Illiteracy Rate
America is a nation of 40 million functioning illiterate adults; 40 million adults who cannot read and write above the 4th grade level.
There's another 50 million or so that can read at the 4th grade level, but can't really comprehend, analyze, of dissect what they're reading.
Millions of semi-literate, illiterate, and ignorant people exist because the United States has decimated the public education system. The government's goal appears to be to dismantle and eliminate the Department of Education.
In the last 17 presidential elections, between 1940 and 2004, the majority of American newspapers endorsed the republican candidate for president in 14 out of 17 elections. They endorsed the candidate of the party that was committed to the destruction and dismantling of the Dept. of Education. In other words, the media supported the candidate that was committed to creating a nation of semi-literate people.
Unfortunately the newspapers have slit their own throats because they have tampered with the very people they need to read their papers. To compensate for their collective poor judgment, in the last 15 years, the papers started to use more elementary words, along with bigger pictures.
There is something seriously wrong with the educational structure of a country when a large percentage of its citizens cannot read.
There's another 50 million or so that can read at the 4th grade level, but can't really comprehend, analyze, of dissect what they're reading.
Millions of semi-literate, illiterate, and ignorant people exist because the United States has decimated the public education system. The government's goal appears to be to dismantle and eliminate the Department of Education.
In the last 17 presidential elections, between 1940 and 2004, the majority of American newspapers endorsed the republican candidate for president in 14 out of 17 elections. They endorsed the candidate of the party that was committed to the destruction and dismantling of the Dept. of Education. In other words, the media supported the candidate that was committed to creating a nation of semi-literate people.
Unfortunately the newspapers have slit their own throats because they have tampered with the very people they need to read their papers. To compensate for their collective poor judgment, in the last 15 years, the papers started to use more elementary words, along with bigger pictures.
There is something seriously wrong with the educational structure of a country when a large percentage of its citizens cannot read.
Contents at a Glance
Facts About Illiteracy
- 1 in 5 American adults (20%) is functionally illiterate.
- 13% of all 17 year olds are functionally illiterate. Among minority youth, the figure is 44%.
- 50 million adults were at the second lowest level.
- A 1982 study indicated that about 13% of American adults 20 or over (17 to 21 million people) do not read at all or read below the 4th grade level.
- The number of illiterate adults exceeds by 16 million the entire vote cast for the winner in the 1980 presidential contest.
- 75% of unemployed adults have reading or writing difficulties.
- 55% of adults with below basic reading comprehension did not graduate high school.
- Children in families with incomes below the poverty line are less likely to be read aloud to everyday than are children in families with incomes at or above the poverty line.
- 60% of America's prison inmates are functionally illiterate and 85% of all juvenile offenders have reading problems.
- It is estimated that more than $2 billion is spent each year on students who repeat a grade because they have reading problems.
- Penal institution records show that inmates have a 16% chance of returning to prison if they receive literacy help, as opposed to 70% who receive no help. This equates to taxpayer costs of $25,000 per year per inmate and nearly double that amount for juvenile offenders.
- Illiteracy and crime are closely related. The Department of Justice states, "The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure." Over 70% of inmates in America's prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level.
- Literacy is learned. Illiteracy is passed along by parents who cannot read or write.
- One child in four grows up not knowing how to read.
- Illiteracy costs the United States more than $225 billion a year in lost productivity. It is tied to unemployment, crime, poverty, and family problems.
- According to the NEA (National Educators Association), a majority of employers now rank reading skills among the top deficiencies of new hires.
What can be done to combat Illiteracy?
Looking at the above illiteracy statistics almost makes you want to cry. You might ask, what does illiteracy have to do with me and my family if we all read and write proficiently? Many of the stats listed show the resounding effects of this social malady.
Twenty to thirty minutes of reading will make a world of difference in a child's life, especially if it's not happening at home.
We can no longer rely on the government to educate our children. It's one thing to criticize the educational system, but a whole different dynamic when you roll up your sleeves and do what you can to make a difference. As the stats clearly show, an uneducated youth, regardless of color, equates to an expensive menace to society. And here's the kicker, it's the people who can least afford to pay for the consequences of illiteracy, that are actually paying. Can't you see how we're all tied in this together and how it's crucial that we take control of the problem?
I challenge everyone who reads this to go out and make a difference in a child's life. Don't think about, just do it!
- Take one day off per month and volunteer your time reading to a child or children. If you're not a parent most daycare centers will allow you to come in periodically and read to the kids.
- Start a neighborhood reading program. All it takes is a few families in your sub-division or apartment complex to come together for an hour every Saturday morning. Call it story-time, call it what you like and don't attach a fee to it. If you're in a sub-division don't worry about running the idea past the "Homeowners Association" because then politics will become involved and one or two unscrupulous individuals will start asking for money.
Twenty to thirty minutes of reading will make a world of difference in a child's life, especially if it's not happening at home.
We can no longer rely on the government to educate our children. It's one thing to criticize the educational system, but a whole different dynamic when you roll up your sleeves and do what you can to make a difference. As the stats clearly show, an uneducated youth, regardless of color, equates to an expensive menace to society. And here's the kicker, it's the people who can least afford to pay for the consequences of illiteracy, that are actually paying. Can't you see how we're all tied in this together and how it's crucial that we take control of the problem?
I challenge everyone who reads this to go out and make a difference in a child's life. Don't think about, just do it!
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Goodhairsaloncards
Feb 27, 2012 @ 7:17 pm | delete
- Taking children to bookstores; almost every major bookstore has a children's section.
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SandyPeaks
Jul 20, 2011 @ 5:58 pm | delete
- It's much the same in the UK too - around eight million are functionally illiterate.
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tiffany_willis
Jul 20, 2011 @ 5:09 pm | delete
- Vallain makes a great point. I know a man who has had no formal education beyond high school, yet he's highly intelligent and well-read. He explained that he had no books growing up, but a family member picked up an encyclopedia set and brought it home and he devoured it.
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vallain Jul 19, 2011 @ 7:48 pm | delete
- I encourage people to give books as gifts to children. Just having books in the home is a step in the right direction.
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poutine
Jul 19, 2011 @ 7:42 pm | delete
- "Facts About Illiteracy " are very troublesome.
Every little child should have the opportunity to learn how to read.
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by taskeinc
Barry Shaw, founder of Work Home Union, over 25 years in Information Technology, web/graphics design, network marketing. WHU aka taskeinc has written... more »
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