Learning English IS possible! There's no excuse to not be able to adapt, grow, and be a success story because your native language was not English. There's no reason to feel limited, isolated or judged because the classes are FREE! These classes are available in the morning, afternoon, at night and on the weekends at multiple locations throughout Houston. We MUST get the word out!!! Whether you are a beginner and speak nor understand English or your know a little, there's a welcoming class available for you. Instructors are friendly, polite and patient. Students are all ages and from all over the world. Please tell people about these classes. Also, consider volunteering! They will teach you to teach English. ¡Aprender inglés es posible! No hay excusa para no poder adaptarse, crecer y ser una historia de éxito porque su idioma nativo no era el inglés. ¡No hay razón para sentirse limitado, aislado o juzgado porque las clases son GRATIS! Estas clases están disponibles en la mañana, la tarde, la noche y los fines de semana en múltiples ubicaciones en todo Houston. DEBEMOS correr la voz !!! Si eres principiante y no hablas ni entiendes inglés o sabes un poco, hay una clase de bienvenida disponible para ti. Los instructores son amigables, educados y pacientes. Los estudiantes son de todas las edades y de todo el mundo. Cuéntale a la gente sobre estas clases. Además, ¡considera ser voluntario! Te enseñarán a enseñar inglés. read more

If you go to the Literacy Advance of Houston (LAH) website, you'll be confronted with a few facts that should give you pause: * Approximately 52% of adults in Harris County are functionally illiterate in English * Texas ranks 47 out of 50 states, in terms of English literacy levels * 68% of those arrested, 75% of welfare dependents, 85% of dropouts and 72% of the unemployed are identified as functionally illiterate If you're in a self-absorbed mood, the third fact should answer the question, "Why do I care?" quite convincingly. So, who's doing anything about this? LAH is! They are a non-profit organization whose mission is "to teach adults to read, write, and communicate in English so they can achieve their full potential as parents, workers, citizens, and community members." Using strictly volunteer tutors, classes are offered for free at schools, community centers, churches, corporations, and small businesses throughout the Greater Houston area. LAH has been strongly endorsed by a number of local literacy advocates whose names you've heard (some of them are volunteer tutors too): * Author and Houston's First Lady, Andrea White * Former Astro pitcher, announcer and manager, Larry Dierker * Former Oiler quarterback and General Manager of the Houston Dynamo, Oliver Luck * Former Head Coach of the Houston Comets, Van Chancellor * and many more... There are few local charities that are more deserving of some dollars you can leverage into a tax write-off or perhaps even some of your time as a tutor. In addition to the office in Galleria area, they also have an office near Clearlake. Full disclosure: I'm currently not involved with Literacy Advance of Houston in any way but I am a personal friend of its Executive Director and know a member of the Executive Board. read more

This has got to be one of the most well organized non-profit organization I have ever been a part of. I have just started volunteering here as a tutor and so far my experience was exceptional. I was given the chance to observe one of the classes tonight and it was incredible to see everyone working together to help each other learn English. There was a genuine interest from everyone in the room to learn and succeed. It happened more than once that once one student who was struggling with a grammatical structure or a pronunciation issue finally got the right answer the whole class cheered. The students are all over 18 and from all over the world. For example, tonight's class had people from France, Iran, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Angola, Peru and Iraq. From the training class I attended, there seems to be a long waiting list to get into a regular class. However, there are "While You're Waiting" classes offered very frequently. These classes do not follow a curriculum, but rather choose one topic to focus on for the day. Tonight, for example, we focused on the past tense and customs. If you are interested in learning English, this is a great place to start. If you are interested in helping teach English, do not hesitate to email them today. read more

I've never experienced such an impressive non profit organization. They have literally helped people who were previously powerless and overlooked and scared find purpose, confidence, knowledge, and a network of friends, peers, and resources. Everything they provide is for free, and my contributions as a Board member are tangibly valuable, so I can say they've helped me find additional purpose, confidence, knowledge, and a network for friends, peers, and resources too. Congratulations to Literacy Advance of Houston, all of our volunteers, and all of our students for all the success over the last 50 years. Let's keep doing even more over the next 50! read more

I am sure many people will disagree with me, but I wanted to post my experience. It may have been as good as some people say it used to be, but it has gone downhill. They have become unprofessional and unresponsive to volunteers. Maxine is the new volunteer manager and she is one of the worst volunteer manager I have ever encountered anywhere. This organization is needed in the community, but the management is poor now. It is disorganized, the people working the front desk are usually grumpy. If you ever want to see if an organization doing well, see how they handle you when you first come. If you want to volunteer, try a different place. read more

I have been volunteering at Literacy Advance for 17 years. Wonderful students, wonderful staff, wonderful organization. If you want to make a difference in people's lives with all the help and support you will need, this is the place to do it read more

I've worked as a literacy tutor in another city and decided that I wanted to do the same in Houston. Reached out to the Volunteer Coordinator on multiple occasions. SHE NEVER CALLED BACK. Who knew? A non-profit that says they WANT volunteers, then zero follow up! I'm reading the other reviews about how organized they are - methinks not. read more

What a well-run organization! Nimble, effective, efficient, creative, joyfully professional, and credible are the words I use to describe Literacy Advance to my interested friends. I have been a tutor with Literacy Advance for about 10 years and every member of the staff has always been helpful and encouraging. At any time during business hours, I have access to a room full of resources designed to help me be a better tutor. I love that! And throughout the year, Literacy Advance offers many opportunities for professional development so I can be the best tutor for my Learners. The entire organization certainly makes the tutoring process easy! Even some of the Learners themselves become volunteers at the front desk because they are so delighted with the experience, and I love hearing their voices answer the phones when I call. From very beginning classes to conversational English classes, the field-tested staff designs practical and appropriate opportunities for the Learners to practice what they're learning in the classes. Research-based methods are aimed at making the classroom experience most effective for the tutors, too. Literacy Advance makes it easy for anyone - who has a desire not attached to conditions - to help other adults learn to read, write and speak English. Their entire existence is wrapped up in that and I'm grateful to be aligned with this group! read more