The International Reading Association reports that a recent government study of adult literacy shows that 47 percent of American adults have such limited literacy skills they can neither use a bus schedule nor write a brief letter about a billing error (qtd. in Goldstein 2). Another point of view is expressed in Paul Gray's article in which he reports that the Educational Testing Service released a 150-page survey called Adult Literacy in America. The results of the survey points out that nearly ninety million U.S. citizens over the age of sixteen are, in the eyes of most employers, quite clearly not good employee material (qtd. in Educational Testing Service 75). These recent discoveries have emphasized that illiteracy's three shocking outcomes are related to: social ranks, effects on education, and economic results.
The social portion of an illiterate persons life has a staggering consequence. According to test results ethnic origin plays a role in how literate someone is. Persons in the racial minority are more likely to be found in the lower levels of literacy. Officials convey that these groups of people have usually completed fewer years of schooling, and those fewer years cause diminished literacy levels. Diminished literacy causes poverty and discrimination (Goldstein 3). An effect on Hispanics' poor scores is by having to learn English as a second language. The lack of capital effects African-Americans' low scores because the schools they attend do not have the resources necessary to provide for the students. The worst test takers were senior citizens, prisoners, and immigrants (Kaplan 45). Older adults' problems were generally linked to the facts that twilighting
Americans have completed fewer average years of schooling than younger Americans and that the mean literacy of the population rises as more educated, younger generations of residents replace the lesser educated ones (Goldstein 3). Persons speaking other languages than English might have measured out as better readers had the surveys been administered in their native tongues. Variance in the levels of male and female scores are not that outlandish. Men performed as well as females in basic reading skills but were more productive in more critical areas, such as reading maps and following instructions (Kaplan 45). The largest gain in women's literacy happened in the 19th century.
My mom is Panamanian and a very bright woman and loves school, while my dad is African American and didn’t care for school at all and isn't very educated. My mom first came to America to study at Vanderbilt University and my dad never went to college. When I was four my parents got a divorce and my mother maintained custody of me. In this day in time people would say that my odds are against me when it comes to becoming literate. Why? Well, I didn’t grow up in the best neighborhood. The area I was raised in was nicknamed "Little Mexico" because many illegal immigrants lived there. I quickly learned that most of the people around me didn’t know how to read or write and they only spoke Spanish. Imagine them living in an English speaking country. If they couldn’t read or write in their own language living in America must be pretty complicated. It would clearly seem like I wouldn't have much access to literacy sponsors at all. Literacy sponsors can be people, places, or even events that shape how a person reads and writes. Those same people, places, and events can play a big factor in a person's opinion about reading and writing as well. However, it was almost impossible for me not to have any literacy sponsors with my mom being in my
When I began high school, I believed that high school should not teach english because all I needed was the essentials. Later on I began to realize how important literacy is and how it should be improved throughout an individual’s life. Furthermore, improving upon literacy made me more aware and prone to people who seek to take advantage upon individuals.
In order to make it in life, one must have experience and has to be well educated. It is difficult to get through life not knowing how to present oneself appropriately, or even have a fluent conversation. One’s beliefs, values, morals, and behavior can influence how he or she will make it to the top of the ladder. However, in many cases, it is not only the individuals fault for not being as educated or experience he or she should be. Many outside factors such as the community, resources availability, and one’s class can affect someone from being able to reach their high potential. Patrick J. Finn, author of Literacy with an Attitude: Educating Working-Class Children in Their Own Self-Interest, speaks on how language, the education system, and
In his essay “The Human fee of an Illiterate Society,” Jonathan Kozol addresses the challenges that people who 're functionally illiterate face on an everyday basis, and posits the argument that society at significant suffers from this concern as good. For illustration, Kozol mentions the fact that many of these people vote blindly or do not vote at all in elections, concluding that their uninformed votes could have influenced the elected officials who took place of business. He offers sobering facts, corresponding to the truth that 60 million men and women that were functionally illiterate in 1980, and provides first-hand quotes from a few of those affected. His article
Strong literacy skills are closely linked to the probability of having a good job that pays good. Usually, literacy is referred to as the ability to read, understand, and use information. But the term has come to take on broader meaning, standing for a range of knowledge, skills and abilities relating to reading, mathematics, science and more. This reflects widespread and deep changes that have taken place in technology and in the organization of work over the past quarter century. Having strong literacy skills are more important than some might think.
In the Essay “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society” by Johnathan Kozol. Mr. Kozol uses quotes, key points, experiences and his knowledge companied by effective forms of rhetoric throughout the essay to speak to highly educated and intelligent individuals who have to power to make a difference. He explains in detail how an illiterate society is affecting not only the illiterate’s life, but also the country’s democracy, and endangering the lives around them as well. He interviews individuals who share their experiences of fear, hopelessness, confusion and frustration when dealing with everyday life situations that most people could figure out on their own.
Deborah Brandt (1998) wrote “Sponsors of Literacy”, a journal where she explained her findings of the research she has done on how different people across the nation learned to read and write, born between 1900, and 1980 (p. 167). She interviewed many people that had varying forms of their literacy skills, whether it was from being poor, being rich, or just being in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
A significant correlation between race and poverty exists, with Black and Hispanic Americans three times more likely to be impoverished than White Americans (Proctor and Dalaker 2002). The cycle of poverty and low-literacy functioning is well documented, as is the achievement gap between White students and students of color. Race is a persistent factor in employment statistics, educational attainment, and the acquisition of literacy skills, with significantly higher unemployment rates and lower educational attainment rates among Black and Hispanic Americans than among White Americans. The literature on learner attrition and on resistance to participation in adult literacy programs suggests that the current delivery system may not be meeting the needs or expectations of many adults. A small but growing body of literature questions whether cultural dissonance between instructors and learners is a factor in learner attrition, and it advocates increasing cultural relevance in literacy practices. Some of the writings also advocate helping learners move toward critical reflection and social action. This Digest explores the poverty-racism-literacy connection, specifically as it relates to adult literacy, the imperative for culturally relevant practices, and the development of critical literacy.
Simon, Ruth. “Illiteracy: The Downfall of American Society.” Education Portal. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. < http://education-portal.com/articles/Illiteracy_The_Downfall_of_American_Society.html>
Finding a definition of literacy is not as easy as it sounds. The Webster definition says that to be literate is to be” able to read and write.” But to some researchers, this definition is too simplistic, leading to multiple models of literacy. Most Americans adhere to the autonomous model, which falls closest to the standard, dictionary definition. Believers in this form say that literacy is a cognitive activity that students learn like any other basic skill. It has a set of proficiencies that one must master in order to be capable of decoding and encoding text (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). A competing theory is the ideological model, which claims literacy is intrinsically linked to culture, and therefore what constitutes a “literate” individual is ever-changing. Society is the largest influence on literacy, according to this thought, and it is affected by politics, religion, philosophy and more (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). These two are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, some studies recognize “literacy as competence,” which is a “measure of competence to do a given task or work in a given field,” (SIL International, 1999) such as being computer literate. Although more researchers are recognizing and exploring multiple literacies, the one that most influences American schools is the autonomous, cognitive model – the ability to read and write. For many, it seems a simple task, but millions of adolescents are struggling or reluctant readers, and there are many reasons why young readers have difficulty with reading. XXXXXX------NEED HELP WITH THESIS STATEMENT HERE PLEASE—(This paper will focus on the effects of low reading skills, some of the possible causes of reluctant and struggling readership...
Literacy, or the capability to comprehend, translate, utilize, make, process, assess, and speak information connected with fluctuating settings and displayed in differing organizations, assumes an essential part in molding a young's persons trajectory in life. The ability to read speaks to a key factor of scholarly, social, and financial success (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). These abilities likewise speak to a fundamental segment to having a satisfying life and turning into an effective worker and overall person (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1999). Interestingly, recent studies have demonstrated that low reading skills lead to critical hindrances in monetary and social achievement. As stated by the National Center for Education Statistics, adults with lower levels of reading skills and literacy have a lower average salary. Another study evaluated that 17 to 18 percent of adults with "below average" literacy aptitudes earned less than $300 a week, though just 3 to 6 percent of adults with "proficient" reading abilities earned less than $300 a week (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998).
In an ever so changing society it is expected that principals such as education, demographics and much more continue to evolve each day. While most criticize society, others try to define it. Mike Rose, a professor at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Informational studies, is well known for his writing on issues of literacy. The article Blue-Collar Brilliance, written by Mike Rose, originally appeared in 2009 in the American Scholar magazine. The article not only presents a strong claim, but it also includes personal narratives, which increases the author 's credibility. In addition, connections between the opposing side and sufficient visuals strengthen Rose’s argument as a whole.
Last school year, I took a college class that required hours of field experience in a high school English class. I was able to observe different English classes and different high school grade levels. What made a big impact on me was to hear some of those high school students struggling with reading more than the third grade students I was teaching that same school year. These students were expected to read and comprehend grade level text when they were reading at an elementary level. Illiteracy “is considered the blackest mark of a person’s finally in school and the greatest failure in the American school system” (Tchudi, and Tchudi 75) and there are around twenty-five million functional illiterates in the United States (75). Why are our middle school and high school students still struggling with reading? What can English/Language arts teachers do to help these struggling readers?
The primary findings of the study indicated that 23 million Americans over the age of eighteen and thirteen percent of all seventeen year olds could be considered functionally illiterate. The study concluded that these startling statistics were due to the education process itself, citing that in comparison to the rest of the world, American students spend less time on school work than their global peers.
Now that I have defined illiteracy, I want to raise the awareness of this problem, how it relates to women and propose a policy to help solve the problem. Illiteracy exists in America and in all nations all over the world, and the percentages of illiterate women are much higher than illiterate men. Many people assume that illiterate Americans are concentrated in large cities with troubled schools. Although this may be true in some cases, there are rural areas where illiterate women are overlooked.