Fighting illiteracy in Houston

Harris County is in a crisis of adult illiteracy.

Houston ranks 60th out of the 75 least literate cities in the United States. In Harris County, 1.2 million adults cannot read above the third grade level.

According to the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, poverty is a root cause of low literacy, which leads to increased education costs, higher crime rates and poorer overall health.

On the Factor to talk about their efforts to fight this epidemic are Eastside University superintendent Dr. Manson Johnson II and Eastside University graduate Beverly Jackson.