01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, July 17, 2005

A 2002 study found that Rhode Island had the worst adult literacy rate in New England and made the smallest investment in adult literacy education among the region's states.

The Nellie Mae Foundation and Jobs for the Future found that 47 percent of the state's population, or about 368,000 adults, read at a sixth-grade level or below, compared to about 41 percent of adults throughout New England.

Despite having the biggest literacy gap, Rhode Island at the time spent the least on adult education among the New England states -- $450,000 in 2001, or only 11.5 percent of the money spent on education.

The figures startled and disturbed many familiar with Rhode Island's shifting economy.

Once based on low-skilled manufacturing jobs, most Rhode Island jobs today require some technology and communication skills.

With the Nellie Mae Foundation study fresh in their minds, the General Assembly approved spending $2.7 million for adult literacy in fiscal year 2003.

Governor Carcieri, a former teacher, made improving adult literacy a priority after his 2002 election.

His first budget again raised the annual investment in adult literacy programs -- to $4.03 million -- and each budget since has continued that trend. The state budget for the current fiscal year includes $5.04 million for adult literacy.

Carcieri also created the Adult Literacy Task Force, charged with devising a plan to better educate Rhode Island's adults.

Among the task force recommendations last August was to create a new job, director of adult literacy, who will soon be hired to work within the state Department of Education to direct literacy programs around the state.

"Unless we increase our efforts in adult education," Carcieri said in the task force's report, "too many of our citizens will not be able to access the jobs which can support a family, and our state will not have the skilled workforce to fill the jobs our economy is capable of creating."