This event will include the screening of two impactful films that aims to raise awareness about the importance of literacy. Following each film, we have organized engaging panel discussions featuring educators and literacy advocates, and moderated by Jenn White, host of 1A, a daily program from WAMU in Washington, D.C. The event will also include a book signing from Emmy® Award-nominated and daytime actor Ameer Baraka. His book, UNDIAGNOSED: The Ugly Side of Dyslexia promotes early detection of the learning disability in schools and awareness, and support for prison inmates in the United States. We invite you to join us on how we can collectively tackle this issue. The literacy crisis is huge, but together we can solve it.

What if Houston became the most literate city in the nation? What if children with dyslexia were identified before they experienced reading failure? What if systems were designed in every public, charter, and private school to ensure a literacy safety net was in place for educators to get reading right the first time? These compelling questions underscore a problem that many may not be fully aware of: Houston, like our nation, is confronting a literacy crisis.

The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) provides a nationally consistent measure of our literacy progress. Despite abundant scientific knowledge on effective reading instruction, a staggering 68% of U.S. fourth graders are not proficient in reading.  The challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022 have only worsened this decline, and the consequences are profound. As we prepare our children for a knowledge-based economy and an information age, their decoding and fluency skills must be strong to enable them to build knowledge effectively. Beyond childhood, digital, health, and financial literacy are vital skills. Failing to equip our children with these competencies will leave them ill-prepared to navigate the complex web of literacy in a world that continually evolves. We must recognize that we are all in this together – we either collectively swim toward literacy excellence or sink as a society, an unacceptable option.

Neuhaus Education Center invites you to "Unlocking Literacy: Houston, We Have a Solution!" sponsored by Gulf Coast Workforce Board – Workforce Solutions. Through a double feature film viewing and panel discussions, you will gain insights into our unwavering dedication to equipping educators and our clear vision to transform the lives of children and adults where literacy leads the way.