What is Literacy?

The National Literacy Act defines literacy as "an individual's ability to read, write, and speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and develop one's knowledge and potential."

Literacy Rates

-        More than 20% of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level, far below the level needed to earn a living wage. The 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey found that more than 40 million Americans age 16 or older have significant literacy needs.

Literacy and Poverty

-        43% of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty; 17% receive food stamps, and 70% have no job or a part-time job.

-        In the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey, the average annual household income for the total population was $30,824, compared to $10,138 for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) or public assistance recipients, and $9,732 for food stamp recipients.
(Barton, p53, Table 4.4)

-        In the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey, the average annual household income of the total adult population:     

·         at prose literacy Level 1 was $15,480, compared to $8,520 for welfare recipients;

·         at prose literacy Level 2 was $25,010, compared to $9,540 for welfare recipients;

·         at prose literacy Level 3 was $35,020, compared to $11,710 for welfare recipients; and

·         at prose literacy Level 4 was $45,610, compared to $15,820 for welfare recipients.
(Barton, p53, Table 4.7)

Immigrants and Refugees

-        In 2000, 28.4 million foreign born resided in the United States, representing 10.4% of the total U.S. population.
(Lollock, p1); nearly 32 million people in the United States speak a language other than English, a 38% increase over 1980. Among the foreign born in 2000:

·         51.0% were born in Latin America,

·         25.5% were born in Asia,

·         15.3% were born in Europe, and

·         8.1% were born in other regions of the world.
(Lollock, p1)

-        ESL programs are the fastest growing component of the state-administered adult education programs. In 1997-98, 48% of enrollments were in ESL programs, compared to 33% in 1993-94. Of these ESL enrollees, 32% were in beginning ESL classes, 12% in intermediate, and 4% in advanced.
(U.S. Department of Education, OVAE, p2; U.S. Department of Education, OVAE, p5)

Adult Literacy and Children

-        As the education level of adults improves, so does their children's success in school. Helping low-literate adults improve their basic skills has a direct and measurable impact on both the education and quality of life of their children.

-        Parental income and marital status are both important predictors of success in school, but neither is as significant as having a mother (or primary caregiver) who completed high school.

Literacy and Employment

-        American businesses are estimated to lose more than $60 billion in productivity each year due to employees' lack of basic skills.

-        About 20% of America's workers have low basic skills, and 75% of unemployed adults have reading or writing difficulties.

Literacy and Incarceration

-        70% of prisoners scored in the two lowest literacy levels of the National Adult Literacy Survey. This means that while they hav some reading and writing skills, they are not adequately equipped to perform tasks like writing a letter, explaining an error on a credit card bill, or understanding a bus schedule.

-        Only 51% of prisoners have completed high school or its equivalent, as compared with 76% of the general population.

Source: National Institute for Literacy. For more literacy facts, go to: http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/facts/facts_overview.html.