Literacy Facts

Why is Literacy Important?

In the United States, an estimated 30 million people over the age of 16 read no better than the average elementary school child.  Yet the ability to read and write is the basis for all other education; literacy is necessary for an individual to understand information that is out of context, whether written or verbal. Literacy is essential if we are to eradicate poverty at home and abroad, improve infant mortality rates, address gender inequality, and create sustainable development. Without literacy skills—the abilities to read, to write, to do math, to solve problems, and to access and use technology—today’s adults will struggle to take part in the world around them and fail to reach their full potential as parents, community members, and employees.  (www.proliteracy.org)

Many middle and high school students across the state and nation aren't reading at a proficient level.  More than 70 percent of Tennessee's eighth-graders read at or below the basic level of proficiency for that grade, according to a report by the Tennessee Comptroller's Offices of Research and Education Accountability. Nationwide, more than two-thirds of eighth-graders and more than 50 percent of seniors read below the proficient level.  To view the full report, visit www.comptroller1.state.tn.us.

How literate is the adult population?

The National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) estimates at least 40 million American adults need stronger literacy skills to take advantage of lifelong learning opportunities.  Between 21% and 23% of the adult population, or approximately 44 million people, scored in Level 1 of the National Adult Literacy Survey.  Most adults in Level 1 can read a little, but not well enough to fill out an application, read a food label or read a simple story to a child.
Source: National Institute for Literacy

What is the rate of adult literacy in the United States?

The U.S. Department of Education issued an estimate of the literacy skills of adults in the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.  Performance is rated on the following scale: Below Basic, Basic, Intermediate and Proficient.  Overall, it is estimated that 93 million U.S. adults have Basic and Below Basic literacy skills. This study and others found:

  • Adults living in poverty were more likely to have lower average literacy scores than adults with higher incomes.
  • Half of the adults who did not have a high school diploma performed in the Below Basic levels.
  • Seniors and the elderly over age 65 had the lowest average literacy scores of any age range, with 64 percent performing in the Basic and Below Basic levels.
  • The more than one million incarcerated adults in the nation had lower average literacy scores than adults in households on nearly every comparable scale (age, gender, educational attainment level, ethnicity).
  • Foreign-born adults who came to the United States at age 19 or older are more likely to have lower English literacy skills than those who came at age 11 or younger.  In 2003, 11 million adults in the United States were non-literate in English and 22 million adults spoke English less than “very well.”

Unfortunately, only a fraction of low literate adults seek literacy services from community providers.  Many people with low literacy do not perceive their skills as a problem until a crisis such as the loss of a job, a child’s need for school help with school, or a health care emergency makes them aware of their literacy needs.
(http://www.ncladvocacy.org/HealthLiteracyFactst2009/AdultLiteracyFacts2009.pdf)

Adults Need Strong Literacy Skills

…to raise children who have strong literacy skills.  Learning to read begins long before a child enters school.  It begins when parents read to their children, buy their children books, and encourage their children to read.  The research is clear: parents who are poor readers don’t read as often to their children as do parents who are strong readers; children who are not read to enter school less prepared for learning to read than other children.

…to be good employees.  The employees most in demand in the U.S. have at least a two-year college degree.  Workers must be able to read safety regulations and warnings so they and their co-workers can stay safe on the job.  And working in a team means that employees must be able to communicate clearly with one another.

…to keep themselves and their families healthy.  Understanding a doctor’s orders, calculating how much medicine to take, reading disease-prevention pamphlets—all are ways adults can keep themselves and their families healthy.  But millions of adults lack these essential “health literacy” skills, which adds an estimated $230 billion a year to the cost of health care in the U.S.

…to be active in their communities.  Political campaigns in the U.S. often stress the need for “informed voters.”  But how can an individual be well informed if he or she cannot access written campaign literature or read newspaper coverage of the issues and candidates?  The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, showed that low literate adults are less likely to vote than strong readers, but become more active in their communities as their reading and writing skills improve.

…to advocate for themselves and avoid human rights abuse.  People must be aware of their rights in order to assert them.  Literacy gives people access to that information.  Literacy plays a significant role in reducing gender inequality. Cultural traditions and local laws often favor men, allowing them access to education, property, employment, health care, and government participation that is denied to women.

…to avoid crime.  There is a clear correlation between adult illiteracy and crime.  More than 45 percent of all inmates in local jails, 40 percent in state facilities, and 27 percent in federal corrections institutions did not graduate from high school.  Inmates age 24 and younger are less educated.
(http://www.proliteracy.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=370&srcid=191)

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Tennessee Department of Education - Report Card - 2009

Grades 3-8: TCAP Criterion Referenced Academic Achievement

(http://edu.reportcard.state.tn.us/pls/apex/f?p=200:30:265632722976477)

Least Literate U.S. Cities: 
According to a 2006 national literacy survey, the 10 least literate cities with populations above 25,000 in the U.S. are:

  • El Paso, Texas
  • Corpus Christi, Texas
  • Long Beach, California
  • Detroit, Michigan
  • San Antonio, Texas
  • Santa Ana, California
  • Memphis, Tennessee
  • Jacksonville, Florida
  • Fresno, California
  • Toledo, Ohio

(Source:  http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_US_cities_have_the_lowest_literacy_rates)

Basic Facts about Literacy

  • In the U.S., 30 million people over age 16 — 14 percent of the country’s adult population — don’t read well enough to understand a newspaper story written at the eighth grade level or fill out a job application.
  • An additional 63 million can only read at a fifth grade level or lower.
  • 43 percent of adults with the lowest literacy rates in the United States live in poverty.
  • Adult low literacy can be connected to almost every socio-economic issue in the United States:
    • More than 65 percent of all state and federal corrections inmates can be classified as low literate.
    • Low health literacy costs between $106 billion and $236 billion each year in the U.S.
    • 77 million Americans have only a 2-in-3 chance of correctly reading an over-the-counter drug label or understanding their child's vaccination chart.
    • Low literacy’s effects cost the U.S. $225 billion or more each year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime, and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment.

(Source: http://www.proliteracy.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=335&srcid=401)