National Institute of Literacy Website Redesign. No. 588.

Have you visited the National Institute for Literacy's Web site today? There's been a redesign!




Since its creation in 1991, the National Institute for Literacy has served as a catalyst for improving opportunities for adults, youth, and children to thrive in a progressively literate world. At the Institute, literacy is broadly viewed as more than just an individual's ability to read. Literacy is an individual's ability to read, write, speak in English, compute, and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family, and in society. The Institute, a federal agency, was established by the National Literacy Act and reauthorized in 1988 by the Workforce Investment Act.

Our mission is to develop literacy as a national asset, using knowledge, research, and practice, and working in collaboration with the Secretaries of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services, and with other partners. The Institute is also authorized under the No Child Left Behind law to help children, youth, and adults learn to read by supporting and disseminating evidence-based reading research. An Advisory Board appointed by the president guides the operations of the Institute. As a national literacy resource, the Institute's program officers contribute to improving literacy across the lifespan.