At the Heart of Family Learning: Interview with ALL IN Director Sarah Cacicio

This week I’m joined in conversation by Sarah Cacicio, Director of the Adult Literacy and Learning Impact Network (ALL IN), a collective impact initiative convened by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy that is dedicated to expanding access to high-quality services for adults with low literacy skills. NCFL is a member of ALL IN alongside a host of leading national adult education and literacy organizations. We’re proud of the collective work the organization is achieving to bring attention to the urgent need for more robust access to adult and family literacy programming across the country to support learning across the age spectrum and strengthen the workforce.

Dr. Felicia C. Smith: You serve as the Director of the Adult Literacy and Learning Impact Network (ALL IN), a group composed of CEOs and other leaders from the adult literacy field—including NCFL—that is charged with carrying out the National Action Plan for Adult Literacy. Tell us a bit about the work you have done over the past few years to advance the strategic priorities of this network in support of the field.

Sarah Cacicio: At ALL IN, we focus on understanding and meeting the needs of two interconnected groups: eligible adult learners and the education providers who serve them. Our work is guided by the National Action Plan for Adult Literacy, which was a groundbreaking, multi-sector strategy created by more than 100 leaders across the adult and family literacy ecosystem. Together, we are strengthening the field through research, awareness, and field-building efforts. Our hope is that the collective impact drives change beyond what any single organization could achieve alone.

Over the last two years, ALL IN has been conducting what is essentially market research to understand demands for literacy skills and services from multiple perspectives. In 2024, we surveyed 500 employers and 200 policy influencers to learn what they think about adult literacy. We found that employers feel the urgency around this issue, with 1 in 3 saying their average employee does not have the literacy skills needed to do their job effectively. Policy influencers seem to think we are doing a lot better than we are in terms of our national literacy levels. But the newest data shows that the U.S. ranks 36th in literacy rates, with 28% of adults in the U.S. able to read only short, simple sentences.

This year, we are thrilled to release results from the first-ever national survey among 2,000 adults who are eligible for—but not enrolled in—adult education services, conducted in partnership with FTI Consulting. Most adults we surveyed via phone or digital tools (68%) have not completed their high school diploma and, through a screening process, identified as needing foundational literacy skills. The findings demonstrate what we knew to be true, but did not have sufficient evidence for: adults with low literacy recognize the value of education and want to improve their skills for life, for work, and for their families. The primary barriers to access remain a lack of awareness about available services and perceived costs. Specifically, our study found that 80% of respondents were unfamiliar with adult learning programs, but once informed, 84% of them expressed strong or moderate interest in enrolling—especially among parents, young adults entering the workforce, and adults with learning differences. Now that we have the perspective of adults who are living and navigating life with low literacy, we can directly inform the design and delivery of services that will increase access to, quality of, and uptake of literacy skills based on learner demands.

FCS: The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) data released last year showed that both literacy and numeracy scores for U.S. adults ages 16 to 65 experienced a decline from 2017 to 2023. The decrease in literacy scores was especially pronounced, and can be seen across gender, age, and racial/ethnic demographics. What factors do you see contributing to this decline?

SC: There are so many factors that impact literacy levels in the United States. ALL IN is working with multiple organizations across the adult and family ecosystem to better understand, articulate, and address these factors, ranging from poverty and housing security to lack of quality curriculum and instructional materials, lack of educator professional development in foundational reading (especially for middle and high school teachers), and insufficient investment in adult foundational education. There is also a growing demand for literacy skills, especially digital literacy. In my view, this really is an issue of multigenerational access and investment.

The National Bureau of Economic Research found that children of parents with low literacy have a 72% chance of experiencing low literacy themselves, are less likely to graduate high school, and are more likely to live in poverty. Recent NAEP data shows that only 31% of the nation’s fourth graders and 30% of eighth graders read at grade level. To improve literacy rates in the U.S., we can’t only focus on K-12 or adult education and workforce development or higher education. We have to think about how our education system (as one) works to support whole people, whole families, whole communities. It has to be that kind of dynamic, holistic approach. I think it’s a similar shift to what’s needed in medicine. You can’t treat only symptoms; you have to look at the root cause and see how all of the parts of the body are working together to heal and achieve wellness. Adult literacy is at the root of today’s national challenges like workforce readiness, military eligibility, health outcomes, and educational attainment, yet in many ways, it remains an invisible issue.

FCS: I totally agree with your sentiment about supporting whole people, whole families, and whole communities. This is in direct alignment with the work of NCFL and BBF which makes our mission work aligned in our efforts to improve child, adult, and family learning outcomes. However, we both agree that literacy is more than just reading and writing effectively. Tell us about the benefits of expanding the definition of literacy to include multiple literacies related to how adults go about life, day-to-day.

SC: Absolutely! The term “literacy” in some ways is part of our challenge as educators because it encompasses so much.

A few years ago, I read Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don’t Even Exist by Michelle Weise, where she says that “ongoing skill development is now a way of life.” I always go back to this idea. In the age of information and digital transformation, the types of literacies needed to participate in society have increased dramatically. Literacies evolve. These literacies include civic, digital, financial, health, information, and oral literacy, among others, all of which interconnect and correlate to strong foundational literacy skills. We explored these ideas in more depth in a 2023 white paper, Investing in Multiple Literacies for Individual and Collective Empowerment.

I think this is why it’s so important to understand what individual people need to be able to navigate their life and then provide services to promote the skills, resources, and resilience people need for that continuous learning.

FCS: What 1 or 2 accomplishments stand out to you regarding the work of partners engaged in ALL IN over the past couple of years?

SC: We know that adult literacy is at the root of today’s national challenges, like health outcomes, workforce readiness, civic participation, and generational educational attainment, yet it remains an invisible issue. One of the key goals of ALL IN is to shift the narrative about adult literacy—to make clear that adults with low literacy are hard-working people who want to learn, to improve their skills, to support themselves and their families, to excel at work. It really is an issue of access and investment.

In the field of adult education, resources are scarce and, at this moment, very uncertain. Rather than compete for funding as individual organizations, we are now working together to craft that shared narrative to prioritize adult literacy and propel a larger, more impactful change and investment. We are going after funding together and aligning on our message: adult education and family literacy more broadly add value to individuals and to our society as a whole.

One of our biggest accomplishments has been securing collaborative grants. Last year, we collaboratively wrote and submitted a proposal to the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences to co-design adult and family literacy centers in libraries nationwide. While the American Library Association is the prime organization leading the grant, several other organizations, including World Education, National Center for Families Learning, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, and ProLiteracy, are collaborating to carry out the work. We also partnered with three incredible library systems—Charleston County Public Library (CCPL), Chicago Public Library (CPL), and the Delaware Library Consortium (DLC)— to co-write the proposal, inform protocol design, and implement the initiative.

FCS: ALL IN is working both at the federal level to influence policy around adult literacy and at the state level with, just to cite one example, the Tri-County Region of South Carolina. This work has been exciting to watch unfold in that community, having visited with the ALL IN team almost a year ago. Can you share some of the promising practices you see emerging from the efforts in the Lowcountry that have the potential to impact literacy outcomes and become scalable, if resources are available?

SC: Literacy—the ability to read, write, speak, listen, use technology, and apply numeracy—is linked to sustained income growth, better healthcare access, improved job prospects for returning citizens, and stronger language skills among children. But in South Carolina, one out of five adults (about 22%) need foundational literacy skills support.

Members of ALL IN have teamed up with key stakeholders across the Lowcountry, including education and workforce training institutions, libraries, employers, government leaders, law enforcement agencies, corrections, and community-based organizations, to drive economic and social mobility by co-designing a cross-sector model for increasing literacy skills. Last year, ALL IN launched the Tri-County Literacy Services and Supports Map, a digital, interactive, and detailed inventory of literacy-related resources and services available in the region. The map displays 34 adult literacy access points in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, based on a 20-minute, voluntary survey. We gathered detailed information about program offerings, associated costs, adult learner population served, as well as available assessment and wraparound services. In addition to program-level data, we also asked respondents to identify organizational strengths and challenges in promoting access to literacy services. This map serves as a valuable tool for direct service providers such as social workers, parole officers, and/or library staff to make warm referrals to literacy services. It may also be used by adult learning providers and/or teachers exploring opportunities for partnership, and policymakers and funders looking to understand and address educational gaps in the region.

While the data and digital tools help us look at the same thing, I can’t overstate that this work is primarily people work. There is so much talent in this field, and it’s really about improved service coordination, provision, and collaboration. This project has led to some real, actionable partnerships, especially with the Charleston Public Library. We are also exploring the potential to increase health literacy across the region. This is cross-sector engagement and it’s ongoing.

FCS: In what ways can people learn more about the work of ALL IN and how might they become more engaged?

SC: We have just launched the ALL IN Learning Series, a monthly, virtual experience designed to increase community engagement in adult literacy issues. We know the challenge. Now we are interested in showcasing what works to improve literacy access and investment for millions of adults in the United States. You’re invited to join ALL IN and guest speakers monthly to hear about successful advocacy and programming efforts that impact adult learners and families at the local level in line with our National Action Plan for Adult Literacy. We hope that educators can join to learn and apply proven techniques to drive access to high quality literacy services, including digital literacy skills, for adults nationwide or discover new research findings with actionable takeaways to enact meaningful change in your community. Sign up to receive regular updates about the Learning Series and other ALL IN work here: allinliteracy.org/contact-us.

FCS: Thank you so much, Sarah, for sharing your time and expertise with us. I am so looking forward to seeing you at the 2025 Families Learning Conference, happening November 2-5 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where I know you will have the opportunity to share more of the work of ALL IN.

About the Authors

As President and CEO of the National Center for Families Learning, Dr. Felicia C. Smith brings decades of valuable experience to advance NCFL’s mission of eradicating poverty through education solutions for families. She is a firm believer in the power of family literacy and family learning for multi-generational impact, transforming the lives of families and communities.

Smith has served in a variety of leadership roles in P-12, higher education, nonprofits, and philanthropy. Her unique vantage point of a learner’s educational trajectory, from preschool to adulthood, is a result of her experience leading across multiple education systems. Recognized as an Aspen-Pahara education fellow, she serves on several local and national boards. She also holds the position of Vice Chair for the Southern Regional Education Board and was appointed by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to chair the state’s Early Childhood Advisory Council. In 2021, Smith participated in The Equity Lab’s prestigious year-long Nexus Fellowship.

Smith holds an Ed.D. in education leadership and administration from the University of Kentucky, an M.A. in elementary education with an emphasis on K-12 literacy development, and a B.S. in elementary education from the University of Louisville.

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Sarah Cacicio is the Director of Adult Literacy and Learning Impact Network (ALL IN), convened by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Sarah has more than 10 years of experience working to advance social mobility for older youth and adult learners through equity-centered research, teacher education, adult education programming, and wraparound services. From assessment design to workforce development, much of Sarah’s work has focused on the impact of digital tools and technologies on adult learners. Sarah earned her M.A. in Bilingual & Bicultural Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a B.A. in Spanish Language & Literature from the University of Massachusetts Boston as a first-generation college student.