berry and Laura Garcia (The House of the Seven Gables); Erin Paszko (Community Action Inc.); Mina Reddy (Community Learning Center); Linda Zhou (BCNC); Cyndy Cotton (Osterville Village Library); Mhamed Jounaidi (Community Learning Center); Michelle Logan (Community Action Inc.); Dr. Johan Uvin, keynote speaker (UMass Donahue Institute); and Amy Enright (Blue Hills Adult Education). Photo Credit: Jungwu Park

BOSTON, MA – On Friday, November 6, First Literacy hosted the Spotlight on Innovation in Adult Basic Education at Bunker Hill Community College. The annual event featured innovative new programs that are sparking change, testing fresh approaches, and opening doors for adult learners who are working hard to build better futures.

Too often overlooked, adult literacy can be life-changing for those who slipped through the cracks of the education system or for those whom English is a new language. The ability to read and write can open pathways to fulfilling careers that benefit families and communities. First Literacy grants are dedicated to making education accessible by funding innovative projects geared to teaching adults essential skills.

This year’s event kicked off with a keynote speaker who has spent his career furthering education policy at the state and federal levels. Currently the Executive Director at the UMass Donahue Institute, Dr. Johan Uvin previously served at the U.S. Department of Education Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), managing a staff of 80 and $1.7 billion in resources. Dr. Uvin also held leadership positions in the Rhode Island Department of Education and Commonwealth Corporation in Massachusetts.

During the event, Dr. Uvin spoke about the systemic barriers and current shortfalls in adult education and highlighted innovative policy changes that could provide a pathway to navigate these challenges.

“[Grant recipients are] creating proof points to this question that policymakers are struggling with, which is if we redesign this adult education system and resource it properly, what would that look like?” said Dr. Uvin.

Dr. Uvin emphasized the importance of adult education in driving economic mobility and social resilience.

“We found that if we increased English proficiency in this working age, limited English proficient population that would annually increase the earnings of people by $3 billion” said Dr. Uvin. “There are 20,000 Massachusetts residents right now waiting for an opportunity to learn English, and they should not have to.”

As he concluded his keynote, Dr. Uvin emphasized the growing need for adult education and the importance of investing in well-funded, inclusive policies that promote equity in both the quality and effectiveness of educational programs.

The program initiatives featured by grant recipients during the event included:

An immersive, café-style literacy experience where participants “sample” books and media in multiple formats to foster confidence reading for learners who do not connect with traditional print alone.
A summer digital literacy program to help students master digital and technology resources and thus increase their ability to master English.
A leadership skills training program that provides activities and coaching for adult learners.
An AI mini course for immigrant and low-income ESOL learners focused on building independent English study strategies, expanding digital literacy skills, and equipping learners with tools for lifelong learning and workforce advancement.
A summer family literacy class to help parents develop English skills and teach parents how to help their children develop their literacy skills.
A 6-week summer program that provides waitlisted students the opportunity to learn basic English language skills, digital literacy, and workforce readiness.
A course focusing on the English skills needed to find and succeed in a job.

Riva Pearson, ESOL Program Manager at JVS, Hyde Park, highlighted the role of First Literacy in providing students with books to practice their reading skills and practice reading to their children at home.

“This class clearly improved their confidence and their accuracy with reading,” said Pearson. “It also encouraged students to read with children more frequently, increasing both family time and learning time. We consider the influence of this class to be intergenerational.”

Amy Enright, ESOL and ABE instructor at Blue Hills Adult Education, shared how their Digital Literacy class was an effective way to democratize technology resources.

“Students are comfortable with phones. No problem. But a computer with a different keyboard, totally different story” Enright described, emphasizing the importance of framing computers as a tool for education and everyday productivity.

Ellen Berry, Settlement and Education Programs Manager at The House of the Seven Gables, spoke about how their workplace language skills program was able to build connections with local businesses to increase interview opportunities for students.

“We’re connecting with the hotels so that we will actually target the jobs they’re in and train people specifically for those jobs and have the connections so that people can go in an interview,” said Berry, noting that these connections build empathy within the job market and makes it easier to interview.

In addition to awarding grants, First Literacy offers free professional development for adult educators and provides scholarships to adult learners pursuing higher education. Since its founding in 1988, the organization has allocated over $6 million to support educators and innovative literacy programs, while awarding nearly 700 scholarships.