Double Literacy

After receiving her Bachelor's in Elementary Education with a Math emphasis, Tami Nickerson was eager to share her love of Math and Science with her first class of fourth graders. To her dismay, most of the students in her class were well-below grade level for reading ability and at risk for lifelong illiteracy. That experience became the foundation for her devotion to reading instruction. In 2018 Tamara returned to her career as an educator, first achieving a Masters of Literacy Education, and currently working as a Reading Instructional Coach for Kindergarten - Third Grade teachers. In the last five years Tami has become a subject matter expert in the Science of Reading along with the travesty of the current literacy crisis in America.

Key statistics on low adult literacy

--Number of adults: Around 43 million adults are considered illiterate, and a 2025 study indicates that 54% of adults read below a 6th-grade level.

--Skills: At least 50% of U.S. adults cannot read a book written at an 8th-grade level, and 50% of adults cannot read a prescription drug label.

--Young adults: The percentage of 16-to-24 year olds with low literacy skills increased from 16% in 2017 to 25% in 2023.

--Prison system: 3 out of 5 people in American prisons cannot read, and 85% of juvenile offenders have reading problems.

--Poverty: Adults who live in poverty are more likely to have low literacy skills, and nearly 80% of those living in poverty read at a Level 2 or below.

--Economic impact: Low adult literacy is estimated to cost the U.S. economy up to $2.2 trillion annually in lost productivity and earnings.

--State literacy rates: California has the lowest literacy rate at 76.9%, while New Jersey has a literacy rate of 83.1%. 

These statistics became personal when Tami realized that a family member has quietly and shamefully suffered with the effects of educational trauma from low-literacy ability. It is now her mission to help adults acquire the skills to be confident readers and writers. Double Literacy organization’s aim is to to raise awareness of the literacy crisis and provide accelerated remediation to adults through EBLI (Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction. 

You can make  tax-deductible contributions (one-time or monthly recurring) using the DONATE button below. 

If you prefer to mail a check, make it payable to Visions Made Viable with "Double Literacy" listed in the memo line and send it to:

Visions Made Viable, 17595 Harvard Avenue Suite C235, Irvine, California, 92614.

Contributions to or for Double Literacy are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.  Double Literacy and fiscal sponsor Visions Made Viable provided no goods or services for your contribution.