In our current society, there are many attacks upon our primary, secondary, and college educational systems, book banning, library closings, and pushing social conformity through a constant onslaught of media influence. We should ensure that kids learn to read at the highest level they can achieve.
To ensure their well-being, they need to think critically for themselves—to know to ask if what they are being told and hearing is true or false. To build a loving or at least respectful community, literacy is essential. One cannot express an idea or concept, or even think, without the words to do so.
Here are some statistics that I culled from data found at the National Literature Institute in various categories:
In Schools:
Approximately 40% of students nationwide cannot read at a basic level.
Almost 70% of low-income fourth-grade students cannot read at a basic level. In North Carolina where I reside, 49% of upper-income students can’t read better.
60% of the behavioral problems occur during reading assignments—group or independently.
50% of the unemployed between the ages of 16 and 21 cannot read well enough to be considered functionally literate
Among Adults:
21% of adults in the U.S. are illiterate in 2022
54% of adults have literacy below the 6th-grade level
20% of Americans read below the level needed to earn a living wage
130 million adults now cannot read a simple story to their children
Approximately 50% of Americans read so poorly that they cannot perform simple tasks such as reading prescription drug labels
45 million are functionally illiterate and read below a 5th-grade level
3 out of 4 people on welfare can’t read
Being literate is the only thing that allowed me to escape from a life I would not have liked. I have had three careers that required education through the graduate degree level. This has given me financial security and allowed me to have many beautiful thoughts, ideas, and experiences.
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