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