According to PIAAC, the latest international survey of adult literacy, one in six Americans struggle with basic literacy, meaning they have only basic vocabulary knowledge and struggle when working with anything other than short texts. Of this group, only about 2 million are served by the national adult education program.

In this video, co-produced by Larry Condelli and Dahlia Shaewitz, students share their struggles and triumphs, including those of a grandmother taking classes because she couldn’t understand her young grandchildren’s homework, an immigrant who is learning English to get ahead financially, and a laid-off worker convinced that a GED is crucial to getting a job. It also features interviews with those who work in adult education, including J. Michelle Johnson, D.C. State Director of Adult and Family Education, Office of the State Superintendent of Education.