Newspapers—whether online or in print—are powerful tools unlike any other that can unlock understanding and build knowledge about the world around. With unbiased, factual information, newspapers are often considered like a living textbook being written in real time.
Every year in March, newspapers across the country use the first week of the month to promote Newspapers in Education. In adult education, newspapers can be especially useful. By supplementing education with newspapers covering current events, adults are exposed toauthentic, engaging content that builds civic awareness as well as literacy and critical thinking skills.
News for You
Carrying on the essence of newspapers, Dr. Bob Laubach, the son of ProLiteracy co-founder Dr. Frank Laubach, created News for You, a newspaper helping individuals learn to read, write, speak, and understand the English language. He saw a way to help adults connect to reading with accurate, appropriate, engaging news stories written for new and emerging readers to help improve their literacy.
Today, News for You is still considered the gold standard when it comes to a publication written specifically for adults learning to read.
Adult education programs that use News for You use it because it builds those deeper level skills that adults are seeking in the real world. At Glendale Library in Glendale, California, News for You has become a must-have for its Arts and Culture Adult Literacy Program.
“When we go through formulating the budgets and things like that, News for You is always considered essential,” said Jane Moreno, Glendale’s literacy services librarian. “It’s not something that we think, ‘OK, can we do without?’ [Instead], it’s always: the students need it, the teachers need it.”
Using the printed paper with English language learners, Moreno says, opens the opportunity to formulate thoughts for discussion topics about real-world relevant events. “It allows students to express their opinions on the spot while they’re reading something.”
Gigi Quiroz sees the same value of using the paper with new English speakers. She teaches adults at the Juan Diego Adult Center in Chula, California, and News for You is part of her curriculum for nearly every class. Quiroz’s students at the program are advanced and all speak English already, but News for You allows them to practice using authentic language that relates to real life.
“All of [my students] know the basics,” she said. “They just want to know more. And that’s why they love this supplement, especially because of the vocabulary, and it resonates with them. They have a lot in common with it. It’s in stories about everyday life, you know, it’s vocabulary that they would use in everyday life. They love the idioms and phrasal verbs, that’s what interests them the most.”
Recognizing the importance of those little things, like phrasal verbs, is what makes newspapers so valuable in a classroom. Unlike traditional textbooks, they have the ability to teach in the authentic context of what relates to readers in the present.
Quiroz said her class gravitates toward stories about food, history, the arts, or animals. When you think about it, that makes sense. Those are things people can connect to their lives.
Life Skills
There might be stories that require understanding bias; stories might elicit feelings about right and wrong and what someone believes. Photos and infographics build deeper understanding and visual literacy skills that translate to so many other areas of life.
Using newspapers in the classroom transforms reading from an assignment into a life skill. Students don’t just learn to decode text—they learn to:
- Navigate information
- Think critically
- Stay informed
- Participate in society
For adult learners, especially those improving literacy or learning English, this connection to the real world can be transformative. It builds confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging.
During Newspapers in Education Week, save 15% on all subscriptions to News for You, print or online. Offer expires 3/6/26. Use code NIE26..