Adult education can be a path to generational change. But in New Mexico, where it is estimated that a third of the adult population could benefit, only about 3 percent are served.

Pensacola, Fla., became one of the country’s first cities to dub itself an “Early Learning City.” With leadership from the business community, it linked up with the University of Chicago’s Thirty Million Words project to educate new parents on how to build their child’s brain — a project that could hold lessons for New Mexico.