Illiteracy in the United States
“Functional illiteracy refers to the inability of an individual to use reading, speaking, writing, and computational skills in everyday life situations. For example, a functionally illiterate adult is unable to fill out an employment application, follow written instructions, or read a newspaper. In short, when confronted with printed materials, adults without basic literacy skills cannot function effectively.” Statistics make it clear that illiteracy is on the increase in the United States. The Office of Technology Assessment stated in a report: “Standards and requirements for literacy have increased over time and a large number of adults need to improve their literacy skills. OTA finds that at least 35 million adults have difficulty with common literacy tasks. Although many of these adults can read at rudimentary levels, they need higher levels of literacy to function effectively in society, to find employment, or to be trained for new jobs as the workplace changes.” The report went on to say that “fewer than 10% of the population in need is being reached.” Functional illiteracy is a rising problem throughout the world. Throughout most of history, most people have been illiterate. For example, in pas
t society, the ability to read and write was of value only to the clergy and aristocracy. The first known reference to “literate laymen” did not appear until the end of the fourteenth century. It wasn’t until the fifteenth century, when printing was invented, that illiteracy was seen as problem. The first significant drop in illiteracy came with the Reformation when the translation of the Bible became a part of the people’s everyday language and Protestant converts were taught to read it. Revolutionary political movements from the eighteenth to the twentieth century generally included an attack on illiteracy as one of their goals. Currently, there are a large number of different organizations at various levels trying to help solve the problems of illiteracy, and these programs only reach, at the most, four million individuals. Also, there are “at least 1-2 million people [who] leave school with deficient skills each year, and at least one million new immigrants enter the United States.” Many states have started their own programs to fight illiteracy, and these efforts are resulting in some positive development towards improving techniques and approaches used to assist illiterate adults. The government must make the nation as a whole realize the significance of the illiteracy problem, so that more people become aware of the problem at hand. Illiteracy can affect other people’s lives at home, at work, and in the community, and as a whole, affects the economic and social well being of our nation. Even if the results or an action are not seen immediately, we must continue in our efforts to help those in need. The future will depend on how we take a role in helping to train the workforce for today and the future. Illiteracy is not caused by a lack of intelligence. Numerous reasons have been cited for the rising illiteracy rate in the United States,
Some topics in this essay:
Technology Assessment,
II Reading,
Department Education,
United States”,
,
Management Association,
Nation’s Business,
literacy skills,
read write,
learning disabilities,
basic skills,
functional illiteracy,
skills function,
taught read,
twentieth century,
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Approximate Word count = 1273
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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