One in five adults across the country struggles with reading or writing English, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In Massachusetts, specifically, MassINC discovered that over one million working-age adults lack basic English skills. But to tackle this multifaceted issue of literacy — in any language — requires comprehensive data, which Suffolk County severely lacks. No research on Boston’s literacy rates has been conducted since 2003.
It’s a problem the city is addressing with a newly formed 15-person literacy task force , which met for the first time in June. The group is tasked with providing an accurate understanding of where Boston stands and to use the data to create an all-encompassing plan. The “Task Force to Address Literacy Rates in the City of Boston” includes community organizers, current and former public school students, city employees and those who have “lived literacy experience.”
One of the 15 members is Manuel Coronado, who will be a senior at Suffolk University this fall and is an alumnus of Immigrants Lead Boston , a selective program that bolsters Boston immigrants to become community leaders.
Originally from Panama, Coronado moved to Boston in 2018 without knowing any English and with dreams of attending college. Though he graduated from high school in Panama, transcript issues landed him at Brighton High School for two years. There, he and other English learners at the school took additional nighttime courses to become proficient in the language. Now, he’s a political science major at Suffolk University who hopes to attend law school for immigration.
Coronado’s experience is a large factor in why he joined the Literacy Task Force.
“This work is very close to me because I’ve lived that experience, and I’ve seen a lot of my classmates live that as well, which is a barrier for them to achieve a higher education or career development,” he said. “This is why I’m here, and I’m really excited to be part of this important work.”
The task force will be responsible for preparing annual progress reports for Mayor Michelle Wu and City Council members.
“City government should help improve the lives of all residents regardless of where they come from, what language they speak, or their literacy level,” Wu said in a statement . “This task force is critical in helping us understand and address literacy gaps in our city’s communities. I’m grateful to all of the task force members for their service and look forward to ensuring that Boston is a city for everyone.”
Coronado said that closing Boston’s literacy gaps is imperative to make sure all residents can take advantage of all the city has to offer.
“You usually have to at least know some basic reading or writing to be able to get access to those resources, so I think it's very important that we have this conversation,” he said.
The Task Force was established under a 2021 city ordinance. Coronado said that, although its work is in its infancy after just one meeting last month, he’s confident in its success.
“The first meeting, we just all got settled in to see how we can move forward. ... I believe that the second meeting is going to be that one meeting that is going to determine who is going to do what and how we’re going to do it,” he said. “I’m really excited and have a very good feeling about this.”
