Friends of Literacy

Program Overview

At Friends of Literacy, our goal is to enable our students to achieve their full potential and become better citizens. We achieve this through a range of programs, including:

Beginning Readers: For adults who cannot read, using the Wilson Reading System. Students may be native speakers of English or of another language, but must be able to communicate verbally in English.

Adult Basic Education (ABE): Language arts and math classes for adults at an elementary level of literacy (grades 1-8).

HiSet Prep Classes: For adults who score at a high school level on their initial assessments or who want to move into a HiSET program after completion of ABE classes.

Tennessee Valley Reads: FOL provides training, support, and student assessment for volunteer-led beginning reader classes across the area.

Student and Volunteer Success Stories

John grew up in the traveling circus, where his parents were performers. His classroom was typically a trailer that traveled with the circus, and he had many different teachers over the years.

When John was in high school, his parents decided to quit the circus and settle in Knoxville, TN, in part because they wanted John to have a more traditional education. When John started high school, he and his parents quickly realized that his knowledge base wasn't what it should be. He struggled in the traditional classroom environment and eventually dropped out of school.

Soon thereafter, John's parents heard about Friends of Literacy. He came to an orientation session and signed up for classes. In just under a year, John successfully completed the HiSET exam and received his high school equivalency diploma. He is now enrolled in a two-year community college, pursuing his goals of additional education that will lead to more and better career options.