Adult illiteracy: growing crisis?

veryvegan · #1 (**permalink**) 12-15-2005, 12:53 PM

It looks like we have an increasing number of people in this country who aren't being taught to read at basic levels. 11 million adults in the U.S. are illiterate, according to a new study:

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/12/15/D8EGQEMOE.html

"An estimated in one in 20 U.S. adults is not literate in English, which means 11 million people lack the skills to perform everyday tasks, a federal study shows. From 1992 to 2003, the nation's adults made no progress in their ability to read a newspaper, a book or any other prose arranged in sentences and paragraphs. They also showed no improvement in comprehending documents such as bus schedules and prescription labels.

The adult population did make gains in handling quantitative tasks, such as calculating numbers found on tax forms or bank statements. But even in that area of literacy, the typical adult showed only basic skills, enough to perform simple daily activities.

Perhaps most sobering: Adult literacy dropped or was flat across every level of education, from people with graduate degrees to those who dropped out of high school."

This is scary to me, and I think we need to do something about our nation's school system, and NOW. When people get to the adult level without being able to read, there are serious issues, and those people will never be truly functional in society - especially with the level that the Internet is taking over what people do in every way.

Cody · #2 (**permalink**) 01-20-2006, 11:44 AM

Our nation's school system is pathetic. In history the only civilizations that taught everyone the same theing at the same time in the same place beacame enslaved because tthe people only knew how to work mindlessly and answer to bells. Unless somthing is done about education, America wont live to see its next centennial.

Joe_King · #3 (**permalink**) 01-24-2006, 11:09 AM

Hmm - so Head Start has failed except in spending tax dollars since its start in 1964.

Why are we STILL waisting money on feeding THIS dead horse?

ididnotvote4him · #4 (**permalink**) 01-24-2006, 12:29 PM

Joe, Headstart is about preschools not adult illiteracy.No headstart has not failed. Our public school systemhas failed. My sons class in 3rd grade had 39 kids. I make sure he got supplental education at home but the class was a zoo. Education dollars have been cut by government. I volunteered a few years ago for headstart and I think it was one of the most successful social programs in place. I think if you saw it in action you wouldfeel the same way.

a25052 · #5 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 05:03 PM

Do you know how much money has been spent on education under Bush compared to the previous President? Find out and then revise as necessary.

moderateJim · #6 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 05:14 PM

yes it was spent on administration and testing.he has spent more EXACTLY on legislation not on real education

Joe_King · #7 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ididnotvote4him

Joe, Headstart is about preschools not adult illiteracy.No headstart has not failed. Our public school systemhas failed. My sons class in 3rd grade had 39 kids. I make sure he got supplental education at home but the class was a zoo. Education dollars have been cut by government. I volunteered a few years ago for headstart and I think it was one of the most successful social programs in place. I think if you saw it in action you wouldfeel the same way.

Let me mention this: The first Head Start recipients are now well over 42 years old!

That would qualify them as adults!

Quote:

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/about/history.htm
HEAD START HISTORY

In 1964, the Federal Government asked a panel of child development experts to draw up a program to help communities meet the needs of disadvantaged preschool children.. The panel report became the blueprint for Project Head Start.

Project Head Start, launched as an eight-week summer program by the Office of Economic Opportunity in 1965, was designed to help break the cycle of poverty by providing preschool children of low-income families with a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological needs. Recruiting children age three to school entry age, Head Start was enthusiastically received by education, child development specialists, community leaders, and parents across the Nation. Head Start serves children and their families each year in urban and rural areas in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories, including many American Indians and migrant children.

In 1969, Head Start was transferred from the Office of Economic Opportunity to the Office of Child Development in the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and has now become a program within the Administration on Children, Youth and Families in the Department of Health and Human Services. A well-established, though still an innovative program, Head Start has had a strong impact on communities and early childhood program across the country.

Just to be fair - let us just assume that it didn't really get going until 1980 (over 10 years AFTER it started)?

That would mean that kids over 26 years ago are now adults - no?
(they would be about 30 if Head Start were for preschool)

So, how much has it helped if so many adults are illiterate now?

ididnotvote4him · #8 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 08:30 PM

The kids in head start probably are literate. It is a very small number of kids you are speaking of and those children would probably not be literate if not for this program. Have you seen any studies to demonstrate the connection.

ididnotvote4him · #9 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 08:35 PM

Joe because adult illiteracy has increased does not mean the small number of children served by headstart are part of that illiteracy. In fact it was not a study but actully fox news own Bill Oreillly who said illiteracy numbers have grown because of illegal immigrants and that is what is boosting the numbers.Somehow you think they are connected.Have you explored the reasons for illiteracy? Is it our schools,immigration,parenting,lack of drive? I have no idea of the answer but I do know you cannot jump to the conclusion without some research.

Politicon · #10 (**permalink**) 06-29-2006, 11:39 PM

While budgets are always a good thing and money being put into the classroom will return with rewards, I must say that I don’t believe that is the heart of the problem. I come from a family of teachers and the one thing I hear them grumble about is the same no matter how much money is going to education: they can no longer control the class. What can you do to keep control? Can you send the kids to the principle? No, they just returned with candy. Can you sit him in the corner? No, that would hurt the child’s self esteem. Even correcting in red ink was challenged in Texas (I think it was Texas, either way it failed…luckily) because it made the child feel bad about themselves. I don’t care how much money we throw to education, until we take back control it will get us nowhere. Until we learn to deal with little failures like red ink on paper, we will never be able to deal with large failures. What happened to our education? We decided to not feel bad about ourselves and threw it away. I’m not trying to downplay some of the problems in education. I’m just saying that there is another problem that we have to deal with before we can tackle those.