A sobering thought

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16
In hearing some talk, and about illiteracy, sometimes I check such things. According to one site, about the US:

Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. Over 70 percent of America's inmates cannot read above a 4th grade level.

1 in 4 children in America grow up without learning how to read.

As of 2011, America was the only free-market OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) country where the current generation was less well educated than the previous.

Literacy is a learned skill. Illiteracy is passed down from parents who can neither read nor write.

Nearly 85 percent of the juveniles who face trial in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate, proving that there is a close relationship between illiteracy and crime. More than 60 percent of all inmates are functionally illiterate.

53 percent of 4th graders admitted to reading recreationally "almost every day," while only 20 percent of 8th graders could say the same. (2009 study)

75 percent of Americans who receive food stamps perform at the lowest 2 levels of literacy, and 90 percent of high school dropouts are on welfare.

Teenage girls ages 16 to 19 who live at or below the poverty level and have below average literacy skills are 6 times more likely to have children out of wedlock than the girls their age who can read proficiently.

Reports show that low literacy directly costs the healthcare industry over $70 million every year.

In 2013, Washington, D.C. was ranked the most literate American city for the third year in a row, with Seattle and Minneapolis close behind.

Long Beach, CA was ranked the country's most illiterate city, followed by Mesa, AZ, and Aurora, CO.

No offense, but no US citizen, except for ones that have an IQ below maybe 70, has a real excuse for being illiterate. Why is the US in such a mess?

Steve
#off topic forum
  • There is a fellow with whom I've been a close friend since about age 13 or 14. He failed the 9th grade, and was forced to repeat it. He failed it the second time, and again was forced to repeat it. He was failing the third time when he became 16 and dropped out of school.

    He couldn't read due to extreme dyslexia, and there was no help for learning disabilities back then. I remember his mom working with him to help him read, and he simply could not get meaning from the printed words.

    Over the course of the next 50 years he has taught himself to read. The process remains slow, but he can acquire information from books. He has to turn the words into sound first, and then it begins to make sense. The strange part is he writes very well, with perfect spelling, punctuation, and grammar! It too is slow for him, but what he writes is good.

    In reality he is brilliant. He is self-employed, and the business ideas he comes up with are amazing. Also he learns very quickly. His IQ certainly isn't below 70, and I doubt it is below 130. Interestingly, he can listen to an audiobook one time, and he will know everything in it. His brain has trouble making sense of printed words, not from auditory word.

    I had an employee whose son, age 7 at the time, couldn't read. He too was dyslexic, and you would not believe the difficult time his mom had trying to find help for him. Essentially it doesn't exist, even in a city the size of Greater Cincinnati (2 million population.)

    Eventually she sent him to a special school, for children with learning difficulties. It cost $19,000 per year. Fortunately her husband has a great income, and they could afford this added expense without too much difficulty.Their son attended the special school for 2 years, and because of the way the school taught him, he learned to read well. Today, he is 14 or 15 and does not have any problems in school.

    If this kind of help had been around back when my friend and I were growing up, I doubt his parents could have afforded to pay for it.

    But the staggering numbers you mentioned about illiteracy would seem to go way beyond dyslexia. It sounds like a case of the parents not giving a hoot about education, and the kids feeling the same way.

    :-Don
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    • OK, you win! I forgot to include severe eye problems. Dyslexia isn't a problem with the EYE apparently, but it might as well be.

      Steve
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  • BTW at least one thing about people that can't read but happen to be relatively intelligent, is that they have to depend on their memory, and the memory doesn't degrade like it does with most.

    Steve
  • Trying to look for info about this on several sites, I found one that CLAIMED to estimate. The CONTEXT implies that they are estimating up to 1.5%, even though the statement actually says "up to 20% of ALL students". Since I NEVER heard any classmate or some such speak of this, I really doubt it is close to 20%. Still, you have people, like Bella thorn, that say you can end up EXCELLING by merely working at it. Again, SOME say it can be complicated and erratic, but MOST seem to merely have a problem perceiving direction, like M versus W or d versus b or s versus z.

    Steve
  • If those numbers are accurate, that's atrocious. It does explain a few things though.
  • Frankly speaking, I think education in the US is no longer about the kids but rather about results and competition among teachers/schools/districts etc. It's really sad because students' needs are forgotten.
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  • One part of the problem that absolutely makes me sick
    is the way athletes are treated in the U.S.
    We give College scholarships to athletes who can't read
    just because of they're athletic talents.
    Yet, someone who may become a talented surgeon
    can't pursue it because of their financial status.
    Then there's "political correctness" which encourages schools to pass undeserving student onto the next grade in the name of preserving their self-esteem.
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    • Yep, and eventually they get out into the workforce and are in for a verrrrry rude surprise - unless they join certain labor unions.

      :-Don
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  • Steve,

    Thanks for the post. An interesting look at some sad numbers.

    America is on the decline and has been for decades now. The country you and I grew up in no longer exist.

    There are several facets to that question. Let me suggest a different question might be in order.

    Given the current situation, what is the best thing you can do for you and your life?

    Working on the answer to that question is interesting, challenging and gives me a great deal of optimism for the future. However, that future is not here in the United States.

    All the best to you and yours.

    Joe Mobley
    • [1] reply
    • WOW, you even said what I often have. The US is GONE! It is here in NAME ONLY!

      My current plans require stability and time I don't have now. I only hope I can do it while there is still time.

      Still, my question was more rhetorical.

      If anyone wants to know the types of things that concern me, look up "americans stupid" on youtube(without the quotes), or even the jeantel testimony.

      I don't even know if this is a setup, but that ALONE is sad! Americans are NOT stupid - WITH SUBTITLES - YouTube
      Steve
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    A sobering thought

    In hearing some talk, and about illiteracy, sometimes I check such things. According to one site, about the US: Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. Over 70 percent of America's inmates cannot read above a 4th grade level.