Sunday, December 18, 2005
1 in 20 American Adults Illiterate
And, apparently it has nothing to do with level of education these folks are reaching:
Later in the article they do explain that some of the people in the study are fluent and literate in other languages, just not English, and at least one source indicates that in the intervening time since the first test was given, more kids have entered the school system not speaking any English and therefore the test demographics have changed.
Perhaps most sobering was that adult literacy dropped or was flat across every level of education, from people with graduate degrees to those who dropped out of high school. So even as more people get a formal education, the literacy rate is not rising. Federal officials say this trend is puzzling and worthy of research.How does one complete a graduate program without being literate in English?
Later in the article they do explain that some of the people in the study are fluent and literate in other languages, just not English, and at least one source indicates that in the intervening time since the first test was given, more kids have entered the school system not speaking any English and therefore the test demographics have changed.
Black adults made gains on each type of task tested. White adults made no significant changes except when it came to computing numbers, where they got better. Hispanics showed sharp declines in their ability to handle prose and documents. The background of U.S. adults has changed since 1992, when the test was last given; fewer people in 2003 had spoken English before they started school.What is your opinion of this information? What do you think should be done differently, what do you think can make a difference in our society?
Comments:
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No idea but maybe it is because schools make kids stay at the pace of the lowest child instead of letting them soar...guess that is why I homeschool.
I'm always flabbergasted by studies like this, because it seems to me that poor language & literacy skills make it impossible to succeed in education. My kids claim that one of their high school friends at church can't read. I asked them if he has a medical problem or a learning disorder. They say he claims to be really smart, but can't read.
I don't even understand how he made it into tenth grade then.
I don't even understand how he made it into tenth grade then.
I find this incredibly disturbing. I hope more schools are equipped with bilingual aids who can catch the kids up (in English language) quickly so that the trend doesn't continue.
Homeschooling is my solution.
Homeschooling is my solution.
QofS, I agree.
M.C. That could be some of it.
JD, there does seem to be more kids going through the system without being able to read. I know that more allowances are being made for kids these days than were when we were kids. It doesn't seem like it could make this much of a difference, though. I don't know, I'm flabbergasted, too.
R2Ks, the influx of Spanish-speaking kids does account for the lowering of the statistics among Hispanics, but it's not getting illiterate people through grad school. This article stirred up more questions for me than it answered.
Articles like this are frustrating because there are no clear cut answers, and no quick fixes. I am glad to have the opportunity to homeschool, but I do wonder what our responsibility is as members of society, regardless of where are kids are in the process.
I don't know if I'm making sense any more...
M.C. That could be some of it.
JD, there does seem to be more kids going through the system without being able to read. I know that more allowances are being made for kids these days than were when we were kids. It doesn't seem like it could make this much of a difference, though. I don't know, I'm flabbergasted, too.
R2Ks, the influx of Spanish-speaking kids does account for the lowering of the statistics among Hispanics, but it's not getting illiterate people through grad school. This article stirred up more questions for me than it answered.
Articles like this are frustrating because there are no clear cut answers, and no quick fixes. I am glad to have the opportunity to homeschool, but I do wonder what our responsibility is as members of society, regardless of where are kids are in the process.
I don't know if I'm making sense any more...
"How does one complete a graduate program without being literate in English?"
I don't know? Do you mean I didn't have to read all those books and articles? I could have played instead?
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I don't know? Do you mean I didn't have to read all those books and articles? I could have played instead?
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