1 out of 7 US Adults cant read (Full Version)

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Gray -> 1 out of 7 US Adults cant read (1/11/2009 1:20:09 PM)

I was really surprised when I saw that statistic in an article on Yahoo. Thats about 15% of the US population. But then again, I never hear of the government trying to reach out to illiterate adults by creating free programs for them to learn and such. But being able to read is a gift all should have. I just think it's really sad some people may never have that opportunity to read.



fiery -> RE: 1 out of 7 US Adults cant read (1/11/2009 5:06:11 PM)

I don't understand how they can get through all those years of school and be under the radar in that respect. Wasn't the No Child Left Behind Act supposed to put an end to that? Too little, too late for those adults but it's something. Surely there's some kind of adult literacy programs out there. It might be hard identifying the adults though in the first place. I read before about someone who'd went all through life being unable to read and not a soul realized. I bet dyslexia is at the root of many of those adults because it just wasn't given the same attention decades ago that it is now.



dianerene -> RE: 1 out of 7 US Adults cant read (1/15/2009 11:47:10 AM)

NCLB was a great idea, but Bush forgot to fund it!  so it has become a huge headache for teachers, parents and students.  It is actually a bigger reason why more people cannot read.
NCLB forces teachers to move students ahead even when they are barely proficient in a subject.  For instance, my oldest daughter took Algebra I in the 8th grade.  She struggled all year and got a "D".  In the 9th grade they wanted to put her in Algebra II!  I told her counselor that I wanted her to repeat Algebra I because she was going to struggle if they forced her to move on. Yes, a "D" is passing, but she had mastered nothing!  I had to fight the school to have her repeat the class because it was going against policy.
BUT ... she did repeat, she got an "A" the second time around and she has continued to do well each year.

Another statistic that would be interesting is .. how many of these adults completed school?  or completed WITH a diploma.  In cali students have to take a high school exit exam, but if you don't pass, you have still "completed" school, you just don't receive a diploma.



aterita -> RE: 1 out of 7 US Adults cant read (6/17/2009 1:10:20 PM)

Its sad to see that stats, why can't everyone have the right to study, or government plan to give education not for granted but for necessities to those who are deviated from the right direction and for those who need free education.



ChristineB -> RE: 1 out of 7 US Adults cant read (6/19/2009 1:51:55 PM)

That is sad.  I just got done teaching Creative Writing for an inner city after school program and I sadly, have to say that is probably accurate.  I guess I knew it was but hoped maybe it wasn't.  I know at least the kids I taught were not given the same tools, resources etc that other schools had access to.  Shameful.



KKBAW -> RE: 1 out of 7 US adults can't read (6/19/2009 2:14:24 PM)

What never ceases to amaze me is the amount of people who cannot spell or do not use punctuation properly, either. In this day of spell-check and texting, I don't see it getting better. The newest generation has been born into a world of gadgets that do everything for them, created by the prior ME generations. We've become a lazy society. I'm sure this statistic on illiteracy bothers the 1 in 7 who cannot read, but I don't believe the vast amount of people who do not use proper grammar even care. [;)]



fiery -> RE: 1 out of 7 US adults can't read (6/19/2009 2:39:52 PM)

Hi KKBAW, welcome to Family Lobby. :) I absolutely agree with you. I've moaned and complained for a very long time about how the proper use of language is dwindling and society is dumbing down. Generally speaking, there are very few occasions in our day when we have to exert much energy at all in any respect if we choose to!

Walk? No, drive. Visit a friend? No, email. Cook dinner? No, zap something in the microwave. Chat with your family? No, watch TV/play a game/surf the net.

Then we wonder why we feel so distanced from others and lonely even when we're surrounded by people day in and day out. It's because we do nothing that shows we care. And allowing a family member to fall through the cracks when it comes to literacy would be just one example of this disinterest people have in each other while being fascinated with themselves.  Too many confuse self confidence with narcissim these days.



SuperSandyB -> RE: 1 out of 7 US adults can't read (6/22/2009 12:39:04 AM)

It's been my intention for awhile to volunteer at my library to help adults learn to read. I think just about every library I've been to has such a program. I'm putting it on my list of things to do in the near future. Thanks for the article. :)



fiery -> RE: 1 out of 7 US adults can't read (6/22/2009 9:30:50 PM)

Good for you, Sandy! And I just suggested in another thread that you used that as a quiet place to study. Maybe you could combine them and do it back-to-back.




SuperSandyB -> RE: 1 out of 7 US adults can't read (6/24/2009 2:45:51 AM)

fiery that's actually a very good idea..kill two birds with one stone! Thanks!



fiery -> RE: 1 out of 7 US adults can't read (6/27/2009 1:19:43 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: SuperSandyB

fiery that's actually a very good idea..kill two birds with one stone! Thanks!


You're very welcome! By the way, have you heard of timebanks? There are groups all over the country. It's a program where you spend a half hour or an hour doing something for someone in your local community they can't do themselves.  You earn a credit of that time back and can trade it in later to get someone else to do something for you. Say for example you could type something up (with you being online that was the first thing to come to mind), you could trade in that hour for someone to fix your plumbing. You can draw from a pool of people in your local area.

Not only does it save you money, but it promotes giving and community spirit.

This is a good example here:

quote:

... In April, after Diane Luszey became a member of Southern New Hampshire Time Exchange, she donated a half-hour to Kerry Boggis, a member who was seeking help balancing her checkbook. For her efforts, Luszey, a consumer benefits manager at the Area Agency of Greater Nashua, earned credit for a service of her choosing – and not necessarily one performed by Boggis. ...

... Leslie Boggis went to the movies with a woman who doesn’t drive, earning a credit she plans to use for another service on the list. Likewise Luszey qualified for a service of her choosing after helping her match. ...

... The woman Leslie Boggis accompanied to the movies, for example, volunteered to make a social phone call to another member recently released from the hospital. Luszey said she was thinking about using her earned credits to ask for a home-baked item she could freeze to have on hand for unexpected guests. ...


Read the full story of that here.

Homepage: http://www.timebanks.org/




ericagarettson -> RE: 1 out of 7 US adults can't read (12/2/2009 10:31:41 PM)

This stat has to be improving now that so many more people are going to college



fiery -> RE: 1 out of 7 US adults can't read (4/9/2010 9:48:39 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: ericagarettson

This stat has to be improving now that so many more people are going to college


I would sure hope so. It's shocking that in this day and age there is even one person that comes through the school system and leaves without the basics.



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