| It may seem obvious to many people why | | | | Massachusetts and other New England States, |
| literacy is so important in our | | | | for both men and women, was close to 97 |
| technologically advanced society. However, | | | | percent. This was before Massachusetts |
| many parents may not fully realize the | | | | created the first compulsory public-school |
| emotional pain and life-long damage | | | | system in America in 1852. What is literacy |
| illiteracy can cause their children. | | | | like in our public schools today? |
| Literacy, the ability to read well, is the | | | | |
| foundation of children's education. | | | | In 1995, a student teacher for a fifth-grade |
| | | | class in Minneapolis wrote the following |
| If children can't read well, every subject | | | | letter to the local newspaper: ". . . I was |
| they try to learn will frustrate them. If | | | | told [that] children are not to be expected |
| they can't read math, history, or science | | | | to spell the following words correctly: back, |
| textbooks, if they stumble over the words, | | | | big, call, came, can, day, did, dog, down, |
| they will soon give up reading out of | | | | get, good, if, in, is, it, have, he, home, |
| frustration. Asking children who are poor | | | | like, little, man, morning, mother, my, |
| readers to study these subjects is like | | | | night, off, out, over, people, play, ran, |
| asking them to climb a rope with one arm. | | | | said, saw, she, some, soon, their, them, |
| | | | there, time, two, too, up, us, very, water, |
| Kids learn to read in their most formative | | | | we, went, where, when, will, would, etc. Is |
| years, which is why reading can profoundly | | | | this nuts?" |
| affect their self-esteem. When children learn | | | | |
| to read, they also start learning how to | | | | In 2002, the New York State Education |
| think abstractly, because words convey ideas | | | | Department's annual report on the latest |
| and relationships between ideas. How well | | | | reading and math scores for public school |
| they read therefore affects children's | | | | students found: |
| feelings about their ability to learn. This | | | | |
| in turn affects how kids feel about | | | | - 90 percent of middle schools failed to meet |
| themselves generally whether a child thinks | | | | New York State minimum standards for math and |
| he or she is stupid or bright. Children who | | | | English exam scores. |
| struggle with reading often blame themselves | | | | |
| and feel ashamed of themselves. | | | | - 65 percent of elementary schools flunked |
| | | | the minimum standards. |
| As Donald L. Nathanson, M.D., Clinical | | | | |
| Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at | | | | - 84 percent of high schools failed to meet |
| Jefferson Medical College noted: "First | | | | the minimum state standards. |
| reading itself, and then the whole education | | | | |
| process, becomes so imbued with, stuffed | | | | - More than half of New York City's black and |
| with, amplified, magnified by shame that | | | | hispanic elementary school students failed |
| children can develop an aversion to | | | | the state's English and math exams. About 30 |
| everything that is education." | | | | percent of white and asian-american students |
| | | | failed to achieve the minimum English test |
| Often, poor readers will struggle just to | | | | scores. |
| graduate from high school. They can lose | | | | |
| general confidence in themselves, and | | | | - The results for eighth grade students were |
| therefore the confidence to try for college | | | | even worse. Here, 75 percent of black and |
| or pursue a career. Their job opportunities | | | | hispanic students flunked both the English |
| can dry up. Their poor reading skills and low | | | | and the math tests. About 50 percent of white |
| self-confidence can strangle their ability to | | | | and Asian-American eighth graders failed the |
| earn money. They can struggle financially | | | | tests. These illiteracy rates are now common |
| their whole lives. If they marry and have | | | | in public schools across America, not just in |
| children, they can struggle even more. | | | | New York City. |
| | | | |
| Life for illiterate adults can easily | | | | In short,as shown by the New York State |
| degenerate into misery, poverty, failure, and | | | | Education Department's annual report and |
| hopelessness. According to a 1992 study by | | | | other studies, student illiteracy rates in |
| the National Institute for Literacy, "43 % of | | | | many public schools range from 30 to 75 |
| Americans with the lowest literacy skills | | | | percent. This is an education horror story. |
| live in poverty and 70 % have no job or a | | | | |
| part-time job. Only 5% of Americans with | | | | That is what illiteracy can mean, what it |
| strong literacy skills live in poverty." | | | | does mean for millions of public-school |
| | | | children who can barely read. Does any parent |
| As Dr. Grover Whitehurst, Assistant Secretary | | | | want this kind of future for his or her |
| of the U.S. Department of Education, said, | | | | children? I argue in my book, "Public |
| "Reading is absolutely fundamental. It's | | | | Schools, Public Menace" that our public |
| almost trite to say that. But in our society, | | | | school system is the primary cause of this |
| the inability to be fluent consigns children | | | | tragic illiteracy, and one reason why these |
| to failure in school and consigns adults to | | | | schools are a menace to our children. |
| the lowest strata of job and life | | | | |
| opportunities." | | | | A great movie to see that shows the tragic |
| | | | consequences of illiteracy is "Stanley and |
| By the 1850s, before we had compulsory, | | | | Iris" with Robert DeNiro and Jane Fonda. |
| government-controlled public schools, child | | | | After you see this movie, you might think |
| and adult literacy rates averaged over 90 | | | | twice about keeping your children in public |
| percent, making illiteracy rates less than 10 | | | | schools. |
| percent. By 1850, literacy rates in | | | | |